Updates on former Force players

Mike Lee is the starting goaltender as a freshman for the St. Cloud State Huskies.  Lee has played in four games and has played very well.  He is 1-1-2 with a 92.6% save percentage and a 2.18 GAA.  Lee is expected to carry much of the load this year for SCSU and is a shoe in for Team USA at the upcoming 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships that former Force coach Dean Blais will be heading.

Luke Witkowski is playing defense for Western Michigan.  Luke has played in four games with the Broncos and has registered 5 shots with a -2 rating.  Western Michigan is currently 4-0 playing in the CCHA.

Keegan Flaherty is playing with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.  Flaherty has played in seven games and has registered one assist as a freshman.  The Bulldogs are 4-2-1 on the young season.

According to this site, Oleg Lee was drafted in the 3rd round, 67th overall in the KHL draft by Atlant Mytischi.  I wasn't able to find anything else for Oleg Lee.

Jake Areshenko is playing for Bemidji State.  He has played in three games for the Beavers, but has yet to register anything statistically.

Former Fargo Force fan favorite, Andy Taranto, is playing for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.  He has one goal, two assists for a total of three points in four games for the Nanooks.

Josh Birkholz is playing for the University of Minnesota.  He has played in three games only to register two penalty minutes.  Birkholz is one of four freshmen for the Golden Gophers.

Steve Spinell is playing for the University of Miami (Ohio) Redhawks.  The Redhawks are the top ranked team in college hockey right now and Spinell has seen action in two games registering two penalty minutes for the nation's number one team.

Did You Know...?

Did you know that the Fargo Force have two NHL draft picks playing on their team this 2009-10 season and a total of five NHL draft picks in their short two year existance?

Luke Witkowski was taken in the 6th round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nate Condon was also taken in 2008 in the 7th round by the Colorado Avalanche. Josh Birkholz (Florida Panthers) and Mike Lee (Phoenix Coyotes) were drafted in the 3rd round in 2009. Nick Oliver (Nashville Predators) was also drafted in 2009 in the 4th round. His stock plummeted when he was injured during the 2008-09 season.

5 draft picks and counting in 2 years...

As for potential draft picks for the upcoming year in the USHL:

2010 NHL draft eligible players to watch from Team USA are: Jon Merrill (D), Jack Campbell (G), Stephen Johns (D), Luke Moffatt (F), Nick Mattson (D), and Matt Nieto (F). The Chicago Steel's Kevin Lind (D) and Des Moines' Yasin Cisse (F) are all players to watch out for as potential high NHL picks. Former USHL player, Stanislav Galiev (F, Indiana Ice) will also go high in the 2010 draft, some scouts have him listed with top 10 potential.

One player to watch on every list is Seth Ambroz (F) of the Omaha Lancers. He is a potential first round pick in 2011 and is creating the most NHL draft hype in the USHL.

Colten St. Clair (2011 Draft Eligible) and Eamonn McDermott (2010) have been mentioned in hockey prospect forums but nothing to get worked up about yet, not until more official scouting lists are released.

With the completion of the Fall Classic and the beginning of the new season, more scouting information will be released shortly, and it will be posted here as soon as it is released. Stay tuned!