Derrick LaPoint and other Recruit Stuff

One prospect whose stock has risen dramatically over the course of this season is Wisconsin High School defenseman Derrick Lapoint. At the start of the seaosn, Lapoint was receiving interest from some smaller eastern schools. But interest in Lapoint has grown tremendously over the past couple months and Lapoint is now being recruit by most of the teams in the WCHA including North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Duluth, St. Cloud, and Mankato. Lapoint, who is a senior at Eau Claire North High School, will be visiting St. Cloud this weekend, with trips to other WCHA schools coming in the next month or so. He will probably spend a year in the USHL after graduating and join a college team in 2007.

Lapoint's Eau Claire North team was ranked first in the state of Wisconsin, but they are being forced to forfeit all their victories due to an ineligible player. It seems the issue stemmed from the player in question having a permanent address outside the city of Eau Claire with one parent, while the player was living with another parent inside the city. Eau Claire North should be fine since they'll still have the chance to make the state playoffs, but it does their impressive record this season.


I had mentioned USHL scoring leader Chad Costello visiting St. Cloud last weekend. Costello committed to Northeastern today.

2007 Recruiting Board prospect Nick Jaskowiak committed to Harvard. Jaskowiak played for Benilde-St. Margaret's High School in Minnesota last season, but moved out east to play for Salisbury Prep, and was expected to play out east.

I've mentioned on here that Taylor Matson is most likely the next recruit to become a Gopher. Even though Matson has visited St. Cloud and Colorado College, it seems like he's just waiting on an offer from the Gophers, as Matson told the Star Tribune that "I'd love to play for the Gophers"

The Star Tribune also had a nice feature on future Gopher Jim O'Brien.