University of Notre Dame alternate captain Thomas DiPauli is not going to ink a deal with the Washington Capitals, as was rumored earlier this month, according to ESPN’s Craig Custance. The 22-year-old forward will instead head to free agency on August 15.
The 2012 4th round draft pick (100th overall) has the right to not sign with the Capitals after completing his senior year of collegiate hockey. Many had suspected this would be the case, and his absence from Washington’s development camp aided that reading.
He blossomed in his senior year, continuing to play a strong defensive game while showing significant strides forward in his offensive game. He put up a career-high 14 goals and 32 points in 37 games for the Irish. DiPauli could be a valuable depth addition with bottom-six potential for many teams.
Thomas DiPauli is named the team's Offensive Player of the Year! pic.twitter.com/xMSu4e8bPP
— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) April 17, 2016
As is the case with Jimmy Vesey, who opted not to sign with the Nashville Predators and is going to test free agency, DiPauli, who played on the U.S. World Junior team in 2014, will be free to sign with any NHL club on August 15. Custance notes that DiPauli has not closed the door on the possibility of signing with the Capitals, but will see what is out there on the market first.
