June 21, 2008
Ottawa, Ont. – Freshman defenseman Sean Lorenz (Littleton, Colo.) was selected in the fourth round, 115th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario. The incoming blueliner was the lone Notre Dame player selected in this year’s draft.
Lorenz is a 6-1, 198-pound defenseman who has played the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Developmental Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. He signed a national letter-of-intent to play for the Irish in November of 2007.
With the Under-18 team this past year, Lorenz played in 57 games, scoring four goals with five assists for nine points with 24 minutes in penalties. He was a member of the bronze medal winning United States team at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships this past spring, recording a +5 rating in seven games. A tough, physical player, Lorenz has the potential to be a match-up, shut down defenseman for the Irish. In 2006-07, Lorenz played in 64 games for the U.S. Under-17 team, scoring two goals with nine assists for 11 points with 32 minutes in penalties. Before joining the U.S. program, Lorenz played for the Colorado (Midget) Thunderbirds in 2005-06 where he had nine goals and 27 assists for 36 points in 62 games.
The rugged defenseman moved up in the draft as he was ranked 203 by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings and was selected 115th overall by the Wild.
When Lorenz signed his national letter-of-intent in November, Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson said, “Sean is a high-character kid who has progressed a great deal over the last few years. He’s a stay-at-home defenseman who has good size and a physical presence. He makes good decisions with the puck. He is a player with some similarities to (Irish sophomore defenseman) Ian Cole.”
Lorenz becomes the 55th Notre Dame player selected in the NHL Entry Draft in the 41-year history of the program.
A year ago, Notre Dame had five players selected by National Hockey League teams – Ian Cole (St. Louis), Teddy Ruth (Washington), Ryan Thang (Nashville), Ben Ryan (Nashville) and Brad Phillips (Philadelphia) – with all playing key roles in the Irish run to the national championship game this season.
Notre Dame’s roster for the 2008-09 season now features eight players that have been drafted by NHL teams. Erik Condra (Ottawa, 2005) and Kyle Lawson (Carolina, 2006) join the six previously mentioned players.
2008 DRAFT NOTES:
• Overall, 60 players with ties to Division I schools were selected in the 2008 Entry Draft, including players who are committed to schools for 2009. The WCHA led the way with 22, the CCHA and Hockey East each had 14 and the ECAS had 10.
• The University of Wisconsin led the way with seven players selected. The Badgers were followed by North Dakota with six; Boston University had five, Boston College, Michigan and Clarkson followed with four each. Denver, Ohio State, Northeastern and Cornell each had three players chosen. Minnesota and Rensselaer each had two while Michigan State, Notre Dame, Colorado College, Minnesota State, Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota-Duluth, Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Dartmouth, Ferris State, St. Cloud State and Miami had one each.