A couple of defensemen will be making the jump to the Ontario Hockey League next season.
Des Moines Buccaneers defenseman Brad Walch will be playing with the Saginaw Spirit. Walch received some college interest last season, but is a Saginaw native, so he will be playing close to home.
NTDP defenseman Bjorn Krupp signed with the Belleville Bulls. Krupp, and his father Uwe, didn't feel that Bjorn received enough playing time with the NTDP last season.
Also, NTDP forward and Michigan State recruit Zach Golembiewski has left the NTDP and will be playing for the Indiana Ice next season.
Showing posts with label ushl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ushl. Show all posts
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
USHL Tryout Camps
Two USHL teams held their Open Tryout Camps last weekend in Minnesota, so I went down to watch some of the action.
As a disclaimer, I was at the morning session for the Tri-City Storm and afternoon session for the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday, so that's what I'm going off of. It's not ideal, but better than the non-existent alternatives.
Here are the links:
Tri-City Storm Camp
Sioux Falls Stampede Camp
As a disclaimer, I was at the morning session for the Tri-City Storm and afternoon session for the Sioux Falls Stampede on Saturday, so that's what I'm going off of. It's not ideal, but better than the non-existent alternatives.
Here are the links:
Tri-City Storm Camp
Sioux Falls Stampede Camp
Friday, May 30, 2008
Junior Players of the Year
USA Hockey named their Junior Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year this week. The awards went to Sioux Falls' Jack Connolly and Omaha's Drew Palmisano.
It's been a meteoric rise for the under-sized Connolly. Fifteen months ago, he was just hoping for the opportunity to play for a USHL team, and now he's been recognized as the league's best player.
For Palmisano, he is following in the footsteps of Jeff Lerg, the goalie he will eventually be replacing at Michigan State, who also won the Dave Peterson Award.
It's been a meteoric rise for the under-sized Connolly. Fifteen months ago, he was just hoping for the opportunity to play for a USHL team, and now he's been recognized as the league's best player.
For Palmisano, he is following in the footsteps of Jeff Lerg, the goalie he will eventually be replacing at Michigan State, who also won the Dave Peterson Award.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
USHL Draft
The USHL held their draft today. The results are here.
The first overall pick was former North Dakota Mike Forney who will be playing in the USHL for a year, and then returning to college, though it's not clear which college yet. Forney's career at North Dakota was derailed by a number of injuries after coming to school with high expectations. Forney probably would have been better off playing a year in the USHL before coming to North Dakota, and now it looks like he'll get a year in the USHL anyway.
Northern Michigan goalie Reid Ellingson was the second overall player selected by Green Bay. Ellingson showed promise in 9 games for Northern Michigan as a freshmen, but sophomore Brian Stewart saw the majority of the playing time, and another sophomore, Derek Janzen, also played in 7 games.
Recently released BU goalie Brett Bennett was also selected in the first round by the Indiana Ice.
The expansion Fargo Force had to give up their first three picks as compensation for receiving a number of players from the recently folded Ohio franchise, but the Force still ended up with a solid draft. They got three players already committed to colleges in Colton St. Clair, Corey Leivermann, and Johnie Searfoss. They also picked up a pretty good defenseman in Tom McCarthy, and also took a bit of a chance on talented '93 birthdate Shane McColgan. McColgan was recently selected by Kelowna of the WHL, and seems likely to sign there, but he can only play five games for them next year if he does sign, so perhaps he might see some time with the Force.
The first overall pick was former North Dakota Mike Forney who will be playing in the USHL for a year, and then returning to college, though it's not clear which college yet. Forney's career at North Dakota was derailed by a number of injuries after coming to school with high expectations. Forney probably would have been better off playing a year in the USHL before coming to North Dakota, and now it looks like he'll get a year in the USHL anyway.
Northern Michigan goalie Reid Ellingson was the second overall player selected by Green Bay. Ellingson showed promise in 9 games for Northern Michigan as a freshmen, but sophomore Brian Stewart saw the majority of the playing time, and another sophomore, Derek Janzen, also played in 7 games.
Recently released BU goalie Brett Bennett was also selected in the first round by the Indiana Ice.
