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USHL Madison Capitols

Capitols Complete Phase I of USHL Draft

May 7, 2024 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Madison Capitols News Release


The Capitols have completed the first phase of the two-day 2024 USHL Draft. Madison selected nine players on Monday in addition to the tender of Jet Kwajah in March.

Among the ten 2008 birth-year players for Madison, the Capitols now have seven forwards and three defenseman. To compare with last season, the Caps selected five of each position.

Although Madison only took three defensemen, it was a heavy focus early on in the draft for the staff. The Capitols tendered right-shot defenseman Jet Kwajah in March, which meant that the team forfeited their first round. The team then took left-shot defenseman Chris Baird-Gajdos with the team's first pick on Monday, 24th overall. Baird-Gajdos spent the 2023-24 season with Little Caesars 15U AAA.

After using the first two picks on defensemen, Madison then waited until the sixth round to draft another blue-liner. With the 84th overall pick, the Caps selected left-shot defenseman Dominic Pajkic who spent the past season playing with Shattuck-St. Mary's U16 AAA team.

The first of seven forwards selected with Maxim Dubé at 31st overall. The Quebec native spent last season with the Long Island Gulls where he registered 90 points in 68 games.

Following the Dubé selection, the Capitols picked Landon Amrhein and Cameron Wilson in the fifth round. Amrhein is a tall forward from the Dallas Stars Elite AAA program. Wilson played last season with the St. Louis AAA Blues 15U team.

After the Dominic Pajkic pick at 84th overall, the Capitols selected Liam Donnelly at 87th overall. Donnelly played last season with the North Jersey Avalanche 15U AAA program.

Tate Spaulding was the next player to be selected by Madison at pick 114th overall. Spaulding played last season with Okanagan HA Colorado 15U AAA putting up over a point per game.

To round things out in the Phase I portion of the draft, the Capitols selected Madison Capitols AAA forward Mason Majewski and Belmont Hill School forward Drew Giguere in the tenth round of the draft.

Madison now sits at an IPL(Initial Protected List) number of 31 heading into Tuesday's Phase II Draft, which starts at 11 am. The IPL consists of affiliated players from the previous season and draft picks from this year. Members of the IPL will make their way to Main Camp in June to compete for a spot on the roster for next season.

Although the season may be done, we still encourage you to stay connected with the Madison Capitols on social media and the team's official website for the latest updates, news, and behind-the-scenes content.

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United States Hockey League Stories from May 7, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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