Six players with NAHL ties selected in NHL draft

June 25, 2011

Brandon Saad, who played in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) as a member of the Mahoning Valley Phantoms, was selected in the second round (43rd overall) of the NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday in St. Paul, Minn.

Saad, a forward from Gibsonia, Pa., was named NAHL Rookie of the Year and to the All-NAHL Team after scoring 29 goals for 47 points in 47 regular-season games with the Phantoms during the 2008-09 season.

Five other players, all of whom played in the NAHL as members of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program during the 2008-09 season, were also selected on the second day of the draft: defenseman Adam Clendening by the Blackhawks (second round, 36th overall); forward Matt Nieto by the San Jose Sharks (second round, 47th overall); forward Nick Shore by the Los Angeles Kings (third round, 82nd overall); forward Michael Mersch by the Kings (fourth round, 110th overall); and forward Chase Balisy by the Nashville Predators (sixth round, 170th overall).