Des Moines forward Chris Knowlton committed to Denver.
BCHL defenseman Matt Grassi committed to Michigan State. One could only hope his middle initial is D.
BCHL forward Mark Zengerle committed to Wisconsin.
Lincoln Stars defenseman Ross Henry committed to Western Michigan. Henry is an interesting player. At his best, he looks like a very high-end defender. If he develops a little more consistency, he could be a real steal for Western.
Sioux Falls forward Matt Farris committed to Princeton. Farris is unique in that he is a native of Pierre, South Dakota. The Ivy League makes sense for Farris as he won the USHL's Scholar-Athlete Award.
Showing posts with label western michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label western michigan. Show all posts
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, July 04, 2008
New Commits
Western Michigan got two commitments. Kyle O'Kane will join the Broncos next year, while Ben Miller will join them in 2009.
BCHL forward Derek Grant committed to Michigan State. He was selected in this year's NHL draft.
Russell Stover U16 forward Nate Heng committed to Nebraska-Omaha. Heng is a Nebraska-native.
BCHL forward Derek Grant committed to Michigan State. He was selected in this year's NHL draft.
Russell Stover U16 forward Nate Heng committed to Nebraska-Omaha. Heng is a Nebraska-native.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
LoVecchio Signs with B's
I didn't remember seeing this anywhere last week, but Western Michigan junior forward Jeff LoVecchio has left school early to sign with the Boston Bruins.
LoVecchio was the Broncos third leading scorer this year with 9 goals and 12 assists.
LoVecchio was the Broncos third leading scorer this year with 9 goals and 12 assists.
Tough Times at the 'Zoo
So columnist Rick Shanley wrote a column for the Kalamazoo Gazette on the state of Western Michigan's hockey program. You can find the article here. Or at least you could find it there between the times of 2:53am and about 8:30am Wednesday morning, at which time the article was pulled off the website. Apparently it never made it into the paper either.
Why was it pulled? I'm guessing the headline "Western Michigan hockey cycling between mediocre and awful" didn't help. You can read the full article here.
Culhane's contract was set to expire this summer, but in November, he received a three year contract extension. There was quite a bit of displeasure in Kalamazoo after this season, however, when Western finished the season in last place in the CCHA, and had a major conference-worst 4 league wins. But on Tuesday, athletic director Kathy Beauregard announced that Culhane would not be let go, reportedly because the school wasn't willing to pay the buyout on Culhane's contract.
Fan frustration seemed to increase when WMU's women's basketball coach, Ron Stewart, was let go after the season, despite finishing the year with a 13-19 overall record and 9-7 conference mark. It left many fans scratching their heads wondering why their hockey program wasn't held to the same standard.
So are the criticisms valid? One of Shanley's biggest criticisms was:
The next criticism is:
And it's obvious that Shanley thinks WMU should be doing better at hockey. He says WMU has many advantages:
Recruiting hot-bed: Eh. I wouldn't say western Michigan is crawling with lots of Division 1 hockey talent. The best players from that area are usually going to grow up as Michigan State fans anyway. Certainly metro-Detroit has a lot of talent, but I'd think Western is on equal footing with just about everyone else there.
Nice university with great campus: It is a nice campus, but how many hockey players are going to choose a school with a really nice theatre, but below-average hockey arena? I think the facility plays a huge role here.
Close to Canada: This is the big one. Yes, it's only about a two-hour drive to Windsor, but so what? Up until very recently, Western Michigan recruited pretty heavily out of Canada, and were drawing some of the better players out of Ontario, but there just weren't enough good players in Ontario with college eligibility left. The talent pool in Ontario really dried up thanks to OHL expansion and the smaller CCHA schools really suffered. In recent years, they've adapted and started recruiting out of the USHL more, something that I think will pay nice dividends.
