Three Future UND Hockey Players Taken On Day Two Of NHL Draft

James highlights trio as 40th pick

MONTRÉAL– (UND Athletics) Three future North Dakota players were selected on Friday at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from the Bell Centre in Montréal.

Incoming freshman forward Dylan James was selected 40th overall by the Detroit Red Wings, while committed defenseman Abram Wiebe was chosen by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 209th selection. Moments later, incoming forward Ben Strinden went with the 210th pick by the Nashville Predators.

James will come to North Dakota following a standout season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), helping the franchise capture the Clark Cup as league champions.

The Calgary, Alberta, native was nearly a point-per-game player with 61 points in 62 games, becoming the first rookie to eclipse the 60-point mark in six years. His 28 goals and 33 assists earned him USHL Rookie of the Year honors, becoming the first UND commit to earn the award since Brandon Bochenski in 2001. Tyler Palmiscno (1999) and Karl Goehring (1997) also won it.

Strinden will join James at North Dakota this season after a breakout campaign with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. The Fargo, N.D., native racked up 56 points in 61 games before adding another seven in nine postseason contests. Serving as an assistant captain for the team, Strinden was also selected to participate in the All-American Game, a draft-eligible prospect event.

Wiebe is a committed defenseman who will not come to campus in 2022 but heard his named called after his first full season with the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). This past year, the Mission, B.C., native notched 31 points in 54 regular season games and dished out nine assists in 11 playoff tilts. He was named a BCHL Second Team All-Star.

North Dakota has now had at least one player selected in each NHL Entry Draft since 1999.