Green Bay Notre Dame's Peapenburg excited to be selected in USHL draft, plus a look at the Gamblers' picks

GREEN BAY – Mason Peapenburg wasn’t certain he would be selected in the United States Hockey League's Phase I draft Monday.

The Green Bay Notre Dame sophomore followed the action on his computer throughout the day and was in study hall with teammates in the afternoon.

That class is supposed to be quiet time, but Peapenburg and friends couldn’t help but make some noise after he was selected by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the ninth round.

“Got yelled at for it,” Peapenburg said, laughing. “But it was fine.”

The defenseman is the 16th Notre Dame player to be selected in the USHL draft, including the seventh in Phase I.

The Phase I list includes other former Tritons stars such as Tim Davison, Luke Davison, Tony Stillwell, Sam McCormick and Brett Gruber.

The USHL draft process is split into Phase I and Phase II.

Phase I identifies players from a certain birth year, which was 2006 this year.

Phase II contains players eligible for junior hockey but are not protected by a USHL team.

“It is a super exciting feeling,” Peapenburg said. “I was amazed seeing the hard work and determination pay off. … I had one (conversation) with Waterloo, but none with Des Moines. I really had no idea they were going to pick me.”

Notre Dame coach Cory McCracken was confident his young pupil would be selected and had spoken to several teams leading up to the draft, including the Buccaneers.

The feedback on Peapenburg is that he’s a high ceiling player projected to play at the NCAA Division I level.

He helped lead the Tritons to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament this past season and still has room to grow as he adds muscle to his 6-foot-1, 150-pound frame.

Although it’s a possibility he could play in the USHL after his junior season, it’s more likely he will join the Buccaneers in a few years.

“He’s really, really good at the things we do well in our system,” McCracken said. “He’s good at puck retrieval, good with pressure on him in puck retrieval. For a defenseman to be able to handle somebody playing on his back when he’s going back to get a puck in a breakout situation is a really challenging thing in a game. Mason handles that well with a lot of poise.

“He has the ability to slow the game down and make quality decisions on his exits and make a play so that the next touch we have as a team is a valuable touch.”

McCracken compared Peapenburg in many ways to former Notre Dame defenseman Daniel Laatsch, who played in the USHL for Sioux City in 2020-21 and now is at the University of Wisconsin.

“Just long, athletic, good stick, mobile,” McCracken said. “Plays a modern style of game where he is forward skating and angling. He has the ability to shut other team’s better players down. He rarely gets beat one-on-one.

“For a kid his age, he’s certainly in the top percentile group from a gap perspective. He doesn’t allow a lot of space coming off the offensive blue line for teams to generate things off him.”

Peapenburg grew up near Appleton and gravitated toward hockey at a young age.

He has played for the Green Bay Junior Gamblers as well as the Wisconsin 15U team in the Minnesota Bantam Elite League and Team Wisconsin 15U AAA.

The future appears bright.

“This year, our head coach said that if I work hard and put in the determination, I can go far,” Peapenburg said. “I have the ability to do that.”

The Gamblers, meanwhile, made several selections in the Phase I draft after naming Mike Leone its new coach and general manager last month.

Here’s a glance at the picks.

All evaluations have been provided by Neutral Zone, the premier amateur hockey recruiting site. To read additional scouting reports on USHL selections and see more star ratings of the draftees, visit their website.

Neutral Zone’s star ratings are out of five.

Round 1, Pick 3

Forward Aidan Park, Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 16U (Neutral Zone No. 74 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.75 star)

The 5-foot-11, 174-pound Park is a puck possession player that loves to have it on his stick and try to create something. He is not necessarily the quickest or fastest, but he is strong on his skates and difficult to knock off the puck. Park can use his body to go through checks and sticks while keeping the puck and has a nice pair of hands to navigate through traffic. He relies on his hands to be able to create space as he can walk defenders but doesn’t have the separation or quickness to open things up. Park can score in a variety of ways, with his deadly drag and shoot from the outside, using defenders as screens as well as rebound goals near the front of the net where he is hard on his stick. He forced a good bit of turnovers from intercepting passes and just getting his stick on near puck carriers. Park always wanted the puck and looked to make things happen on the offense quickly.