In relation to the USHL recruits, WMU has also seen a nice upswing in recruiting, thanks in large part to some nice work by their assistant coaches, but have also been bizarrely hit by a wave of unexpected departures you don't normally see at a school like Western. Aside from losing Mark Letestu after just one year, they also lost two highly-regarded recruits in Tyler Murovich and Josh Bemis to the OHL. You've got to think that getting good players like that is a positive sign, and eventually those kids will start making it to school.
So overall, is Shanley's criticism valid? He's probably correct in pointing out that Western Michigan hasn't had very much success, and is probably slightly behind some of the other schools in the conference. But ultimately, I think the issues run much deeper in Kalamazoo. A school like Western Michigan could be successful at hockey, but they can't do it casually. It takes a serious commitment to the sport from the school to be successful, and I don't really think that commitment has been there. Western's athletic department has always seemed more interested in trying to build up their football and basketball programs, while hockey has taken a bit of a backseat. Compare that to Miami, who seems to have picked hockey as one area where they can make a real splash nationally, and really committed to winning by building a beautiful new facility, and doing everything they can to promote their program.
Firing the coach may help things somewhat, but if the next coach doesn't have the right resources at his disposal, it's probably unlikely that he'd do that much better.
Why was it pulled? I'm guessing the headline "Western Michigan hockey cycling between mediocre and awful" didn't help. You can read the full article here.
Culhane's contract was set to expire this summer, but in November, he received a three year contract extension. There was quite a bit of displeasure in Kalamazoo after this season, however, when Western finished the season in last place in the CCHA, and had a major conference-worst 4 league wins. But on Tuesday, athletic director Kathy Beauregard announced that Culhane would not be let go, reportedly because the school wasn't willing to pay the buyout on Culhane's contract.
Fan frustration seemed to increase when WMU's women's basketball coach, Ron Stewart, was let go after the season, despite finishing the year with a 13-19 overall record and 9-7 conference mark. It left many fans scratching their heads wondering why their hockey program wasn't held to the same standard.
So are the criticisms valid? One of Shanley's biggest criticisms was:
The teams besides Michigan and Michigan State that can say they've won a championship since Reagan was in office are: Lake Superior(nothing since 95-96), Ferris State(one regular season title), Miami(one regular season title), Northern Michigan(one WCHA title and NCAA title in the same year), Notre Dame(one playoff title), and Ohio State(one playoff title). Other than Lake Superior's dominance in the early '90's, nobody outside the big two have really racked up the hardware, other than the occasional crazy good year. I'd say this one is somewhat valid. They're not seriously behind the rest of the league, but haven't really been close to anything. Culhane's best year still saw the Broncos on the road in the playoffs(in a series where they scored 15 goals over 3 games and still didn't win the series.)
"The Broncos haven't won a championship of any sort since Ronald Reagan was in office."
The next criticism is:
Not when Bowling Green, Ferris State and Northern Michigan -- schools that don't have it any better -- are waving as they whizz by.Over the last four years, here is the average league finish for each of those teams: Western Michigan 9.75, Bowling Green 9, Ferris State 8, Northern Michigan 5.75. Valid criticism? Again, yes the evidence isn't good, but I doubt you could say they're "whizzing by".
And it's obvious that Shanley thinks WMU should be doing better at hockey. He says WMU has many advantages:
"For a program that should have so many built-in reasons for success -- smack-dab in the middle of a recruiting hotbed, nice university with a great campus in a hockey town that's close to Canada -- there are too many incorporated excuses for mediocrity."Is that true? We'll look at these one-by-one.
Recruiting hot-bed: Eh. I wouldn't say western Michigan is crawling with lots of Division 1 hockey talent. The best players from that area are usually going to grow up as Michigan State fans anyway. Certainly metro-Detroit has a lot of talent, but I'd think Western is on equal footing with just about everyone else there.
Nice university with great campus: It is a nice campus, but how many hockey players are going to choose a school with a really nice theatre, but below-average hockey arena? I think the facility plays a huge role here.
