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May 18, 2005TC North Stars go heavy on defense in NAHL draftThree of five picks are blue-linersByRecord-Eagle staff writer Talent infusion Selections by the TC North Stars in Tuesday's NAHL draft: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The expansion North American Hockey League team picked up four blue liners over the last two days, including using three of its five draft picks in Tuesday's league draft on defenders. "I had a list of the top guys we wanted," team general manager and coach Scott Gardiner said. "We got the first three picks on our list. The last two are quality players who will help us right away." Gardiner used the third overall pick on defenseman Lucas Dubay of the Quad City Mallards of the Central State Hockey League. The Stars' next two picks were Chicago Chill midget major teammates - blue-liner Daniel Lawson in the second round and goaltender Kyle Jendra in the third. The fourth round brought Davison winger Marc Thompson, and Gardiner selected another defender in the final round, Jarrett Rush of the Cobourg Cougars Jr. A. Prior to the draft, the team used its final tender on Steven Hackman, a 6-foot, 180-pound 20-year-old defenseman from Howell. He played last season for the Metro Jets, a Detroit-area Junior B team in the Central States Hockey League. Dubay, 20, had 31 points in 40 games for the Mallards and was a +24. "He's an older guy who for a young club, I felt we had to have on defense," Gardiner said. Dubay played in this weekend's predraft camp All-Star game and had a unassisted goal and an assist. Lawson, who was also selected in the second round of the United States Hockey League draft last week by the Chicago Steel, is a big blue-liner (6-4, 225) who will turn 17 by the start of the season. He was drafted four picks ahead of Michigan Mr. Hockey Chad Langlais in the USHL draft. "(The Chicago Steel) have a lot of defensemen," Gardiner said. "We took a calculated risk that he'll be here. He liked it here. "He does it all. He's got a few Division I colleges looking at him already." Jendra, who is only 15 but will turn 16 by the season's start in September, was picked in the ninth round of the Ontario Hockey League draft by the Plymouth Whalers. The 5-9, 150-pound netminder had a 2.28 goals against average last season for the Chicago Chill, posting four shutouts in 32 games. "I had him ranked in my top 3, period," Gardiner said. Thompson (6-1, 180) just finished his junior season at Davison, where he had 13 goals and 15 assists in 22 games and was a +30. His sister and brother-in-law live in Suttons Bay. "He was the surprise of our camp," Gardiner said of the North Star's predraft camp last weekend, which featured 117 players. "That is why we had it. We wouldn't have drafted him if it wasn't for that." Dubay, Thompson and Rush were all at the camp. Rush, another 20-year-old defender, had 16 points and 77 penalty minutes in 46 games and had two assists in the camp All-Star game. "He's another guy like Dubay that we're going to need," Gardiner said. "For a big guy (6-5, 215), he moves well, but I want him to be a stay-at-home guy. He cuts off passing lanes with his reach." North Stars tendered blueliner Rich Zobak played with Lawson and Jendra several years ago. The North Stars will host three more open tryout camps before an invitation-only camp in late July. From May 20-22, the North Stars will host a camp at Southern Ice in Nashville, Tenn. The team has also scheduled a June 2-5 tryout at the Orchard Lake St. Mary's Complex and another June 17-19 at West Meadows arena in Rolling Meadows, Ill.
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