UW Recruiting: McGuire on loan to the EJHL

We have a couple of recruiting tidbits for you on this glorious Wednesday afternoon. 2012 forward recruit Corbin McGuire (pictured) who left his high school program at Taft Prep to spend his last two years of high school with Fargo of the USHL has been loaned to the Springfield Pics of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

McGuire was recently on the 45 day IR with a concussion. In an e-mail last night McGuire told me that this is a bit of a tune up. "I'm on loan by Fargo so I can get back into game shape." There is no word on how long he will be in Springfield, but he mentioned it might not be long. "I can be called back to Fargo at any time if need be. "

McGuire had been out since November 12th with the concussion. He played in his first game last night for Springfield but was held off the score sheet. Springfield plays it's next game this afternoon against the Capital District Selects.
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Hesketh traded from Chicago to Sioux City

In another interesting move, 2011 defense recruit Troy Hesketh has been traded from the Chicago Steel to the Sioux City Musketeers. If you're counting at home, that's the second time this year that Hesketh has been traded. Just days before the season opener, Hesketh was traded from Fargo to Chicago.

It's hard to judge how a defenseman is playing just by looking at his statistics. Although through 22 games Hesketh had not recorded a point and was a -12.

Obviously Hesketh is still plenty talented and Sioux City thinks a change of scenery may be the best thing for Troy. According to Hockey In Wisconsin, Sioux City gave up a draft pick to acquire Hesketh.

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Wisconsin Recruiting: Nice Little Friday Night

Quick little story for you. I love it when media relations people e-mail us with information. So needless to say I was excited when Muskegon's Christopher Heimerman sent me a note to alert me of Brendan Woods big night. Except for the fact that it was at 4:40 this morning. When your e-mail is hooked up for your phone, that's not a fun time to wake up. Just giving you a hard time Christopher, keep it coming.

That said, lets get into a quick recap of our committed recruits from last night. I won't get into all of them but some had pretty nice Friday nights.

Brendan Woods-Muskegon (USHL)
I was semi-concerned when Woods didn't do much in the pre-season and then was held off the score sheet in the season opener vs Sioux Falls. Consider my concerns put to rest for now. Woods bounced back with back to back two point games including a two goal effort last night against Sioux City.

Joel Rumpel-Penticton (BCHL)
Rumpel has picked up right where he left off last season and had another solid performance last night. Rumpel was named the third star and stopped 23 of 25 shots in route to a 3-2 OT victory.

Corbin McGuire-Fargo (USHL)
McGuire is making that tough transition from prep hockey to junior hockey and doing so as a high school junior. After limited action in his first two games, as well as a healthy scratch on opening night, McGuire had a nice Friday night notching his first USHL goal and putting 4 shots on goal.

Tyler Lapic-Chicago (USHL)
Lapic's had a pretty mediocre season in the USHL last year and has already been traded twice in his career. He may have found a home in Chicago. Last night the New Prague forward notched a pair of helpers in a 5-2 win. He now has 4 assists in 5 games this season.

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Recruiting Update Part 1: Corbin McGuire

Sunday night I started making a post of recruiting notes that I've been getting together lately. As I was working on this, the post got very, very long so I decided to break it into posts for specific players. I've got 5 updates and I've programed the site to post an update every two hours on the hour.
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I've been getting a lot of questions about 2012 forward recruit Corbin McGuire (pictured) and where he will be playing hockey the next few seasons. He has spent the last two seasons playing prep hockey in New England. This past season he averaged a point per game for Taft Prep and recorded a hat trick in an exhibition game at Fenway Park which was held in conjunction with the NHL's Winter Classic.

I was able to reach Corbin over the holiday weekend and he confirmed to me that he is making the move to the USHL, where the Fargo Force own his rights.

"This was the hardest decision of my life as I will be leaving my best friends and a school that I loved. I have one more week left here and it's going to be hard to say goodbye, but I feel like going to Fargo will be the best for my hockey development."

Fargo drafted McGuire in the second round of the USHL Futures draft, 22nd overall last season. With multiple departures up front for the Force, McGuire is expected to be an immediate contributor offensively.

Like I've mentioned previously on this site, I got to see McGuire at the USA Hockey select 15 festival against the top players in his age group in the country and he did not disappoint. Moving to the USHL for his final two seasons of high school should be a good stepping stone for his development before he steps into the WCHA as an 18 year old freshman.

Recruiting: Badgers Focusing On Chicago Talent

When USA Hockey released the names of the 47 players invited to the NTDP Tryout Camp a little over a week ago, there was one obvious trend. Chicago looks absolutely loaded at the 1994 level (2012 recruits).

Overall 11 players from the state of Illinois have been invited to the tryout which starts Friday and runs through Tuesday. 9 of those players are currently playing midget hockey in Chicago including 6 from the Chicago Mission program alone (2 from CYA, 1 from Fury).

With the proximity of the Wisconsin campus, the lack of a Division 1 program in the state of Illinois, and the tradition and prestige of the Wisconsin hockey, it's only natural for many of these players to have a strong interest in the Badger program. Looking through Rivals new site, CollegeHockey247.com, it becomes very apparent that Eaves and company are taking a good hard look at the boys from the windy City.