Close to Canada: This is the big one. Yes, it's only about a two-hour drive to Windsor, but so what? Up until very recently, Western Michigan recruited pretty heavily out of Canada, and were drawing some of the better players out of Ontario, but there just weren't enough good players in Ontario with college eligibility left. The talent pool in Ontario really dried up thanks to OHL expansion and the smaller CCHA schools really suffered. In recent years, they've adapted and started recruiting out of the USHL more, something that I think will pay nice dividends.
In relation to the USHL recruits, WMU has also seen a nice upswing in recruiting, thanks in large part to some nice work by their assistant coaches, but have also been bizarrely hit by a wave of unexpected departures you don't normally see at a school like Western. Aside from losing Mark Letestu after just one year, they also lost two highly-regarded recruits in Tyler Murovich and Josh Bemis to the OHL. You've got to think that getting good players like that is a positive sign, and eventually those kids will start making it to school.
So overall, is Shanley's criticism valid? He's probably correct in pointing out that Western Michigan hasn't had very much success, and is probably slightly behind some of the other schools in the conference. But ultimately, I think the issues run much deeper in Kalamazoo. A school like Western Michigan could be successful at hockey, but they can't do it casually. It takes a serious commitment to the sport from the school to be successful, and I don't really think that commitment has been there. Western's athletic department has always seemed more interested in trying to build up their football and basketball programs, while hockey has taken a bit of a backseat. Compare that to Miami, who seems to have picked hockey as one area where they can make a real splash nationally, and really committed to winning by building a beautiful new facility, and doing everything they can to promote their program.
Firing the coach may help things somewhat, but if the next coach doesn't have the right resources at his disposal, it's probably unlikely that he'd do that much better.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
New Commits
Via Chris Heisenberg...
It's been a couple weeks, so why the hell not? Alaska got another recruit. This time it's Chicago Steel forward Simon Olsson. Olsson is a Swede, playing in his second season in the USHL. He was one of Chicago's leading scorers with 46 points this year.
Western Michigan got a commitment from NAHL veteran PJ Kavaya. Kavaya originally hails from California.
It's been a couple weeks, so why the hell not? Alaska got another recruit. This time it's Chicago Steel forward Simon Olsson. Olsson is a Swede, playing in his second season in the USHL. He was one of Chicago's leading scorers with 46 points this year.
Western Michigan got a commitment from NAHL veteran PJ Kavaya. Kavaya originally hails from California.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
WMU-BGSU Brawl
Western Michigan and Bowling Green had a pretty good fight last Friday night, and CSTV's Elliot Olshansky was on-hand and able to capture it on video.
The fight was started in response to Ben Geelan's slash to the wrist of Western's Patrick Galivan. All 10 players on the ice were suspended for the following night's game, meaning Western Michigan wasn't able to dress a full 18 skaters.
The fight was started in response to Ben Geelan's slash to the wrist of Western's Patrick Galivan. All 10 players on the ice were suspended for the following night's game, meaning Western Michigan wasn't able to dress a full 18 skaters.
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.
It's A Start
It's mostly been a season of small moral victories for Western Michigan so far this season, mainly because there haven't been many real wins to celebrate.
One such small moral victory for the Broncos came on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Sure, the Broncos lost to Michigan 5-1, thus completing Michigan's sweep. And sure, the Broncos were outscored by a total of 11-2 on the weekend. But there was one stat in Western Michigan's favor. The Broncos had a total of 6 powerplay opportunities on the night, compared to Michigan's four(Though Michigan had 3 powerplay goals to Western's one).
That may not seem that important, but it was for the Broncos, since, in their 22nd game of the season, it was the first game in which Western Michigan had more powerplay opportunities than their opponent. Four times this season, Western finished a game with an equal number of powerplay opportunities, but in the other 17 games, Western had a powerplay deficit, including their game at Notre Dame on November 16th, when Notre Dame received 11 powerplay opportunities to Western Michigan's 1.
One such small moral victory for the Broncos came on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Sure, the Broncos lost to Michigan 5-1, thus completing Michigan's sweep. And sure, the Broncos were outscored by a total of 11-2 on the weekend. But there was one stat in Western Michigan's favor. The Broncos had a total of 6 powerplay opportunities on the night, compared to Michigan's four(Though Michigan had 3 powerplay goals to Western's one).
