Andrew Pekarek

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Anaheim Ducks selected Ashwaubenon native Matt Berkovitz on Saturday in the fifth round (No. 123 overall) of the NHL Entry Draft at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

"It was a dream come true," Berkovitz said. "It was a real cool experience and something I'll never forget."

The 6-fooot-1, 180-pound defenseman was one of three Wisconsin natives chosen in this year's draft. He is the first area player selected since former Green Bay Notre Dame standout Max McCormick was taken in the sixth round of the 2011 draft by the Ottawa Senators.

It's the third straight year Anaheim has selected a Wisconsin recruit. Prior to Berkovitz, the Ducks chose Grant Besse last year and Nic Kerdiles in 2012.

"I've been getting a few jokes from my friends," Berkovitz said about getting picked by the Ducks. "I've been getting a lot of quack, quack, quacks and stuff like that. It's all in good fun. It's definitely a cool thing because growing up you see that team and it's just one of the fan-favorite teams in the NHL. It's pretty cool."​

Berkovitz was the second UW recruit chosen in this year's draft. Defenseman Jack Dougherty was picked by the Nashville Predators in the second round (No. 51).

Berkovitz totaled 41 points (11 goals, 30 assists) in 27 games while also helping the Ashwaubenon defensive corps allow 1.6 goals per game, which was the sixth-lowest average in the state.

The Fox River Classic Conference player of the year earned first-team all-state honors from the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association for a second straight season and was named the state's best defenseman as a senior by WisconsinPrepHockey.net.

Berkovitz was ranked No. 61 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He was the sixth player selected in this year's draft that played with a United States high school team last season and was the 38th American player chosen.

"They are there to win championships and they got that across right away," Berkovitz said of Anaheim. "It's not going to be easy. I'm probably a few years down the road there, but when I get there I want to help them succeed and win a championship."

Before joining the Badgers, the 18-year-old defenseman will play the 2014-15 season with the Chicago Steel, which chose Berkovitz in the fourth round of the 2013 USHL Phase II draft.

The Green Bay Gamblers also had four players with ties to the franchise get selected on Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft

After seeing former forward Nick Schmaltz get selected in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, the Gamblers saw forward Joe Wegwerth chosen in the fourth round (No. 92) by the Florida Panthers and center Christopher Brown selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round (No. 151).

Wegwerth was chosen by the Gamblers in the USHL Phase II Draft in May and will play in Green Bay in the 2014-15 season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder previously played for the USA Under-18 developmental team the last two years.

Brown will also join the Gamblers for the upcoming season after being a fourth-round pick in last year's USHL Phase II draft. The Boston College recruit's father, Doug, played for the Detroit Red Wings.

Meanwhile, former Gamblers forward Fredrik Olofsson was chosen in the fourth round (No. 98) of the NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks.

Olofsson appeared in 28 games last season with the Gamblers before being traded in January to the Chicago Steel.

Olofsson's older brother, Gustav, played for the Gamblers during the 2012-13 season and was second-round NHL draft pick of the Minnesota Wild last year.

Forward Brendan Lemieux was chosen with the first pick in the second round (No. 31) on Saturday by Buffalo. Lemieux played 11 games with the Gamblers at the start of the 2012-13 season before opting to play with the Barrie Colts in the OHL.

The USHL had a record 35 players that played in the league during the 2013-14 season selected in the NHL Entry Draft.