PARADISE, NV. – Tri-City Storm forward Trevor Connelly was selected 19th overall in the 1st Round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights Friday night at Sphere Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. Connelly became the third 1st round pick in Storm history with the Golden Knights’ selection, joining former Tri-City forwards Jaden Schwartz (14th Overall, 2010, St. Louis Blues) and Patrick White (25th Overall, 2007, Vancouver Canucks). He is the 75th player in the Tri-City Storm’s twenty-four-year history to be selected in the NHL Draft.
Trevor Connelly, 18, Forward, from Tustin, California, finished his two-year Storm career with one hundred and twenty-five points, the second-most in franchise history. His sixty career goals were the third-most in team history, and his seventy career assists were also the third-most recorded by a Storm player. Connelly’s eighteen-game point streak during the 2022-2023 season was the longest in franchise history. He is one of only two players in team history to score a goal in seven consecutive games. Connelly officially joined the organization by signing a tender agreement to play for the team on March 14th, 2022. He made his USHL debut with the Storm on September 22nd, 2022, in Tri-City’s 4-1 win over the Madison Capitols at the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods USHL Fall Classic at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. Connelly scored the first goal of his USHL career the next night in the Storm’s 6-4 victory over the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the team’s final game of the season-opening event. He previously skated for the Long Island Gulls (AAA, Syosset, New York), Anaheim Jr. Ice Dogs (AAA, Anaheim, California), and San Diego Saints (AA, La Mesa, California) prior to his time with the Storm. In international play, Connelly skated in the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup for USA Hockey, and also participated in the prestigious USA Hockey BioSteel Boys 17 National Festival June 22nd-June 28th, 2023, in Amherst, New York. He was a member of Team USA’s Bronze Medal team at the 2023 World Junior A Championship. Connelly was also a member of the USA’s 2024 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship team that won a Silver Medal. He was recently selected by USA Hockey to compete in the upcoming 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase July 26th – August 3rd at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Connelly previously announced a commitment to play college hockey at Providence College.