That may not seem that important, but it was for the Broncos, since, in their 22nd game of the season, it was the first game in which Western Michigan had more powerplay opportunities than their opponent. Four times this season, Western finished a game with an equal number of powerplay opportunities, but in the other 17 games, Western had a powerplay deficit, including their game at Notre Dame on November 16th, when Notre Dame received 11 powerplay opportunities to Western Michigan's 1.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Catching Up on Commitments
The USHL Hockey Blog says Andrew Conboy has committed to Michigan State, after de-committing to Nebraska-Omaha earlier this month. Conboy will start with MSU has a sophomore, but could regain his fourth year of eligibility if he graduates in three years at MSU.
The rest of these are via Chris Heisenberg.
Western Michigan picked up a commitment from Jordan Gidaro. Gidaro plays for the Burlington Cougars in the OPJHL. He's a smaller forward at 5'9" 170 lbs. that has 24 points through 20 games.
Southern Minnesota Express(NAHL) defenseman Tim Kirby committed to Air Force. Kirby was a standout at Austin HS in Minnesota(the home of Spam!), who probably would have received some nice offers had he used his final year of junior eligibility next year. But Kirby reportedly was going to college next fall whether he got a hockey offer or not, so Air Force may have stolen a very nice player.
Northeastern picked up two commitments, one from Ontario forward Michael Scheu, and one from Sioux City's Steve Quailer, who is one of the top scorers in the USHL this year.
The rest of these are via Chris Heisenberg.
Western Michigan picked up a commitment from Jordan Gidaro. Gidaro plays for the Burlington Cougars in the OPJHL. He's a smaller forward at 5'9" 170 lbs. that has 24 points through 20 games.
Southern Minnesota Express(NAHL) defenseman Tim Kirby committed to Air Force. Kirby was a standout at Austin HS in Minnesota(the home of Spam!), who probably would have received some nice offers had he used his final year of junior eligibility next year. But Kirby reportedly was going to college next fall whether he got a hockey offer or not, so Air Force may have stolen a very nice player.
Northeastern picked up two commitments, one from Ontario forward Michael Scheu, and one from Sioux City's Steve Quailer, who is one of the top scorers in the USHL this year.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Beebe to Western And Others
Paul Shaheen's Research on Ice newsletter is reporting that Waterloo Blackhawks forward Brett Beebe has committed to Western Michigan. Beebe originally came from the Anaheim Jr. Ducks AAA program, and made a name for himself as one of the leading scorers at the 2006 Select 16 Festival, and also played well at last summer's Select 17 Festival. Beebe is an excellent finisher. So far this season, he has 3 goals and 3 assists in 17 games in his first year at the Jr. A level.
Two players of local interest also committed to smaller schools last week, according to Chris Heisenberg.
Topeka defenseman Eric Artman committed to Air Force. Artman played his amateur hockey in the Detroit Honeybaked organization. He's a small, reliable defenseman that can also contribute some offense.
Former Cretin-Derham Hall forward Ben Kinne committed to Bemidji State. Kinne helped lead the Raiders to their state title two years ago. After high school, Kinne has worked his way up through the junior hockey ranks, playing last year for Santa Fe in the NAHL, and then earning a spot on the Sioux City Musketeers this year.
Two players of local interest also committed to smaller schools last week, according to Chris Heisenberg.
Topeka defenseman Eric Artman committed to Air Force. Artman played his amateur hockey in the Detroit Honeybaked organization. He's a small, reliable defenseman that can also contribute some offense.
Former Cretin-Derham Hall forward Ben Kinne committed to Bemidji State. Kinne helped lead the Raiders to their state title two years ago. After high school, Kinne has worked his way up through the junior hockey ranks, playing last year for Santa Fe in the NAHL, and then earning a spot on the Sioux City Musketeers this year.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Culhane Extended
Western Michigan head coach Jim Culhane, whose contract was set to run out at the end of this season, had his contract extended three more years.
