The St. Louis Blues drafted UMass sophomore defenseman Matt Kessel in the fifth round of the NHL Draft on Wednesday.
Kessel, 20, was the 150th overall pick. He was the nation’s top scoring freshman defenseman with seven goals last season.
He is the seventh draft pick during UMass coach Greg Carvel’s tenure and 31st overall in program history.
Nine picks later UMass recruit Lucas Mercuri, 18, was taken with the 159th pick in the sixth round by the Carolina Hurricanes.
Mercuri is a center for Des Moines of the United State Hockey League. He verbally committed to UMass in June.
Mercuri twitted: “Extremely proud to announce my commitment to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at The University of Massachusetts. I’d like to thank my family, coaches, teammates, and friends for the endless support. Can’t wait to get started! #newmass”
Mercuri scored 19 goals and added 19 assists in 28 games for Salisbury School last season. The LaSalle, Quebec, native led Salisbury to the NEPSAC Elite 8 championship.
A second UMass commit was taken late in the sixth round. Des Moines defenseman Noah Ellis, 18, was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights with the 184th overall pick.
One day after Mercuri committed in June, Ellis made his announcement.
He twitted: “Proud and honored to announce my commitment to play D1 hockey and continue my education at, @UmassHockey Thank you to everyone who has helped me get to where I am today. Thrilled to play for such a cultured program and staff! #UMass #minutemen”
The 6-foot-2 defenseman appeared in 47 games for Des Moines last season. He finished with five goals and six assists.
Late in the seventh round a team very familiar with UMass talent added a future Minuteman. The San Jose Sharks took right wing Timofey Spitserov, 18, with the 210th pick. Spitserov will play for Muskegon in the USHL this season.
Spitserov played in 40 games for Culver Military Academy Prep last year, scoring 49 goals with 27 assists.
He verbally committed to UMass in February, twitting: “I am proud and honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 hockey at the UMass Amherst. I would like to thank my coaches, friends, and especially my family who have supported me along the way!! #newmass”
Several former UMass players have connections with the Sharks. Amherst native John Leonard signed with San Jose in March. Mario Ferraro became the 16th former Minuteman to reach the NHL when he opened the 2019-20 season with the Sharks.
Justin Braun, who recently signed a two-year deal with Philadelphia, started his career with San Jose. Matt Irwin, who currently plays for Anaheim, also started his career with San Jose.
The NHL Draft was originally scheduled for June 26 and 27. Due to the pandemic, the league held the draft by video conference. The first round was Tuesday, with rounds 2-7 on Wednesday. The New York Rangers selected Canadian forward Alexis Lafreniere with the top pick.
Players born between Jan. 1, 2000, and Sept. 15, 2002, were eligible for the draft. Also, undrafted, non-North American players born in 1999 are eligible.
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.