Several players with Western Pa. connections selected in USHL draft
A number of players with local connections were selected in the United States Hockey League’s draft this week.
During Phase I of the draft, which is designed for players under age 17, forward Matthew DiMarsico of Wexford went No. 39 overall in the third round to the Green Bay Gamblers. In 51 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite under-15 team this season, DiMarsico had 77 points (37 goals, 40 assists).
Also selected during the first phase was Pittsburgh-born forward Braedon Ford, who was picked No. 61 overall in the fifth round by the Des Moines Buccaneers. This season, with Shattuck St. Mary’s of Faribault, Minn., Ford had 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 46 games.
In Phase 2, which is for players over 17, four area players were chosen.
Forward Daniel Vladimir Tkac, a native of Pittsburgh who briefly played for Bishop Canevin, was selected 115th overall in the eighth round by the Lincoln Stars. This season, with the Merritt Centennials in the British Columbia Hockey League, Tkac had 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 45 games.
Dane Dowiak, a forward from Wexford, was selected 155th overall in the 11th round by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. With The Gunnery school in Washington, Conn., this season, Dowiak had 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) in 33 games. He is committed to Penn State starting in the 2021-22 season.
Selected 166th overall in the 11th round by the Dubuque Fighting Saints was Canonsburg defenseman Austin Oravetz. With the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite under-16 team this season, Oravetz appeared in 51 games and had 45 points (10 goals, 35 assists).
Forward Cam Recchi, the son of Penguins assistant coach Mark Recchi, was selected by the Muskegon Lumberjacks 202nd overall in the 14th round. With the North American Hockey League’s Maryland Black Bears this season, the Pittsburgh-born Recchi had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 41 games.
Ryan Vellucci, son of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach and general manager Mike Vellucci, was selected No. 262 overall in the 18th round by Muskegon. The forward played in 55 games last season for the Detroit Little Caesars under-18 team and had 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists).
The USHL is the top junior league in the United States.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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