FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 1, 2012
JACKS ADD THREE IN 2012 NAHL DRAFT
Trio of 18 year-olds round out Odessa’s 2012-13 protected list.
ODESSA, TX– With three spots remaining on their protected list for the 2012-13 season, the Odessa Jackalopes filled those slots with a trio of picks in Thursday’s 2012 North American Hockey League entry draft. The three newest Jackalopes draftees will compete alongside returning Odessa skaters and tendered players for a trip to Odessa’s August Training Camp at the team’s Main Tryout Camp, July 26th-29th at the Polar Ice House in Grapevine, TX.
With their first selection, the fourteenth overall pick, the Jackalopes addressed their goaltending situation via former Los Angeles Jr. Kings netminder David Jacobson. A 6’1”, 195 goaltender, Jacobson was 9-8-4 for the Jr. Kings in 2011-12, earning a 2.52 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Jacobson joins fellow former Jr. Kings Austin Ho and Cody Slocum on Odessa’s protected list and, along with returning netminder Justin Davis and tendered goalie Blake Wojtala, is the third goaltender currently protected by the Jacks.
With the seventh pick in round number two and 32nd pick overall, the Jackalopes added to their defensive corps with the selection of former Dallas Stars Elite-U18 blueliner Matt Staples. A sizeable addition to the back line, Staples is the eleventh defenseman featured on the Jacks’ Main Camp roster.
Experience and goal-scoring were the names-of-the-game in round three, as Odessa added former USHL forward and Roseville, Minnesota native Bo Pieper of the Chicago Steel with the 55th overall selection. A 5’11”, 177 lb. winger, Pieper notched seven goals and 16 points in 52 games played in 2011-12 in the United States’ only Tier 1 Junior A Hockey League.
Jacobson, Staples and Pieper will compete alongside returning Jacks players and all 2012-13 Odessa tenders at the Jackalopes’ Main Tryout Camp, held July 26-29 at the Polar Ice House in Grapevine, TX. Registration is still open for the 2012 Jacks Tryout Camp and required forms and more information are available online at www.jackalopes.org.
In 2012-13, the Odessa Jackalopes drop the puck on their sophomore season as a member of the North American Hockey League. Season ticket packages for the Jacks’ sophomore campaign are available now starting at just $179. To reserve your seats, contact the Jackalopes’ ticket office today at 432-552-7825 or log on to www.jackalopes.org for more information.
Be sure to follow the Jackalopes on Twitter @LetsGoJacks all season long and don’t forget to ‘Like’ the official “Odessa Jackalopes” fan page on Facebook.
— ODESSA JACKALOPES —
