Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Ness Selected in Second Round of NHL Draft by New York Islanders
June 21, 2008
Aaron Ness, last season's Minnesota state high school Player of the Year and an incoming recruit at the University of Minnesota, was selected in the second round of the National Hockey League draft by the New York Islanders on Saturday in Ottawa.
Ness, a 5-10, 170-pound defenseman who attended Roseau High School, was the 40th overall pick in the draft and the 10th player taken in the second round. It marks the 34th time in the past 35 years that a current or incoming Minnesota player has been drafted with 2001 being the only exception.
Ness will be among 15 NHL draftees on the 2008-09 Gopher roster. He joins 11 veteran players who were previously drafted and three incoming players who were taken in the 2007 draft. Ness will be one of six players on the 2008-09 team who were taken in the first two rounds, joining first-round picks David Fischer and Patrick White and second-round choices Ryan Stoa, Mike Hoeffel and Nico Sacchetti.
The Islanders also selected Minnesota's Kyle Okposo with the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft. Okposo played one and a half seasons with the Gophers and signed with the Islanders in December 2007. He made his pro debut three months later, appearing in the team's final nine games. Ness is the third player with Gopher ties to be chosen by the New York franchise, joining Okposo and Paul Joswiak, who was a ninth-round pick in 1978.
Ness totaled 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points in 31 games this past season at Roseau. During his three-year career, he compiled 44 goals and 100 assists for 144 career points in 92 games played. Ness' teams were a combined 82-10 over the past three years and made three state tournament appearances, including a state championship in 2007. He was a junior this past season, but accelerated his academics to enroll at the University of Minnesota. Following the season, Ness joined the U.S. under-18 national team and played in two games. He also played with the team in Kazan, Russia at the under-18 world championships.
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