The Green Bay Gamblers selected fifteen players in the 2025 United States Hockey League (USHL) Futures (Phase I) Draft on May 5.
All players chosen in the draft were born in 2009, and the league expanded the selection process from ten rounds to fifteen rounds for the first time. Because the Gamblers signed ’09 forwards Gunnar Conboy and Oliver McKinney to tender agreements for the 2025-26 season, the team surrendered its first- and second-round picks in the futures draft. By virtue of their tender status, Conboy and McKinney will both play in the USHL for the Gamblers this season.
Detroit Honey Baked (15-only) forward Luke Pietila was the team’s first selection in the draft, taken 79th overall, while the team’s final choice (and the final pick of the draft) was forward Massimo Santa Maria of the Detroit Little Caesars (15-only) squad.
“We are excited to welcome all players to the Gamblers organization,” said Kirk Luedeke, Green Bay assistant general manager and director of scouting. “We selected players who embody the skills and values we prize most, especially during a time where the junior hockey landscape is changing, and the USHL is adapting to that change.
“We feel like we got exceptional value, from our two tenders, all the way down through the entire futures draft. We’re eager to see the newest Gamblers develop and take steps to one day play for our hockey club.”
All players chosen in the draft are eligible to be placed on Green Bay’s affiliate list, and 14 of the 15 draft selections will participate at the team’s main tryout camp from June 8-12, 2025 at the Resch Center.
Here is a recap of all Gamblers futures/Phase I draft choices who will be at main camp next week unless otherwise noted:
Luke Pietila, LW- Detroit Honey Baked (15-only). 5-11/174. (Northville, Michigan)
2024-25 AAA and MAHA: Games played- 80 Goals- 41 Assists- 48 Points- 89
Drafted: 6th round/79th overall
Notable- Participated in the 2024 USA Hockey Select 15 National Camp in Amherst, N.Y. last July. Older brother, Adam, played in USHL for Youngstown and just completed his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin.
Quotable: “Luke brings skill and a high intensity playing style that makes him a great fit for our organization. He’s tenacious and has the kind of character we value. We were proud to make him our first selection in the draft.”- Luedeke
Colton Sommer, RW- Mount St. Charles Academy (15-only). 5-9/175. (Auburn, New York)
2024-25 AAA: Games played- 61 Goals- 18 Assists- 54 Points- 72
Drafted: 7th round/94th overall
Notable: Sommer won back-to-back Tier 1 USA Hockey National Championships at Mount St. Charles at the 14U and 15-only levels in 2024 and 2025. He scored a goal and 7 points in 6 nationals games played in Madison, Wisconsin this past April.
Quotable: “Colton is a winner. He played on his team’s top line because he does everything well, and his hockey sense and high-energy style makes him an important piece of a championship formula.”- Luedeke
Lance Kohnen, RD- East Ridge Varsity (Minn. HS). 5-9/160. (Woodbury, Minnesota)
2024-25 Minn. HS: Games played- 27 Goals- 6 Assists- 10 Points- 16
Drafted: 7th round/100th overall
Notable: Is a two-year varsity player at East Ridge after making an impact as a freshman defender in 2023-24 and being selected to USA Hockey Select 15 National Camp in Amherst, N.Y. last July.
Quotable: “Lance jumped off the page for us a year ago at USA Hockey camp and continued to show promise in his sophomore season at East Ridge with his terrific mobility, intelligence and ability to impact the game at both ends of the ice.”- Luedeke
Hunter Kapen, C- Anaheim Jr. Ducks (15-only). 5-9/170. (Santa Monica, California)
2024-25 AAA and T1 Elite League: Games played- 83 Goals- 49 Assists- 55 Points- 104
Drafted: 8th round/109th overall
Notable: Selected to attend USA Hockey Select 15 Player Development Camp June 25-July 1 in Amherst, N.Y.
Quotable: “When you talk about value picks, they don’t come much higher than Hunter, and we were thrilled to get him where we did. He is a pure scorer, leading a deep Jr. Ducks team in goals, assists and points- the offense flowed through him. He uses his speed, vision and skill effectively, working hard in all three zones.”- Luedeke
Norman Greene, RW- Buffalo Jr. Sabres (15-only). 6-0/185. (Clarence, New York)
2024-25 AAA and T1 Elite League: Games played- 59 Goals- 32 Assists- 44 Points- 76
Drafted: 9th round/124th overall
Notable: Had a standout 2025 OHL Cup performance playing for TPH Thunder, registering 3 goals and 5 points in 4 games. Ranked by Neutral Zone in the USHL Futures Draft top-350.
Quotable: “Norm is the kind of forward you win with because he brings hard skill: good size, can score, is heavy on pucks and tough to play against. He fits the mold of what we want up front, and is another forward we felt brings very good value in terms of where we had him on our draft board.”- Luedeke
Dominick Byrtus, LD- HC Ocelari Trinec (Czechia Under-20). 5-10/181. (Trinec, Czechia)
2024-25 Czechia U20: Games played- 47 Goals- 3 Assists- 6 Points- 9
Drafted: 10th round/139th overall
Notable: Born in Philadelphia, Pa.- dual citizen/not an import player for purposes of USHL roster rules. Was one of only 9 total 2009-born skaters who played in the Czechia Under-20 league and led all of them with 47 games and 9 points.
Quotable: “We just felt like Dominick’s upside was too good to pass up in the 10th round. He was the only ’09 who played regularly in Czechia’s top junior league and has a world of potential with his strong two-way play.”- Luedeke
*Because of international commitments for Czechia and Trinec, Byrtus will not attend 2025 Gamblers camp.
