Western College Hockey Blog: All Posts by Nathan Wells

Minnesota hosts 2013 Ice Breaker

2013-04-26T20:00:17Z

2013-14 is the beginning of a new era of Gopher hockey and that era now has a start date.

The University of Minnesota confirmed Friday that Mariucci Arena will be the site of the 2013 Ice Breaker. The annual season-opening tournament will be played October 11 and 12 and feature New Hampshire, Mercyhurst and Clarkson in addition to the host team.

"Mariucci Arena is one of the best venues in college hockey and a terrific location to celebrate the start of the 2013-14 season," College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee said in a release. "The four participating programs have storied histories, outstanding coaches and talented student-athletes who will showcase our sport in the Ice Breaker."

This year's four-team field has combined for 89 NCAA Tournament appearances and features 4 of college hockey's 6 conferences - ECAC (Clarkson), Hockey East (New Hampshire), Atlantic Hockey (Mercyhurst) and the Big Ten (Minnesota). The 2013 Ice Breaker will be the first time Minnesota plays a game as a member of the Big Ten Conference after being a member of the WCHA since its inception in 1951.

For three of the teams, the Ice Breaker is nothing new. The Gophers were its hosts in 1998 (at Mariucci) and 2007 (at the Xcel Energy Center) where they defeated RPI and Michigan to claim the title. New Hampshire, meanwhile, is also making their 3rd appearance and won the Ice Breaker as hosts in 2004. Clarkson have participated in both the 1997 and 2001 editions.

Only Mercyhurst is making their first appearance in the Ice Breaker.

Minnesota is scheduled to play Mercyhurst while New Hampshire and Clarkson face off in the other semifinal. The Lakers have visited Mariucci once, back in 2003 where they lost 9-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

New Hampshire last visited Mariucci in November 2008. Clarkson is the most recent visitor. The Golden Knights played in the annual Mariucci Classic in January 2010.

That in-season tournament will also be played along with the Gophers taking part with the other 4 Minnesota schools in a yet-to-be-named one January 24-25, 2014.

The Ice Breaker, managed by College Hockey Inc. and exempt from the 34 games teams can schedule, is in its 17th year. Last year's Ice Breaker was played at the Sprint Center in Kansas City and saw Notre Dame emerge victorious. All 3 games were nationally broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.

Television plans for the 2013 edition are still to be determined.

For more University of Minnesota coverage, read The Daily Gopher. Follow SB Nation College Hockey on Twitter @sbncollegepuck and like us on Facebook.

Follow Nate on Twitter @gopherstate.

Gophers Hockey: Tommy Vannelli leads group of six recruits ranked by NHL Central Scouting

2013-04-24T16:43:50Z

The University of Minnesota has led college hockey in the number of drafted players on one team the last 2 seasons. Although the team has seen five of their 15 drafted players depart in the off-season, the next group of draftees are right around the corner.

Six Gopher recruits are among the 210 North American skaters ranked by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings released Wednesday.

Minnetonka defenseman Tommy Vannelli, one of 4 Minnesota High School players ranked in the top-100 leads the group at 44 (one spot ahead of Edina/Notre Dame recruit Connor Hurley). Vannelli, who is currently playing for Team USA in the World U-18 Championship in Sochi, Russia, moved up from 77th in Central Scouting's Midterm rankings. Those previous rankings were released in January.

NHL Central Scouting acts as a de facto 31st team when it comes to their rankings rather than trying to create a consensus. Still as our own Chris Dilks points out, the timing of these rankings is just a reflection of a moment in time. They are sure to change before the Draft takes place this June in New Jersey.

Vannelli's Team USA U-18 teammate Hudson Fasching is the next recruit on the list. Fasching, a forward from Apple Valley, MN, is ranked 70th; down from a Midterm ranking of 42. He is a 6'2", 214 lbs player whose size makes him stand out among the other incoming forwards this fall.

The other four recruits are among players at the bottom of the rankings. Waterloo (USHL) teammates Taylor Cammarata (#193) and Justin Kloos (#203) are ranked ten spots apart. While both players have size concerns at 5'7" and 5'9", respectively, the two forwards led the USHL in scoring. Cammarata, a native of Plymouth, MN, had 93 points in 59 games. Kloos, who at 19 has already been passed over in the draft once, was right behind him with 87 points in 54 games.