Culhane has been a part of the Western Michigan program since he came to the school as a defenseman in 1983. He took over for WMU head coach Bill Wilkinson amid scandal in 1999, and since then has guided Western to a 130-157-23 record.
Culhane has been a part of the Western Michigan program since he came to the school as a defenseman in 1983. He took over for WMU head coach Bill Wilkinson amid scandal in 1999, and since then has guided Western to a 130-157-23 record.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Western Michigan Preview
Western Michigan made a fool of just about everyone last year, from prognosticators to Pythagoras. What do the Broncos have in store for this season?
Click Here to read the Western Michigan Preview.
Click Here to read the Western Michigan Preview.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Murovich to OHL
Western Michigan recruit Tyler Murovich has decided not to play college hockey, and will instead play for the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL, according to Paul Shaheen's Research on Ice newsletter.
Murovich was a top prospect for the Broncos out of the Pittsburgh area who played for the Chicago Steel last season. He joins Josh Bemis as the second Western Michigan recruit, and Chicago Steel player to jump to the OHL this summer.
Murovich was a top prospect for the Broncos out of the Pittsburgh area who played for the Chicago Steel last season. He joins Josh Bemis as the second Western Michigan recruit, and Chicago Steel player to jump to the OHL this summer.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Two Players Opt for Major Junior
Paul Shaheen's Research on Ice Newsletter reported too pretty disappointing stories today about talented players breaking college commitments to play in the OHL.
The first, and most major, is US NTDP goalie Josh Unice breaking his commitment to Bowling Green, and instead opting to play for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. This is a crushing blow to the Falcons, who were in desperate need of an upgrade in goaltending. The Rangers had former USHL goalie John Murray as their primary starter last season, and I'm not entirely sure, but I believe he won't be back next season, which would make Unice their top goalie. I can't criticize the decision made by Unice, if he truly believes that is what is best for his college career, but I do have to question the timing. According to Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch, BG had no idea that Unice was considering the OHL, and with a little over two weeks before schools starts in Bowling Green, it is pretty much impossible for the Falcons to find another goalie to replace Unice.
The other de-commitment is that of Chicago Steel defenseman, and Western Michigan recruit Josh Bemis. Bemis was one of the youngest players in the USHL last season on a weak Steel team. He will instead play for the Plymouth Whalers next season. Bemis wasn't scheduled to join the Broncos until 2009, so that gives Western plenty of time to find a replacement, but still hurts, as the Broncos seemed to have found two gems in Bemis and Team NXI defenseman Luke Witkowski. The Broncos still have Witkowski, who is arguably the better of the two, but will miss having Bemis on the blueline.
The first, and most major, is US NTDP goalie Josh Unice breaking his commitment to Bowling Green, and instead opting to play for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. This is a crushing blow to the Falcons, who were in desperate need of an upgrade in goaltending. The Rangers had former USHL goalie John Murray as their primary starter last season, and I'm not entirely sure, but I believe he won't be back next season, which would make Unice their top goalie. I can't criticize the decision made by Unice, if he truly believes that is what is best for his college career, but I do have to question the timing. According to Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch, BG had no idea that Unice was considering the OHL, and with a little over two weeks before schools starts in Bowling Green, it is pretty much impossible for the Falcons to find another goalie to replace Unice.
The other de-commitment is that of Chicago Steel defenseman, and Western Michigan recruit Josh Bemis. Bemis was one of the youngest players in the USHL last season on a weak Steel team. He will instead play for the Plymouth Whalers next season. Bemis wasn't scheduled to join the Broncos until 2009, so that gives Western plenty of time to find a replacement, but still hurts, as the Broncos seemed to have found two gems in Bemis and Team NXI defenseman Luke Witkowski. The Broncos still have Witkowski, who is arguably the better of the two, but will miss having Bemis on the blueline.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New Commitments
I'm way behind on these.
Cedar Rapids(USHL) forward Ian Slater committed to Western Michigan for the 2008 season.