The expansion Fargo Force had to give up their first three picks as compensation for receiving a number of players from the recently folded Ohio franchise, but the Force still ended up with a solid draft. They got three players already committed to colleges in Colton St. Clair, Corey Leivermann, and Johnie Searfoss. They also picked up a pretty good defenseman in Tom McCarthy, and also took a bit of a chance on talented '93 birthdate Shane McColgan. McColgan was recently selected by Kelowna of the WHL, and seems likely to sign there, but he can only play five games for them next year if he does sign, so perhaps he might see some time with the Force.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
USHL News
The Des Moines Bucaneers of the USHL announced last week that J.P. Parise would be the club's new coach and general manager.
Strangely enough, the announcement came the same week that hockey writer Gare Joyce's extensive article on Shattuck-St. Mary's, the program Parise built into a hockey powerhouse, came out in ESPN the Magazine.
The Bucs also signed former Denver Pioneer Scott McConnell as associate head coach.
Sioux City hired coach Todd Knott. Knott was an assistant coach at Des Moines last year, and took over as interim coach after Regg Simon left the team at the end of last season.
The Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog is also reporting that the league won't be expanding to Muskegon. That same post also mentions that Ohio's franchise is in limbo, which really, seems to be the status quo for them.
Strangely enough, the announcement came the same week that hockey writer Gare Joyce's extensive article on Shattuck-St. Mary's, the program Parise built into a hockey powerhouse, came out in ESPN the Magazine.
The Bucs also signed former Denver Pioneer Scott McConnell as associate head coach.
Sioux City hired coach Todd Knott. Knott was an assistant coach at Des Moines last year, and took over as interim coach after Regg Simon left the team at the end of last season.
The Unofficial USHL Hockey Blog is also reporting that the league won't be expanding to Muskegon. That same post also mentions that Ohio's franchise is in limbo, which really, seems to be the status quo for them.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Fargo News
Construction of the new arena for the Fargo Force, the USHL's newest expansion franchise, was delayed when vandals did quite a bit of damage. I realize that there isn't much to do in Fargo, but that's still uncalled for.
Meanwhile, Fargo head coach Dean Blais hired Jason Herter as an assistant coach, making an all-former Sioux coaching staff. Herter's hire is particularly interesting because one of Blais' biggest coups so far, has been drawing defenseman Garrett Clarke, who played for Herter with the Russell Stover Midget Major team last season. Clarke will be highly sought-after by the QMJHL this summer, and Herter may help keep Clarke on track to play for North Dakota in 2010.
Fargo may be an expansion franchise, but they won't be your typical expansion team. Blais has already worked to assemble a pretty talented crew for the Force's first season. In addition to Clarke, Minnesota recruit Nate Condon, and St. Cloud recruit Bryce Ravndalen will also be playing in Fargo next year, and there have been rumors of Roseau goalie Mike Lee foregoing his senior year to play with the Force.
Meanwhile, Fargo head coach Dean Blais hired Jason Herter as an assistant coach, making an all-former Sioux coaching staff. Herter's hire is particularly interesting because one of Blais' biggest coups so far, has been drawing defenseman Garrett Clarke, who played for Herter with the Russell Stover Midget Major team last season. Clarke will be highly sought-after by the QMJHL this summer, and Herter may help keep Clarke on track to play for North Dakota in 2010.
Fargo may be an expansion franchise, but they won't be your typical expansion team. Blais has already worked to assemble a pretty talented crew for the Force's first season. In addition to Clarke, Minnesota recruit Nate Condon, and St. Cloud recruit Bryce Ravndalen will also be playing in Fargo next year, and there have been rumors of Roseau goalie Mike Lee foregoing his senior year to play with the Force.
Monday, February 11, 2008
USHL Management Change
The USHL put out an announcement today that league president Gino Gasparini will slowly yield power before retiring.
Gasparini's success in the USHL is undeniable. Both the size and the quality of the league have expanded during his tenure, which began in 1995. It is the premier supplier of talent to the NCAA, the only Tier I Junior A league in the United States, and some may argue, on par with the Canadian CHL leagues.
His presence will be missed in the USHL, but he has laid a very solid foundation for whoever takes his place, and his slow departure should make for an easy transition.
Gasparini's success in the USHL is undeniable. Both the size and the quality of the league have expanded during his tenure, which began in 1995. It is the premier supplier of talent to the NCAA, the only Tier I Junior A league in the United States, and some may argue, on par with the Canadian CHL leagues.
His presence will be missed in the USHL, but he has laid a very solid foundation for whoever takes his place, and his slow departure should make for an easy transition.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Linkorama
Tuesday was the 40th anniversary of the death of Bill Masterton. Let's Go DU had some nice coverage. As did TNABACG.
