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Three Gophers Selected in 2024 NHL Entry Draft
6/29/2024 3:00:00 PM | Men's Hockey
242 all-time picks from the 'U'
LAS VEGAS - Three incoming freshmen for the University of Minnesota men's hockey team, Brodie Ziemer, John Whipple, and Erik Påhlsson, were selected on day two of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Entry Draft Saturday live from Sphere in Las Vegas, Nev. With the three picks, the Golden Gophers have now had 242 players heard their names called in program history, the most all-time of any college hockey team.
Ziemer was the first Maroon and Gold newcomer off the board as he was the No. 71 overall selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round. Two rounds later, it was Whipple that was selected by the Detroit Red Wings as the 144th pick during the fifth round. Påhlsson closed the weekend for Minnesota when he was taken in the seventh round by the Nashville Predators as the 213th overall selection.
Ziemer spent two seasons playing with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2022-24 and saw the ice in 122 games. While serving as the captain for Team USA last season, he ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 61 appearances. He closed the year with six power-play tallies and three game-winning goals to go with an impressive plus-40 rating. The Chaska, Minn., native registered 15 multi-point outings, including a season-high four points on three separate occasions, and had a pair of 11-game point streaks from Jan. 5 to Feb. 10 (15 points) and again between Mar. 30 to May 5 (20 points) to end the year.
Whipple also played the last two years with the US NTDP from 2022-24, making 121 appearances along the blue line. He closed the 2023-24 season on the U18 National Team scoring 17 points behind two goals and 15 assists across 61 outings and held a plus-19 rating. A product of Minnetonka, Minn., he tallied his lone multi-point performance of the year against Czechia with a pair of assists during the U18 Five Nations Tournament in Finland where the team finished in second place.
Påhlsson spent the 2023-24 campaign, his first in North America, helping the Dubuque Fighting Saints reach the USHL Clark Cup Final, where he played alongside fellow Gophers' newcomer Beckett Hendrickson. The Landskrona, Sweden, native closed the regular season ranked sixth in the league's scoring race with 72 points in 57 games behind 28 goals and 44 assists (1.26 points per game) and set a USHL record for the most points in a single season by a Swedish-born player. Påhlsson posted 10 power-play goals and 15 assists on the man advantage for the Fighting Saints and registered 19 multi-point outings.
All three players bring valuable international experience to Dinkytown. Ziemer and Whipple led the Americans to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championships in Finland. Ziemer put up 12 points, ranking third on the team, with three goals and nine assists at the event, while Whipple tallied one goal in seven games. Påhlsson competed for Team Sweden at the U18, U19, and U20 levels across all competitions.
The Gophers open the 2024-25 campaign in the same city these three were drafted when they host the Men's Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 11-12. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
Minnesota Draft Notes
*At least one Gopher has been drafted in 50 of the last 51 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974 with 2001 being the only exception. Minnesota's 27-consecutive drafts with a selection between 1974-2000 are an NCAA record.
*The three Minnesota players selected in a single year is the 16th time over the past 19 years where that has happened.
*Ziemer is the 13th all-time Gopher selected by the Sabres and first since 2019 when Buffalo picked both Ryan Johnson (31st overall) and his current teammate Aaron Huglen (102nd overall). The 13 draftees are tied for the third-most of any NHL organization.
*Whipple became just the sixth Minnesota player to be drafted by the Red Wings, all of which have been defensemen, and it's been more than a decade since the last time Detroit called on a Gopher. Ben Marshall was the previous selection in the seventh round of 2010, snapping a 25-year stretch after Mike Luckraft was picked in 1985.
*Påhlsson is the sixth skater in program history to be picked by the Nashville organization since the team was founded in 1998. The Swedish-born forward became the first Predators' selection since Rem Pitlick was drafted in 2016.
*As a third-round pick, Ziemer became the 28th Gopher to be picked in that round, which is the third most of any round in the draft. Whipple's selection in the fifth round is now the second most of a single round, 29 total, while Påhlsson is the 24th to be taken in the seventh round.
*Beckett Hendrickson joins the three most recent draft picks in the Gophers' freshman class for 2024-25 after he was selected No. 124 overall in the fourth round by the Boston Bruins during the 2023 draft.