Wisconsin got a commitment from Minnetonka HS defenseman Jake Gardiner. Gardiner is a converted forward that is a pretty good skater. He's currently playing pretty well at the Select 17 Festival.
The rest of these are courtesy of Chris Heisenberg.
Sean Wiles committed to Alaska-Anchorage for next season. Wiles is a big forward that should be able to help the Seawolves next season.
Green Bay forward Jacob Johnstone committed to Michigan Tech for 2009.
Some other players that have been mentioned here are going out east. Dan Otto and Brian O'Neill of Chicago are both going to Yale and Troy Mattila is going to Dartmouth.
Cedar Rapids(USHL) forward Ian Slater committed to Western Michigan for the 2008 season.
Wisconsin got a commitment from Minnetonka HS defenseman Jake Gardiner. Gardiner is a converted forward that is a pretty good skater. He's currently playing pretty well at the Select 17 Festival.
The rest of these are courtesy of Chris Heisenberg.
Sean Wiles committed to Alaska-Anchorage for next season. Wiles is a big forward that should be able to help the Seawolves next season.
Green Bay forward Jacob Johnstone committed to Michigan Tech for 2009.
Some other players that have been mentioned here are going out east. Dan Otto and Brian O'Neill of Chicago are both going to Yale and Troy Mattila is going to Dartmouth.
Monday, June 11, 2007
New Commitments
Santa Fe forward Nate Hennig committed to Ferris State, according to Chris Heisenberg. In case you were wondering, Nate lists his idol has Jesus. Not a bad choice. That guy could really skate.
Western Michigan added Texas Tornado forward Adam Flink for 2008.
Anchorage added BCHL forward Craig Parkinson for next season, along with Chicago Steel defenseman Luke Vidmar.
Western Michigan added Texas Tornado forward Adam Flink for 2008.
Anchorage added BCHL forward Craig Parkinson for next season, along with Chicago Steel defenseman Luke Vidmar.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
New Commits
Minnesota got a commitment from Sioux Falls defenseman Stu Bickel. Bickel isn't what you'd typically expect from a Minnesota recruit since he is already 20 years old, and not necessarily what you'd consider a superstar, but I think it's a very smart move by the Gopher staff. Minnesota could lose Erik Johnson and Alex Goligoski this summer, along with the graduation of Mike Vannelli, meaning there is a lot of available ice time for next year on the blueline. Minnesota isn't the type of program where they can have a have "down year," so they needed someone that can step in and play right away without too much of a learning curve, and I don't think they'd be able to find an 18 year old kid that could do that, especially at this stage of the recruiting process.
St. Cloud added their second goalie for next year in Wellington(OPJHL) goalie Dan Dunn. Dunn is a big goalie, standing 6'5". I've never seen him play, but judging from the various info I can gather, he looks to be somewhat similar to North Dakota goalie Anthony Grieco. I don't think he'll provide too serious of a threat to Jase Weslosky in goal, unless Weslosky struggles.
Ferris State got a commitment from Mahoning Valley(NAHL) forward Mike Fillinger. I've always thought Fillinger was a very nice player. He's a very good skater, which is something that I think Ferris could use.
Forward Greg Squires committed to Western Michigan. Squires had played with the NTDP and committed to Boston U, but that apparently fell through, and he's been playing in the USHL. So far as I can tell, he is the first NTDP player Western Michigan has recruited. Technically, Jim McNamara played for the NTDP, and eventually transferred to Western Michigan from St. Cloud.
Ohio State added Alexandria(NAHL) goalie Dustin Carlson. He'd likely be a third-string goalie behind Joe Palmer and Nick Filion.
Michigan-native Dan Dries committed to New Hampshire. Dries made the move to the USHL this season after playing with the Victory Honda AAA Midget program.
St. Cloud added their second goalie for next year in Wellington(OPJHL) goalie Dan Dunn. Dunn is a big goalie, standing 6'5". I've never seen him play, but judging from the various info I can gather, he looks to be somewhat similar to North Dakota goalie Anthony Grieco. I don't think he'll provide too serious of a threat to Jase Weslosky in goal, unless Weslosky struggles.