The big news on Monday was that the NCAA opened the door to Canadian schools joining the NCAA. It's certainly a step in the right direction, but we're still probably four or five steps away from seeing Canadian schools playing college teams and in a major conference. If college hockey wants to expand, Canada is probably the most likely place.
Now is the time of year when some of the top NAHL players start committing to colleges. The most recent is Wichita's Adam Cardwell, who leads the league in scoring. Cardwell committed to--is it Wednesday again already?--Alaska.
Also, Lincoln's(USHL) JJ Crew committed to Western Michigan and Stouffville's(OPJHL) James McIntosh committed to Bowling Green.
The Blog that Yost Built pointed out that Michigan has set a new record for consecutive 20-win seasons with 21, surpassing Minnesota's 20 consecutive between 1977-1997.
Arguably the best high school team in Minnesota, Roseau, faced off against the best high school team in North Dakota, Grand Forks Red River, and Roseau narrowly escaped with a win. The Rams tied the game with an extra attacker goal with 24 seconds left and won the game in overtime.
USHL Central Scouting released draft lists for 1992 birthdates and 1993 birthdates.
College Hockey Recruit Exchange lists some top available '92 birthdates.
The Denver Post's Mike Chambers points out that Randy Schmidt messed up a call against Denver on Saturday.
Saturday's game between Michigan and Notre Dame at the Palace is already heating up with a band controversy.
What's former INCH CCHA writer James Jahnke up to these days? Pissing off Michigan fans. And then Jahnke defended himself.
If, like me, you're interested in the history of hockey, here's a great story on former Red Wing Larry Aurie, who had his number retired by the Red Wings, though the current Wings ownership refuses to acknowledge it.
The big news on Monday was that the NCAA opened the door to Canadian schools joining the NCAA. It's certainly a step in the right direction, but we're still probably four or five steps away from seeing Canadian schools playing college teams and in a major conference. If college hockey wants to expand, Canada is probably the most likely place.
Now is the time of year when some of the top NAHL players start committing to colleges. The most recent is Wichita's Adam Cardwell, who leads the league in scoring. Cardwell committed to--is it Wednesday again already?--Alaska.
Also, Lincoln's(USHL) JJ Crew committed to Western Michigan and Stouffville's(OPJHL) James McIntosh committed to Bowling Green.
The Blog that Yost Built pointed out that Michigan has set a new record for consecutive 20-win seasons with 21, surpassing Minnesota's 20 consecutive between 1977-1997.
Arguably the best high school team in Minnesota, Roseau, faced off against the best high school team in North Dakota, Grand Forks Red River, and Roseau narrowly escaped with a win. The Rams tied the game with an extra attacker goal with 24 seconds left and won the game in overtime.
USHL Central Scouting released draft lists for 1992 birthdates and 1993 birthdates.
College Hockey Recruit Exchange lists some top available '92 birthdates.
The Denver Post's Mike Chambers points out that Randy Schmidt messed up a call against Denver on Saturday.
Saturday's game between Michigan and Notre Dame at the Palace is already heating up with a band controversy.
What's former INCH CCHA writer James Jahnke up to these days? Pissing off Michigan fans. And then Jahnke defended himself.
If, like me, you're interested in the history of hockey, here's a great story on former Red Wing Larry Aurie, who had his number retired by the Red Wings, though the current Wings ownership refuses to acknowledge it.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
USHL Futures Draft
The USHL held their Futures Draft tonight. Here are the results.
Here's a look at the first round of the draft:
Fargo's new team had the first pick, and they selected St. Cloud Cathedral HS defenseman Nate Schmidt. Schmidt is a very nice pick, since he's one of the top '91 birthdates not on the NTDP team, and might be looking to move to the USHL instead of playing for the Class A Crusaders.
Chicago had the second pick and selected Cretin-Derham Hall defenseman Mark Alt. Alt is related to former NFL offensive lineman John Alt.
Arizonan Dakotah Collins was selected third. He's currently playing for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets of the NAHL, and could be looking to make the jump to Tier I Jr. A next season.
Cleveland Barons defenseman Eamonn McDermott went fourth to Ohio. He's a pretty small defenseman that played in the Czech Republic for the US Select team last summer.