Fargo (USHL) forward Gabe Guertler, a native of Plantation, FL, is ranked 208th and one spot above Lincoln (USHL) forward Vinni Lettieri (#209). Guertler will be joining the Gophers in the fall while Lettieri, whose season came to an end last night, is slated for 2014. Lettieri scored 56 points in 61 games for the Stars.

In addition to the six named, two other Minnesota recruits -forward Louie Nanne (2014) and defenseman Jake Bischoff - were drafted in 2012. Nanne, whose Penticton Vees (BCHL) lost the Fred Page Cup to Surrey in six games, is a 7th round pick of the Minnesota Wild.

Bischoff, meanwhile, was drafted 3 spots ahead of Nanne (185th overall) by the New York Islanders. He split his season between Grand Rapids (MN-HS) and Omaha (USHL). Bischoff will get a chance this fall after juniors Nate Schmidt (Washington Capitals) and Mark Alt (Philadelphia Flyers) signed professional contracts.

For more University of Minnesota coverage, read The Daily Gopher. Follow SB Nation College Hockey on Twitter @sbncollegepuck and like us on Facebook.

Follow Nate on Twitter @gopherstate.

Ben Hanowski scores first NHL goal (VIDEO)

2013-04-17T22:45:03Z

The former St. Cloud State forward wasted no time in his NHL debut adding to his 17 goals with the Huskies.

Gophers Hockey: Reflecting on the 2003 Frozen Four and champions everywhere

2013-04-13T04:41:40Z

The Friday of Frozen Four weekend is a good chance to reflect. Although there is still a major event on the off day - the winner of the Hobey Baker is announced - it sits between the action. Two entertaining Thursday semifinals have come and gone. With both Yale and Quinnipiac emerging victorious, the anticipation of an all-New Haven County final Saturday grows.

It is the calm before the storm.

Soon a national champion will be crowned at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Either the Bulldogs or Bobcats will end six months of hard work with the biggest victory of their careers. Just thinking about that during this time of reflection leads me to April 12, 2003 - exactly ten years ago today.

On that date, the University of Minnesota defeated the University of New Hampshire 5-1 in Buffalo, NY to win their fifth national championship. Thomas Vanek had a goal and an assist as the Gophers scored four times in the third period to become the first team since Boston University in 1971-72 to repeat as NCAA Hockey champions.

Ten years exactly and at times it feels like it happened yesterday.

Despite not having the hoopla of Minnesota's championship a year earlier where 300,000 fans (if everyone who swears they were at that game is telling the truth) at the Xcel Energy Center saw the Gophers defeat Maine in overtime for their first hockey title in 23 years, the 2003 national title is still fresh in my mind.

There are times when I struggle to remember whether or not I ran the dishwasher 2 hours earlier. That isn't the case with Minnesota's championship.I can remember who I was with watching the 2003 national title game (a couple high school friends), where we watching it, what I was wearing and what I watched after the game (it was Dinkytown burning).

If that's how I think about a title I just witnessed, then it likely has nothing on the players who won that title. The Vaneks, Paul Martins and Grant Potulnys of the world who were fortunate enough to be on the Buffalo ice that April and soak every little detail in real time. They know what it's like to see the clock slowly tick down to zero. What it's like to be in the trenches with twenty other teammates for over six months and be rewarded for that work with a physical representation of it no one can take away.

When the majority of the 2003 University of Minnesota team came back to Mariucci Arena a couple months ago to be honored, joining Potulny (now an assistant coach with the Gophers), Mike Guentzel and Don Lucia (coaches on the team) on the ice, nothing changed. They were still champions.

That Gophers team accomplished something that, ten years later, both Quinnipiac and Yale are trying to replicate. One of these two ECAC teams will replace Boston College as college hockey's newest national champion and join the same club. No matter how Saturday's championship game ends up, there will be a team that knows firsthand what that is like along with a fanbase in Connecticut that will never forget where they were on that April night in 2013.

I wish them the best.

For more University of Minnesota coverage, read The Daily Gopher. Follow SB Nation College Hockey on Twitter @sbncollegepuck and like us on Facebook.

Nathan Wells is a college hockey writer for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can follow Nate on Twitter @gopherstate.

Hobey winner Drew LeBlanc signs with the Chicago Blackhawks

2013-04-13T00:34:22Z

Normally signing a NHL contract is a big deal. For St. Cloud State fifth-year senior forward Drew LeBlanc, it isn't even the biggest news Friday involving him.

LeBlanc, who won the 2013 Hobey Baker Award earlier in the day, signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks according to the team.

