Three UMass players were selected on the second day of the NHL Draft on Saturday, the most for the program in a single draft since 2005.
Incoming freshman defenseman Zac Jones went to the New York Rangers in the third round, sophomore blue liner Marc Del Gaizo was scooped up by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round and sophomore goalie Filip Lindberg was taken by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round.
It is the third straight year UMass has had a player selected in the draft, only the third time that has happened in program history (2001-03 and 2005-07). The trio of draft picks make it 30 UMass players who have been selected in the draft.
“Everyone connected to UMass hockey is very excited for Marc, Fille and Zac,” coach Greg Carvel said in a statement. “They are three very deserving players who will all play major roles on this year’s team. Marc and Zac are both modern day NHL defensemen — smart, skilled puck movers who create offense from the blue line and take care of business in the defensive zone. Fille is a goaltender who still has a long way to go to reach his full potential, which is pretty impressive considering the season he just had. Having three players drafted shows the continued elevation of our program. We are very proud of these young men and excited for their families.”
Jones was selected with the 68th overall pick, the fourth-highest pick in program history. He trails three other defensemen in that category: Cale Makar (fourth in 2017), Mario Ferraro (49th in 2017) and Brandon Montour (55th in 2014). He was the United States Hockey League Rookie of the Year after amassing 52 points on 45 assists and seven goals in 56 regular-season games.
Del Gaizo was taken at No. 109, becoming the seventh UMass player to be selected after their freshman year in Amherst. The New Jersey native led all freshmen defensemen nationally with 29 points (13 goals and 16 assists) this season while playing mostly with Makar. Del Gaizo ended his season with a bang, scoring the overtime winner against Denver that sent UMass to the national championship game.
Lindberg backstopped the Minutemen throughout that playoff run and was a surprise choice at 197th overall by the Wild. The Finnish goalie started six of UMass’ seven playoff games, coming on in relief in the other game to help UMass come back against New Hampshire in the Hockey East quarterfinals. He was nearly impenetrable in the final six weeks of the season, pitching four shutouts in seven starts across nine appearances for a 1.19 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.