Round 2, Pick 18

Forward Will Zellers, Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 15U (Neutral Zone No. 17 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 4.00 star)

The 5-9, 150-pound Zellers did a good job finding quiet areas in the offensive zone. He always seemed to be in the right spot at the right time. Zellers played a responsible game by taking care of his defensive responsibilities which transitioned into offensive chances.

Round 3, Pick 33

Defenseman Andrew O’Sullivan, Boston Advantage 15s (Neutral Zone Unranked in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.50 star)

The 5-10, 150-pound O’Sullivan has a lengthy frame, excellent vision and a good handle on the puck. Smooth skater who keeps a tight gap and has an active stick to break up plays through the neutral zone. Does a good job possessing the puck to create passing lanes but has the sense to make the simple play and put pucks into open areas at times as well. Reads the pressure coming from forecheckers well and utilizes the net to his advantage. Shoulder checks constantly and knows where his options are at all times. Not an offensive juggernaut, but he picks and chooses the right times to join the rush. Intriguing upside offensively as he displayed soft hands and did a good job of getting pucks through to the net. High hockey IQ and does a great job of always being an option for his teammates. National Camp Selection.

Round 4, Pick 48

Defenseman Garin Ludwig, Team Alaska 15s (Neutral Zone No. 138 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.75 star)

A 5-9, 150-pound average size defenseman. Moves feet and great vision. Ludwig was constantly moving, up and down the rink, in and out of spaces. He showed great anticipation picking off passes and reading the play. His shot is not overpowering, he gets his feet moving and finds lanes. Keeps his shot low and tippable and creates a lot of rebounds. On the power play, gets the puck and quickly gets across the blueline. Showing patience, he takes the shot or passes the puck, not forcing the play.

Round 5, Pick 63

Forward Thomas Prendergast, Colorado Thunderbirds 15s (Neutral Zone No. 175 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.50 star)

The 5-9, 156-pound Prendergast has a strong first step to separate from defenders. He does a good job of getting up to speed through the neutral zone and carrying that speed into the offensive zone. He attacks directly on the line rush and cuts laterally to find open ice. Worked hard on both ends and competed for pucks on the backcheck.

Round 6, Pick 78

Forward Cael Primanti, Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (Neutral Zone No. 136 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.75 star)

Round 7, Pick 93

Defenseman Owen Buesgens, Chanhassen HS Storm (Neutral Zone No. 136 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.75 star)

The 5-9, 150-pound Buesgens is a solid, right shot defenseman that keeps the game simple. He is great on his edges and doesn’t get beat out of the corners to the net. Always picks up sticks and bodies to box out in front of his own net. He separates players from the puck along the wall, using his size very well and has a deceiving reach that gets in on attackers quickly.

Round 8, Pick 108

Center Tyler Chiovetti, LA Jr. Kings 15s (Neutral Zone No. 55 in Top 300 USA National Rankings, 3.75 star)

Another LA player who seems to have played other positions as a younger player. Not a bad plan for youth programs. Very fast. He was at his best when he went in on the forecheck right away and at full speed. He was clever and made plays at top speed. His pace forced defensemen to back off and he was able to cut back into space or dish to players up ice. He created tidy zone entries and wheeled to create plays.

Round 9, Pick 123

Forward Néka Jean, Mount Academy Saints U17 (Neutral Zone Unranked in Top 300 USA National Rankings)

Round 10, Pick 138

Defenseman Jack Brauti, Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabres 15U (Neutral Zone No. 42 in Top 300 Ontario Rankings, 4.00 star)

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Notre Dame's Peapenburg excited to be selected in USHL draft