Flowers Excited by Hugh Jass

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(I'm going to have so much fun with these headlines)

 

Manhattan -- The New York Americans may have missed out on the playoffs last season despite having an above .500 record, but there was always going to be a silver lining: a high draft pick. Originally, that was pick number four, but with nine rostered forwards and A Red Guy in goal, what the team really needed was a top-flight defenseman. Once Roque Davis went off the board, the obvious pick was going to be Hugh Jass. But could New York even trade back and get him?

 

They tried - and in the end, they got their man. With the seventh pick in the draft, the Americans selected the same player they might have taken at #4, and they got an extra S73 second for their troubles. Jass comes to the Americans after an absurd 132 point season with Houston last year in the minors, and if he even continues a fraction of that offensive production on New York, the team will have a steal on their hands.

 

"Especially with McWolf's retirement, it was clear we simply needed more firepower from the blue line," said Lance Flowers, one of New York's returning defensemen. "Now we've got that. I mean, 35 goals and near 100 assists, are you kidding me?"

 

It's expected that Jass will start on the Americans' second line, alongside sophomore defender David O'Quinn. It's likely, though, that he will see some action on the power play and other offensively-minded units - neither Flowers nor O'Quinn are particularly strong scorers.

 

"It was the exact piece we needed to make a true run," Flowers added. "And already, I think we're set to shock some people this year."