By Tim Droogsma - Elite League Media Services
Minnesota, Toronto each take two
New Hope, Minn. – National Hockey League teams selected an even dozen former players from the Upper Midwest High School Elite League during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, which concluded today in St. Paul.
The Minnesota Wild traded up in the second round of the draft to select Wayzata forward Mario Lucia as the 60th overall pick. The Wild later chose Eden Prairie’s Nick Seeler in the fifth round.
Last year’s Elite League scoring champion, Tony Cameranesi of Wayzata, was chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs with their fifth-round selection (#130 overall). Toronto then chose Edina’s Max Everson in the 7th round (#203 overall.
“With these 12 selections, the Elite League has provided 47 players to the NHL in the last three entry drafts,” said UMHSEL Commissioner John Russo. “We’re very proud of them, and also proud of the role the league played in their development.”
The Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League is a non-profit hockey league designed to provide high-level competition supplementing the regular high school hockey season, and runs each fall from September to November. For more information, visit the league’s website at www.hselitehockey.com. A complete list of Elite League players selected is below.
| Name | School | Round (Overall) | NHL Team |
| Mario Lucia (F) | Wayzata | 2nd (60) | Minnesota Wild |
| Steven Fogarty (F) | Edina | 3rd (72) | New York Rangers |
| Andy Welinski (D) | Duluth East | 3rd (83) | Anaheim Ducks |
| Kyle Rau (F) | Eden Prairie | 3rd (90) | Florida Panthers |
| Mike Reilly (D) | Shattuck-St. Mary's | 4th (98) | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Joseph LaBate (F) | Academy of Holy Angels | 4th (101) | Vancouver Canucks |
| Tony Cameranesi (F) | Wayzata | 5th (130) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Nick Seeler (D) | Eden Prairie | 5th (131) | Minnesota Wild |
| Josh Archibald (F) | Brainerd/P/P | 6th (174) | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Patrick Daly (D) | Benilde-St. Margaret's | 7th (189) | New Jersey Devils |
| Brad Navin (F) | Waupaca (WI) | 7th (197) | Buffalo Sabres |
| Max Everson (D) | Edina | 7th (203) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
