Cedar Rapids RoughRiders draft Slovakian forward Samuel Solensky a 2nd time

CEDAR RAPIDS — There is no guarantee Samuel Solensky will make an impact for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. It's not a cinch he'll even make the team.

But he's thought of well enough for the United States Hockey League club to draft him ... again.

The 17-year-old right wing from Michalovce, Slovakia, was one of 18 players the RoughRiders selected Tuesday in Phase II of the 2016 USHL Draft. He was taken in the eighth round, three rounds higher than a year ago.

Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson said the Riders wanted to keep Solensky's USHL rights this past season but didn't have enough space on their affiliate roster of younger players. So when the opportunity came up Tuesday, they called his name a second time.

'We just couldn't protect him last year. We didn't have room,' Carlson said. 'We'll see what happens. Everybody has to make the team. There are no guarantees. He's a good offensive hockey player who works hard and has good hockey sense.'

Solensky was included in Central Scouting's final rankings of 2016 National Hockey League draft-eligible players, so it's more than just Cedar Rapids that likes him. He checked in at number 116 among European skaters.

Defenseman Marshall Rifai also was on the CS final rankings (123rd among North American skaters). The RoughRiders drafted the 18-year-old defenseman from Quebec in Tuesday's third round.

Rifai is a Harvard commit.

'I think it went fine,' Carlson said of the draft. 'I'm happy with the work our staff did. But it all comes down to how hard these guys are going to work. How they compete, how they fit in.'

Center Jason Polin was C.R.'s first pick. The 16-year-old Western Michigan commit played this past season for the Victory Honda 16U program in Detroit.

Left winger Casey Carreau was the RoughRiders' second-round selection. The Massachusetts resident is a Boston College commit who is from Thayer Academy prep school in suburban Boston.

'Jason played for Victory Honda, which is a program we have a lot of respect for,' Carlson said. 'He's a real good two-way hockey player, versatile. He's got good character.

'Casey Carreau is a very good player coming out of Thayer. We're not sure if he's going to want to be here next year or not. But we liked him enough that we decided to take him there in the second round. If he's not here next year, we'll be able to have him be part of the team the following year.'

The RoughRiders selected nine players of 2000 birthdates in Monday night's Phase I of the draft and signed Boston-area forward T.J. Walsh to a pre-draft tender.

They have USHL rights to 45 players, including those on the affiliate roster. Then there are 14 more players who spent time on the regular roster who have the opportunity to return.

They are forwards Zach Robbins, Pavel Tkachkov, Justin Cole, Sam Sternschein, Will Garin, Matt Gosiewski, Liam Walsh and Johnny DeRoche, defensemen Ben Foley, Riese Zmolek, Taylor Brierley and Trevor Zins, and goaltenders Zack LaRocque and Jake Begley.

The team's Futures Camp is June 8-10 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

Phase I

1st Round — TENDER - T.J. Walsh (F) Cushing Academy - Shrewsbury, MA

3rd Round — Drew DeRidder (G) Oakland Jr. Grizzlies U16 - Fenton, MI

4th Round — Harrison Roy (F) Boston Jr. Bandits U16 - Lakeville, MA

5th Round — Cannon Green (F) Oakland Jr. Grizzlies U16 - Hinsdale, IL

6th Round — Alex Nordstrom (F) Hancock (MI) High School - Hancock, MI

6th Round — P. J. Garrett (D) Thayer Academy - Duxbury, MA

7th Round — Ethan Manderville (F) Gloucester Rangers AAA - Ottawa, ON, CAN

8th Round — Jordan Tonelli (F) Taft Prep School - Armonk, NY

9th Round — Brendan Budy (F) Delta Hockey Academy - Langley, BC, CAN

10th Round — Calvin Dybicz (D) Milwaukee Admirals U16 - Elk Grove Village, IL

Phase II

1st Round — Jason Polin (F) Victory Honda U16 - Holt, MI

2nd Round — Casey Carreau (F) Thayer Academy - Acushnet, MA

3rd Round — Marshall Rifai (D) Hotchkiss Prep - Beaconsfield, QC, CAN

5th Round — Peyton Frantti (F) Culver Military Prep - Spring Grove, IL

6th Round — Harrison Feeney (G) Philadelphia Jr. Flyers U18 - Lafayette Hill, PA

7th Round — Sam Fuss (D) Minot Minotauros (NAHL) - Edina, MN

8th Round — Samuel Solensky (F) Bili Tygri Liberec U20 - Michalovce, Slovakia

8th Round — Kaden Pickering (F) Northwood School Junior - Madrid, NY

9th Round — Jamie Collins (F) Culver Military Prep - Fergus, ON, CAN

10th Round — Aidan McDonough (F) Thayer Academy - Milton, MA

11th Round — Eric Jeremiah (D) St Sebastians School - Hanover, MA

11th Round — Gavin Gulash (F) New Jersey Titans U16 - Chicago, IL

13th Round — A.J. Villella (D) Boston Jr. Bruins U18 - Davie, FL

14th Round — Colton Kalezic (F) Toronto Patriots - Toronto, ON, CAN

15th Round — Gianfranco Cassero (D) Toronto Jr. Canadiens - Nobleton, ON, CAN

16th Round — Andrew Sinard (D) TPH Thunder U18 - Brentwood, TN

17th Round — Martin Fasko-Rudas (F) HK Dukla Trencin U18 - Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

18th Round — Nick Bowman (F) Brother Rice High School

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com