Wisconsin All-Decade Team

Lot of talk at different blogs and websites about different All-Decades teams from conferences and things like that. I eventually plan on doing an All-Decade team for the WCHA but for today we'll settle for the Wisconsin All-Decade team.

Something like this is very tough to do because your basically creating your own criteria here. Do you go for the best career? Do you go with each players best individual season? It's really a tough thing. I wrestled with a lot of ideas and players and decided to take each players best individual season into account when making the list. Also, since I'm making the rules, I included the 1999-2000 season in here because I simply could not leave Rhino off the list. He may have gotten screwed for the Hobey but he's not getting screwed here.

Wisconsin All-Decade First Team
F-Steve Reinprecht (99-00)
F-Dany Heatley (00-01)
F-Joe Pavelski (05-06)
D-Jamie McBain (08-09)
D-Tom Gilbert (05-06)
G-Brian Elliott (05-06)

Wisconsin All-Decade Second Team
F-Rene Bourque (03-04)
F-Blake Geoffrion (09-10)
F-Robbie Earl (05-06)
D-Brendan Smith (09-10)
D-Jeff Dessner (99-01)
G-Bernd Bruckler (03-04)

Wisconsin All-Decade Third Team
F-Michael Davies (09-10)
F-Adam Burish (05-06)
F-Derek Stepan (09-10)
D-Davis Drewiske (07-08)
D-Dan Boeser (01-02)
G-Scott Kabatoff (01-02)

Wisconsin All-Decade Rookie Team
F-Dany Heatley (99-01)
F-Joe Pavelski (04-05)
F-Kyle Turris (07-08)
D-Ryan Suter (03-04)
D-Jake Gardiner (08-09)
G-Bernd Bruckler (01-02)

Wisconsin Player of the decade: Goaltender Brian Elliott

Flat out, Brian Elliott won Wisconsin the 2006 National Championship. There were pieces on that team that could be replaced and we still would have won, but not Elliott. Elliott had the best season I've personally ever had a chance to be around for a goaltender. His stats were flat out sick that season. A 1.55 GAA and .938 Save percentage is absolutely ridiculous. The team was 27-5-3 when he was in goal, and 3-5 when he wasn't. 2 of those losses for Elliott were immediately after he came back from a knee injury on the road. In my opinion, this was a simple decision.

Leave comments and let me know what you think. There are about 1,000 different ways this thing could have been sliced.

Alumni Updates

Robbie Earl:

Ever since not getting picked up off waivers (more on that in a bit), Earl has made the most of his limited ice time. Two goals in two games has been drawing some raves from west of the St. Croix. This is especially notable considering that he's getting less than nine minutes of ice time (he got less than 7:00 against Detroit), and also considering that he's mostly playing on the fourth line. Not easy to score a goal when you spend most of the game paired with Andrew Ebbett and Derek "Good Lord, That Man Was Sired By A Moose" Boogaard. It definately seems like he's starting to find a groove that he was unable to get in Toronto. What once seemed like a career AHLer is finding ways to be a serviceable third and fourth liner.

In either case, he's getting some very favorable press in St. Paul. Wild beat writer Michael Russo had this to say:

And, 29 GM's should get fired today. These 29 men could have had Robbie Earl for jack squat Wednesday when he was on waivers. In the two games since, the former Wisconsin Badger's got two goals -- and now five in 15. I'm no math genius, but that puts him on pace for 27.33333333333333333 goals over an 82-game season.

He also brought speed, physicality and a helped draw a double minor from Derek Dorsett. The Wild's 9-0-1 the past 10 games Earl's in the lineup, and 10-3-2 overall when he plays. He's a difference maker!!!

Good work, Robbie!

Jamie McBain:

A nice little write-up on McB that I found on NHL.com.

Adam Burish:

Stumbled accross this NHL.com video linked on UrineSoakedHellholeNow.com of Adam Burish discussing, among other things, his timetable for returning to the Blackhawks. You can sense the restlessness, and there's something about that that seems like vintage Burish to me:



Dany Heatley and Joe Pavelski continue to set the world on fire in San Jose. I don't need links or stats. It's just a fact.

Bernd Bruckler:

This is a poorly translated link ("is Andre Lakos some time no longer in the squad by a tractor." Zuh???), but evidently Bernd's been battling an ACL injury, although Torpedo is still in the playoff hunt in the KHL. Speedy recovery, Bernd!

