The Stars made 13 selections in the 2012 USHL Entry Draft on Tuesday, made up of 10 forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender.  “We got some good news last week when we learned that Eric Scheid indicated he will return to the Stars after playing a year of Division I hockey with Alaska-Anchorage,” said Head Coach Chad Johnson.  “That changed our approach a little bit with our draft selections, and overall, we're very pleased with the results of the Draft.”  
 

With their first pick of the Draft coming in the 2nd round, Stars selected goaltender Michael Bitzer from Moorhead, MN.  Bitzer recently won the Frank Brimsek Award as the top senior goaltender in Minnesota.  “We felt going into the draft that we were in a good situation with Jackson coming back in net, but when Bitzer was still available in the 2nd round, we felt we had to take him.  Both of these guys love competition, and they'll undoubtedly push each other to make that position one of our biggest strengths going into next season.”   
 

“Ross Olsson is another player that has a ton of potential...a big, tough forward with a lot of raw talent and will play a big role for us next year.”  

Other selections in the first phase of the draft include forward Jake Wood from Georgetown, Ont. and Gunnery High School (10g/19a/29pts in 26 games); defenseman Zack Pittman from Macomb, MI and Honeybaked Minor Midget (6g/14a/20pts in 28 games); forward Ross Olsson from North Billerica, MA and Williston-Northampton HS (4g/10a/14pts in 24 games); forward Michael McCarron from Macomb, MI (younger brother of former Star John McCarron); and forward Craig Skudalski and Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights (4g/6a/10pts in 33 games).
 

With their first pick in the 2nd phase of the Draft, Stars selected forward Louis Nanne from Edina, MN and Edina High School (12g/8a/20pts in 24 games).  Nanne is the cousin of Stars forward Vinni Lettieri and brother of Stars' futures pick Tyler Nanne.  “Lou is a highly skilled forward from a great hockey family that, if he decides to leave high school, we'd expect to have the potential to be an impact guy for us next year.”
 

Other 2nd phase selections include forward Michael Bunn, forward Brandon Morley, defenseman Austin Yano, forward Zach Pochiro, forward Charles Guevremont, and forward Garrett Brossart.
 

“Morley and Yano are two players that could be immediate impact guys for us...Morley a highly-skilled center, and Yano a puck-moving, playmaking defenseman.  Both are highly touted players that would be great additions to our roster.”
 

For complete profiles on each of the Stars draft picks, visit the Black and Blue blog at lincolnstarsblog.com. 

The Stars will now focus their attention on the upcoming tryout camp to be held at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota from June 7-10th.