RoughRiders acquire NHL draft pick

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders might have gotten better Tuesday afternoon. They definitely got bigger.

The club acquired forward Joe Wegwerth from the Green Bay Gamblers in exchange for forward Joey Marooney and three draft picks.

Wegwerth is 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds. The 18-year-old is a Notre Dame commit and a fourth-round draft pick of the NHL's Florida Panthers last summer.

He had five goals and 16 assists in 35 games this season. The Barrington, Ill., resident spent the previous two seasons with the United States National Team Development Program.

'He plays hard, is very good down low. He is physical, a heavy player, a tough customer that can make plays,” said RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson. 'He's a team-first player.”

Marooney was acquired earlier this season in a trade from the Sioux Falls Stampede. He had two assists in 12 games with the Riders.

Cedar Rapids also is relinquishing third and 10th-round picks in Phase Two of the 2015 USHL Draft (the main draft) and a second-rounder in Phase One (formerly known as Futures Draft). The RoughRiders (26-10) continue to lead the USHL in standings points with 52, though their lead in the Eastern Conference is just three points on Muskegon.

The Riders play two games this coming weekend at Youngstown.

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