USHL Draft Question...

[derbyfan]

For Lanzerzrule or any other USHL fan -

Just wondering why no team took a flier on St. Mike's (OPJHL) superstar Andrew Cogliano (Michigan '05). No question one of the top '87 players around, I figured he'd get snapped up at the very least in the later rounds by a team.
Even if he might have expressed his desire to stay in Canada (not sure if he did), you'd think at least one team would take him on the off chance they could lure him south.
In 2003, Lincoln took Sidney Crosby late in the draft 'just in case'. This despite the fact Crosby had already expressed his intention to play major junior. Since Cogliano is going the NCAA route, you'd figure it would be worth a shot.
Anyone know anything on Cogliano, and why he wasn't drafted?

[lmthaete]

I don't have an answer to your question really. But, I have a question for you... does Cogliano currently play in Canada? major juniors? If so... I don't know how he expects to go the NCAA route. It is my understanding that when a player plays in one of Canada's major juniors leagues, they lose college eligibility. This is what happened with USHL Des Moines' Jesse Lane and Dwight LaBrosse, although Lane has decided to pay his way through Havard without playing hockey there.

Regarding this years draft picks. Each team has someone scouting different teams throughout the year looking for potential draft picks and players for thier teams. In order for them to scout a player, they have to know he's out there and he's a good prospect. Maybe they just weren't aware of Cogliano's potential, or maybe they were skeptical of the ability to capture his interest and secure him as a player in the USHL if he is in fact that good. I'm not really sure. Sorry about that.

[cagney]

Originally Posted by lmthaete

I don't have an answer to your question really. But, I have a question for you... does Cogliano currently play in Canada? major juniors? If so... I don't know how he expects to go the NCAA route. It is my understanding that when a player plays in one of Canada's major juniors leagues, they lose college eligibility. This is what happened with USHL Des Moines' Jesse Lane and Dwight LaBrosse, although Lane has decided to pay his way through Havard without playing hockey there.

Cogliano played junior A, not major junior.

[lmthaete]

Thanks! I didn't know that for sure... therefore, I don't really have an answer to the question at all. The only other thing I could think of would be if he is a citizen of Canada... is he? If so... the USHL teams are only allowed two "imports" on their roster and usually these spots are taken up by extremely good players acquired from Europe.

[cagney]

Cogliano is Canadian but he is certainly good enough to warrant a spot on any USHL team. I really don't know why he wasn't drafted. Perhaps he told teams that talked to him that he had absolutely no interest in reporting.

[derbyfan]

Without question, Cogliano warrants a spot in the USHL. He is considered by many the best player in Ontario not currently playing in the OHL, and is fully NCAA eligible (committed to Michigan for '05). More impressively, he is looked at as a likely top-15 pick for the 2005 NHL draft.
In addition, he led Team Ontario in scoring at the World Under-17 challenge last winter (which Ontario won), ahead of a roster stocked with OHL players.
All this being said, I can't figure why a USHL team wouldn't take a flier on him... The only thing I can think of is that he made it clear he wouldn't report to the league...