By Paul Lecker
Wausau Pilot & Review

Wausau native Brady Cleveland became the third player ever from the Wausau West High School program to be picked in the National Hockey League Draft as he was selected in the second round with the 47th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday afternoon.

Cleveland, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound defenseman, played at West in 2019-20 and 2020-21, earning unanimous first-team all-Wisconsin Valley Conference honors as a sophomore.

Cleveland moved on to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, where he played the past two seasons. As a member of the USA National U18 Team last season, he played in 55 games and helped the team win the gold medal at the U18 World Championships.

Cleveland is committed to play at the University of Wisconsin this coming fall. He joins Nate Condon (2008) and Adam Parsells (2015) as former West players to be drafted by an NHL team.

The EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide described Cleveland as “…a physical, aggressive, and often fluid defender. He makes the traditional face-to-face stops, keeping his crossovers few as he guides attacks to the perimeter. But he also pivots to defend the rush skating forwards, angling opponents into a crushing hit along the boards. He identifies off-puck threats, pins attacks to the wall, and blocks the shots that he can’t outright prevent.”