P.F. Chang forward Kyle Beattie went 5th to Omaha. The Arizona AAA program is having a nice year so far. Beattie also played with the US Select 17 team this summer. His WHL rights are owned by Prince George.
Northeastern recruit Daniel Erlich was drafted by Waterloo. Erlich passed on an opportunity to play in the OHL this year to keep his college eligibility. He may want to move to the top college development league in the future.
Des Moines selected Eden Prairie HS defenseman Nick Leddy. Leddy is a fast, talented defenseman.
Cedar Rapids selected Pittsburgh goalie Matthew Skoff.
Green Bay select St. Louis Bandits defenseman John Ramage. Ramage is a physical player that is already playing at the Jr. A level and should be ready for the USHL soon.
Sioux Falls selected easterner Daniel Furlong.
Lincoln selected Team Illinois forward Garrett Peterson.
Tri-City selected Notre Dame recruit Riley Sheahan from Ontario.
With the final pick, Indiana selected BU recruit Ethan Werek. Werek was considering playing for Kingston in the OHL, until an injury sidelined him, and he decided to wait another year before making that decision.
Indiana got the first pick of the second round, and selected Kingston native Jordan Mayer. Mayer was pretty much a lock for the OHL, until he was selected by the Soo, where he did not want to play. So he's still eligible for college for now, but that could change if the Greyhounds trade his rights.
It looks as though teams are starting to try and pick up players from Ontario that have outgrown the Ontario college-feeders, but still want to keep their college options open. That's probably the effect of USHL Central Scouting chief Bob Turow, who moved on to the USHL after working many years in Ontario.
Here's a look at the first round of the draft:
Fargo's new team had the first pick, and they selected St. Cloud Cathedral HS defenseman Nate Schmidt. Schmidt is a very nice pick, since he's one of the top '91 birthdates not on the NTDP team, and might be looking to move to the USHL instead of playing for the Class A Crusaders.
Chicago had the second pick and selected Cretin-Derham Hall defenseman Mark Alt. Alt is related to former NFL offensive lineman John Alt.
Arizonan Dakotah Collins was selected third. He's currently playing for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets of the NAHL, and could be looking to make the jump to Tier I Jr. A next season.
Cleveland Barons defenseman Eamonn McDermott went fourth to Ohio. He's a pretty small defenseman that played in the Czech Republic for the US Select team last summer.
P.F. Chang forward Kyle Beattie went 5th to Omaha. The Arizona AAA program is having a nice year so far. Beattie also played with the US Select 17 team this summer. His WHL rights are owned by Prince George.
Northeastern recruit Daniel Erlich was drafted by Waterloo. Erlich passed on an opportunity to play in the OHL this year to keep his college eligibility. He may want to move to the top college development league in the future.
Des Moines selected Eden Prairie HS defenseman Nick Leddy. Leddy is a fast, talented defenseman.
Cedar Rapids selected Pittsburgh goalie Matthew Skoff.
Green Bay select St. Louis Bandits defenseman John Ramage. Ramage is a physical player that is already playing at the Jr. A level and should be ready for the USHL soon.
Sioux Falls selected easterner Daniel Furlong.
Lincoln selected Team Illinois forward Garrett Peterson.
Tri-City selected Notre Dame recruit Riley Sheahan from Ontario.
With the final pick, Indiana selected BU recruit Ethan Werek. Werek was considering playing for Kingston in the OHL, until an injury sidelined him, and he decided to wait another year before making that decision.
Indiana got the first pick of the second round, and selected Kingston native Jordan Mayer. Mayer was pretty much a lock for the OHL, until he was selected by the Soo, where he did not want to play. So he's still eligible for college for now, but that could change if the Greyhounds trade his rights.
It looks as though teams are starting to try and pick up players from Ontario that have outgrown the Ontario college-feeders, but still want to keep their college options open. That's probably the effect of USHL Central Scouting chief Bob Turow, who moved on to the USHL after working many years in Ontario.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
USHL Fall Classic
The USHL recently held their USHL Fall Classic, which is the new name for the Buc Bowl, now that the tournament is no longer exclusively held in Des Moines. A lot of people asked if I went to cover the event, to which I say, I think you greatly over-estimate this site's budget.
The USHL Hockey Blog was at the event, however, and came up with some power rankings based on what they saw.
