Recruit Update: USHL Part II

Time for the 2nd part of this update featuring all of the non-Waterloo Black Hawk recruits.

Gavin Hartzog is in his first season in the USHL w/ the Fargo Force. He's a big kid standing 6'3" 215 lbs. He was a 2009 or 2010 recruit, and right now that is looking like 2010. Probably best for his development in the long run.

Gavin had an assist on New Year's Eve, but hasn't cracked the scoresheet since. In 8 games since the Holidays, he is 0-1-1, -3, w/ 11 PIM.

Overall on the season, in 28 games he is 3-4-7, -4, w/ 23 PIM. His team currently sits 3rd in the Western Division w/ 33 pts, which is impressive since they are an expansion team this season.


Sean Little is currently playing w/ the Green Bay Gamblers, and will join his brother Ryan in Madison in 2010. He battled an injury earlier in the season.

Sean has not cracked the scoresheet yet this season and in 18 games is -2, w/ 56 PIM. He racked up 22 of those minutes last weekend against Chicago.

Maybe tomorrow night will be his night to get his first USHL point, since I'll be there to watch the Gamblers take on Tri-City.


Joining Sean in GB is 2008 Mr. Hockey Jefferson Dahl. He is also part of a large group of forwards coming in 2010.

Since Christmas, Jefferson has been pretty quiet, in 7 games he is 1-1-2, +3, w/ 2 PIM. He lone goal during that stretch came in a 8-4 win last saturday over Indiana.

Overall has is having a pretty good rookie season in 29 games he is 9-6-15, +5, 8 PIM, 3 PP goals and shooting 16.4%. He's tied for 5th on the team in goals and PP goals, while keeping it clean tied for the fewest PIM on the team.

The Gamblers are tied for 1st in the East Division w/ 46 points, which is a huge improvement over their last place league finish a year ago.


Aaron Crandall should be arriving in Madison next season to join the Badgers and back up Scott Gudmandson.

To start the season, he was traded from GB to Des Moines, from a good team, to the 2nd worst in the league. Des Moines is in last in the East Division w/ 15 points.

In his three starts in January, Aaron is 0-3 w/ roughly a 6 GGA and 83.5% save %. Overall on the season, he is 5-10-1 w/ 4.85 GAA and 85.8 % saving rate. I'm cringing just typing that.



Chase Drake is actually wearing the wrong jersey in that picture. Right before the season started he was traded from GB to Sioux City. It is currently planned for Chase to join the Badgers in 2010.

Chase has not cracked the scoresheet yet in his USHL career. In 7 games since the break, he is E w/ 6 PIM. The highlight was a +4 game last friday against Tri-City.

On the season, Chase is 0-0-0, -1 w/ 19 PIM.

His team is currently in 5th in the Western Division w/ 27 pts, but only 5 pts out of 4th place, right in the playoff hunt.

NHL Central Scouting Players to Watch

NHL Central Scouting has released their list of players to watch for the 2009 draft. All of the USHL players can be found here, and Chris over at Western College Hockey has a more complete but harder to read list here.

From the USHL article:

"A" Players: A player scouts must-see who is predicted to be a potential first or second round draft selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
"B" Players: A player scouts note if they are in the area, a potential selection in the third to fifth round in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
"C" Players: A player that Central Scouting is tracking, a potential late round selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
Goaltenders: All goaltenders, regardless of whether they are an A, B or C player, fall into one category.
Limited Viewing: A player that intrigues scouts but, at this time, they have seen very little of. This category is for both skaters and goaltenders.

Players of interest to Badger fans are as follows:

D Chase Drake - "B" Player
F Gavin Hartzog - "B" Player
F Tyler Barnes - "C" Player
G Aaron Crandall - Goaltenders
F Tyler Lapic - Limited Viewing

Unlike the past two seasons, I don't think 2009 will be a big draft year for Wisconsin recruits. Probably a couple guys will get drafted, maybe a few freshman like Jordy Murray or Matt Thurber could go too, but it won't be like past seasons. Personally I don't think this is a bad thing, Wisconsin is still landing a fine 2009 recruiting class, even if they don't have all the top draft pick w/ in.

