ODENTON, MD– With the long run in the playoffs, the Maryland Black Bears were already embracing the short offseason with the NAHL Draft taking place Wednesday. Even with 13 tender contracts signed during the 2022-23 season, the Black Bears still had some space for incoming players and took full advantage of the spots left over.
Write up courtesy of Scott Wasilewski of the “Defending The Den” and “Chesapeake Hockey Week” Podcasts, found on twitter: @DefendingDenMBB & @ChesapeakeHWPod
The first round saw Maryland, originally slated to pick 31st overall, move up 10 spots in a trade with Kenai River. With that pick, the Black Bears selected Jeremi Tremblay from the Flin Flon Bombers. Committed to Sacred Heart University, Tremblay is coming off a 27-goal and 55-point season in only 44 games with Flin Flon. Tremblay improved 20 points from the previous season and could add a nice kick to the Maryland offense should he opt not to go to Sacred Heart.
Having two picks in the second round, the Black Bears selected Tamas Toth from Hungary with the 58th pick. Toth played with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers in the NCDC and potted 22 goals in 40 games. Toth also brings plenty of international experience by playing for Hungary in many IIHF junior events.
With the 63rd pick, Maryland selected Ben Tauscher from the Little Caesars 16U team. The 2006 birth year forward was one of the youngest players selected, but with 30 goals and 51 points in 56 games proves to be the reason why. The breakout year from this past season will hopefully provide more scoring punch in the Black Bears line-up.
Maryland took a familiar face in the third round, as Morley Phillips was picked with the 95th pick. The Team Maryland power forward skated in three games with the Black Bears already, but he showed plenty of promise with Team Maryland with 17 goals in the regular season and seven goals in the postseason.
At the start of the fourth round, Maryland had a pick thanks to a trade with Danbury. With the pick, 100th overall, Maryland picked another affiliated player as Devin Nabozny of the Mercer Chiefs was selected. With 11 points in 37 games, Nabozny will be a nice addition to the blue line. Also, Nabozny has NAHL experience with four games played for Wisconsin this past season.
The Black Bears went with goalie Haydn Gould in the fifth round, 159th overall. Playing for the Rockland Nationals, Gould sported a .906 save percentage with one shutout while playing the most games in net in the CCHL with 47 and facing the third-most shots in the league at 1,464.
With the 191st pick, Maryland went with Mathew Croxall of the Windy City Storm 16U squad. Another 2006 birth year, Croxall netted 11 goals and 21 points in 31 games in the 16U division. Another young gun in the mix, Croxall should prove to be a solid piece for the future of the Black Bears offense.
In the seventh round, the Black Bears finished their draft with Josef Lalli from the NA3HL’s Gillette Wild. The former Bemidji High School captain dished out 23 assists last year, while racking up 169 PIMs, adding more grit to the blue line for Maryland.
The Black Bears have had solid luck with their draft picks playing that next season. In 2022-23, Maryland had five of their eight picks in the draft play during the season, while in 2021-22, the Black Bears had five of their seven picks appear in the line-up. Time will tell if the Black Bears can reap the success for a third straight season.