Watertown, SD — The 2026 United States Hockey League (USHL) Draft concluded on Tuesday afternoon with three Watertown Shamrocks being selected across the 21-round draft.
Forward Daniel Halonen was the first Shamrock off the board being selected by the Madison Capitols in the second round with the 28th overall selection. Halonen skated in 15 games this season with the Shamrocks (12 regular season, three postseason) scoring five goals and adding two assists. He got off to a scorching hot start in Watertown scoring goals in each of his first four games after joining the team in March.
In the 12th round, the Green Bay Gamblers selected forward Owen Fask with the 191st overall selection. Fask, who tendered with the Shamrocks ahead of the 2025-26 season, finished the season 10th on the team in points with 23 and fifth in goals with 13. League wide, the Elmhurst, IL native ranked 38th in scoring amongst all 2007 born skaters. In the Robertson Cup Playoffs, Fask recorded a team best two goals in three games.
The final Shamrock selected in this years’ USHL Draft was forward Jake Pietila. The Fargo Force selected the Hartland, MI product with the 205th overall selection in the 13th round. Pietila finished with 16 points on the year, ranking 13th on the team. He finished 14th across the USHL in scoring across all 2008 born skaters. He netted a goal and an assist in the postseason as well.
Shamrocks Head Coach and General Manager Casey Kirley. “Our main focus as an organization is to develop players and help advance them to higher levels. Our entire team put in a tremendous amount of work to grow their games this year and it’s good to see these guys be rewarded for it.”
The Shamrocks have now had eight total skaters drafted to the USHL over the last two years after having five players selected a year ago.