RoughRiders head back to Mother Russia

CEDAR RAPIDS – Getting recently burned by a player from Russia didn't prevent the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders from going back there Tuesday for their first pick of Phase 2 of the United States Hockey League Draft.

The club took forward Georgy Gorodetsky with the 12th-overall selection of the day-long draft. The 19-year-old played Midget Major hockey this past winter for the Oakland Grizzlies U18 team in Michigan and is considered a first-line type talent.

Gorodetsky is from Yekaterinburg, Russia. The RoughRiders had defenseman Ivan Provorov leave the team with four games left in the regular season in late March and return home to Russia.

Clearly, there is no once-bitten, twice-shy feeling for them.

'Georgy has got good offensively ability, is strong and can play all three of the forward positions,” said RoughRiders Coach/General Manager Mark Carlson. 'He's been over here for three years now. He's got all his schooling done, is taking the SAT and wants to go to college.”

Gorodetsky played two years in the famed Shattuck St. Mary's prep school program in Minnesota. That, and RoughRiders scout Dan Riedel coaching him this past season in Michigan made the club feel comfortable drafting him.

'He's definitely interested in and wants to be in the league,” Carlson said. 'We've met him before, so we felt real good about it.”

Cedar Rapids also had the 14th-overall selection and drafted another import in defenseman Aaron Thow from Toronto. He played this past season in the Ontario Junior ‘A' Hockey League for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens.

Thow, 19, has committed to play college hockey at Clarkson University in New York.

'We really like Aaron,” Carlson said. 'He's a versatile defender, can play at both ends of the rink. We think he brings some leadership abilities and grit, too. So he fits in real well with the group that we kind of have penciled in.”

Through a series of previous trades, the RoughRiders had 10 of the top 100 picks in Tuesday's draft, including two first-rounders, two second-rounders, two fourth-rounders and two fifth-rounders. They selected 20 players in all.

Teams drafted until their initial roster of protected players (returnees, affiliate list and Phase 1 draftees) reached 45. Returning players on the protected list are goaltender Danny TIrone, defensemen Charlie Curti, Clark Kuster and Logan Von Ruden and forwards Andrew Oglevie, Carlos Fornaris, Alec Marsh, Nick Master, Kevin Shand, Cal Burke, Erik Foley, Brennan Sanford, Dylan McLaughlin, Jason Kalinowski and Andrew Gaus.

Cedar Rapids' second-round draft picks were Tyler Parsons, a goaltender from the Little Caesars program in Michigan, and defenseman Bryce Hatten, a 17-year-old defenseman of the Michigan Nationals in the OJHL.

There is some speculation Parsons, 16, would wind up playing Major Junior hockey in London, Ontario.

'We have some balance in there,” Carlson said of his draft class. 'We picked some guys we think are going to come in and help us right away and also took some guys that are going to challenge. Though if they're not quite ready, they can go back to their schools and that type of thing, then be ready to come in the following year.”

Here are all of Tuesday's draftees. The RoughRiders' main tryout camp is May 29 through June 1 at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena.

1. Georgy Gorodetsky, Oakland Grizzlies U18 (Mich.), F, 19 years old

1. Aaron Thow, Toronto Jr. Canadiens (Ontario), D, 19

2. Tyler Parsons, Little Caesars Major Midget (Mich.), G, 16

2. Bryce Hatten, Michigan Nationals, D, 17

3. Zach Court, Winnipeg Wild Midget AAA (Manitoba), LW, 17

4. Alec Broetzman, St. Thomas Academy (Minn.), F, 17

4. Matt Filipe, Malden Catholic High School (Mass.), C/LW, 16

5. Tyler Jeanson, Portage Terriers (Ontario), C/LW, 16

5. Jacob Hayhurst, Toronto Lakeshore Patriots (Ontario), C, 17

6. Anthony Scarsella, St. Mary's Prep School (Minn.), D, 18

7. Brett Gruber, Notre Dame Academy P.S. (Wis.), C, 17

7. Adam Gaudette, Thayer Academy P.S. (Mass.), C, 17

8. Justin Jallen, St. Paul Academy/Summit H.S. (Minn.), F, 16

9. Scott Perunovich, Hibbing Bantam AA (Minn.), D, 15

10, Nathan Halvorsen, Winnipeg Wild Midget (Manitoba), RW, 15

11. Ross Colton, Taft Prep School (Conn.), LW, 17

12. Robin Karlsson, AIK/Harnosand Jr. (Sweden), D, 19

13. Brandan Morgan, Detroit Compuware Minor Midget (Mich.), LW, 15

14. Drew McLean, Odessa Jackalopes NAHL (Texas), D, 19

15. Jensen Zerban, Elk River Bantam (Minn.), F, 15

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