Five future Bulldogs to watch for this week during the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville
A pair of incoming freshmen and three other recruits are among those from the UMD hockey pipeline that could be drafted this week.
Warroad forward Jayson Shaugabay (17) skates against Nolan Udd (6) of Duluth Denfeld at the Essential Health Duluth Heritage Sports Center Sill Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Duluth.Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
By Matt Wellens
June 26, 2023 at 10:52 AM
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DULUTH — The 2023 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Nashville Predators.
As many as five incoming and future Bulldogs could be taken in this year’s draft, though none are expected to go in the first round on Wednesday night. At least three — maybe more — will likely go on Thursday when rounds 2-7 are held starting at 10 a.m. CDT.
Here’s a look at the five players from UMD’s pipeline of recruits to keep an eye on this week during the draft:
Adam Gajan
The 19-year-old, 6-foot-3 goaltender from Poprad, Slovakia, is verbally committed to the Bulldogs and slated to come to Duluth in the fall of 2024 after playing the entirety of the 2023-24 season in the United States Hockey League with the Green Bay Gamblers.
Gajan exploded onto the radars or NCAA programs and NHL teams during the 2023 World Junior Championship after being a late addition to the Slovak roster. The top goalie at the WJC made four starts, posting a .936 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average with a shutout and upset win over the United States, plus an OT loss to Canada.
Gajan played six games in the USHL with the Gamblers in 2022-23 (going 5-1 with a shutout) but spent the majority of the season with the team that initially took a chance on the then-unknown European goalie. Playing 34 games in the North American Hockey League — the same league that produced Kasimir Kaskisuo, Hunter Shepard, Ryan Fanti and Zach Stejskal — with the Chippewa Steel in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Gajan finished with a .917 save percentage and 2.57 GAA during the regular season.
NHL Central Scouting has Gajan ranked No. 6 among North American goaltenders heading into the 2023 draft. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Gajan third among all goalies and ranked No. 60 overall. Chris Peters, who now covers prospects for Flohockey, has Gajan as the second best goalie in this year’s class, ranking him No. 53 overall in his top 100. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman also has Gajan second among all goalies, and in his seven-round mock draft, had Gajan going to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round at No. 56.
Jayson Shaugabay
Like Gajan, Shaugabay won’t join the Bulldogs until the fall of 2024 after he plays a full season with the USHL’s Gamblers in 2023-24. With Gajan and Shaugabay both in Green Bay, it ensures Titletown has a shot at living up to its name next season with a new quarterback taking over for the Gamblers’ neighbor across the street.
NHL Draft Countdown; No. 19: Jayson Shaugabay, F, Green Bay
A 5-9 center from Warroad, Minnesota, Shaugabay was Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey after he recorded 33 goals and 63 assists for the Class A state champion Warriors. He also played 27 games with the Gamblers in 2022-23,finishing with three goals and 13 assists. Two goals and four assists came in the 13 games he played after the high school season.
NHL Central Scouting has Shaugabay ranked No. 55 among North American skaters, while TSN’s Craig Button has him No. 58 overall. Meanwhile, Peters at Flohockey has Shaugabay just inside his top 100 at 99 and The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has Mr. Hockey going in the fourth round, No. 126, to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Aaron Pionk
Originally committed to Minnesota State, the Hermantown native switched his commitment to the Bulldogs this spring after Mike Hastings and company left the Mavericks to rebuild the Wisconsin Badgers. He’ll join UMD in the fall for the 2023-24 season.
Born on Jan. 16, 2003, the 20-year-old Pionk just makes that Jan. 1, 2003, cutoff for draft eligibility, making him one of the oldest players that could be taken this week.
Hermantown’s Aaron Pionk is coming home, will join Bulldogs’ blue line next season
Originally a forward at Hermantown in high school, Pionk converted to defenseman — the position his older brother, Neal, plays for the Winnipeg Jets — during his first season of juniors playing for the Cloquet-based Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League.
Pionk spent this past season in the USHL with the Waterloo Blackhawks, where he scored 12 goals and 26 assists in 63 games in 2022-23.
Pionk is ranked No. 117 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He attended the NHL scouting combine this spring along with Gajan and Shaugabay. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has the 6-2 blue liner going in the fifth round, No. 146 overall, to … the Winnipeg Jets.
Matthew Perkins
A 19-year-old center from Balgonie, Saskatchewan, Perkins will join the Bulldogs in the fall after two seasons of junior hockey, including a championship season in the USHL.
Perkins helped the Youngstown Phantoms win the franchise’s first USHL postseason title, the Clark Cup, in 2022-23 by posting 16 goals and 30 assists in 69 games this past season. The year before he scored 24 goals and 39 assists in 68 games with the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
NHL Central Scouting has Perkins ranked No. 165 among North American skaters. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has the 5-11 forward going undrafted this week.
Ty Hanson
An 18-year-old defenseman from Hermantown, Hanson could have joined the Bulldogs this fall, but with Aaron Pionk now coming to UMD, Hanson is returning to juniors for at least one more season in 2023-24 before coming to UMD.
Hanson opted to make the jump to juniors after his junior year of high school, playing 56 games with the USHL’S Sioux City Musketeers in 2022-23. He finished with four goals and 21 assists after totaling 15 goals and 30 assists in 31 games in 2021-22 with the Hawks.
Hanson, an undersized defenseman at 5-9, is ranked No. 217 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The Athletic’s Corey Pronmanhas Hanson going undrafted this week.
