Ice's Jacobs, Mantha among CSS top 150

Two current Indiana Ice players and three more with ties to the franchise were rated in the final NHL Central Scouting Service pre-draft rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft. The rankings list the top players eligible for the NHL Draft -- generally 1996 birth-year players.

The full CSS list is here

Defenseman Josh Jacobs is ranked 43rd on the CSS list among North American skaters -- which would project him to be picked somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. Jacobs, who stands 6-2, 193 pounds, has been a member of the Ice for two years. He has five goals and 18 assists this season, posting a +36 rating that was second to defensive partner Austin Kosack among USHL defensemen. A right shot from Shelby Twp., Mich., Jacobs is committed to Michigan State University. Jacobs is the seventh-highest rated USHL player (and the second-highest rated from a team other than the USNDTP -- Green Bay's Nick Schmaltz is ranked 19th. The highest-rated USHL player is forward Alex Tuch of Team USA, ranked 12th among North American skaters).

Ice Defenseman Ryan Mantha ranks 149th on the list. The 6-5, 225-pound rearguard joined the team halfway through the season in a trade with Sioux City. A physical, big defender, he has two goals, nine points and a +11 rating in 24 games with the Ice. In two USHL seasons, he has played 103 games, with four goals and 22 points. Mantha is a right-shot defender from Clarkston, Mich.

Mitch Slattery is an affiliate list player who played one game with the Ice this season. He's a 6-0, 185-pound left wing from Hill-Murray High School in Minnesota.

Among former Ice players, defenseman Blake Siebenaler is rated 55th among North American skaters. The Fort Wayne native played 11 games for the Ice in 2012-13 before moving to Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League this year.  He has six goals and 30 points for the IceDogs this season. Siebenaler stands 6-1, 192.

Defenseman Rinat Valiev ranks 83rd on the CSS list among North American skaters. He had six goals and seven assists in 36 games for the Ice in 2012-13. This year, he had five goals and 23 assists to go along with a +27 rating for the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice. He's a 6-1, 190-pound left-shot defenseman from Russia. 

Three current members of the Ice roster have already been drafted -- right wing Sam Kurker was taken in the second round of the 2012 draft by the St. Louis Blues, forward Aidan Muir was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Edmonton Oilers, and center Brian Pinho was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 draft by the Washington Capitals.

Indiana Ice in the NHL Draft 
Round/pick: Player (drafted team) (years w/Ice) (current team)
2013
2R/33: Adam Erne (Tampa Bay) (2010-11) (AHL-Syracuse)
4R/113: Aidan Muir (Edmonton) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
6R/174: Brian Pinho (Washington) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
20122R/56: Sam Kurker (St. Louis) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
2R/59: Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (NY Rangers) (2011-12) (NCAA-Michigan)
3R/75: Jon Gillies (Calgary) (2010-12) (NCAA-Providence)
5R/136: Robbie Baillargeon (Ottawa) (2011-13) (NCAA-Boston U.)
2011
3R/62: Samu Perhonen (Edmonton) (2013-14)
3R/75: Blake Coleman (New Jersey) (2009-11) (NCAA-Miami)
4R/101: Brian Ferlin (Boston) (2009-11) (NCAA-Cornell)
5R/133: Sean Kuraly (San Jose) (2009-12) (NCAA-Miami)
2010
3R/86: Stanislav Galiev (Washington) (2008-09) (AHL-Hershey)
6R/168: Anthony Bitetto (Nashville) (2008-10) (AHL-Milwaukee)
6R/180: Nick Mattson (Chicago) (2009-11) (NCAA-North Dakota)
7R/183: R.J. Boyd (Florida) (2011-12)
2009
7R/198: Nic Dowd (Los Angeles) (2009-10) (AHL-Manchester)
7R/199: Mike Cichy (Montreal) (2008-09) (NCAA-Western Michigan)
20081R/27: John Carlson (Washington) (2007-08) (NHL-Washington)
3R/81: Corey Fienhage (Buffalo) (2007-08) (ECHL-Orlando)
7R/183: Garrett Roe (Los Angeles) (2004-07) (Austria-Salzburg)
2007
4R/108: Brett Bruneteau (Washington) (2007-08)
4R/120: Ben Blood (Ottawa) (2007-08) (AHL-Binghamton)
5R/135: Paul Carey (Colorado) (2007-08) (NHL-Colorado)
6R/153: Scott Darling (Phoenix) (2007-08) (AHL-Milwaukee)
2006
5R/135: Alex Kangas (Atlanta) (2006-07) (ECHL-Alaska)
6R/157: Brent Gwidt (Washington) (2006-09) (ECHL-Utah)
2004
3R/85: Brian Gifford (Pittsburgh) (2004-05)
7R/218: Sergei Kukushkin (Dallas) (2004-05)

Non-drafted Ice NHL players
Torey Krug (Boston) (2008-09)
Cameron Schilling (Washington) (2007-08)
Joel Rechlicz (NY Islanders) (2005-06)