Move over Larry Wright, Matt Niskanen and Dylan Olsen -- you now have some more company.

Tonight, incoming freshman winger Riley Tufte joined that trio of University of Minnesota Duluth alums who have been selected in the first round of the National Hockey League Draft. Tufte, a native of Blaine, Minn., was taken by the Dallas Stars with the 25th selection overall. Only Wright -- the eighth pick in 1971 -- went higher while Niskanen (2005) and Dylan Olsen (2009) were both chosen 28th overall.

Tufte is also the 102nd member of the UMD program to go in the NHL draft, but first to do so since 2013. The Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Stars, incidentally, have drafted more Bulldogs (11), than any other NHL club.

Tufte closed out a rewarding career at Blaine High School last winter by landing the 2015-16 Mr. Hockey Award (top Minnesota high school senior) in addition to being Associated Press All-State first team selection. He paced all 2015-16 Minnesota Class AA pucksters in goals with 49 while his 78 points were good for a share of the state AA lead. The 2015-16 Minneapolis Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year, Tufte was a three-time All-Northwest Suburban Conference winger, who served as Blaine's team captain in each of the past two winters. He sandwiched his senior season with the Bengals between two somewhat short 2015-16 stints with the United States Hockey League's Fargo Force.

Post-draft press conference