Ferris State got a commitment from Mahoning Valley(NAHL) forward Mike Fillinger. I've always thought Fillinger was a very nice player. He's a very good skater, which is something that I think Ferris could use.
Forward Greg Squires committed to Western Michigan. Squires had played with the NTDP and committed to Boston U, but that apparently fell through, and he's been playing in the USHL. So far as I can tell, he is the first NTDP player Western Michigan has recruited. Technically, Jim McNamara played for the NTDP, and eventually transferred to Western Michigan from St. Cloud.
Ohio State added Alexandria(NAHL) goalie Dustin Carlson. He'd likely be a third-string goalie behind Joe Palmer and Nick Filion.
Michigan-native Dan Dries committed to New Hampshire. Dries made the move to the USHL this season after playing with the Victory Honda AAA Midget program.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Letestu Rumored to Have Signed with Pittsburgh
There are unconfirmed internet rumors that Western Michigan freshman forward Mark Letestu has signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was reported earlier this week that Letestu was fielding offers from professional teams, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him sign a contract.
UPDATE: Letestu has officially left Western Michigan.
UPDATE: Letestu has officially left Western Michigan.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
New Commits
Sioux Falls' Ryan Guentzel committed to Notre Dame.
Western Michigan picked up two defenseman for the 2009 season. The first is defenseman Josh Bemis, who is playing for the Chicago Steel. Prior to playing for the Steel, I believe he played for the Victory Honda AAA program.
The other is Luke Witkowski, who is playing for the Team NXI Midget program(formerly known as the West Michigan Warriors). He was selected by Ohio in the USHL Future's Draft this fall.
I think it's a nice move by Western Michigan. They may be taking a little bit of a risk on how these kids will develop, but if they do develop into top players, Western will have gotten commitments from them before other programs can get to them.
Western Michigan picked up two defenseman for the 2009 season. The first is defenseman Josh Bemis, who is playing for the Chicago Steel. Prior to playing for the Steel, I believe he played for the Victory Honda AAA program.
The other is Luke Witkowski, who is playing for the Team NXI Midget program(formerly known as the West Michigan Warriors). He was selected by Ohio in the USHL Future's Draft this fall.
I think it's a nice move by Western Michigan. They may be taking a little bit of a risk on how these kids will develop, but if they do develop into top players, Western will have gotten commitments from them before other programs can get to them.
Monday, January 15, 2007
New Commits
Western Michigan got a commitment from Sioux City goalie Jerry Kuhn. The Broncos would have three goalies for next season with Kuhn, Daniel Bellissimo, and Riley Gill.
Nebraska-Omaha got two more commitments for the 2008 season from the USHL.
The first is Andrew Conboy of Omaha. Conboy is a 6'4" 200 lbs. forward, and the brother of imfamous St. Cloud State defenseman Tim Conboy. Conboy joins 2007 recruit Rich Purslow as the second sibling of a former St. Cloud State player Omaha assistant Doc DelCastillo and the Mavericks have brought to Omaha.
The second is Jake Skjodt(pronounced like "Scott", for you UNO fans) of Indiana. Skjodt is a native of Indianapolis, and played for the Indiana Jr. Ice last season. He's been Indiana's leading goal scorer so far this season.
Nebraska-Omaha got two more commitments for the 2008 season from the USHL.
The first is Andrew Conboy of Omaha. Conboy is a 6'4" 200 lbs. forward, and the brother of imfamous St. Cloud State defenseman Tim Conboy. Conboy joins 2007 recruit Rich Purslow as the second sibling of a former St. Cloud State player Omaha assistant Doc DelCastillo and the Mavericks have brought to Omaha.
The second is Jake Skjodt(pronounced like "Scott", for you UNO fans) of Indiana. Skjodt is a native of Indianapolis, and played for the Indiana Jr. Ice last season. He's been Indiana's leading goal scorer so far this season.
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