More on Chase Drake

As was mentioned earlier, Badger recruit Chase Drake was traded from Green Bay of the USHL to Sioux City. It was a bit of a surprising move especially being a kid who is from state of Wisconsin.

I got a chance to speak with Chase earlier today and he explained that the coaches from Green Bay just didn't feel he was aggressive enough. "They thought i was a good USHL defensemen but due to my style of play and me not being aggressive enough that it wouldn't' work out for me in Green Bay."

He add's in that talent definitly wasn't an issue, "They said that skill wise i was top 3 on the d-core. But because I let the play come to me instead of going to the play, that I would drop down to the 6th or 7th d which would jepordize playing time, and my margin for improvement so they looked to see if any teams were interested."

Sioux City jumped at the opportunity to land the defenseman who is still raw, but holds loads of upside, and Drake sounds excited for the new opportunity, "Sioux City was very interested since the Asst. coaches were from Des Moines last year and they wanted to draft me. In the end it works out and I'm going to a place that wants and needs me."

Chucks Analysis: Cooper (Green bay's new head coach and GM) is definitely turning the Gamblers into "his team." Green Bay returns only 6 players off last seasons disappointing last place finish. He set the tone right away trading a very talented core of players in a blockbuster deal that saw goaltender (and wisconsin recruit) Aaron Crandall, Jacob Youso (Minnesota) and Joe Gleason (North Dakota) go to Des Moines in exchange for the rights to Jefferson Dahl (Wisconsin) as well as their first round (#2 overall, Reid Ellingson from Northern Michigan) and third round (#23 overall, Reed Seckel) picks in the 2008 draft.

After the blockbuster draft trade was announced, Cooper talked about getting Dahl and how it was special to bring a Wisconsin kid to Green Bay and how the trend was going to continue. Obviously it must not be THAT big of a factor in his decision making process since Drake, as we all know is from Mosinee, Wisconsin.

Last season, which was Drakes senior season at Mosinee, he had offerers to play hockey outside of high school. Drake felt that his Mosinee squad had a great opportunity to get to the state hockey tournament (which they did) and do some damage. After the season was over, he was presented with an opportunity to play in the USHL with a few teams. This is a common occurance, and can help both parties.

For the team, if they get a kid like Drake in the lineup for 10 or more games at the end of the season, they don't have to use a draft pick on him after the season. Any less and his rights are available to anyone in the draft. Essentially he's a free draft selection. The player gets the bonus of not only getting in great experience of 10 games in the best junior league in the country before he has to play a full season there, but he can also pick and choose from the teams that are presenting him this offer, instead of not knowing where he would end up in the USHL draft. (Honestly, no one want's to play for Chicago) Drake, who also plays baseball, chose Green Bay so that he could still go to Mosinee high school during the week, play baseball, and go to Green bay on the last few weekends and play for the Gamblers.

Why Drake should be pissed: He helped out Green Bay by playing in those last 10 games of the season and saving them a draft pick. He could have very easily chosen a team that was far better than Green Bay. Add in the fact that Cooper talks about how he wants to get and keep Wisconsin kids and goes out and trades you, a Wisconsin player, and UW recruit? It also puts a burden on his family and friends who were planning on making a nice trip to Green Bay to see him on the weekends to play close with the Gamblers.

Why Drake should be excited: I still don't think Green Bay is going to be any good this season. Sioux City should be a better squad at least on paper. I'm also not sold on Cooper. Green Bay didn't hire the best candidate, I think that much is obvious in my opinion. They should have hired Luke Strand, current assistant coach with the Houston Aeros. (Minnesota Wild AHL affiliate) Strand was a former assistant of Mike Osiecki's with the Gamblers. He also was an assistant at National D-3 powerhouse St. Norberts. He moved onto the head coaching job at his alma matter UW-Eau Claire and did a fantastic job in 2 seasons before being offered a job that he couldn't refuse in the American Hockey League. Strand was a finalist for Green Bay and should have gotten the job. Another reason to be excited is that he's going to a team that actually want's him. Lot's of times when new coaches like Cooper come in, there is a lot of animosity between the old vets and the new guys that Cooper has brought in. Sioux City should offer calmer waters for Drake to settle into.

