“We had a plan and we executed that plan,” Hardy said in a press release. “The players that we selected fit our clearly defined criteria, which is synergistic with our clearly defined style of play. We are very excited to welcome them and their families to our Chicago Steel family and very much look forward to influencing their development in the years to come.”

With the tender agreements during March signed by defenseman Jake Livanavage and forward Adam Fantilli, the Steel organization have a dozen new faces for their upcoming season.

Chicago’s 2020 Phase I USHL Draft

With the 11th pick in round one, Chicago selected forward Andon Carbone out of the Brunswick School in Connecticut. One selection later, Hardy snagged forward Zam Plante from the Hermantown Hawks 14UAA team. Plante is a Minnesota native.

In rounds four and five, Chicago selected two forwards and one defenseman. At 48th overall, Casy Laylin from St. Michael-Albertville High School gave Hardy three straight forwards selected. The first defenseman, Chris Able, was selected from the local Chicago Mission 15s. Able is a native of Libertyville, Illinois. Rounding out round five was forward Cameron Johnson of St. George’s School 15s in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Hardy rounded out his draft with three picks in round eight and two selections in round 10. Forwards Chris Delaney, Evan Hunter and Nick Moldenhaurd were all selected the eighth round. Delaney was picked out of the Boston Jr. Bruins 16U. Hunter plays up the road from Chicago for the Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 15s and Moldenhauer played for the Toronto Titans MMAAA.

Chicago’s two selections in round 10 consisted of defenseman Sam Court from the Winnipeg Wild MAAA and forward Mick Thompson of the New Jersey Avalanche 16U.

The Steel will draft Phase II of the USHL Draft today at 1 p.m. for players eligible born in the years 2000–2004. As a result of past trades, Chicago will not pick until the sixth round.

The post The Chicago Steel select 10 players in Phase I of the 2020 USHL Draft appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago selected three players in the second round, starting with forward Jack Harvey (Round 2, 19^th overall). Harvey is a forward from Stacy, Minnesota, and recorded 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 13 games played this season.

Jackson Blake (Round 2, 22^nd overall) was Chicago’s second selection of the second round. The forward from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, played 27 games for Shattuck St. Mary’s U15 team this season recording 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 24 games. Jackson in the son of former NHL player Jason Blake, who played 871 games in the NHL.

With their last pick in the second round, Chicago selected Sam Lipkin from Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. The 6-foot-1 left wing played 41 games for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, where he scored 69 points (36 goals, 33 assists) for the season. Lipkin also played prep hockey at La Salle College High.

Chicago’s next selection did not come until the fifth round when Brad Lambert (Round 5, 62^nd overall) was selected out of Lahti, Finland. The forward played for three different Pelican teams in Finland this season.

Thor Byfuglien rounded out Chicago’s fifth round selections when he was selected with the 62^nd overall pick. The Roseau, Minnesota, native is the second cousin to former Chicago Blackhawks player Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien played for the Roseau Bantam AA team this season recording 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games as a defenseman.

With the next three selections, Chicago selected forwards Michael Abgrall (Round 6, 87^th overall), Parker Murray (Round 7, 102^nd overall) and defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald (Round 8, 117^th overall) to finish out their Phase I Draft.

Abgrall, a Richmond, British Columbia, native, skated in 29 games for the Burnaby Winter Club Elite 15’s this season. The forward registered 48 points (26 goals, 22 assists) before also playing in five games for the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League.

A native of Los Angeles, California, Murray played three seasons with the Los Angeles Jr. Kings. With the U16 team this season, Murray tallied 17 points (14 goals, three assists) in 23 games. Murray also scored 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) for the Bantam AAA program in 45 games.

Fitzgerald played in 18 games for the Islanders Hockey Club 16U of the United States Premier Hockey League. The North Reading, Massachusetts, native is the son of former NHL veteran Tom Fitzgerald, who played 1,097 NHL games.

“I’m very pleased with the nine players that we were able to add to our franchise in today’s Phase I Draft,” said Steel General Manager Ryan Hardy. “In preparation for the draft, our scouting department built a 25-player list and we were able to get through all eight rounds without deviating from it. This speaks to the preparation and professionalism of Tristan Musser, Vinny Smith and the rest of our scouting staff. Steel fans have a lot of prospects to be excited about for years to come.”

Chicago is will also partake in the Phase II Draft today. Chicago will also hold their annual Tryout Camp on June 6–9 at Fox Valley Ice Arena.

The post Chicago Steel select nine players in USHL Phase I Draft appeared first on The Rink.