Weekend Preview: Two with the Steel; One with the Gamblers
The Madison Capitols (26-19-0-3) will cap off a four-game homestand on Friday night as they will take on the Chicago Steel (21-19-6-2) for the seventh time this season. Following Friday's game, Madison will head to Chicago to face the Steel again on Saturday before traveling to the Resch Center in Green Bay to take on the Gamblers (31-13-3-1) on Sunday afternoon. This weekend will be the fifth time in the last seven weeks that the Capitols will play three games in three days.
The Capitols and Steel have split their season series thus far, each winning three games, with the most recent match up ending in a Madison overtime win on Jan. 24. Chicago currently sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, two spots behind the Capitols who reside in fifth. Madison looks to climb back into the winning column after dropping their last two games, and Chicago will look to bounce back from a 7-1 loss at the hands of Green Bay last weekend. The Steel are led by Washington Capitals draft pick Jackson Crowder. He leads Chicago with 34 points, including 15 goals.
On Sunday, Madison will visit the second-place Green Bay Gamblers. This will be the sixth meeting between the teams. The Gamblers own the season series 4-1 over Madison and won the most recent match up last Sunday, 2-1 in Madison. Green Bay ranks among the USHL's top five in both power-play and penalty-kill percentage. The Gamblers are led by Wisconsin commit Zach Wooten, who is averaging one point per game.
Madison Acquires Eero Butella from Fargo
The Madison Capitols announced on Tuesday that the team has acquired forward Eero Butella and three draft picks from the Fargo Force in exchange for forward Gavin Uhlenkamp. Butella, the 20-year-old Chicago, Illinois native, appeared in 47 games with Fargo this season. He registered 16 points, including nine goals. Butella played alongside Capitols goaltender Caleb Heil in the 2023-24 Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Team USA, where he recorded three points in five games. Madison will be Butella's fourth stop in the USHL; the 6'4" forward has appeared in games with Fargo, Waterloo, and USNTDP. Butella will suit up for the Capitols this weekend and will wear number 19. In the trade, Madison also acquired Sioux City's 2026 third round Phase II pick, Fargo's 2027 third round Phase II pick, and the Force's 2027 fourth round Phase I pick.
Uhlenkamp will close out his career in Madison, having skated in 119 games, recording 70 points. This season he had 30 points in 39 games.
Goalies Stand Tall
Despite dropping two of their three games last weekend, Madison goaltenders Cash Cruitt and Caleb Heil stood tall between the pipes. The pair only allowed four goals, posting a collective 1.33 goals against average through the three games. Heil currently owns the league's third-best goals against average at 2.28 and is top 10 in wins amongst all USHL goalies. For rookies who have appeared in five or more games, Cruitt owns the sixth-best goals against average at 3.41.
