with the first of their four picks in the third round
That marks the sixth time in the past seven years that the 124-year-old private school in Aurora has had at least one player drafted directly off its roster. Saints teammate and defenceman Francesco Dell’Elce, who has played with Castagna since they were eight, was not selected despite being ranked 90th by Central Scouting. He did, however, receive an invite to the Montreal Canadiens summer development camp following the draft.
Eight players from this past season’s roster have already committed to Division I programs in the United States, including Castagna, who will attend Cornell University and study business next season, and Dell’Elce, who is off to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst after a season in the B.C. Jr. League. Another member of the team, six-foot-six defenceman Braydon Bruce, has signed with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves.
Getting players to eschew the traditional route is becoming easier for St. Andrew’s as the program becomes more successful. Yearly tuition runs at over $41,000 for day students and $70,000 for those who live on campus, along with other fees that can reach almost $12,000, so it is pretty exclusive.