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Princeton University Athletics
Washington Capitals Draft Princeton's Matt Maglione
June 27, 2001 | Men's Ice Hockey
June 27, 2001
Princeton, N.J. - Princeton University defenseman Matt Maglione (Fayetteville, N.Y./Jamesville Dewitt High School) was selected by the Washington Capitals in the eighth round (249th pick) of Sunday's NHL Entry Draft. Maglione, who will be a sophomore, scored four goals and added five assists while playing in 30 of a possible 31 games as a freshman. He was this year's recipient of the Hobey Baker Trophy, which annually is awarded to the team's top first-year player.
"I was ecstatic when I found out that the Caps had drafted me," Maglione said. "I was actually shaving at the time I got the call from family friends who were attending the draft [in Florida]. I had an indication that I might get drafted, but it still was a surprise."
The Capitals currently have three former Tigers in their system: Jeff Halpern '99 was the team's third-leading goal scorer last year, Steve Shirreffs '99 was assigned to a team in Finland, and Chris Corrinet '01, who was a fourth-round draft choice in 1998, signed a professional contract in late March. "Being drafted by the Washington Capitals is an honor not only for Matt and his family but also for our program," said Princeton coach Len Quesnelle. "As a student-athlete, Matt has worked extremely hard academically and athletically throughout his freshman year and is focused on pursuing a degree. He progressively improved last year, and I believe the Capitals recognize the potential for him down the road."
The 6-1, 180-pound Maglione was the ECAC Rookie of the Week in late March after scoring the game-tying goal in a 1-1 game against Dartmouth and the overtime game-winner the following night in a 2-1 win over Vermont. He scored the first two goals of his collegiate career at Wisconsin's Badger Hockey Showdown, one each against Wisconsin and North Dakota.
A member of 1999-2000 U.S. national under-18 team, Maglione scored four goals and collected six assists in 48 games. He played in the 2000 World Championships in Switzerland, the Five Nations Tournament in Finland and the 1999 Three Nations Tournament in Sweden. He also was a member of USA Hockey's 1998 Summer Select 16 program, where his team won a gold medal, and he was named to the all-tournament team. Maglione played three years of Junior A hockey, two seasons with the Syracuse Junior Crunch (1996-98) and one year with the Auburn Junior Crunch (1998-99).