Brian Elliott:

One of the greatest Badger goalies of all time had one of the greatest weeks of his professional career last week, winning four games in four starts- a streak that included a stretch of three games in four days. It was enough to earn the NHL First Star of the week last week.

He was lights out with a .957 SV%, 1.26 GAA and allowing only 5 goals. I caught the end of an interview with Els on Hockey Central, and so far I haven't seen it on Versus.com or on Youtube. I'll keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime, here's a WTF save Elliott made against Marian Hossa after the puck took a WTF bounce off the endboards:

Badger Men's Catch-up

Several items that have been accumulating over the past several days . . .

• In a previous post, I lamented that nubeetle hadn't sent me a link to a Bernd Bruckler interview. I have since updated that post to include the link, but I thought I'd better post the link here as well for those who might've missed it. In the interview, Bruckler talks about going to the KHL and about what he's been working on this summer. (Thanks, nubeetle!)

• PredsTV has a Badger-gopher rivalry video featuring Blake Geoffrion and Craig Smith. (Thanks to Capobianco for the heads-up.)

• Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp began yesterday. Dany Heatley is the Badgers' sole representative . Mirtle breaks down the camp roster into "locks", "contenders", "long shots", and "not going to happen"; he has Heatley as a "contender".
  

• As pointed out by DPlaya, American Junior Hockey has been "introducing" players for USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, including future Badgers Cody Strang and Jefferson Dahl.
  

  Cody Strang
  Ht/Wt: 5-8/160
  DoB: 8/25/1990
  Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
  Previous: Madison (Wisc.) Edgewood High School
  Acquired: Fifth-round selection in USHL Entry Draft
  Scoop: A tremendous athlete, Strang was honored as Wisconsin’s Mr. Hockey 2009 this spring. Was a sleeper in the draft due to his size, but smarts and agility make him an impact centerman. Likely to develop into top scorer, both in this league and when he gets to his hometown University of Wisconsin in the fall of 2011. Played on Edgewood’s state champion golf team.
  Coach Says: “Another dynamic player with skill to spare. Cody sticks his nose in all the battles and wins more than his share.”
  
  Jefferson Dahl (DOLL)
  Ht/Wt: 5-9/175
  DoB: 9/13/1989
  Hometown: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
  Previous: Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
  Acquired: Selected in USHL Expansion Draft
  Scoop: Voted Mr. Hockey for the state of Wisconsin in 2008, Dahl netted 15 goals and 26 points for a good Green Bay team last year. Although smaller in stature, Jefferson is a skilled playmaker and a responsible two-way center. Acquiring Dahl was one of the highlights of the Phantoms’ expansion draft. A personable young man with a smile on his face, he has committed to the University of Wisconsin at Madison for next fall.
  Coach Says: “(Jefferson) is a dynamic two-way forward. He’ll provide a lot of energy and we’ll look to him for some big goals.”

• Not that I can find anything on the official WCHA website, but CC's beat writer blog has a blurb on the WCHA's new official timeout policy.

• Walby reports that the WEHL schedule opened this past weekend. WEHL offers "before and after" programs for both boys and girls in Wisconsin. Badger alum Gary Shuchuk oversees coaching and development and serves as Madison GM.
  

Thursday Night Odds & Ends

• The WSJ discusses the Badger Women's 2009-2010 schedule.

• Alev and Derya Kelter are going to be part of "Faces of the Big Ten" commercial series.
  

• Jake Gardiner gets some love: Gardiner adapting fine to new position. (Thanks to anon for the link.) Lots of good quotes in this article -- too many to post -- so you'll just have to read it yourself.

• Bernd Bruckler is featured in the latest Uwbadgers "Where are they Now?". And nubeetle was kind enough to send me the link to this short video interview w/ Bernd in which he talks about going to the KHL next season and what he's working on this summer. Thanks, nu!
  

• Continuing their Fall 2009 Top 20 Prospects series, HF looks at the Montreal Canadiens. Patrick Johnson is an "Other Notable".

• Dany Heatley is finally going to talk to the media, participating in a confence call and a follow-up press conference in Kelowna on Friday. Heatley had been asked by Hockey Canada to clear the air before next week's Olympic orientation camp so that the "Dany Heatley Predicament" wouldn't overshadow the camp.

