3 more RoughRiders go in NHL Draft

CEDAR RAPIDS – Adam Gaudette was with his family Saturday morning in Braintree, Mass., following the National Hockey League Draft on his television and computer.

All of a sudden, he gets a text on his cellphone from Cedar Rapids RoughRiders teammate Ryan Larkin.

'(Erik) Foley and Larkin were at the draft in Florida,” Gaudette said. 'I get this text from Larkin congratulating me on getting drafted.”

So that's how Gaudette got the news the Vancouver Canucks had taken him in the fourth round. The forward was the 143rd-overall pick.

Foley was the first of three Riders to go Saturday. The Winnipeg Jets took him in the third round, with the 78th-ooverall selection.

Forward Freddy Tiffels rounded out a good day for the club by being picked in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the 167h-overall selection.

Goaltender Larkin and forward Jiri Fronk also were draft hopefuls but went unselected in the seven-round event. Overall, the United States Hockey League had 47 current players and alumni drafted.

The RoughRiders had former defenseman Ivan Provorov taken by the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, seventh overall, Friday night.

'It was unreal, a great feeling,” Gaudette said of getting drafted. 'A dream come true.”

Gaudette will play this coming season at Northeastern University. He begin classes next week, which will prevent him from attending the Canucks' development camp.

He had 30 points in 50 games this past season for the RoughRiders and led the team in plus-minus rating at plus-23.

Foley led the Riders with 54 points this past season, scoring 27 goals and adding 27 assists. He'll play this coming season for national champion Providence College.

'My family has been here on vacation since Thursday, so it's been great,” he said Saturday. 'I got to go watch the first round Friday night, which helped me get used to the atmosphere. It feels great to get drafted, a sigh of relief in a way. I was kind of sitting there thinking ‘OK, when's my turn coming? When's my turn coming?' I'm excited to go to a community that has a passion for hockey and their team.”

Tiffels played for the RoughRiders in the 2013-14 season. As a freshman for Western Michigan University this past season, the Cologne, Germany, resident had 11 goals and 10 assists in 32 games.

Both Foley and Gaudette said their year in the United States Hockey League and with the RoughRiders was crucial in them getting drafted Saturday.

'I wouldn't be here if I hadn't come to Cedar Rapids and played for Coach (Mark) Carlson,” Gaudette said. 'He brought out my game, taught me to work hard. If it wasn't for him, I know I wouldn't have been drafted.”

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