Force used last USHL draft pick on familiar name
The Fargo Force used its final draft pick in the 2011 United States Hockey League Entry Draft on a semi-familiar name. With the 279th pick (19th round), Fargo picked Zach Doerring, brother of Blake Doerring out of The Blake School in Minnesota.
“Zach’s brother played here, so it just kind of made sense with our last pick to maybe take a kid that the family has some history here,” Fargo Assistant Coach Jesse Davis said.
History and tradition are something that Doerring is very familiar with playing at Blake. They are a high school program that produces consistent high-end talent that commonly goes on to play in the USHL, NCAA, and beyond. For example, Zach’s brother Blake is heading to Vermont to play NCAA hockey.
“The tradition at Blake goes back to the early 1900′s and every day you walk into the arena you are reminded of all the good players that have played there over the years because they have their pictures on the walls, which is motivating,” Zach Doerring said.
Motivation is what Doerring and his teammates may need to get back to the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament. They have struggled to get to the big dance with powerhouse Breck in their section in recent seasons.
As a junior last season, Doerring netted 11 goals and 15 points in 27 games. He helped lead Blake to a 20-3-2 regular season record. Unfortunately for Doerring and the Blake Bears, they lost out to Orono in the section semi-finals.
Doerring will be heading back to Blake for his senior season and is preparing to help lead his team to a section title. He said in an email that he is training at First Athlete with Kevin Ziegler in Minneapolis this summer, and he will play in the Upper Midwest Elite League this coming fall.
The Bears graduated 17 players in the spring. That means they are only returning five or six players at the most and they will need to rely on veterans like Doerring.
“I am one of the captains so I hope to contribute a lot to the production of the team and hopefully by the end of the season we will be a good team,” Doerring said. “On a personal level, I just want to keep developing and getting stronger and quicker which means a lot of time in the weight room.”
The Fargo Force has set their preliminary 28-man Fall Classic roster. As expected, Doerring was left off the list so he can go back to Blake for his final campaign. Another year of experience is exactly what Doerring and the Force needs.
“He has great size, great ability, but still has a little ways to go with growing into his big body,” Davis said. “Here’s a kid that we’re looking forward to him in the future.”
“With the things that his brother’s done and where his brother is going, we kind of see Zach, although he’s a forward, following the same footsteps as his brother. So, it was just a smart decision to draft him.”
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By: Tim How
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