On Wednesday, the Minot Minotauros took the next steps toward their 2021-22 campaign in the 2021 NAHL Entry Draft. At the conclusion of the selection process, Minot had chosen six players through seven rounds to reach the roster limit for the summer.

In the first round, the Minotauros selected Reid Pabich, a forward with four seasons of United States Hockey League experience. He spent three seasons with the Madison Capitols and played with the Sioux Falls Stampede last season, as the Capitols were not playing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over his last two seasons, Pabich recorded 23 goals and 29 assists in the USHL.

In the third round, the Minotauros selected Nick O’Hanisain, a right-handed defenseman from the British Columbia Hockey League’s Victoria Grizzlies. Limited to just 10 games by the shortened BCHL season last year, the Detroit native notched two goals and an assist in his first year of junior hockey. Prior to that, while playing U18 for the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, O’Hanisian scored 26 points (10 goals and 16 assists) as a 17-year-old.

With the first of two fifth-round selections, Minot targeted Micah Berger from Bethesda, Maryland. Berger was a point-per-game player last season for the New Jersey Rockets, scoring 65 points in 68 games for the U16 team. He also produced a hat trick and an assist in his only game for the U18 team.

The Minotauros went even younger two picks later in the fifth round, selecting goaltender Tom Kiesewetter. Hailing from Thayer Academy out of Braintree, Massachusetts, Kiesewetter was the second-youngest player chosen in the draft. The young netminder will represent the United States on the U.S. U17 Men’s Select Team playing in the 2021 U17 Five Nations tournament in Visp, Switzerland in August.

The Swiss theme continued for Minot with their sixth-round selection of Dean Schwenninger, a Switzerland native. From Zurich, the forward played his entire career in Europe last season, registering 16 points in 45 games for the Zug U-20 squad. He has also represented his country in International Ice Hockey Federation international play, captaining Switzerland’s U16 team in 2016-17 while wearing an “A” for the U17 team the next season, as well as playing on the U18 team in 2018-19.

Minot wrapped up its draft selections in the seventh round with North American 3 Hockey League veteran defenseman Noah Roitman. Roitman spent the last two seasons in the NA3HL, scoring 66 points in 72 games between the North Iowa Bulls and the Oklahoma City Blazers, where he played for former Minotauros assistant coach Mick Berge.

Prior to playing in the 3HL, Roitman finished his Minnesota high school career with three consecutive 20+ point seasons for Simley High School. Aside from scoring points, Roitman also finished his NA3HL career an astounding +99 in just two seasons.

With the draft now complete, the Minotauros plan to begin training camp in Minot in just over a month.