By WJBC Staff
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Thunder defenseman Michael Callahan has been selected to participate in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game on Sept. 21.
Callahan, a Providence College commit, is the third player in team history to be selected to play in the game, which has produced 30 first-round NHL Draft picks and 127 total NHL Draft selections in its five-year history. This year’s contest will take place at the KeyBank Center, the home of the Buffalo Sabres, and features 42 of the top U.S. players who are eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft, 40 of whom have ties to the USHL.
Bloomington has now had a representative in the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in each of the last three years, as Callahan joins Mitchell Mattson (2015) and Ben Mirageas (2016) in the group of Thunder players who have been a part of the game. Both Mattson and Mirageas went on to be selected at the NHL Draft. Mattson was the first NHL Draft pick in team history, going to the Calgary Flames in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, while Mirageas became the highest draft pick in team history when he was selected in the third round, 77th overall at the 2017 NHL Draft.
A native of Franklin, Massachusetts, Callahan played in two games as an affiliate for the Thunder during the 2016-17 season. He made his debut on March 25 against Team USA. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound rear guard spent the majority of last season with Roxbury Latin Prep, recording 32 points in 25 games on 12 goals and 20 assists. He also played 35 games with the Cape Cod Whalers U18.
Last year’s CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game produced 24 NHL Draft picks of the 42 total players who played in the contest. This year’s game will be coached by former NHL players Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch.
