For 14 young Minnesotans, June 30, 2013 will be a day they never forget after hearing their names called during the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey.  Each of those players are now one step closer towards fulfilling their dream of playing in the NHL. Congratulations, gentlemen!

Fans of the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament witnessed a member of the 2013 AA State Champion Edina Hornets, Connor Hurley,  become the first Minnesotan selected in the 2013 NHL Draft. Hurley was selected with the eighth pick of the second round (No. 38 overall).  Another high school hockey product was picked just a short time later as Tommy Vannelli from Minnetonka was taken with the 47th overall pick by St. Louis.

What seemed to be a fairly quiet draft by Minnesota’s standards took a rapid turn late in the fifth round as six of the last 12 picks were used to select Minnesotans.  Of those six, two were the Brodzinski brothers from Blaine. Michael (No. 141) and Jonny (No. 148) ended up getting taken, not only in the same NHL draft but only seven picks apart.

The Minnesota Wild made it three years in a row they have selected a Minnesota native, picking Avery Peterson a stand out with Grand Rapids with No. 167.  The Wild have now drafted five Minnesotans over the past three years and eleven total since their first draft in 2000.

Over the past ten years, Minnesota has continued to demonstrate the ability to generate NHL-caliber hockey players through its community-based development model, producing 135 NHL drafts picks in that time.  In 2013, Minnesota accounted for about 25% of the Americans selected (14 of 57).  Massachusetts was second with seven picks. New York and Michigan tied with five selections each.

The Reebok Minnesota Hockey High Performance (formerly Selects) programs also had a good showing during the 2013 NHL Draft. Each of the players were former participants, with several of them using the opportunity to make US national teams.

Here are the 14 Minnesotans selected in the 2013 NHL Draft: