HOUGHTON - The Fargo (N.D.) Force continued its focus on the Upper Peninsula Tuesday, selecting Hancock native Tanner Kero with its first pick, the 13th overall, in the United States Hockey League's Entry Draft.
Kero starred at Hancock High School before earning rookie of the year honors in the North American Hockey League last season with the Marquette Rangers. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound, 17-year-old led the NAHL in goals last season with 32 and added 19 assists for 51 points in 57 games.
He finished the sesaon as a plus-9, recorded 13 of his tallies on the power play and had five game-winning goals as the Rangers won the NAHL's North Division before suffering a first-round playoff upset.
During the season, Kero committed to play his college hockey at Michigan Tech, likely enrolling in the 2011-12 school year.
Kero's selection comes just a day after the Force, the USHL's playoff runners-up, picked Calumet High School and Ojibwa Eagles product Ben Johnson in the USHL Futures Draft.
It also came in a first round rife with connections to the Copper Country and northern Michigan at large.
The second pick, John Fritsche (Youngstown) played with Marquette's NAHL North Division rival Alpena, while fourth pick Joel Benson (Chicago) not only played with Alpena but hails from Marquette.
Third pick Peter Stoykewych (Des Moines) is the younger brother of incoming Michigan Tech recruit Adam Stoykewych. Both brothers are committed to WCHA teams, though Peter has committed to Colorado College.
Reid Sturos, selected immediately after Kero by Omaha with the 14th pick of the first round, played for Brighton High School last year.
He is a cousin to Calumet High School's 2009-10 hockey captain, Nate Sturos.
Sturos told his hometown paper, the Daily Press and Argus (Howell, Mich.), that he is committed to play at Tech and wants to study mechanical engineering after his junior stint.