This comes one day after the 6'0", 195 lbs undrafted free agent completed his collegiate career with a 4-1 loss to Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four semifinals.

Chicago gets another playmaker to add to their organization in LeBlanc, who attended Minnesota's prospect development camp last summer and has come a long way from where he was this time last season.

The 23 year-old LeBlanc made the most of his fifth year with the Huskies, granted after a broken leg cost him all but 10 games in 2011-2012. Besides winning the Hobey Baker Award, he scored 50 points (leading the nation with 37 assists) en route to St. Cloud State's first MacNaughton Cup and Frozen Four appearance in school history

Additionally, LeBlanc was the first player in WCHA history to be named both the conference's Player of the Year and Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year.

Drew will report to the Blackhawks and wear number 14.

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2013 Hobey Baker Award: Drew LeBlanc takes home college hockey's top individual honor

2013-04-13T00:33:55Z

Drew LeBlanc was named the recipient of the 2013 Hobey Baker Award at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. He won over fellow finalists Johnny Gaudreau and Eric Hartzell.

PITTSBURGH- There is some solace in losing for St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc

LeBlanc, whose collegiate career ended Thursday night in a 4-1 loss to Quinnipiac, was named the winner of the Hobey Baker Award in a ceremony Friday in Pittsburgh. The 23 year-old fifth-year senior forward bested Bobcats goalie Erik Hartzell, the ECAC Player of the Year, and Boston College forward Johnny Gaudreau, Hockey East's Player of the Year, to win the top individual honor in men's college hockey.

LeBlanc is the first St. Cloud State player to receive the award and second straight Minnesotan to win it after Minnesota-Duluth's Jack Connolly in 2012.

The Hobey Baker Award, named after a Princeton hockey player and World War I veteran, has been awarded since 1981 with its criteria including strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievement while displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game.

"I'm honored, blessed to win the award," LeBlanc said after accepting the award. "Today belongs to Hobey Baker and what he represents."

Drew's road to the Hobey is one of the longer roads in recent history. LeBlanc was given a medical redshirt last year after a broken leg cost him all but 10 games. He made the most of it, returning this season to lead the nation in assists (37) and scored 50 points as part of St. Cloud State's co-MacNaughton Cup winning team.

Individually, LeBlanc was the first player in WCHA history to be named both the conference's Player of the Year and Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year. The forward carries a 3.64 GPA and student teaches at a nearby St. Cloud (MN) school.

Most importantly, LeBlanc captained the Huskies to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance in school history. Although St. Cloud State wasn't able to defeat the Bobcats and advance further, the fifth-year senior leaves the team in a better place than when he started.

And a Hobey Baker to boot.

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2013 Hobey Baker Award: Drew LeBlanc takes home college hockey's top individual honor

2013-04-12T22:33:35Z

PITTSBURGH- There is some solace in losing for St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc

LeBlanc is the first St. Cloud State player to receive the award and second straight Minnesotan to win it after Minnesota-Duluth's Jack Connolly in 2012.

"I'm honored, blessed to win the award," LeBlanc said after accepting the award. "Today belongs to Hobey Baker and what he represents."

And a Hobey Baker to boot.

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Gophers Hockey: Sorting out the high number of early departures

2013-04-10T01:15:16Z

As I sit here at my desk trying to properly send off and eulogize the 2012-2013 University of Minnesota hockey season, two things come to mind.

The simple task of trying to sum up the season keeps growing and growing. Seriously, if such an end-of-the-year feature actually gets published at the rate things are going, it's going to be as long as the college hockey year itself.
Every time I have tried to work on something in the past week it seems like that moment is the perfect opportunity for a Golden Gopher to sign a pro contract and leave school early.

It's the second nugget that rightfully pushes back the first for the time being. Five players with eligibility remaining have signed pro contracts since the OT loss to Yale 11 days ago. Nate Schmidt left the U for a free agent contract with the Washington Capitals. Nick Bjugstad agreed to terms with the Florida Panthers, Zach Budish signed with the Nashville Predators while Erik Haula and Mark Alt each departed a year early to sign with the Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively.

A sixth player, junior forward Jared Larson, has decided to transfer.

Early departures are nothing new. They have been the norm for Minnesota fans for the better part of a decade. When a coach like Don Lucia regularly brings in a recruiting class where one or two players stand to be top-60 NHL draft picks, it has been accepted that not everyone is going to make it to senior night.

But it should not be the exception either.