Overall, I think this will turn into a good thing for Drake. He goes to a situation that is a lot better team wise with Sioux City and it is probably the first time in his hockey career that he has experienced some turmoil. It will be good for him to go through the experience of being traded. He will also be more prepared living further away from his family. While it sucks that they probably won't be able to see him play as much, he should become more independent and better prepared for college once he comes to Wisconsin.

Chase Drake traded

Apparently Chase Drake has been traded from the Green Bay Gamblers to Sioux City. No actual news as of yet on this, its on the USHL transaction list. Thanks to GB Puck Fan for the heads up on the USCHO forum.

Once there is more information, I'll edit this.

I think it was kinda stupid to trade an in-state player like Chase, who might spur a little more interest in the team. Not my team to run though.

GB Gamblers/ Waterloo Black Hawks Scouting Report

Work took me to NE WI on friday and that coincided well w/ the Gamblers exhibition game against the Black Hawks at the Cornerstone Ice Center in DePere. I wanted to make this game because it features the highest concentration of Badger recruits in one place. The Gamblers have Jefferson Dahl and Chase Drake, while Waterloo has Craig Smith, Brock Montpetit, Keegan Mauer and Tyler Barnes.

Before I review my thoughts, I must say the Cornerstone is a nice little rink, and a good place to watch a game. I sat in the corner, which gave me the best view of ice. St. Norberts has banners all over the place and it appears they have dominated their conference for most of the decade. GL to them on defending their DIII title.

Besides the Badger recruits I listed, I made some notes about Sean Little (GB) as he is receiving interest from Wisconsin (and from other teams), and Scott Pavelski (Waterloo).

Jefferson Dahl was not in the lineup for Green Bay so nothing to add on him.

Chase Drake started at defenseman for Green Bay. I wasn't overly impressed by him, though w/ his and all my other thoughts from the game the season is just starting. He spent time on the PP and PK; the one thing that stuck out most to me was his decision making. He made a lot of poor decisions passing the puck, especially out of his own zone.

I really didn't notice Sean Little much during the game, though he did have an assist on GB's 3rd goal. He skated w/ what appeared to be the 3rd line and on special teams.

For Waterloo, Keegan Mauer started the game at C. He was the last guy out of the tunnel after jacking up all his teammates on their way out. No one was wearing captains' designations, but I wonder if he will be this season. He is a scrappy player, and twice he got a glove to the mouth from his opponent after the whistle. He reminded me of a combination of Ratty Johnson and Matt Ford. Always in the middle of things after the whistle (like Ford) and doesn't stand down to anyone (like Ratty). I was suspect on Eaves adding him to the 09 recruiting class, but he seems like a good character player who plays good D, and should be solid on the offensive side of things.

Craig Smith centered what appeared to be the 3rd line. He got a lot of PK time (the team was in the box a ton throughout the game), usually teamed w/ Brock Montpetit. He did some strong skating rushing the puck into the offensive zones at times, and had a nice goal 5-hole on the PP (5 x 3). He is a solidly built kid, excited to see if he puts it all together this season.

Brock Montpetit was on the RW w/ Smith. He was strong on both sides of the special teams. He had to be right up there for overall ice time. On the PP, he had quite a few good chances. Similar to Mauer he is a scrappy player who, while gifted offensively, isn't afraid to do the hard work in the corner. The main thing I noticed was that he never gives up on the puck. He'll join the group in the corner or at open ice and come away w/ the puck. He wants to be part of the action. I liked what I saw out of Montpetit.

Tyler Barnes skated on the RW of the 2nd line and played the most of any forward on the PK, while seeing time on the PP (sometimes w/ Montpetit). If you've caught on, the future Badger forwards were a large part of the Waterloo PK, see if that continues past exhibition games. Barnes is fast and a good skater. He did a nice job of crashing the net trying to make opportunities instead of waiting for them to happen. Barnes impressed me as well.

