BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Bloomington Thunder are set to take part in the 2017 USHL Draft, which begins on Monday, May 1, at 6 p.m. with the Phase I Draft and continues with the Phase II Draft on Tuesday, May 2, at 8 a.m.

This year’s USHL Draft marks the Thunder’s fourth as a member of the USHL.

Prior to the draft, Thunder Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager Dan Jewell did a Q&A about the USHL Draft. Jewell, who also leads the Thunder's scouting efforts, discussed the draft process and a new rule that could play into the draft. Click here to read the story.

Draft at a Glance

Phase I: May 1, 6 p.m.

Phase II: May 2, 8 a.m.

Draft order: Bloomington has the sixth overall pick in each of the two Phases and will draft sixth in each successive round.

Draft pick notes: Bloomington traded its seventh round pick in Phase II to Sioux Falls earlier this season. In a previous trade with Youngstown, the Thunder acquired a Phase II, sixth round pick, giving Bloomington two picks in that round (88th overall & 91st overall).

Draft Format

The USHL Draft is completed in two phases, Phase I and Phase II.

Phase I is composed of 10 rounds of U-17 players only. This year, only 2001 birth year players are eligible to be selected in Phase I.

In Phase II, USHL teams can select any player born between the years of 1997 and 2001. During the Phase II draft, each team will fill its roster to a total of 45 players, which includes players who were previously on a team’s affiliate list. Veteran players are protected by their current team until July 10 and do not count toward that total of 45 players. To be considered a veteran player, a player must have 10 games of USHL experience in any prior season.

Follow Along

Twitter: @BLMThunder || @USHL || #USHLDraft

Live results: Phase I Draft Tracker (Monday) || Phase II Draft Tracker (Tuesday)

Draft Blog: bloomingtonthunder.com