• This has been reported EVERYWHERE, so you probably already know that UND's Matt Frattin was arrested for DUI early Wednesday morning and was subsequently dismissed from the team. If he hadn't been dismissed, he would've already faced a minimum 2-game suspension, reduced scholarship money, and mandatory counseling due to some lawnmower-throwing shenanigans with Joe Finley. Hakstol is leaving the door open for Frattin to return to the team after this season.
  
  UND is expected to quickly add another forward to the team, and Schlossman thinks it will be Corban Knight.

• Kevin Pates has a bit on the DUMP expansion.

• I posted this before, but it was tacked onto the end of the Badger Women's Outlook Video post, so you may have missed it: The Duluth Foreign Legion has extended Shannon Miller's contract through the 2012-13 season.

• USCHO's Paula Weston reports on the CCHA's denial of UAH's application and then gives her take. I don't know though -- I'm not buying the whole "the CCHA needs to maintain the strongest possible CCHA to keep the Big Ten wolf at bay" argument. Because you can't tell me that, if the BTHC came calling, the CCHA-sans-UAH would be any more successful than the CCHA+UAH at stopping the creation of the BTHC. I mean, come on, REALLY?
  
  By the way, you might be interested in this article about UAH's fate from the front page of Sunday's Huntsville Times. The same edition also has an article about the importance of UAH Hockey in the community and an article that refutes the CCHA's reasons for denial.
  

• For what it's worth, I like Team Canada's new Olympic jerseys. At the same link, you can also take a look at Team Canada jerseys over the years, going all the way back to the 1920's.

• Well, this is probably the most impressive location for an outdoor hockey game. Dean Millard of Coming Down the Pipe tells us that the Norfolk Admirals are planning on playing a game on the deck of the USS Eisenhower.
  

IIHF Men's World Championship: Pav's to team USA

The local Madison fish wraps have awoken from their slumber to inform us that forever Badger great Joe Pavelski has been added to the United States roster at the IIHF Men's World Championship in Bern, Switzerland.

The United States typically leaves a roster spot or two open during the preliminary round games. When NHL squads are eliminated after the first round, players can then be added to the roster to beef it up for a run at the gold.

This will be Pavelski's second time as a member of Team USA. He also suited up for the stars and stripes during the Viking Cup when he was playing for Waterloo in the USHL. He will take the ice for the first time with this current USA squad during Friday's tilt against France.

I'm sure whoever pieced this article together was extremely busy with all the sports news going on this week in Madison, but it would have been nice of them to let us know Pavelski is not the only former Badger playing in the World Championship.

*Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter is representing the United States and has not recorded a point in the first 3 games of the tournament but is a +1.

*Goaltender Bernd Bruckler is 0-2 with a 4.50 gaa and an 88% save percentage for Team Austria. According to future Hall of Fame USCHO poster ExileOnDaytonStreet, Bernd signed a free agent deal with the KHL club Torpedo Nishny Novgorod. ExileOnDaytonStreet has done a great job keeping everyone updated on the Championships over on the USCHO Wisconsin thread.

*Ottawa Senators forward Dany Heatley is having a nice tournament for Canada. He currently has 2 goals and 3 assists in 3 games for the mounties. He is also a team high +6.

Photo: Jeff Miller

Friday Afternoon Alumni Catch-up

There have been a few interesting alumni items that I we haven't post yet:

• Joe Pavelski is featured as USA Hockey Magazine's Next American Star. Really nice article.

• Mike Eaves and Ryan Suter are featured in USA Hockey Magazine's look back at the 2004 World Junior Championships in which the US took home Gold. Mike Eaves, of course, was the head coach. In addition to Ryan Suter, Badgers Jake Dowell and Jeff Likens also played for Team USA.

• Melissa Wade has some pictures of Cody Goloubef with Team Canada after winning the Gold at this year's WJC. Thanks for sharing, Melissa! (Ok, it's not alumni, but I gotta put it somewhere.)
  

• Bernd Bruckler has been listed as a player to watch in the Championship Hockey League (CHL). Brucker plays for the Espoo Blues of SM-liiga, the top Finnish league. The CHL, which includes the top European teams, is a new league this year that replaces the IIHF European Champions Cup. (Props to EODS for pointing this out.)


• Despite getting under 9 minutes of ice time, Adam Burish was named the #1 Star of the Game the Hawks 6-0 victory over the Coyotes on Tuesday. Burish had 1 goal and 1 assist. (Thanks again, EODS).
  