Lastly, Scott Pavelski skated w/ the 4th line and spent a decent amount of time on the PK. He wasn't the dominate player his brother was on the ice, but he is a good overall player. Didn't impress me in any area, but didn't disappoint me in any area either. I doubt Scott is on Wisconsin's radar since he is an 09 recruit, though the way things have gone lately you never know. I could see Scott skating in DI somewhere next year. Following a post whistles shuffle, he was the one talking to the refs as they figured everything out. Maybe he'll be part of the captain group as well.

I was somewhat detailed because I'd never seen any of these kids play. Most of this you can take w/ a grain of salt, since its early in the season. I hope to catch at least one more GB/Waterloo matchup later in the season. See how things change.

More than anything, I really enjoyed watching a live game again. The regular season hasn't even started and there are some hard feeling flowing between these teams. I think one of the linesmen was even head butted trying to break up a fight. Sometimes I wish there was fighting in the WCHA. While I think fighting just for the sake of fighting, I have no problem w/ a player dropping the gloves after the opponent pulls something. Imagine if Blake Geoffrion could drop the gloves w/ out a one game suspension and game disqualification?

Recruit Recap: Chase Drake

This summer I plan to do a recap of every current committed recruit. While I have been slacking on this so far this summer, I still plan to try to get every recruit done in the next few months (or so). The first recruit that we profiled was forward Tyler Barnes from Burnsville. We've also covered goaltender Aaron Crandall who is from Lakeville, MN and played for Green Bay last season. (He got traded to Des Monies in the off-season) The most recent profile was forward Jefferson Dahl, 2008 Wisconsin Mr. Hockey award winner from state champion Eau Claire Memorial who will play for Green Bay next season. Today we preview Chase Drake from Mosinee, Wisconsin who will be a teammate of Dahl's in Green Bay for the upcoming 2008-2009 season.


Name: Chase Drake
Position: Defense
2008 Team: Mosinee High School (WI)
2009 Team: Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Commit date: 5/8/2008
Season entering Wisconsin: 2010
Height/Weight/Birth year: 6'2/170/1989

Last Seasons Stats

Games: 23
Goals: 12
Assists: 18
Points: 30

Chase Drake is an interesting prospect for Wisconsin for because playing in Mosinee, not many people have gotten to see him play and he hasn't had a ton of publicity. But don't let that fool you, he very much deserves to be a Badger. The best part about it for Wisconsin, is that he will get 2 full solid seasons with Green Bay in the USHL before entering Wisconsin.

Drake had an outstanding prep career with Mosinee. In his senior season he turned Mosinee into a State Tournament qualifier for the first time since 1992, and earned himself a nomination for the Wisconsin Mr. Hockey award. (Won by fellow Badger recruit Jefferson Dahl from Eau Claire Memorial) Mosinee went 19-4 and had a perfect 12-0 conference record en route to the Lumberjack title.

As a player, Chase is definitely looking for the best way to get the puck to the net whenever it's in his teams possession. He gave this self description of the way he plays in an interview I did with him in May when he committed. "Some of my strengths are my puck handling ability, my vision on the ice, my shot, and my mobility on the ice. I try to be a smart player on the ice and I try to help out my team whenever possible." In the only game I've personally ever seen him play, (State Tournament 2008 quarterfinal game) he was magnificent. While Mosinee lost the game, he was clearly head and shoulders above the competition. Mosinee got down big at one point but Drake helped lead a charge to get them close and actually almost scored from the face off circles on the far end of the ice when he sent a laser towards the net at the buzzer in a last ditch effort to save his team.

As I said earlier, the best thing for Wisconsin, is that Drake gets to spend 2 seasons in Green Bay learning the ropes of playing at a higher level. He will also get to spend 2 seasons with fellow recruit Jefferson Dahl who will also be entering in 2010. (Both could come sooner with early departures) Drake needs to focus on the defensive side of his game while he's in Green Bay more then anything. No one is more critical of Drake then himself. In the interview I linked above, he had this to say about things he needs to work on, "I'm a little undersized (weight wise), so that’s a big thing I'm looking forward to work on in Green Bay. Another thing is one on one situations in the D-zone since we run a man to man D-zone. I also need to work a little more on my gap control because at times I respect players too much (especially in the USHL) and I tend to give them more room which is the worst thing a D can do since their job is to take away time and space."

