2009 Entry Draft Results

Bensenville (May 13th, 2009) -- The 2009 USHL Entry Draft took place today and the Chicago Steel drafted 13 players; 8 Forwards, 4 Defensemen and 1 Goaltender.

The USHL Entry Draft is structured as follows; "The number of rounds for the Entry Draft shall be as many rounds necessary to bring each club's player roster to at least 30.  Teams will first draft to fill the active roster number of 23.  The Entry Draft will then extend to allow all teams to bring their roster to 30.  The Entry Draft does not have a formal age restriction, thus players with birthdates in 1991, 1992, and 1993 are eligible to be selected in the draft." (ushl.com)

Chicago's first pick of the 2009 Entry Draft was the 23rd overall pick in the 2nd round, and the Chicago Steel Selected forward Brendan Woods.  Woods is a 6'0, 175 lb. 92 birthyear from Palmyra, PA.  Brendan was the top forward on the Connecticut U16 team and also played on the U17 USA Tournament team last summer.  Woods is a big, skilled forward who is ready to make an impact and can play in all areas of the game.  Woods' father is the Head Coach of the Hershey Bears of the AHL.

In the 3^rd round, the Steel chose defenseman Mark Adams who is a '91 birthyear from Malden Catholic Highschool.  Adams is a 6'2 207 lb. physical force on the ice that has great passing and play making ability.  Adams is committed to play at Providence College.

With the 49^th pick, the Steel selected forward Jake Chelios; brother of Steel alumni Dean Chelios and son of NHL'er Chris Chelios.  Jake, who played for Little Ceasars last season, is a '91 who comes in at 6'1, 170 lbs and is a big, strong, physical power forward who can score and is very effective on the ice. 

In the 5^th round with the 56th pick, Chicago drafted Sahir Gill of the Vernon Vipers.  Gill, a 5'10, 180 lb. left shot forward has the ability to be a game breaker and will be a threat every time he is on the ice.  Sahir, a '92 birthyear, is rated as a highly skilled forward who is extremely quick.

In the 6^th round the Steel used the 69^th pick of the draft to select Defenseman Ian Young.  Ian, who played for the Pikes Peak Miners last season, is a '92 birthyear that comes in at 6'0 and 175 lbs.  Young is a steady and consistent puck moving defenseman that has the ability to play a lot of minutes and will add great depth to the Steel d-core. 

To round out the first phase of the 2009 USHL Entry Draft, the Steel selected David Bondra with the 82^nd overall pick in the 7^th round.  Bondra, son of ex-NHL'er Peter Bondra, is a young player that shows good upside, has very good skill and thinks the game through thoroughly.  Bondra is a '92 birthyear that played with the Washington Jr. Nationals last season. 

The 12^th round of the draft, the Steel used the 147^th overall pick to draft forward Patrick Kirkland of Russell Stover.  Kirkland is a big power forward that plays with a lot of energy and competes every shift.  Patrick should be a good depth player who will be able to score some goals.  Kirkland is a left handed shot who is 6'2 weighing in at 200 lbs. from Lenexa, Kansas. 

In the next round, the Steel drafted Andrew Schmit of Culver Academy.  Schmit, brother of Steel alumni Aaron, is a big power forward coming in at 6'3, 215 lbs that is tough along the boards and has a lot of potential. 

DJ Jones was the next selection by the Steel staff.  Jones, the 173^rd overall pick, is a '92 birthyear puck moving defenseman who can log a lot of minutes.  Jones is 5'8, 160 lbs. from Wayzata high school who will be an effective special teams player as well.

With the 186^th overall pick the Steel selected Chicago Mission forward Pijus Rulevicius.  Rulevicius is a '92 birthyear who is 5'11, 190 lbs. and will be a presence on the ice.  Pijus likes to shoot the puck and is ready to make an impact in the USHL.  Last month Pijus played at the U18 worlds for Lithuania. 

The 16^th round found the Steel using the 199^th overall pick to select their first goalie of the draft, Alex Rigsby.  Alex, a '92 birthyear played for the USA Womens U-18/Milwaukee Jr. Admirals is a very talented goaltender and a has a gold medal to back it up.  She is very athletic with top notch skating ability.  Rigsby is rated as the best women's U18 goalie in the country.  Although it is thought to be very rare to draft a female in the USHL draft, Rigsby is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Manon Rheaume, who is the only woman to play in an NHL Game.  Rheaume was a goaltender who played with the Tampa Bay Lightning in exhibition games during the 1992 and 1993 seasons. 

With the 212^th pick, Chicago selected Sam Calabrese who played for the USNTDP last season.  Calabrese a Park Ridge, Illinois native is a '91 birthyear coming in at 5'10, 175 lbs.  Sam is an offensive defenseman who is deadly on the powerplay and moves the puck very well.  Calabrese is committed to Notre Dame.

Finishing up the draft the Steel selected forward TJ Sarcona of the NJ Rockets.  Sarcona who is a '92 birthyear comes in at 5'10, 185 lbs and is a strong 2 way player who is very strong on the puck.  This strong forward is an anchor in front of the net.