That was the case this year when a small 4 person recruiting class was dwindled to just Seth Helgeson being honored at the final regular season home game. Technically Budish remained following a redshirt year due to tearing his ACL. However, it was a senior night ceremony for one which went by faster than a WCHA goal review. Someone could hypothetically walk into Mariucci as it began, run up the stairs and find the entire honor over.

How sad. Not for Helgeson, of course. He got acknowledged for four years of wearing the "M" in front of 10,000 fans at Mariucci Arena, which unfortunately doesn't happen as often as it should for a defensive defenseman.

"I love it here so much," said Helgeson, who signed a pro contract Friday with the Albany Devils, prior to senior night. "I could stay for another four years."

What was sad was the fact he stood alone. For as many early departures Minnesota has seen, as many low points in depth, there have always been multiple seniors in the Lucia era. Sometimes it has been as low as two (in both 2006-2007 and 2008-2009) but no one has finished their Gopher career alone.

The good news is that it won't be the case next year because this year's small group of senior is dwarfed by the large 10 person junior class which followed one year later. In theory it evens out, but that was before the mass exodus this week.

With six juniors leaving, there are currently only four left (and there is still plenty of time for that to change given it's early April). It would have been easier to write a press release on the players who were coming back.

Oddly enough, that was the case last year when the expected early departures stuck around. It was the one season no left early and one of the reasons why so many have left following the loss to Yale. Even in the deepest stretch of the one and dones - the 2005-2007 stretch - the highest number of players leaving early in an off-season was four. This is essentially two years of players leaving at the same time.

For some, there isn't much of an argument to be made in coming back. Most would agree that getting 3 years out of Nick Bjugstad is one more than they would have expected. There's a reason he has discussed what he needs to do to make it at the next level (link) and actually made the jump straight to the NHL.

It's also why Bjugstad could joke about senior night with reporters.

"Hopefully we'll have a little more seniors next year," he said after asked about coming back and being honored; never mentioning himself being one of them.

But for every Nick Bjugstad that overstays, there is a player who surprisingly leaves the program. This year it's junior defenseman Mark Alt, whose departure opens a spot likely for Tommy Vanelli. I'm not blaming Alt for signing a professional contract. His rights are owned by an organization that is shallow at D as all his friends are leaving to do the same. Who among us wouldn't consider the deal in the same situation?

Still, there's a difference in how Alt has left compared to someone like junior forward Erik Haula, who departed the same day, which shines through.

"Erik has been an impact player for us for three seasons, and I think he has proven that he is ready to play at the next level," Minnesota head coach Don Lucia said about Haula in the Pori, Finland native's press release.

Meanwhile, he has this to say about Alt.

"I would like to thank Mark for his three years with the program and wish him the best as he continues his career with the Flyers organization."

There is nothing about being ready to play at the next level. Lucia is not giving a blessing. He is saying goodbye and good luck.

Losing Alt hurts more than Bjugstad or the high number of departures. It took Nick until mid-July to come back for this season, which prepares you for the fact lightning will not strike twice. He wasn't coming back. It was nice to get it out of the way fast instead of the ongoing watch that took place last year.

In addition, this year's recruiting class is heavy on skilled forwards. The top scorer in the USHL, Taylor Cammarata, is an incoming Gopher recruit. So is number two scorer Justin Kloos, who got an extra year of development thanks to Bjugstad trying to win a title. And that doesn't include incoming freshmen Hudson Fasching and Gabe Guertler.

Will they be able to step right in and replace 3 of the 4 top scorers in Haula, Bjugstad and Budish? Probably not. Next year's team will have to be just that, a team, if they are going to succeed. There are ingredients to success - another year of Adam Wilcox developing in net speaks well - but the 2013-2014 Gophers will be different. They won't have the star-studded lineup they did last year nor will the team be like Boston College who returns its core. There's talent on Minnesota yet also younger and undeveloped.

I'll miss the high number of early departures for that. One of the best parts of following college hockey, much like life, is seeing people you have been around succeed at the next level. There's pride in seeing a player you've watched go straight from wearing a college jersey to an NHL one.

Selfishly it would have been nice to have one or two of the early departures stick around to give size to next year's younger and smaller team, to give leadership, to want to stay around four years.

And it would make the 2014 senior night ceremony a lot better.

For more University of Minnesota coverage, read The Daily Gopher. Follow SB Nation College Hockey on Twitter @sbncollegepuck and like us on Facebook.

Nathan Wells is a college hockey writer for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can follow Nate on Twitter @gopherstate.