MASON CITY, Iowa – There aren’t many “firsts” left for the Mason City Toros, after a successful first season on the ice after rebranding from the North Iowa Bulls last summer. Hockey fans saw the Toros brand showcased in the North American 3 Hockey League draft for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, though, with the team making its first eight picks under its current moniker.
The Bulls shifted their brand to the current North American Hockey League team to start the month of June last year, leaving one more draft last April under the Bulls name.
Mason City selected eight players in this year’s NA3HL Draft, selecting three players each in the second and third rounds.
MASON CITY SELECTIONS IN THE 2021 NA3HL DRAFT:
ROUND 1
25th Overall: Carter Eibes (F – Overland Park, Kan. – Rocky Mountain Roughriders 18U AAA)
Carter posted an outstanding season in his first year of AAA hockey, with 40 points in 53 games for the Colorado-based program. Eibes has experience playing high school hockey in the region as well, spending two years with the Midwest High School Hockey League’s Kansas City Jets. He was the junior-varsity team’s top scorer as a freshman in 2019-20 with 55 points, and posted 25 points as a sophomore in 2020-21. The former Blue Valley West High School student also has experience swinging a few other sticks – namely, on the school’s baseball and golf teams.
ROUND 2
50th Overall: Nolan Peterson (D – Brooklyn Park, Minn. – Champlin Park H.S.)
The first defenseman off the Toros’ draft board, Peterson has three years of prep experience for the Champlin Park Rebels, posting 52 points over 69 career games in the Minnesota high school ranks. He also brings a year of North American Prospects Hockey League experience with him as a member of the Minnesota Blades, and helped Champlin Park to its fourth winning season in five years this past winter with 32 points.
54th Overall: Matt Henry (D – Oklahoma City, Okla. – Dallas Stars Elite 18U AAA)
The Toros went back to the blue line for their next pick, choosing a longtime Dallas Stars Elite d-man in the middle of the second round – Henry recorded 23 points in 50 games for the Stars this past year at the 18U level. Though with the Dallas Stars AAA club the last few years, he comes from the Sooner State and the Oklahoma City Oil Kings program.
59th Overall: Sam Janski (D – Cottage Grove, Minn. – Park H.S.)
Janski’s background should sound familiar to Toros fans, playing his high school hockey at the same school as current Toros star Carter Newpower. Janski played in the NAPHL for the Minnesota Moose, and brought some serious offensive firepower to Park’s defensive corps, posting 88 points in 94 career games for the Wolfpack. He’s a multi-sport athlete as well, playing a utility role for Park’s baseball team during the spring months.
ROUND 3
93rd Overall: Danny Phelan (D – Hinsdale, Ill. – Chicago Mission 18U AAA)
Phelan’s name should be a familiar one for fans as well, as the twin brother to North Iowa Bulls defenseman Jack Phelan – Danny notched 11 points in 30 games this past season for one of the best-known developmental programs in Chicago, and has received interest from higher-level junior hockey teams as well.
94th Overall: Bradley Beals (F – Anchorage, Alaska – Team Alaska 18U AAA)
Beals gained recognition in his hometown for being true to his school during his senior year, sticking with a Bartlett High School Golden Bears group that would have otherwise had no seniors on this year’s roster. He still got plenty of time in with his Team Alaska AAA group, including seven points in NAPHL play. His 17 goals this past season in Cook Inlet Conference play for Bartlett High School tied for the league lead.
102nd Overall: Andrew Elliott (F – Livonia, Mich. – Stevenson H.S.)
Elliott will have a chance to take his winning habits to Mason City next season, after leading his Stevenson High School side to the Michigan Division 2 regional finals this past season. He’s spent time in several well-known Michigan AAA programs over the last several years, suiting up for the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies each of the last two seasons, and seeing time with Belle Tire and Victory Honda before that. Older brother Jonathon is finishing his fourth season as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, and father Jonathon has a history of his own in the sport, enjoying a four-year career as a goaltender at the University of Michigan in the 1980s.
ROUND 4
125th Overall: Sawyer Boulton (F – Huntington, N.Y. – Buffalo Jr. Sabres 18U AAA)
The last player off the Toros’ draft board has a nice long family history of his own in the sport, and played 50 games for the Jr. Sabres this past season with 10 points. Boulton’s father, Eric, enjoyed a 21-year professional career, playing more than 650 NHL games in all, and was the last player active from the 1994 National Hockey League draft class. He currently serves as a scout for the New York Islanders.