Drake got a preview of the USHL at the end of last season when he played 10 games with the Green Bay Gamblers. In an article about his commitment, Drake had this to say to Capital Times reporter Todd Milewski, "It was definitely a major step up from high school right to the USHL," he said. "I went and watched a game, and it didn't look like it would be too big of a step, but once you get on the ice with those guys, the speed and the strength is just so much more superior than high school. It was difficult, but it was a good challenge for me and I had a good time trying to keep up with the challenge."

Drake also got some great experience playing in the Midwest Elite High School League with Team Wisconsin last fall. So far that team has had 5 players off the roster commit to D-1 programs already. (Jeff Costello (committed to Notre Dame), Seth Soley (committed to Michigan Tech), Ted Behrend (committed to Colorado College), and Nate Condon (committed to Minnesota)) Here is what Chase had to say about the experience of playing with and against such great competition, "I had a great experience playing that team and it really helped me come into the high school season at my highest performing peak which was nice for me because I didn't have to work as hard at my fundamentals so I could concentrate more on little things that I was doing wrong, which I thought helped me throughout the year. But playing with those guys were great. We all had great team chemistry and we came together and played great against some of the best teams and players in the nation which made it exciting every weekend."

For a while it looked like there was a very good chance Drake would be drafted in the 2008 NHL Draft. In the final rankings by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, he was ranked as the 136th best North American prospect. Adding in the Europeans, it meant that he was going to be on the bubble of being drafted. As it turns out, he didn't go in the draft but it may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for him. This Wausau Daily Herald article has some good quotes from Drake on his attitude post draft. "I am pretty disappointed," Drake said, "but it will happen next year. It's also a positive thing. Next year, I can get bigger and get higher up on the draft board and go high." It sounds like he has the right attitude about the situation and will only use it as fuel to get that much better in the off season.

I can't wait until Drake is ready to be a Badger and 'don the Cardinal and White threads. I have little doubt with 2 seasons in the USHL with Green Bay that he should be more then ready to step into the Wisconsin lineup and have an immediate impact offensively and defensively. People are starting to realize that with the changing game, puck moving defensemen are becoming very, very valuable and thats exactly what Drake is. Wisconsin is in good hands.


Tyler Barnes recap
Aaron Crandall recap
Jefferson Dahl recap

And the Winner is . . . CHASE DRAKE

Voting is over, and it looks like you've chosen Chase Drake to be Gandalf's new favorite recruit. Congratulations, Chase!

We'll have to wait and see if Gandalf takes your suggestion, as he previously refused to tell me anything until voting was over, and he has caller-ID so he doesn't have to take my calls . . . ;-)

Post-Draft Wrap-Up

• In his post-draft wrap-up on HIW, DPlaya includes (among other things) links to articles with quotes from Chase Drake (who wasn't drafted) and Patrick Wiercioch (who was drafted by the Sens). He also mentions that the Sens will be buying out Ray Emery's contract, perhaps opening the door for top goaltending prospect Brian Elliott.
  
  
• Uwbadgers.com can't comment on the recruits who haven't signed LOIs yet, so they indicate that 4 Badgers were chosen in the draft. Milewski has the complete list of the 7 Badgers who were selected, and he wasn't kidding when he said it was a long wait between the 2nd and 7th rounds.

• With 5 picks in the top 2 rounds (picks 17, 37, 42, 43, 51) and 4 defensemen chosen in the top 2 rounds (picks 17,37,42,43), Milewski argues that this might be the best draft ever for the Badgers. Baggot takes it a step further and argues that this might be the best draft ever for a college program, as no school has ever had 5 players taken with the top 51 picks. The UW record for number of Badgers chosen in a single draft is 8 (1982: Eric Faust, Patrick Flatley, Tony Granato, Jim Johannson, Dave Maley, Ted Pearson, Ernie Vargas, Marty Wiitala), but only two those players went in the top 2 rounds.



