RoughRiders keep draft picks in the family

CEDAR RAPIDS - Phase One of the 2015 United States Hockey League Draft turned out to be all about the family Monday night for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders.

The Riders selected defenseman Ian Blacker with their second-round pick. He's the younger brother of goaltender Ben Blacker.

With one of their two picks in the third round, Cedar Rapids chose center Cameron Burke. He's the younger brother of Riders forward Cal Burke.

The other third-round selection, by the way, was center Marc McLaughlin, but he's not related to three-year RoughRiders forward Dylan McLaughlin. Cedar Rapids did not have a first-round pick Monday because it tendered forward Liam Walsh recently.

A pre-draft tender counts as a first-round Phase One selection, with that player having to remain on his respective team's roster the entire 2015-16 season and play in at least 55 percent of its games. Phase One is for players with a 1999 birthdate.

The main draft, or Phase Two, is Tuesday.

'We are both very excited about him getting drafted here,” Ben Blacker said about his brother. 'It has been something we have both been curious about, if he was going to get picked up by Cedar Rapids. Obviously, we are both very happy with the outcome of the draft.”

'It's unbelievable to be a part of the same organization as my brother,” Ian Blacker said. 'I came down a couple of times this season, and it's a beautiful spot to play. I'm very happy to get drafted there.”

The Blacker brothers are from Oakville, Ontario, and commitments to Western Michigan University. While Ben is 5-foot-9, Ian checks in at 6-foot-3.

Ben Blacker is expected to return to the RoughRiders for the 2015-16 season. Ian will attend the team's tryout camp in June, but said he'll likely spend 2015-16 with Oakville of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and won't join the RoughRiders until the following season.

He is considered a National Hockey League draft talent and is getting pressure to play Major Junior in his home country, as his brother did. But he said Monday night he is going to take the college route instead.

The RoughRiders selecting him would seem to indicate they believe that's the route he'll take as well.

'I've obviously talked to London (the Major Junior team that has drafted him),” Ian Blacker said. 'But I've talked it over with my parents and my advisor, and school is definitely the way to go.”

'Playing here in Cedar Rapids, from my experience, has been great,” Ben Blacker said. 'I am sure he will have the same experiences here and will enjoy every minute when he comes here to be a Roughrider.”

Cameron Burke is a Notre Dame commit, as is his brother, who is expected to return to play one more season with the RoughRiders. There is the chance the Boston-area brothers could play together this coming season as well.

'It was awesome to see Cam picked up by Cedar Rapids because it means I'll have the chance to play side by side with him next year,” Cal Burke said. 'The RoughRider organization has been so good to me and helped me grow so much as a player and person, that I'm glad my brother will have the opportunity to experience what I did. All in all, I know he couldn't be happier with what happened tonight.”

Other players drafted by Cedar Rapids on Monday were defenseman Josh Ess (Lakeville, Minn., South High School), goalie Jack Begley (Hill-Murray High School in Minnesota), forward Erik Urbank (Orchard Park, N.Y.), forward Matt Demelis (Boston), defenseman Jayson Dobay (Boston) and forward David Madsen (Denmark).

Urbank has committed to Dartmouth. McLaughlin is a St. Lawrence commit.

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