By: Nick Cataldi Follow @NickCataldi19

The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey program has blossomed in the past decade. Two Frozen Four appearances headline what has been upward growth for the team in the past ten seasons. With increased success comes better recruiting, and players worldwide become more attracted to pursuing a hockey career at a small university in Hamden.

Since 2013, the Bobcats have had a player selected in the NHL Draft. That trend continued on Saturday, when for the fifth consecutive year the Bobcats either had a player currently in the program or an incoming recruit drafted.

Incoming freshmen and defenseman Peter Diliberatore was this years recipient in his first year of draft eligibility.

The Vegas Golden Knights selected Diliberatore in the 6^th round with the 180^th pick in the draft. The incoming freshmen from Bedford, Nova Scotia was the 58^th defensemen taken in the draft, and the 50^th college player or incoming recruit selected.

Round 6

Pick 180

⬇

Peter Diliberatore pic.twitter.com/EgVEiM761t

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) June 23, 2018

“Yeah, it’s definitely full of a bunch of emotions, some you can’t really explain,” Diliberatore said after hearing of his selection. “But when the wait is over and your name gets called it’s such a great feeling to have.”

The defenseman, who joins the Bobcats in the Fall, comes from the Salisbury School. This all-boys prep school is located in Connecticut, and Diliberatore has played there the last two years. While there he put up 35 points, including four goals and 13 assists for 17 points over 28 games just last season.

Dream come true! Extremely excited to become a Golden Knight! @GoldenKnights Thanks to everyone who has helped me get to this point! #goknights

— Peter DiLiberatore (@PDiliberatore) June 24, 2018

Before joining Salisbury, Diliberatore played midget hockey back home in Nova Scotia where he played for his hometown team the Bedford Barons and the Dartmouth Major Midgets. In those two seasons combined, he put up 47 points over 71 games.

A lackluster season last year, Quinnipiac finished with a record of 16-18-4 and was under .500 for the first time since 1995-1996, when the program was still at the division II level. The Bobcats graduated two defensemen in Kevin McKernan and John Furgele, and Diliberatore is expected to come in and battle for a starting spot. The Bobcats return four upperclassmen that played significant minutes for the defense last year. The returners include captain and second team All-ECAC player Chase Priskie, Brandon Fortunato, Karlis Cukste and Brogan Rafferty.

Draft picks from around the ECAC:

Diliberatore was one of eight ECAC players who were selected in this year’s NHL Draft:

Jack Drury- Harvard

Selected in the 2^nd round with the 42^nd pick of the draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. Jack’s family includes some names that hockey fans may know. His dad Ted was a former captain at Harvard who played over 400 games in the NHL. His uncle is Chris Drury, who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, a Calder Trophy for best rookie in the NHL and served as a captain for the Buffalo Sabers and the New York Rangers. Jack recently played for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL where he served as a captain as a 17-year-old this past season. He put up 65 points over 56 games last season. He will join Harvard in the fall looking to help replace the scoring loss of Ryan Donato who is now with the Boston Bruins.

Martin Pospisil- St. Lawrence

Selected in the 4^th round with the 105^th pick of the draft by the Calgary Flames, Pospisil, who hails from Slovakia, came over to North America this year and played for the Sioux City Musketeers. He put up 37 points in 49 games in the USHL. Also, he had 253 penalty minutes in his lone season in the league. He will join the Saints in the Fall who are in the midst of a rebuild.

John St. Ivany- Yale

Selected in the 4th round with the 112^th pick of the draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, the California native played this past season in the USHL for the Sioux Falls Stampede. He put up 36 points over 54 games this past season while serving as an assistant captain as a 17-year-old. He will join the Bulldogs for the 2019-2020 season according to his Elite Prospects page.

Curtis Hall- Yale

The forward was selected in the 4th round with the 119^th pick by the Boston Bruins. The New Jersey native played this past season in the USHL for the Youngstown Phantoms. Hall put up 31 points over 54 games, a 10-point increase from his first season in the USHL. He will join the Bulldogs in the Fall and look to help the Ivy powerhouse get back into the national tournament.

Mitchell Gibson- Harvard

A goalie from the NAHL, Gibson was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the 4^th round with the 124^th pick in the draft. The NAHL Rookie of the Year was also named the Goaltender of the Year in his first year in the league. In 43 games, he had a 1.59 GAA and a .935 Save Percentage. He will join the Crimson in 2019 according to his Elite Prospects page.

Dustin McFaul- Clarkson

The defenseman from Ontario was taken by the Boston Bruins in the 6th round with the 181^st pick of the draft. McFaul plays in the OJHL for the Pickering Panthers where he played in 38 games this season. He put up four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in his first year of draft eligibility. He will join Clarkson in the 2019-2020 season according to his Elite Prospects page.

Austin Wong- Harvard

The last player taken that is playing in the ECAC or committed to an ECAC school, Wong was taken in the 7th round with the 215^th pick by the Winnipeg Jets. He plays junior hockey for the Okotoks Oilers in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. In 55 games this past season he averaged near a point per game when he put up 54 points. Wong also has 385 penalty minutes since entering the AJHL including 235 PIMS last season. According to his Elite Prospects page he will join the Crimson for the 2019-2020 season.

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