• Overall, the 2008 draft was the "Year of the Defensemen" and that seems to hold for the Badgers this year as well. Baggot points out that in the last 3 drafts the Badgers had 8 defensemen taken in the first 2 rounds, to which Mike Eaves says ,"It's a growing reputation. The proof is in the pudding." And Anaheim GM Brian Burke (who selected 3 Badger defensemen in this year's draft) says, "The thing that sold it for us is that Wisconsin is a top program for developing players." (So, does this mean they'll let the 3 players they picked stick around for a bit?)
  


• In the above Baggot post, Baggot expresses suprise that Thurber was not selected as the RLR listed him 84th and called him and "underrated gem". And apparently Baggot lost a friendly wager with Ray Thurber when he guaranteed Ray that Matt would be selected.

2008 NHL Entry Draft Guide Update

NHL Central Scouting must have finished their long long coffee break because they have finished their previews of every players that they have ranked in their 2008 Draft Guide. That includes several Badger recruits.

Tyler Barnes #114

Chase Drake #136

Jordy Murray #173

Brock Montpetit #199

Nick Pryor #208

Aaron Crandall #24 (for North American goalies)

Most don't include much, but hey they all deserve some recognition.

USHL Recruit Wrap Up Part I

Since we have ten USHL recruits, I thought I would break this up into two posts.

Aaron Crandall spent last season w/ the Green Bay Gamblers where he split time w/ Neil Conway.

Stats: 32 games, 5 wins-21 losses-2 overtime losses, 1 shutout, 3.50 GAA, 0.882 Save%, 17 PIM

I don't have much more to say about Aaron since Chuck did a great job talking about him a few weeks back. At the start of the recent USHL draft, Aaron was traded to Des Moines. Des Moines also kept one of their goalies from last season, but Aaron should get plenty of ice time next season. His stats this season were not very good, but he played for a bad team. Badger fans should take heart, he has three more years of development (1 in the USHL and 2 under Coach Howard) before he'll be called on to backstop Wisconsin.

Chase Drake only spent the last 10 games w/ the Green Bay Gamblers after completing his senior year at Mosinee.

Stats: 10 games, -5, 4 PIM

Senior Year including playoffs: 24 games, 12-19-31 w/ 20 PIM

Don't know much about Drake since he is a recent addition to the stable of top recruits coming to Wisconsin, but I look forward to seeing him play often next season in GB.


Chris Hickey spent the season w/ the Tri-City Storm, and I'm sure he's happy to get out of Nebraska.

Stats: 55 games, 15-16-31, -24, 34 PIM, 2 PPG, 2 GWG, 12.5% shooting

If you read the blog, you know Chris is the recent addition to the 2008 recruiting class.




Travis Erstad played last season w/ the Lincoln Stars. His playoffs stats are here.

Stats: 52 games, 9-10-19, -10, 104 PIM, 3 PPG, 3 GWG, 11.4% shooting

Travis was the 2007 "Mr. Hockey" in Wisconsin. When I was compiling these stats the other night the one thing that stuck out at me was that his +/- was much improved compared to earlier in the season, where I remember it being around -25.



Ryan Little finished his third season w/ the Gamblers and will be on Wisconsin's blue line this Fall.

Stats: 58 games, 2-11-13, -21, 100 PIM, 1 PPG, 2% shooting

Career USHL Stats: 162 games, 7-23-30, -28, 251 PIM

Ryan wore the Captain's C this past season for the Gamblers and should provide Wisconsin w/ a solid, more defensive Dman down the road after some solid tutoring by Coach Osiecki. Don't let his +/- fool you either, Green Bay was not a very good team this season. Little was also selected to the USHL All-Star game.

10 Questions with Chase Drake

Today we were fortunate enough to talk with recent Wisconsin commit Chase Drake from Mosinee. Chase led his high school team to the state tournament before bowing out to eventual runner up Madison Edgewood. Chase is a defenseman and is scheduled to arrive at Wisconsin in 2010. He will be playing the next 2 seasons with Green Bay in the USHL. We can't thank Chase enough for taking the time out of his day to do this interview with us.

You got to play your last high school hockey game at the State Tournament. Can you explain the feeling of how it felt to not only to play at state, but how it felt to get there with the kids you grew up with?

