Lincoln acquires Henry Steele from Cedar Rapids for 2027 pick

Lincoln added Hudson, Wisconsin defenseman Henry Steele on June 24, sending Cedar Rapids a 2027 Phase I fourth-round pick for a player born Feb. 18, 2009. The Stars paid for age and readiness here, not a splashy name, and the profile is plain enough: a right-shot defenseman, 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds, who has already lived through a full junior schedule and a playoff run.

Steele spent the 2025-26 season with the Wisconsin Windigo in the North American Hockey League, skating in 52 regular-season games and producing 17 points on one goal and 16 assists. He added 10 playoff games, two points and a plus-6 rating. That is the kind of résumé a USHL club wants when it is looking for a young defenseman who can handle pace, touch the puck in transition and survive the grind that comes with moving up a level. Elite Prospects lists Steele as having been drafted 35th overall by Cedar Rapids in the 2025 USHL Futures Draft after Wisconsin selected him 31st overall in the 2025 NAHL Futures Draft.

The timing matters as much as the player. The USHL held its 2026 Phase I Draft on May 4, and the league lists Feb. 23 as its trade deadline, so this deal landed in the offseason after the draft and after Lincoln’s season ended April 28 with a Game 5 loss to Sioux Falls in the western conference semifinals. By moving a 2027 Phase I pick, Lincoln kept its immediate roster path open while spending future currency on a player who fits the league’s youth-driven development model.

That model is built around birth year. The USHL defines rookies as first-year NHL Draft-eligible players born after Sept. 15, 2007, or younger, plus any player who has not yet become NHL Draft eligible. Steele’s 2009 birth year puts him squarely in the category that drives Phase I planning, which is why a future pick can be useful currency in a trade like this.

Cedar Rapids turned a futures-draft asset into a future selection, while Lincoln bought a defender with NAHL minutes and postseason exposure. The Stars have already said they will return for their 31st season at the Ice Box in September, and they later announced first-year head coach Artt Brey as part of their 2026-27 hockey operations setup. That is the shape of the bet: Lincoln gets a younger player with real junior reps, Cedar Rapids gets the draft flexibility to keep building.