The Northeast Generals of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) took part in the leagues 3 round supplemental draft today. With a veteran roster returning the Generals were able to add 3 Forwards to a team that will already feature a potent offense.
In the first round the Generals drafted 6’5″ Forward Kyle Mandleur from the Boston Bandits. Kyle, committed to UVM, had 22 goals last year and his size will help replace some of what was lost up front. “Kyle has junior experience which we were looking for in our first few picks. He is a big kid that moves well. I think he will make an immediate impact on our lineup right away.” Said GM/Head Coach Bryan Erikson.
In the second round the Generals continued to add size and junior experience with the selection of 6’3″ Forward and RPI Commit Eric Fawkes. Fawkes split time between the NAHL and the MJHL last year where he had 10 goals. “Eric is a player we have liked for a few years. Big kid that can skate. Plays the right way. Not losing a ton of forwards makes it great to be able to plug in guys that have experience but also fit into our style of play. Eric is a high character kid that we think will fit into what we are building here.”
In the final round the Generals went local in selecting standout Prep Forward Tommy Harty. The Billerica, MA native was Captain at Williston Northampton where he put up 13 goals in 28 games. “Tommy continued the trend of us picking guys that we feel can put the puck in the net. He came and practiced with us last year and we loved his work ethic and the way he handled himself in practice. Great kid that’s best hockey is still in front of him.”
“We drafted the 3 players we had targeted so we are extremely happy. We want to continue to play an extremely aggressive style of hockey. Move the puck and transition quickly to offense. We think Kyle, Eric and Tommy all fit into what we are trying to do. We also had an amazing locker room last year. Our Captain, Dylan Schuett, did an amazing job of keeping everyone engaged and working hard. We wanted to make sure we added players that would fit into our great culture and we feel we did that. We still have holes to fill in the July entry draft but we are really excited about our roster composition right now.” continued GM/Head Coach Bryan Erikson.