Sports stats

USHL Madison Capitols

Capitols Suspend Operations for 2020-2021 Campaign

September 21, 2020 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Madison Capitols News Release


Middleton, WI - The Madison Capitols announced today the difficult decision to cancel their 2020-21 United States Hockey League (USHL) season.

Based on current Dane County's Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines, the Capitols are unable to play games at Bob Suter's Capitol Ice Arena. Hockey is considered 'high risk', and therefore is not permitted to be played. In addition, fans are not permitted within indoor sporting venues due to 'mass gathering' ordinances issued by the county.

After exhaustive efforts presenting our Covid-19 Readiness Plan and Return to Play protocols to local and state health officials, the decision was made to postpone operations for the 2020-21 season.

"This is an extremely difficult decision for our organization as we are deeply disappointed for our players, fans and the Madison community. However, due to Dane County's restrictions, we are unable to play games and host fans in our venue," stated Capitols president, Andrew Joudrey. "While we won't be playing this year, we won't go dark and will still be a part of the Madison community as much as possible. We are preparing for our return in the 2021-22 season".

The USHL and its member organizations have spent a great deal of time, effort and planning in its Return to Play Protocol to ensure the safest possible environment for players, fans and staff. The Capitols have been an active participant in working toward a safe return to the ice for all individuals involved. Unfortunately, the Capitols and local health authorities were not able to come to a resolution for Dane County.

"We feel for our young players and their future academic and athletic careers," says team owner and Madison native, Ryan Suter. "We were excited about the direction of our organization under new general manager and head coach, Tom Upton, along with the staff changes of the past few years. It is a challenging time for our organization, but we are fully committed and focused on a successful 2021-22 season."

The USHL is scheduled to begin its 2020-21 regular season on Friday, November 6th, embarking on its 19th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league. The USHL had 55 players selected at the 2019 NHL Draft and have 542 players eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft, including 84 on the NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings issued in April.

A dispersal draft will be held for the players currently on the Madison Capitols roster.

Check out the Madison Capitols Statistics



United States Hockey League Stories from September 21, 2020


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.

Other Recent Madison Capitols Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central