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Steel Announce Acquisition of Walsh and Badini Prior to USHL Draft

May 2, 2016 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Chicago Steel News Release


GENEVA, ILLINOIS - Hours before the 2016 USHL Draft begins, the Chicago Steel announced Monday a series of trades with the Fargo Force, Tri-City Storm and the completion of a prior trade with the Lincoln Stars. The Steel have acquired 3rd round picks in both the Phase I and Phase II Drafts from the Fargo Force in exchange for forward Christiano Versich. Chicago has also received the rights to defenseman Reilly Walsh from the Tri-City Storm in exchange for a Phase II 4th round pick, previously acquired from Cedar Rapids, and a conditional pick. And to complete a Feb. 2 trade condition between Chicago and Lincoln, the Steel have acquired forward Jack Badini from the Stars.

Walsh, 17, joins the Steel organization from the Tri-City affiliate list. The Harvard University commit appeared in two games this past season for the Storm, tallying one goal and one assist. Walsh spent the majority of 2015-2016 with Proctor Academy in his hometown of Andover, N.H., coached by his father and former pro hockey forward Mike Walsh. Reilly also appeared in nine games with the U.S. National U17 Team.

Badini is the final piece of a February trade with the Lincoln Stars in which the Steel also received a Phase II Draft 1st round pick, a Phase I Draft 4th round pick, goaltender Tommy Nappier and defenseman Adam Karashik in exchange for Tanner Laczynski, Trevor Hamilton and a 6th round pick in the Phase I Draft. Badini, 18, appeared in 84 regular season games over the past two seasons with the Stars, registering six goals and eight assists. The 6-foot, 191-pound native of Old Greenwich, Conn., is also committed to Harvard.

Versich departs the Steel for Fargo after recording 10 goals and 19 assists in 56 games during the regular season, in addition to a four-assist effort in Chicago's third-place finish at the 2015 Junior Club World Cup in Russia this past August.

The 2016 Phase I Draft takes place tonight, Monday, May 2, at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Phase I of the 2016 USHL Draft consists of 10 rounds as USHL teams select players from the 2000 birth year. Phase I picks will be announced on a live USHL Draft Show on USHL.com. In addition to the official announcement of Phase I selections, the USHL Draft Show will have exclusive interviews with players, USHL coaches and more.

The USHL Phase II Draft begins Tuesday, May 3 at 8:00 a.m. CDT. Phase II consists of players between the 1996 and 2000 birth years.

Fans are encouraged to follow @ChicagoSteel on Twitter for live draft pick announcements and exclusive content. To tweet in the league-wide Draft conversation, use #USHLDraft.

Steel Season Ticket Plans are now on sale for the 2016-2017 season and start at just 5 games. Full Season Ticket Plans start at just $8 per game. The full 2016-2017 schedule, including a variety of promotional nights and special events, will be released this summer. Season Ticket Plans are available to purchase at the Steel Box Office at Fox Valley Ice Arena or by phone at 855-51-STEEL. For more information, visit ChicagoSteelHockeyTeam.com.

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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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