Defensemen Join Bobcats Back End
Bismarck, ND – The Bismarck Bobcats have selected defensemen John Gormley and Hunter McDonald in the NAHL Dispersal Draft.
Gormley spent the past season with the Topeka Pilots— now the Kansas City Scouts— while McDonald played with the Corpus Christi IceRays. Both franchises have elected to sit out the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions, which led to Friday’s NAHL Dispersal Draft.
“Yesterday we were lucky to add more pieces to our back end” said Niko Kapetanovic, the Bobcats director of scouting. “With our lone returner Dawson Klein, tenders, draft picks, and camp adds, we are very happy with how our defensive core will be for the 2020-2021 season.”
Gormley had three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 49 games last season. The 6’4, 216 pound defenseman from New York was announced as Kansas City’s captain for the 2020-21 season before the shutdown.
“Gormley is a big, strong right-handed defenseman who has a high IQ and plays the game to win,” Kapetanovic said. “He was named captain for Kansas City this year, and we lucked out to receive the number two pick in the draft. He will be a very good veteran to add to our back end.”
McDonald played in seven games for the IceRays at the end of last season, skating in 21 games with the Rochester Monarchs of the NCDC beforehand. The RPI commit had one goal and one assist for Corpus Christi.
“McDonald is a smooth skating left-handed defenseman who can play in all situations,” Kapetanovic said. “He is an RPI commit who has a very high ceiling, and he is a big add to a very good back end that our staff has done a great job in building.”