By Daily News Staff

sports@minotdailynews.com

The Minot Minotauros welcomed nine new players into the family on Tuesday as the 2019 NAHL draft unfolded.

Minot used its first pick (21st overall) on left wing Jay Buchholz. The Fargo native recorded 25 goals and 35 assists for 60 points in his 74 games last season with the Portage Terriers, a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team.

The Minotauros then selected centre Daniel Russel with the 48th overall pick in the second round. The Traverse City, Michigan, native spent last season as a member of the United States Hockey League’s Fargo Force where he tallied two goals and five assists for seven points.

In the fourth round, Minot took left defenseman Max Bronstine with the 98th overall pick. Bronstine posted nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points last season with the Dallas Stars Elite, a 16UAAA team.

Minot then added a pair of centres in Cade Stibbe and Thomas Sherman in the fifth round with the 124th and 125th pick, respectively. The Minotauros also selected right defenseman Joseph Borthwick (143rd) and centre/left wing Giovanni Procopio (151st) in the sixth round.

Borthwick recorded 23 assists in 29 games last season with Detroit Catholic Central High School, while Procopio tallied eight assists in 18 games with the High Performance Hockey League’s Oakland Jr. Grizz.

Minot’s remaining picks were used on right wing Casey McDonald (177th), left wing Andranik Armstrong (203rd) and forward Ryan Pogue (229th).

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MSU men’s hockey secures commitment from Riley Vautour

The defending champs just got a little more stacked.

The Minot State men’s hockey team added some more scoring to its lineup on Tuesday as it announced the commitment of forward Riley Vautour from the Steinbach Pistons, a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team.

The 5-foot-10 Stony Mountain, Manitoba, native racked up 11 goals and 18 assists for a total of 29 points in 53 games this past season with the Waywayseecappo Wolverines and the Pistons.

“We graduated some scoring up front, and this is exactly what Riley (Vautour) brings to the table,” MSU head coach Wade Reiger said in a press release. “He is a player who has an incredible hockey IQ and vision particularly in the offensive zone. He is a gifted player who is going to complement our deep returning forward group.”

Vautour becomes the second forward commitment this offseason and fifth overall for a Beavers team fresh off an ACHA Division I national championship.

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