CD: Playing at state was definitely amazing especially since I did get to grow up with all my teammates. It was just an unreal experience as we hit the ice and there was a sea of purple there looking over you and cheering for you. I actually had goose bumps just from our crowd energy so it was great. Unfortunately it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to but we were all happy with being able to end our season in Madison.

You played the last 10 games of the USHL season with Green Bay so they obviously hold your rights for next season. Can you explain why you chose Green Bay instead of waiting for the upcoming USHL draft?

CD: I chose Green Bay actually so I would still be able to end my high school days right here in Mosinee. I thought I owed it to my school to stay and finish out my senior year of baseball and be able to graduate with all my friends. I could have went to Indiana where they had a great season but I felt staying at home would let me do these things I wanted and it has, plus I'm only 90 minutes from home and I have family in Green Bay so it was an easy transfer over for the last 10 games.

Team Wisconsin was very successful this fall. How did the high school elite league prepare you for the upcoming season and how was it to play with players like Jeff Costello (committed to Notre Dame), Seth Soley (committed to Michigan Tech), Ted Behrend (committed to Colorado College), and Nate Condon (committed to Minnesota)?

CD: Our Team Wisconsin team was great. I had a great experience playing that team and it really helped me come into the high school season at my highest performing peak which was nice for me because I didn't have to work as hard at my fundamentals so I could concentrate more on little things that I was doing wrong, which I thought helped me throughout the year. But playing with those guys were great. We all had great team chemistry and we came together and played great against some of the best teams and players in the nation which made it exciting every weekend.

Did you have an opportunity to leave and play hockey somewhere else besides your high school this past season and if you did can you explain your decision to stay at Mosinee?

CD: Before high school I actually went down to tryout with the Madison Capitols. I ended up making the team but I decided to stay in Mosinee because this year I thought we had all the tools to go down to Madison and do some damage. It was a decision that I am very glad that I made now because of the experience I got out of my last high school season and it was nice to be able to end it with all my friends and family watching.

You’ve committed to the University of Wisconsin. Can you explain how long you’ve been in contact with them and what your final decision was based on?

CD: I started having contact with Wisconsin during my senior year of high school hockey. They were at a lot of our Team Wisconsin games but I really never talked with them until one day I got a call from Coach Patrick and we talked for a while and it just became a regular thing every Monday night where I would call him and we would talk about the week. It has always been a dream of mine to play for the Badgers, I guess you could say they are my dream school so once I left from my visit I knew that this was where I wanted to go no matter what. The campus is amazing and the sports aren’t too bad either!

Who were the other schools that you were in contact with and was there ever a time where you almost committed to another school?

CD: I was actually involved with a lot of contact from other schools. My first contact was Colorado College, and then schools started calling. I received interest from Miami-Ohio, Notre Dame, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, St. Cloud St., Mankato St., Michigan St, and Bowling Green. I almost committed with Colorado College. They wanted me to walk on next year and they flew out to watch me play in a game and I thought it was a great thing until they wanted me to decide before Christmas and I wasn't ready to because I wanted to see if Wisconsin had a genuine interest and it turns out they did.

Can you explain to us your style of play and some strengths and maybe a few things you want to work on while your playing for the Gamblers?

CD: Some of my strengths are my puck handling ability, my vision on the ice, my shot, and my mobility on the ice. I try to be a smart player on the ice and I try to help out my team whenever possible. On the downside, I'm a little undersized (weight wise), so that’s a big thing I'm looking forward to work on in Green Bay. Another thing is one on one situations in the D-zone since we run a man to man D-zone. I also need to work a little more on my gap control because at times I respect players too much (especially in the USHL) and I tend to give them more room which is the worst thing a D can do since their job is to take away time and space.

Your ranked #136 on the NHL Central Scouting rankings. When did you first realize that being drafted was a reality and do you have a favorite NHL team that you would like to go to?

CD: I first realized it when I was playing in the Elite League and Dean Grillo came up to me and started talking to me about family advisors and that’s when I knew something could happen this year for me in the draft. My favorite NHL team is Pittsburgh, I love Crosby. But I guess I wouldn't complain at all if any of the other 29 teams decided to draft me!