*Erik Johnson remains the highest draft pick in Minnesota history, going No. 1 overall in 2006, as one of 26 all-time first-round selections.
Click here for more information about Minnesota's eligible prospects:
2024 Gopher Hockey NHL Entry Draft Guide
Ziemer was the first Maroon and Gold newcomer off the board as he was the No. 71 overall selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round. Two rounds later, it was Whipple that was selected by the Detroit Red Wings as the 144th pick during the fifth round. Påhlsson closed the weekend for Minnesota when he was taken in the seventh round by the Nashville Predators as the 213th overall selection.
Ziemer spent two seasons playing with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program from 2022-24 and saw the ice in 122 games. While serving as the captain for Team USA last season, he ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 61 appearances. He closed the year with six power-play tallies and three game-winning goals to go with an impressive plus-40 rating. The Chaska, Minn., native registered 15 multi-point outings, including a season-high four points on three separate occasions, and had a pair of 11-game point streaks from Jan. 5 to Feb. 10 (15 points) and again between Mar. 30 to May 5 (20 points) to end the year.
Whipple also played the last two years with the US NTDP from 2022-24, making 121 appearances along the blue line. He closed the 2023-24 season on the U18 National Team scoring 17 points behind two goals and 15 assists across 61 outings and held a plus-19 rating. A product of Minnetonka, Minn., he tallied his lone multi-point performance of the year against Czechia with a pair of assists during the U18 Five Nations Tournament in Finland where the team finished in second place.
Påhlsson spent the 2023-24 campaign, his first in North America, helping the Dubuque Fighting Saints reach the USHL Clark Cup Final, where he played alongside fellow Gophers' newcomer Beckett Hendrickson. The Landskrona, Sweden, native closed the regular season ranked sixth in the league's scoring race with 72 points in 57 games behind 28 goals and 44 assists (1.26 points per game) and set a USHL record for the most points in a single season by a Swedish-born player. Påhlsson posted 10 power-play goals and 15 assists on the man advantage for the Fighting Saints and registered 19 multi-point outings.
All three players bring valuable international experience to Dinkytown. Ziemer and Whipple led the Americans to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Championships in Finland. Ziemer put up 12 points, ranking third on the team, with three goals and nine assists at the event, while Whipple tallied one goal in seven games. Påhlsson competed for Team Sweden at the U18, U19, and U20 levels across all competitions.
The Gophers open the 2024-25 campaign in the same city these three were drafted when they host the Men's Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 11-12. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased HERE.
Minnesota Draft Notes
*At least one Gopher has been drafted in 50 of the last 51 NHL Entry Drafts dating back to 1974 with 2001 being the only exception. Minnesota's 27-consecutive drafts with a selection between 1974-2000 are an NCAA record.
*The three Minnesota players selected in a single year is the 16th time over the past 19 years where that has happened.
*Ziemer is the 13th all-time Gopher selected by the Sabres and first since 2019 when Buffalo picked both Ryan Johnson (31st overall) and his current teammate Aaron Huglen (102nd overall). The 13 draftees are tied for the third-most of any NHL organization.
*Whipple became just the sixth Minnesota player to be drafted by the Red Wings, all of which have been defensemen, and it's been more than a decade since the last time Detroit called on a Gopher. Ben Marshall was the previous selection in the seventh round of 2010, snapping a 25-year stretch after Mike Luckraft was picked in 1985.
*Påhlsson is the sixth skater in program history to be picked by the Nashville organization since the team was founded in 1998. The Swedish-born forward became the first Predators' selection since Rem Pitlick was drafted in 2016.
*As a third-round pick, Ziemer became the 28th Gopher to be picked in that round, which is the third most of any round in the draft. Whipple's selection in the fifth round is now the second most of a single round, 29 total, while Påhlsson is the 24th to be taken in the seventh round.
*Beckett Hendrickson joins the three most recent draft picks in the Gophers' freshman class for 2024-25 after he was selected No. 124 overall in the fourth round by the Boston Bruins during the 2023 draft.
*Erik Johnson remains the highest draft pick in Minnesota history, going No. 1 overall in 2006, as one of 26 all-time first-round selections.
Click here for more information about Minnesota's eligible prospects:
2024 Gopher Hockey NHL Entry Draft Guide
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