USHL Futures Draft

When is the USHL Futures Draft?
The draft will take place on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. CDT.

Who is eligible to be drafted?
Only players born in 1995 are eligible to be drafted.

Do players have to register for the draft?
Players do not have to register to be drafted.

If a player is drafted by a USHL team in the May draft, can they be put on the affiliate list?
Yes. Players born in 1995 that are drafted in the May draft are allowed to be placed on the team's affiliate list.

How many rounds are there in the draft?
The futures draft will consist of a maximum of 6 rounds.

How many players can be drafted by a team?
Each team will select 6 players with 1995 birthdates.

What is an affiliate list?
The affiliate list is a list of 13 players that a team is allowed to protect in addition to their 23-man active roster.

How long does a team retain the rights of a player selected in the futures draft?
It depends on the age of the player. For this year's futures draft, players born in 1993 will remain property of the selecting team for one (1) year. Players born in 1994 will remain property of the selecting team for two (2) years. Players born in 1995 will remain property of the selecting team for three (3) years.

Does getting drafted guarantee that you are on a USHL team?
No, a player that is chosen in the futures draft is not automatically on a USHL team. The player may be placed on the team's affiliate list.

When can a player selected in the futures draft be placed on a USHL roster?
Players on the affiliated list can be moved to a team's active roster at any time and for any reason. If an affiliated player is moved to a team's active roster before the February 10 roster deadline, they will be eligible to play for the remainder of the regular season as well as the post-season. Affiliated players added to the active roster after February 10 will not be eligible to play in the post-season.

How is the draft order determined?
The draft order for the futures draft is determined using a random draw, thus giving every team in the league the opportunity to land the first overall selection (with the exception being expansion years where the new team selects first). Unlike the May entry draft, the process has nothing to do with the order of finish from the previous season.

Can players taken in the futures draft be traded?
Yes. Players that are taken in the futures draft and placed on a team's affiliate list can be traded from that list to another team's affiliated list. If the drafted player has already been placed on a team's active roster, they can be traded to another team's active roster.

How does a player know when he has been drafted?
If a player is watching the futures draft live, he will see his name on the screen at the time of his selection. Following the draft, players will be contacted by a member of the coaching staff from the team that selected him. Coaches are instructed by the league office to contact players that are chosen within 24 hours of the draft.

Is the draft open to the public?
Much like the USHL Futures Draft in May of 2010, the 2011 Futures Draft will be conducted live over the Internet. Interested parties can view the draft on the league's official web site, www.ushldraft.com. Check back to the site in the future for more information on how to watch this year's draft. Public availability of the draft is subject to change.

When will the final draft results be posted?
Upon completion of the futures draft, a draft board will be compiled and the results will be posted as soon as possible, most likely within a few hours of the draft's completion. Results will also be posted on the league web site.

Buccaneers Add Montesano to Full-Time Staff

Urbandale (IA) - The Des Moines Buccaneers are proud to announce that the team's radio broadcaster Scott Montesano has accepted an offer to join the franchise on a full-time basis beginning immediately. In addition to continuing his role as the team's radio play-by-play announcer, Montesano will add media relations and sales to his list of duties.

Montesano, 29, joined the team prior to the 2009-2010 season as the new radio announcer and thanks to his prior experience, was able to assist in a part-time capacity in various other roles including media relations and sales.

A native of Utica, NY and graduate of Marist College, Montesano previously worked with teams in the North American Hockey League and also in minor league baseball. From 2004-2007 he was the Director of Communications for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets and in 2008-2009 he was the Director of Media Relations and interim general manager for the North Iowa Outlaws both of the NAHL. He most recently spent the past five summers with the Eau Claire Express of the Northwoods Baseball League.

He has also worked in media sales, as a newspaper reporter/sports editor, a substitute teacher and had his book "Call of Life" published in November 2009.

Scott and his wife Anglea will move to Urbandale year round and are expecting the birth of their first child in July.

The Des Moines Buccaneers will be playing their 32nd consecutive season in the United States Hockey League beginning in the Fall of 2011. Since 1980, the Buccaneers have produced hundreds of NCAA Division I players and dozens of professional alumni. Season Ticket Packages and Corporate Partnership information for the 2011-2012 season is available by calling (515) 278-2827.

2010 - 2011 Player Awards

On Saturday, April 9th the Des Moines Buccaneers organization handed out their 2010 – 2011 player awards in an on-ice ceremony before the start of the game; specifically honoring individual players who impacted this year’s team.

The Bob McCorkle Award is presented in memory of former Buccaneer Bob McCorkle who died in a car accident in 1982. The award is presented to the player who demonstrates and outstanding level of sportsmanship and dedication the game of hockey. This year’s award was presented to goaltender Michael Shibrowski.

The Bob Punsalan Memorial Award is presented to the player who has dedicated many hours of his free time to help guide youth players in the Des Moines metro and in the Des Moines Youth Hockey Association. This year’s award was presented to goaltender Tyler Bruggeman.

The Vicki Allen Award is presented in memory of beloved Buccaneers supporter Vicki Allen. The award is presented to the Buccaneers player who generously donates his time to perform acts of community service in the Des Moines metro including the Buccaneers’ “Stick with Reading” program and various other events. This year’s award was presented to forward Mitch Cain.

The Curt Hammer Award is presented to the team’s leading scorer in remembrance of the outstanding contributions to hockey in Des Moines by Curt Hammer. Curt was a dedicated supporter of Des Moines hockey and was also a former President of the Des Moines Buccaneers. This year’s award was presented to forward Dan DeSalvo.

The Fan Favorite Award is presented to the Buccaneer player who fans have determined, through online voting and ballots, as their favorite Des Moines Buccaneer player of the season. This year’s voting was so close that this year’s award was presented to both forward Dajon Mingo and goaltender Michael Shibrowski.

The Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year player who has made an important impact to the success of the Des Moines Buccaneers on, and off, the ice. This year’s award was presented to forward Dan DeSalvo.

The Most Valuable Player Award is presented to the Buccaneer player who demonstrates outstanding on-ice performance with tremendous all-around leadership. The ward is determined by the team and this year’s award was presented to goaltender Michael Shibrowski.

In addition to all of the awards presented on Saturday night, the Des Moines Buccaneers Booster Club presented their Des Moines Buccaneers Booster Club Scholarship to a deserving Buccaneer player to help them fund their college education. The money for the $3000 scholarship was collected by generous donations from Buccaneer fans including the nightly 50-50 split proceeds, the Tips for Scholarships annual event, fundraisers and other donations. This year’s scholarship recipient was forward Mitch Cain, who is committed to Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota.