By Jan Garrison
Louis Belpedio ’14 became the 23rd Culver Military Academy player to be drafted by a National Hockey League team on Saturday, June 28. Belpedio was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the third round of the NHL entry draft. He was the 80th player taken overall. The Wild did not have a second round pick, so Belpedio, a 5-foot, 10-inch, 193-pound defenseman from Skokie, Ill., was the team’s second pick. Ryan Suter ’03 is also a Wild defenseman. Belpedio spent his first two years playing at Culver before joining the U.S. National Development Program. He played on the USA team that won the International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s Under-18 World Championship in April. In 61 games last season, Belpedio picked up 23 points on seven goals and 13 assists. He had 44 PIM and a plus-14 rating. He has committed to Miami University (Ohio).
