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The 2020 NAHL season unofficially began on Tuesday with the NAHL Supplemental Draft.

The Bruins selected forward Jackson McCarthy, goaltender Hudson Hodges and defenseman Ben Dexheimer.

With the 18th pick, the Bruins grabbed McCarthy, a defenseman. McCarthy, 17, spent the last season playing for Mount Saint Charles Academy where he logged 22 total points in 52 games played. The West Seneca, New York, native spent the previous three seasons playing for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program where he competed for their U15, U16, and U18 levels.

At 6-foot-2, 201-pounds, McCarthy is a big-bodied defenseman that can fill a need after the Bruins lost Josef Mysak, Jed Pietila, Chase Pilawski and Jaden Shields this offseason.

“McCarthy is a bigger version of former Bruin Lane Krenzen,” said Bruins Director of Player Personnel Aaron Venasky. “He’s not a fun player to play against and goes hard into the boards and in the dirty areas. He absolutely snaps his passes, quick and right on the tape.”

With the 32nd overall pick, the Bruins went to the crease and took goaltender Hodges out of Moorhead. Hodges, 18, has spent the last three seasons at Moorhead High School where he posted a 1.25 goals-against-average a .951 save percentage in that time. The 6-foot-2, 174-pound netminder was the Frank Brimsek Award winner for the 2019-20 season which is handed out to the best goaltender in Minnesota State High School Hockey.

“Hodges is a goalie that has the size next-level programs are looking for”, said Venasky. “He really has turned on his competitive nature in the position to command more time in the cage. His size, skillset, and competitiveness will give him an opportunity at the next level.”

With the final pick of the day, the Bruins went back to the blue-line and selected Dexheimer out of Edina. Dexheimer, 17, is one of the smaller defensemen on the Bruins roster at only 5-foot-8, 174-pounds, but he brings offensive skill to the game. For the past two seasons, Dexheimer competed for the Blake School where he registered 41 total points in 49 games, just shy of a point-per-game average. In addition, the defenseman also tallied eight points in eight postseason games for the Bears. Thanks to his strong play and puck-moving ability, Dexheimer earned himself a commitment to Division-I University of Miami (OH).

“Dexheimer is one of the better defensemen to come out of Minnesota this past season,” said Venasky. “Smaller in stature but is a high-end, offensively-minded, puck-moving defender. He will be able to really help create offense from the blueline and fans will notice his skill immediately.”

The 2020 NAHL Entry Draft on July 21 will round out league wide additions. All of the Bruins’ newest players, including drafted players and tenders, will then meet with remaining players from last season and compete for a spot on the final roster during the Bruins main-camp held from July 28 to 31.

Season tickets for the Bruins are available and on-sale right now. For more information or to register quickly and easily, head to the Bruins on-line registration form by visiting. www.austinbruins.com/season-tickets.