Dubuque, IA — After selecting forward Cooper Dennis with their first of two second rounders at 17th overall,  the Fighting Saints were back on the clock again six picks later. With one forward in tow already, Dubuque grabbed Chicago Mission defenseman Luke Brierley.

Brierley, a native of Barrington, IL, stands at 5'8" and weights 146 lbs. He produced two goals and nine assists in 15 regular season games for the Chicago Mission 15U AAA program last season. In the 15U national tournament, he played in five games, adding another goal and three assists. Brierley, like Dennis, is a player the Fighting Saints feel can be a high end talent for several years to come.

"We view him as a possible top pairing guy," said Director of Scouting Dan Shrader on Brierley's potential. "Like Dennis, Luke was a player we highly coveted entering the draft and we were very happy to get him in the second round. We had heard of some other teams starting to hone in on him leading up to draft day."

Shrader, along with General Manager Kalle Larsson and Director of Player Personnel Trevor Edwards, played a big part at the draft table on draft day. He shared his break down of Brierley with us. Some of Shrader's comments in this story have been edited for clarity.

"Brierley was a key cog this season on a perennially stacked Chicago Mission U15 squad," Shrader added. "As the year went along, he really stepped up and asserted himself as one of the best defenseman in his age group."

Perennially stacked may be an understatement. Brierley was just one of six defenseman for the mission to have all been drafted by a junior hockey organization this year, five to the USHL and one to the OHL. So, for Brierley to still find a way to stick out amongst that group speaks volumes about the type of player he is and can become for the Fighting Saints.
 
His game may not be the flashiest, but Brierley commands the game well mentally.

"He has a big brain on him for sure," said Shrader. "He has outstanding hockey sense and vision and that allows him to play with poise. He plays a very mature and steady game."

Now that's not to say that Brierley doesn't have offensive skill. His eleven points were just five back of the most amongst all Mission blue liners.

"Luke has some deception to his game offensively," Shrader said. "Especially with his passing. He's a crisp and accurate passer. The game flows through him and he acts as a conduit with the puck. He's highly skilled at making the right decision and moving it to the next guy."

The Fighting Saints staff looks at Brierley as a future top four defenseman for multiple years that can take up a lot of ice time with his workhorse mentality and high level hockey intelligence.

Brierley will be in town next month for 2023 Main Camp, running June 13-16. Fans can get their eyes on Brierley, along with several other Saints draft picks, at camp this summer FREE of charge.