Omaha, who won all of their games by at least 4 goals, tops the list, and looks to be the class of the league. The Lancers also have some interesting uncommitted players on their roster. The first is Oakdale, Minnesota native Ben Arnt, who would have been a senior at North St. Paul HS this year had he stayed in Minnesota. He looks like he could have a big year. Arnt is a pure goal-scorer, and it looks like he'll get some powerplay time with the Lancers in his second year. Next is Duluth-native Chris Connolly, who had two big years for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets in the NAHL, and has continued to put points up for Omaha. His younger brother Jack is already committed to UMD for 2009. Finally, defenseman Patrick Wiercioch has been impressive since moving to the USHL from British Columbia and is quickly becoming one of the top priorities for many teams.
Cedar Rapids looks like the second best team in the league. They're led by two goalies that would have been seniors in Minnesota HS hockey this year, but opted for the USHL in Kent Patterson and Brady Hjelle. Hjelle logged almost of the minutes in the preseason and put up impressive numbers. Patterson will be in his second year with the Roughriders, and is one of the top goaltending prospects available. Blaine High School grad Ben Lynch had an impressive start to his season, registering 5 points. Another uncommitted player to keep an eye on is Stefan Salituro who moved to the USHL from Ontario to get more looks from colleges. He played his midget hockey with the Toronto Marlies and was a 5th round pick of the Ottawa 67's in the OHL Priority Draft.
A bit of a surprise was that Ohio was 3rd in the power rankings. This is just their second year as a franchise, and their first year was a bit of a disaster. They could struggle offensively, as they only scored 7 goals in 4 games, but it looks like they've got a talented defense with three very good, underrated '90 birthdates in Steve Spinell, Luke Witkowski, and Greg Pateryn.
Teams have to cut their rosters down to 23 players now that the Fall Classic is over. The USHL Hockey Blog has most of the transactions. Alaska recruit Tim Revell and Colorado College recruit Andrew Hamburg were the only two committed players to be released.
The USHL Hockey Blog was at the event, however, and came up with some power rankings based on what they saw.
Omaha, who won all of their games by at least 4 goals, tops the list, and looks to be the class of the league. The Lancers also have some interesting uncommitted players on their roster. The first is Oakdale, Minnesota native Ben Arnt, who would have been a senior at North St. Paul HS this year had he stayed in Minnesota. He looks like he could have a big year. Arnt is a pure goal-scorer, and it looks like he'll get some powerplay time with the Lancers in his second year. Next is Duluth-native Chris Connolly, who had two big years for the Fargo-Moorhead Jets in the NAHL, and has continued to put points up for Omaha. His younger brother Jack is already committed to UMD for 2009. Finally, defenseman Patrick Wiercioch has been impressive since moving to the USHL from British Columbia and is quickly becoming one of the top priorities for many teams.
Cedar Rapids looks like the second best team in the league. They're led by two goalies that would have been seniors in Minnesota HS hockey this year, but opted for the USHL in Kent Patterson and Brady Hjelle. Hjelle logged almost of the minutes in the preseason and put up impressive numbers. Patterson will be in his second year with the Roughriders, and is one of the top goaltending prospects available. Blaine High School grad Ben Lynch had an impressive start to his season, registering 5 points. Another uncommitted player to keep an eye on is Stefan Salituro who moved to the USHL from Ontario to get more looks from colleges. He played his midget hockey with the Toronto Marlies and was a 5th round pick of the Ottawa 67's in the OHL Priority Draft.
A bit of a surprise was that Ohio was 3rd in the power rankings. This is just their second year as a franchise, and their first year was a bit of a disaster. They could struggle offensively, as they only scored 7 goals in 4 games, but it looks like they've got a talented defense with three very good, underrated '90 birthdates in Steve Spinell, Luke Witkowski, and Greg Pateryn.
Teams have to cut their rosters down to 23 players now that the Fall Classic is over. The USHL Hockey Blog has most of the transactions. Alaska recruit Tim Revell and Colorado College recruit Andrew Hamburg were the only two committed players to be released.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
USHL in Quebec
Omaha and Indiana completed the second half of their four-game exhibition series last night.
Indiana gave the Quebec Remparts a run for their money, taking a 3-2 lead on a John Carlson goal at 16:23 of the third period. Quebec responded with a powerplay goal 58 seconds later. Quebec then netted the game-winner at 18:09 of the third, and added an empty-netter to seal a 5-3 win.
The next game wasn't quite as close. Omaha came out with 4 goals in the first period against Rimouski Oceanic, and added two more in the third for an easy 6-0 win.
