Jamestown, NY - On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the NAHL to cancel its season, the league announced the addition of the Supplemental Draft, the first in the league's history, giving each NAHL team an additional three draft selections before the larger Entry Draft, which is currently set for July 21st, 2020.
The Rebels, coming off a year in which there were early struggles but a strong finish to the season, continued their climb of progression with their three picks in the Supplemental Draft, players which Head Coach/General Manager Joe Coombs is excited to see in Jamestown.
"In this draft, we were looking to add skill," said Coombs. "With our first two picks (Daniel Tkac, Quintin Loon-Stewardson), we selected just that. Both [Tkac and Loon-Stewardson] are top 6 forwards, players we expect to make an impact immediately. Tkac is a skilled, power play guy and Loon-Stewardson is a skilled 200-foot center that we will rely on playing key minutes for us in all situations."
With starting goaltender Noah West committing to Robert Morris University beginning next season, Coombs was primed to select a goaltender to help fill the void.
"With our third pick, we selected a goaltender (Aidan McCarthy) with big-league ability," continued Coombs. "We needed to replace West, and with only Jon Howe returning, it's obviously a major position we needed to fill."
Check out a detailed look at each Rebels draft selection:
Daniel Tkac - Pick #8
Position: Winger
Former Team: Merritt Centennials (BCHL)
Age: 19
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA (dual-nationality between US and Slovakia)
Ht, Wt: 6'0, 185 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Player Stats/Info:
Represented Slovakia in both the 2020 World Junior Championships and the 2018 U18 World Junior Championships, registering 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games played (2020) and 1 goal and 2 assists in 5 games (2018) respectively.
Tallied 46 career points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 91 regular season games with the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL across two seasons.
Quintin Loon-Stewardson - Pick #15
Position: Center
Former Team: Battlefords North Stars (BCHL)
Age: 20
Hometown: Sioux Lookout, ON, CAN
Ht, Wt: 5'10, 168 lbs.
Shoots: Left
Player Stats/Info:
Posted 83 points (44 goals, 39 assists) in 104 total regular season games with the Battlefords North Stars of the SJHL.
Recorded a point-per-game average in his SJHL post-season career, with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 20 playoff games.
55 points (30 goals, 25 assists) in 53 games as a member of the Powassan VooDoos of the NOJHL during the 2017-18 campaign, along with a goal and an assist in 3 playoff contests.
2018-2019 SJHL Champion
Aidan McCarthy - Pick #61
Position: Goaltender
Former Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Age: 18
Hometown: Novi, MI
Ht, Wt: 6'0, 161 lbs.
Catches: Left
Player Stats/Info:
13-8-1 record, with a 2.96 GAA and a .891 SV% in 23 appearances with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL in 2019-20.
In the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, finished the 2018-19 season with the league's best GAA (1.22) and SV% (.949).