More Hockey's Future: Top 20 Prospects, SM-Liiga

As you know, we've been posting Badgers that make HF's Top 20 lists as the Fall 2008 edition for each NHL team is released. Anyway, HF has released a few more teams, as well as feature on SM-Liiga. A number of Badgers make the Top 20 lists, and Badger Bernd Brückler and Coach Eaves' son Ben are mentioned in the SM-Liiga feature.

Montreal Canadiens:

2. (2) Ryan McDonagh, D, 19
Acquired 1st round, 12th overall, 2007

The Canadiens have placed a premium on blueliners over the past few seasons, and McDonagh represents the cream of the crop. Not only does he possess solid size on the blue line, at 6'1 and well over 200 pounds, but he represents the type of defenseman who's prized throughout the league -- a mobile, puck-moving presence with the ability to both start and finish the rush.

His skating has been described as "dimensional" by the team's player development guru, Trevor Timmins. McDonagh is expected to anchor a strong University of Wisconsin blue line this year. He is also expected to play a key role on Team USA for the upcoming WJC, despite being left off the squad last season.

Other notables: Patrick Johnson, C

Columbus Blue Jackets:

5. (NR) Cody Goloubef, D
Grade 7.0C Projection: Top 4 defenseman
Age: 18 Height/weight: 6'0, 195
Drafted 37th overall, 2008

Goloubef had a very good season in the NCAA, where impressively he played a regular shift as an 18-year-old defenseman. He finished the year with 10 points in 40 games for the Badgers. An extremely smart defender who makes an excellent first pass, Goloubef plays very well in his own end. He plays smart and safe, but there also is a good deal of offensive upside to his game.

Toronto Maple Leafs:

10. (6) Robbie Earl, LW, 23 -- Toronto Marlies (AHL) - 7C
Acquired: Sixth round, 187th overall in 2004.

While Earl improved during his second AHL season, he has yet to show the goal scoring touch that he did at the University of Wisconsin. The swift winger followed up his 12-goal, 30-point rookie season with 14 goals and 47 points last year, which earned him a nine-game stint with the Leafs that resulted in one assist. At times he was the best player on the ice last year, but there were also times he failed to make any impact at all. There is no questioning his speed and game-breaking ability from the wing, but whether or not he will ever produce like he did in college when he scored 41 goals and 90 points during his last 80 games, is another question. Earl will head to camp this fall hoping to lock down a spot on one of the Leafs' scoring lines with an impressive camp. No matter where he plays in 2008-09, he will have to produce more offensively to keep his prospect status.

New York Rangers:

11. (N/A) Derek Stepan, C, 7.5D
Age: 18
Acquired: Second Round, 51st overall, 2008 NHL Entry Draft

A boom or bust prospect, Stepan was a major force at Shattuck St. Mary’s during the 2007-08 season. His 44 goals and 111 points led the team last year. Now a freshman at the University of Wisconsin, Stepan is a very good skater, with excellent hands, and a fast release. A natural playmaker, Stepan has a knack for making the right pass, and the speed to make things happen. Stepan will be looking to take his game to the next level on one of the best teams in collegiate hockey. Unlike some other hockey players, who take an extra year before beginning college, Stepan was extremely anxious to join the Wisconsin Badgers at age 18, and currently is one of the youngest players on the team. It is hard to predict at this point how long it will be before Stepan is ready for a professional hockey career. There is no question that he has a lot of potential, but it will be awhile before the Rangers know whether Stepan will be boom or bust.

LA Kings:
Other Notables -- Davis Drewiske (D), Joe Piskula (D)



Finnish SM-Liiga prospects 2008-09 season preview

BLUES
Like Karpat, Espoo Blues will have a primarily veteran lineup as they prepare for Champions League and SM-Liiga play. However, unlike their Northern rivals the Blues were able to keep much of their lineup intact – including top two scorers Ryan Keller and Stefan Ohman. Keller, a 24-year-old former Saskatoon Blade, is one of three North American imports for the Blues along with defenseman Dale Clarke and former Penguins’ draft pick Ben Eaves. Coach Petri Matikainen should have another strong club this season.

Austrian goalie Bernd Bruckler was drafted by the Flyers in 2001 and played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin (where Eaves’ father Mike is the head coach). Bruckler was a workhorse for the Blues last year and should again handle the bulk of the goaltending duties. Antti Harma (a 1987-born goalie) gained some professional experience last year playing for KooKoo (Mestis) and was also on the Finnish junior team in 2007. Mika Korhonen (21) and Mikko Koskinen (20) split the duties on Espoo’s A junior club.