Too much emphasis was going to be placed on these games regardless of how they turned out, but the results are still pretty interesting. The USHL teams did a great job of coming together after not spending much time together as a team. It was obviously a deal that the CHL teams were missing a few players to NHL camps, but it became a much bigger deal after the games were played. And really, I'd expect those players to make their respective NHL teams if they really are good enough to improve those Q teams by 5-6 goals a game.
Indiana gave the Quebec Remparts a run for their money, taking a 3-2 lead on a John Carlson goal at 16:23 of the third period. Quebec responded with a powerplay goal 58 seconds later. Quebec then netted the game-winner at 18:09 of the third, and added an empty-netter to seal a 5-3 win.
The next game wasn't quite as close. Omaha came out with 4 goals in the first period against Rimouski Oceanic, and added two more in the third for an easy 6-0 win.
Too much emphasis was going to be placed on these games regardless of how they turned out, but the results are still pretty interesting. The USHL teams did a great job of coming together after not spending much time together as a team. It was obviously a deal that the CHL teams were missing a few players to NHL camps, but it became a much bigger deal after the games were played. And really, I'd expect those players to make their respective NHL teams if they really are good enough to improve those Q teams by 5-6 goals a game.
Friday, September 07, 2007
USHL Heads North
The Omaha Lancers and Indiana Ice played the first two games of a four-game tournament with two QMJHL teams, Rimouski Oceanic and the Quebec Remparts.
In the first game, Omaha's Travis Novak(St. Cloud commit), scored with less than a minute less in the second period to tie the game at 2. North St. Paul native Ben Arnt scored the only goal of the third period, a powerplay goal, to give Omaha a 3-2 win. Drew Palmisano(MSU commit) made 28 saves in the victory.
In the second game, Rimouski defeated Indiana in a shootout. Rimouski jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period. Indiana answered back with 3 goals in the second period, all from Jake Skjodt(UNO commit) to take the lead. Rimouski sent the game to a shootout with just under 3 minutes to play. John Kemp(UNO commit) scored for Indiana in the shootout, but Greg Squires(WMU commit) and Brett Bruneteau(No. Dak commit) were both stopped, while Rimouski scored twice in the shootout.
It looks like a very good start for the two USHL teams, who were considered big underdogs going into these games.
In the first game, Omaha's Travis Novak(St. Cloud commit), scored with less than a minute less in the second period to tie the game at 2. North St. Paul native Ben Arnt scored the only goal of the third period, a powerplay goal, to give Omaha a 3-2 win. Drew Palmisano(MSU commit) made 28 saves in the victory.
In the second game, Rimouski defeated Indiana in a shootout. Rimouski jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period. Indiana answered back with 3 goals in the second period, all from Jake Skjodt(UNO commit) to take the lead. Rimouski sent the game to a shootout with just under 3 minutes to play. John Kemp(UNO commit) scored for Indiana in the shootout, but Greg Squires(WMU commit) and Brett Bruneteau(No. Dak commit) were both stopped, while Rimouski scored twice in the shootout.
It looks like a very good start for the two USHL teams, who were considered big underdogs going into these games.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Let's Get It On
Many times this past season, the question was raised about how a USHL team would do against a Canadian major junior team. It looks like we'll get that answer soon.
The Indiana Ice and Omaha Lancers will play two QMJHL teams in a tournament, in Quebec. The USHL has made great strides over the past few years, and a good showing here would go even farther in giving the USHL more respect in the hockey world. I imagine that these games will be watched with great interest on both sides of the border.
The Indiana Ice and Omaha Lancers will play two QMJHL teams in a tournament, in Quebec. The USHL has made great strides over the past few years, and a good showing here would go even farther in giving the USHL more respect in the hockey world. I imagine that these games will be watched with great interest on both sides of the border.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
USHL Protected Lists
The USHL Hockey Blog has compiled the protected lists for each USHL team.
Also, there was a bit of a surprise today, as Lincoln Stars head coach Steve Johnson resigned. Johnson is a former North Dakota player and will return to Grand Forks for a "business opportunity".
Also, there was a bit of a surprise today, as Lincoln Stars head coach Steve Johnson resigned. Johnson is a former North Dakota player and will return to Grand Forks for a "business opportunity".
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Legen.........wait for it.............dary
Sioux Falls Stampede co-captain Pat Tiesling helped lead his team to a surprising Clark Cup championship last weekend, but after the game, Tiesling had his eye on a different type of record.
