PARADISE, Nevada – Two North Star Christian Academy graduates were recently selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft, which took place on June 29th in Paradise, Nevada.
The Philadelphia Flyers selected Austin Moline with the 205th pick, while the Edmonton Oilers selected Bauer Berry with the 218th overall pick.
Berry will play for the Knights from 2021-2023 and was a vital part of the program's success in recent seasons.
“For Bauer to be drafted into the NHL just one year after leaving North Star is a testament to his potential and how much he has developed not only in his two years here but in his final season in Muskegon,” North Star 18U Prep head coach Rylan Gagliardi said in a news release.
During his time at North Star, Berry played for both the North Star 16U and 18U teams.
Playing for North Star 16U in 2021-22, Berry recorded nine goals and 24 assists in 51 games. With the 18U team in 2022-23, Berry recorded nine goals and 29 assists in 52 games. In 2022-23, he led the Knights in power play assists with 12.
“Bauer has great hockey sense, and if you look at Stanley Cup-winning teams, you see that every year he does it with great defense,” Gagliardi said. “He's much better than what he showed last year as a rookie in the National Hockey League, and we expect to see him show that even more this season.”
“I'm looking forward to going to Edmonton this week to see how they run the organization and meet people outside of the organization,” Berry said in a news release. “I'd like to thank all of my past coaches who helped me get to this point, my teammates who helped me grow every day and everyone who has supported me along the way.”
Berry, a native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, played last season for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League. He will play collegiate hockey at the University of St. Thomas.
Moline is a defenseman from Las Vegas, Nevada who played for the North Star 16U team in the 2020-21 season. During the 2020-21 season, Moline appeared in 28 games and recorded 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists).
“It's really fun to see young men who had great potential being recognized as NHL prospects. He was a skinny forward when he was here and now he's a big, powerful offensive defenseman who will be drafted in the NHL,” Gagliardi said of Moline. “More importantly, our program is more interested in the faith and character development of these players. I look forward to watching these young men make an impact in the locker room, in the community and around the hockey world.”
The Moline player played last season at Shattuck St. Mary's High School in Faribault.
The Moline product has committed to play collegiate hockey at Northern Michigan University and signed a contract to play for the Brooks Bandits of the British Columbia Hockey League next year.
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Sam Stubb covers a variety of sports and news in the Douglas County area.
