Who? What? When? Where?
Updates from the Peewees to the Preps & Pros
for the 2007 Season.
Dear Mr. Hockey, Where will the class of 2007 Mr. Hockey candidates be receiving mail this season?
Of the 10 finalists, six will be playing college hockey this season and four will play in the USHL:
Ryan McDonagh (Cretin-Derham Hall) He was named Mr. Hockey last season and is signed to play at Wisconsin this season.
The finalists for the award included:
Jordy Christian (Moorhead)
Signed to play for St. Cloud this season.
Mike Dorr (Roseville)
Will play for Des Moines in the USHL this season, and Minnesota starting in 2008-09.
Tyler Johnson (Cloquet)
Signed to play for Colorado College starting this season.
Nick Larson (Hill-Murray)
Signed to play for Minnesota beginning with the 2008-09 season.
John Lee (Moorhead)
Will play for Waterloo in the USHL this season, and Denver starting in 2008-09.
Aaron Marvin (Warroad)
Signed to play for St. Cloud this season.
Taylor Matson (Academy of Holy Angels)
Signed to play for Minnesota beginning with the 2008-09 season.
Matt Reber (Edina)
Signed to play for Dartmouth starting this season.
Patrick White (Grand Rapids)
Singed to play for Minnesota starting this season.
Reid Ellingson of Cloquet was the recipient of The Frank Brimsek Award, in recognition of Minnesota’s top senior goaltender, and is signed to play with Northern Michigan this season.
Roster Spots are more readily available again this season due to the continuing trend of the top collegiate players leaving school early to sign NHL contracts.
The St. Louis Blues signed Minnesota’s Erik Johnson and Pittsburgh signed Alex Goligoski, the Maroon and Gold’s other top ‘d.’ Then just prior to the start of the school year, Jim O’Brien left the team to join the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. Moorhead native Brian Lee left North Dakota to sign with Ottawa, while his talented teammate, Jonathan Toews, signed with Chicago.
In addition to the Gophers, Minnesota’s three other WCHA teams also saw players catch early flights out of town. Washington signed St. Cloud forward Andrew Gordon, St. Louis signed Minnesota State, Mankato defenseman Steve Wagner and UMD lost two players when, on the same day, Dallas signed Virginia native Matt Niskanen and Vancouver picked up forward Mason Raymond.
Powerful Players. Over the past five years at the Peewee A and Bantam A State Championships, White Bear Lake, Centennial, Eden Prairie and Edina have won all but two championships — in 2004, when Moorhead won the Bantam A championship, and this past season when Wayzata won the Peewee A.
Gophers Return To 100% Minnesota Roster. Goaltender Kellen Briggs was the lone non-Minnesotan on the U of M roster last season, and with his graduation, the Maroon and Gold are once again an all-Minnesotan team.
Of the four other Division I teams in Minnesota, Minnesota State has 13 Minnesotans, UMD 12, St. Cloud 10 and Bemidji State 7.
More Minnesotan’s On Campus While Minnesota leads the way in producing college hockey players, of the three teams competing with Minnesota in the Ice Breakers Tournament at the Xcel Center October 13-14, there are only two Minnesotans on the Boston College roster and none skating with RPI or Michigan.
If I Had A Million Dollars ... or $50 million, equal to the contract former Gopher Thomas Vanek signed with Buffalo this summer, I’d ...
• “I don’t think the question is what I would do. It’s what wouldn’t I do. $50 million are you kidding me? I am very happy for him and hope he’s able to retire early.” — Ryan Kraft
• “I would hire Torii Hunter to give the neighborhood kids a fun one-hour clinic on baseball and the fun of the game. That would be fun.” — Shjon Podein
• “I wouldn’t know what to do with the interest off that much money.” — Jon Waibel
• “Chris Harrington & I would pay to have Lake of the Woods drained to see what is on the bottom. Fish would be saved and water would be put back — we just want to find sunglasses, sandals and other lost items.” — Keith Ballard MHJ
— Fiona Quick contributed to this article.