Bobcats Prepare for 2016 Draft, Trade for Goalie Ulrich
BISMARCK, ND – On the eve of the 2016 NAHL Entry Draft, the Bismarck Bobcats acquired another veteran player, sending their third-round pick to the Minnesota Magicians in exchange for goaltender Will Ulrich.
“With Hunter Shepard gone to the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Nick Althaus drafted high in the USHL, we needed a number one goalie,” stated Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, whose program has sent goalies from 11 consecutive teams to Division I programs. “We feel with the year he had in the NAHL with the Magicians that he can step in and be a great fit for our program.”
In 44 appearances for the Magicians, Ulrich posted an 18-18-5 record with a 2.91 GAA and a .917 SV% and was a major driving force that saw Minnesota tie for the final playoff spot in the Central Division in 2015-16 but fall short on the wins tiebreaker.
It is the third pre-draft trade the Cats have executed since the season ended on May 13, including moves to bring in forwards Zach Kennedy and Austin Junger.
When the Draft begins at 1:00pm on Tuesday, the Bobcats will have the 21st pick in the first round and each subsequent round—excepting the third and fifth rounds, picks which were traded away—along with third and fourth round picks that were acquired in deals with Amarillo and Aston, respectively.
In all, the Bobcats will have 12 picks to fill out their 30-man protected list—pending any trades before the draft begins:
| Rd | Overall | Notes |
| 1 | 21 | |
| 2 | 45 | |
| 3 | 52 | From AMA |
| 4 | 89 | From AST |
| 4 | 93 | |
| 6 | 117 | |
| 7 | 141 | |
| 8 | 165 | |
| 9 | 189 | |
| 10 | 213 | |
| 11 | 237 | |
| 12 | 261 |
The Bobcats will have full coverage of the 2016 NAHL Entry Draft on the team’s Twitter and Facebook pages, including live video from the Bobcat War Room. The entire Draft will be broadcast from league headquarters on http://NAHL.FASTHockey.com, free of charge, starting at 1:00pm.
Season tickets are now on sale for the Bobcats’ landmark platinum anniversary campaign: fans can get more information or reserve their seats for all of Season Twenty now by calling 222-3300.