The Wisconsin high school hockey landscape is changing these days. In the past few seasons we’ve seen guys like Derrick LaPoint (North Dakota), Travis Erstad (Wisconsin), and the guys mentioned above (Costello, Soley, Behrend, and Condon) all commit to colleges while still in high school. Do think that the talent of Wisconsin high school hockey is improving or its just a fluke?

CD: Wisconsin high school hockey has become a legit thing now. More and more talented players are playing in the summer looking to broaden their skills more which I think really helps out you development during the high school season. High school hockey in Wisconsin is becoming a more popular thing as more schools are creating teams, but don't get me wrong I think Minnesota still has the upper hand on us but give Wisconsin high school hockey another couple of years and I think you will not see much difference between skill levels of players.

You’re a QB on the football team (in fact had a 92 yard TD run this season, pretty impressive), and you play baseball along with your hockey duties. Can you explain why you felt it was necessary to play 3 sports in high school and how you handled it along with school and the pressures of being an every day high school kid?

CD: Being from a small town of just 4000 people, and having 781 kids in the high school is why most kids play 2 or 3 sports. We don't have the numbers to specialize in sports like other schools do, but we have great athletes who are diverse in their talents which is a good thing. I guess I just love to compete and win which is why I play 3 sports. I really don't know what I would do with my free time if I wasn't playing sports because all my friends are in sports and there isn't much to do here in Mosinee either. The pressure from playing 3 sports believe it or not isn't all that bad though. Now being a senior I'm used to having the team rally around me and it just has become a natural instinct I guess. The major thing though when playing 3 sports is definitely time management. This is a thing that I have learned to accept since I was a freshmen since you basically gone every day of the week, you really need to know when to sit down and do your homework rather than hanging out with your friends. But the weekends I have a lot of free time so that’s when I get to hang out with my friends and family a lot so its pretty relaxing.


Again we can’t thank Chase enough for sitting down with us today and filling us Badger fans in on what we’re going to be getting in a couple of seasons. We wish you the best of luck this season with Green Bay.

More on Chase Drake

The Wausau Daily Herald had a nice feature on Drake earlier this year.

DPlaya shares his thoughts on HIW:

Defenseman Chase Drake, who played this past season with Team Wisconsin, Mosinee High School, and finally the Green Bay Gamblers, has committed to UW, likely for 2010. Drake was ranked the 136th skater in North America by NHL Central Scouting in their final rankings. I think the Badgers have realized they need to continue to attempt to recruit at least one player a season on defense who is likely to be around for 3-4 years, in order to build some continuity. Getting guys who are drafted in the first few rounds of the NHL Draft is great, but you can't always rely on them to be around more than a season or two. Recruiting one of each type of player per season would probably help the Badger's defense remain more consistent year in and year out.

Our own Chuck Schwartz is brilliant, as he appears to have foreseen Drake's future with the Badgers. Not long ago in his Central Scouting post on our blog, he wrote the following:

One other name of mention is Chase Drake. Drake is a defenseman from Mosinee HS who played 10 games for Green Bay in the USHL after his high school season was over. Drake is an offensive defenseman who is going to need a season or 2 in the USHL to work on his play in the defensive zone. He could be a good 2010 recruit for Wisconsin if we can get him at a discount. Drake is ranked #136.

Chase Drake to don Cardinal and White in 2010

Recruiting is never boring when covering the Badgers as Defenseman and Mosinee native Chase Drake will be joining the Badgers in 2010. Todd had a quick blog post on it and a nice article.

Chase is ranked #136 by NHL Central Scouting so add him to the LONG list of Badgers recruits and a player who could very well be drafted next month.

Chase will play the next two seasons for the Green Bay Gamblers, so I should get to see him play several times, as I will be making an attempt to attend games at the Resch to specifically watch recruits starting next season.

Great choice Chase and look forward to seeing you in Madison in 2010!!!

Edit: Andy Baggot has things to add, and it appears Chase was being pursued by CC, Notre Dame, Princeton and Yale.

Another Edit: Baggot has even more to add. Including this comment, "While playing the next two years for the Gamblers, Drake plans to take science courses at UW-Green Bay that will give him a leg up on his pre-med studies at UW."