Aaron Lenarz, G- Okanagan Hockey Colorado (15-only). 6-0/165. (Alexandria, Minnesota)
2024-25 AAA: Games played- 31 Wins- 16 Losses- 14 GAA: 3.06 Save pct: .906
Drafted: 11th round/154th overall
Notable: Lenarz is the first goaltender selected in the futures draft by Green Bay since 2012 (Cameron Hackett- 6th round).
Quotable: “Aaron had an excellent season on an underrated team, having a big hand in pulling off some big upsets against highly ranked teams. He’s athletic and battles hard to keep pucks out of his net.”- Luedeke
Cole Mazzoni, LW- Detroit Victory Honda (15-only). 6-3/195. (Livonia, Michigan)
2024-25 AAA/T1 Elite League/MAHA: Games played- 39 Goals- 26 Assists- 20 Points- 46
Drafted: 12th round/169th overall
Notable: Norman Greene’s teammate on the TPH Thunder for the 2025 OHL Cup, scoring 2 goals and 5 points in 5 games. Ranked by Neutral Zone in the USHL Futures Draft top-350.
Quotable: “Cole is a big, strong power winger who can skate and shoot the puck. He is a possession player who does his best work in the dirty areas and is tough to contain when he gets going off the rush or establishes position at the net front.”- Luedeke
Matthew Leaming, LD- Colorado Rampage (15-only). 5-10/161. (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
2024-25 AAA/T1 Elite League: Games played- 64 Goals- 20 Assists- 52 Points- 72
Drafted: 13th round/184th overall
Notable: Committed to the Colorado Rampage 16U team for 2025-26. Ranked by Neutral Zone in the USHL Futures Draft top-350.
Quotable: “Matt impressed us with his mobility, smarts, stick and tenacity. He plays hard and doesn’t shy away from the physical elements of the game, leading by example by finding a way to impact the game overall all 200 feet of the ice surface.”- Luedeke
S
awyer Thompson, C- Seacoast Performance Academy (15-only). 6-1/175. (Dublin, Ohio)
2024-25 AAA: Games played- 52 Goals- 32 Assists- 26 Points- 58
Drafted: 14th round/198th overall
Notable: Committed to the Ohio Blue Jackets 16U team for the 2025-26 hockey season. Ranked by Neutral Zone in the USHL Futures Draft top-350.
Quotable: “Sawyer’s relentless work ethic coupled with his size and power game make him a great fit for our organization. He never cheated the game with his effort, and his heavy-on-pucks playing style makes him a reliable presence on the ice.”- Luedeke
William Mikan, C- Edina AA Bantam. 5-11/150. (Edina, Minnesota)
Drafted: 15th round/211th overall
Notable: Ranked in Neutral Zone’s top-350 2009-born players for the USHL Futures Draft. Older brother, Michael, was drafted by Green Bay in the 2025 Entry Draft (Phase II) and is committed to Harvard University.
Quotable: “Will is an intelligent player who sees the ice well and generates scoring chances with his quickness and slick hands. We are excited to see how he continues to develop and progress in such a notable Minnesota program.”- Luedeke
Reid Ashton, RD- Windsor Jr. Spitfires U16. 5-10/163. (Windsor, Ontario)
2024-25 ALLIANCE U16: Games played- 30 Goals- 9 Assists- 25 Points- 34
Drafted: 15th round/222nd overall
Notable: Captain of the Windsor Jr. Spitfires under-16 team in 2024-25. Ranked in Neutral Zone’s top-300 2009-born players for the OHL Priority Selection (126th).
Quotable: “We were thrilled to get a player of Reid’s talent and character later in the USHL draft. He’s an outstanding skater with superb vision and the ability to impact the game positively at both ends of the ice. He plays the game the right way.”- Luedeke
Cooper Martin, LD- Okanagan Hockey Colorado (15-only). 6-0/165. (Windsor, Colorado)
2024-25 AAA: Games played- 49 Goals- 11 Assists-23 Points- 34
Drafted: 15th round/230th overall
Notable: Ranked in Neutral Zone’s top-350 2009-born players for the USHL Futures Draft.
Quotable: “Cooper is the quintessential two-way defenseman his coaches trust, because he is smart, mobile, mature and does not try to overcomplicate the position. The more we saw him, the more we came to appreciate his versatility and ability to effectively defend and move pucks quickly.”- Luedeke
Gunner Gullstrand, C- Detroit Little Caesars (15-only). 6-0/173. (Houghton, Michigan)
2024-25 MAHA 15: Games played- 21 Goals- 15 Assists- 19 Points- 34
Drafted: 15th round/234th overall
Notable: Participated in the 2024 USA Hockey Select 15 National Camp in Amherst, N.Y. last July. Ranked in Neutral Zone’s top-350 players for the USHL Futures Draft.
Quotable: “Gunner was impressive at the USA Hockey national camp a year ago and continued to build on that success throughout the year. He’s another hard skill forward who can score, but also plays with high pace and physicality, making him a perfect fit for our organization.”-Luedeke
Massimo Santa Maria, LW- Detroit Little Caesars (15-only). 5-9/170. (Amherst, N.Y.)
2024-25 MAHA 15: Games played- 21 Goals- 18 Assists- 22 Points- 40
Drafted: 15th round/236th overall
Notable: Ranked by Neutral Zone in both the USHL Futures Draft top-350.
Quotable: “Yet another great value selection- Massimo is a highly skilled winger who is a threat to score on every shift. He is fast and dangerous with the puck; as he continues to grow and round out his game, we feel like he has real potential to be an impact player in our league.”- Luedeke