Former NHL player Shjon Podein is said to have set a record when he decided to wear his full equipment for 25 hours after he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. It’s not really an official record, but everyone recognizes that it’s probably a record, because anyone who has smelled sweaty hockey equipment before can’t imagine anyone staying in it longer.
Podein is a Rochester, Minnesota native and has always been an active, and friendly guy in the hockey community. Tiesling had had the opportunity to train with Podein on a couple of occasions and they had become acquaintances. After the championship game, Tiesling called Podein from the locker room and told him that he was going to break Podein’s record, and wear his equipment for 26 hours after his victory. Those around Tiesling thought he was joking.
While his teammates undressed and showered, Tiesling was busy taping hockey socks to his skates so that he didn’t ruin his skate blades. From there, he got on the team bus with his teammates for the 5 hour trip from Waterloo, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I’m not sure who had to sit next to him on the ride home, but I feel sorry for whoever it was.
Once he arrived back in Sioux Falls, Tiesling went to sleep for the night. The next morning, Tiesling gave a few interviews about the Clark Cup victory. That evening, Sioux Falls was scheduled to have their team banquet. About 500 Sioux Falls fans showed up for the banquet. Tiesling, being a team captain, had to give a short speech that evening, which he did, still in full equipment which he had been wearing for almost a day.
At about 11:30 the next night, Tiesling was getting ready to hit the shower when he got a call on his cell phone. The call came from Shjon Podein, who was calling to check in and see if his record had in fact been broken. After Tiesling told him that he had made it, Podein spent a while talking with him about hockey, and winning championships.
So Tiesling is now the record holder for longest time spent in equipment after winning a championship. I’d also hope he at least came close to the record for longest post-game shower. I think it’s a valuable lesson to all the kids out there that you can achieve greatness, or at least, notoriety, if you put your mind to it.
Former NHL player Shjon Podein is said to have set a record when he decided to wear his full equipment for 25 hours after he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. It’s not really an official record, but everyone recognizes that it’s probably a record, because anyone who has smelled sweaty hockey equipment before can’t imagine anyone staying in it longer.
Podein is a Rochester, Minnesota native and has always been an active, and friendly guy in the hockey community. Tiesling had had the opportunity to train with Podein on a couple of occasions and they had become acquaintances. After the championship game, Tiesling called Podein from the locker room and told him that he was going to break Podein’s record, and wear his equipment for 26 hours after his victory. Those around Tiesling thought he was joking.
While his teammates undressed and showered, Tiesling was busy taping hockey socks to his skates so that he didn’t ruin his skate blades. From there, he got on the team bus with his teammates for the 5 hour trip from Waterloo, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I’m not sure who had to sit next to him on the ride home, but I feel sorry for whoever it was.
Once he arrived back in Sioux Falls, Tiesling went to sleep for the night. The next morning, Tiesling gave a few interviews about the Clark Cup victory. That evening, Sioux Falls was scheduled to have their team banquet. About 500 Sioux Falls fans showed up for the banquet. Tiesling, being a team captain, had to give a short speech that evening, which he did, still in full equipment which he had been wearing for almost a day.
At about 11:30 the next night, Tiesling was getting ready to hit the shower when he got a call on his cell phone. The call came from Shjon Podein, who was calling to check in and see if his record had in fact been broken. After Tiesling told him that he had made it, Podein spent a while talking with him about hockey, and winning championships.
So Tiesling is now the record holder for longest time spent in equipment after winning a championship. I’d also hope he at least came close to the record for longest post-game shower. I think it’s a valuable lesson to all the kids out there that you can achieve greatness, or at least, notoriety, if you put your mind to it.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
USHL Draft Live Blog
The USHL's Entry Draft is this morning. You can follow the results, and get some commentary here.
Monday, May 14, 2007
USHL Draft Tomorrow
This probably isn't the greatest promotion, since I'm giving less than 12 hours notice, but the USHL will hold their Entry Draft tomorrow morning.
The draft starts at 9am Central time. I'm going to try and do a live blog of the draft again this year, assuming the USHL's website doesn't crap out like it did last year. So I'll list all the picks, and give whatever commentary I can.
The draft starts at 9am Central time. I'm going to try and do a live blog of the draft again this year, assuming the USHL's website doesn't crap out like it did last year. So I'll list all the picks, and give whatever commentary I can.
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