The first player is an interesting prospect. Alex Galchenyuk (pictured) from the Chicago Young Americans program was born in the states but his family is from Russia. Besides living in the states, he's also spent time living in Russia and Italy. He's an absolute stud but is a serious flight risk to the OHL. Galchenyuk absolutely obliterated the Tier 1 U-16 league in scoring this season. He recorded 87 points in 38 games, 33 points more than the second place finisher.

Galchenyuk, a 6'1, 184 pound forward has heard from Yale and Wisconsin and has been invited to the NTDP camp next weekend, but he's still undecided on his next team. I've seen projections that have Galchenyuk as high as a top 5 pick in the upcoming OHL draft. His coach mentions in the article linked above that it's going to depend on how high and what team drafts him. In the end this is a kid who is probably going to end up hearing "Oh Canada" before the start of his games next season.

The Chicago Mission program, which I mentioned earlier got 6 invites to the USA tryout, houses two potential Badger recruits at the U-16 level. Forward Ray Pigozzi, and defenseman Justin Wade.

Pigozzi is a smaller forward, but a very dynamic forward. He's listed at 5'11, 165 but has two and a half years before he would ever even step onto a college campus. In the CollegeHockey247.com article that I linked above, his coach talks about how strong his lower body is and how skilled he is with the puck. Pigozzi has already visited the campus according to CollegeHockey247.com during the football season. From the sounds of the article, Pigozzi loved everything about his visit. He is also currently considering New Hampshire, Michigan, and Minnesota-Duluth. I've seen projections as high as the second round in the upcoming OHL Priority Selection for Pigozzi. I think in the end Pigozzi ends up in college.

Chris from Western College Hockey has had some nice things to say about Pigozzi. He saw him this fall at the NAHL Showcase and said this, "Really impressive. Great offensive instincts, and isn't the biggest guy, but isn't afraid to throw his weight around."

Justin Wade is a shutdown defender in the Johnny Ramage mold. He's also not short on confidence, which I love in a player. In the article listed above his coach also talks about his high hockey IQ. Wade is already listed at 6'2, 197 pounds as a 15 year old. CollegeHockey247 says that he may be a high pick in the upcoming OHL Priority Selection, but from every indication, it sounds like he's committed to the college game. According to the article he's been getting a ton of interest but at this time he only lists Wisconsin as a possible destination.

I also wanted to remind you that 2012 committed forward recruit Nick Kerdiles who I interviewed after he committed in February will also be at the tryout camp. If you remember from the interview, he has already been offered and has accepted a spot in Ann Arbor with the USA NTDP U17's for next season. With Kerdiles, Corbin McGuire, and Jordan Schmaltz already lined up for 2012, adding 1 or 2 of the guys listed above would make this an absolutely sick class.

Recruit Corbin McGuire Nets Hat Trick At Fenway

As you are all probably aware, the NHL is continuing the tradition of having a New Years day hockey game on an outdoor sheet of ice. This season it is being held in Boston at legendary Fenway Park.

2012 Wisconsin recruit Corbin McGuire got a chance to be part of the festivities this week when his Taft Prep high school hockey team played a game against Avon Old Farms on Monday at Fenway.

It was a very special day for the boys from Taft Prep according to the schools website, "Highlights for Taft were the first puck drop by Cam Neely, Boston Bruins legend, and a hat trick of three goals scored by Taft sophomore forward, Corbin McGuire." Perhaps the biggest highlight for McGuire was being featured on ESPN's hit show "SportsCenter" on Monday night.

I've been an absolute HUGE fan of McGuire ever since I got to see him skate at the USA Hockey Select 15 festival two summers ago. I wrote about his initial commitment back in April. I got to talk with Corbin and ask him a few questions about his commitment a few days later. In May he was drafted 22nd overall in the USHL futures draft by Fargo.

This kid is going to be an absolute stud when he makes it to Wisconsin in 2012. I like the way things are shaping up for the Badgers down the road. I'll go in depth in a later post but McGuire and Schmaltz are looking like two solid pickups at this point.

Photo from Taft Preps website

USHL Futures Draft

The USHL futures draft is going on right now. You can find the live draft results here.

From the USHL site explaining the futures draft:

The USHL Futures Draft consists of five rounds and allows each of the 13 member clubs to draft players who were born in 1993. These 65 players will then be placed on the affiliate list of their respective clubs for the 2009-10 season. USHL teams retain the rights to players selected in the Futures Draft for three years and can add these players to the active roster at any time during the season.

Wisconsin commit Jordan Schmaltz (Pictured) from Verona, WI was just drafted #6 overall in the first round by the Sioux City Musketeers. Schmaltz, who was mysteriously left off the 40 man NTDP tryouts, was recently selected by the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL draft. Don't let that fool you though, Schmaltz is still expected to stay true to his commitment to Wisconsin. I would expect him to play a season of Midget Major hockey and then his senior season with Sioux City. By then, he should be ready to step onto the Madison campus and be ready to contribute to the Badgers as an 18 year old freshman.



Wisconsin potential recruit Alex Racino from Merrill, WI was just drafted #8 overall in the first round by the defending Clark Cup Champion Indiana Ice. Racino, like Schmaltz, was recently selected to represent the Central District at this summers USA Hockey Select 16 festival in Rochester, NY. Racino is a forward and was a key member of the Team Wisconsin Minor Program. Racino finished third in the Elite II Hockey league in scoring in the fall of 2008 with 23 points. He was only 1 point behind the leader Jacob Ladouceur from North Dakota.


Another future Badger goes off the board in the second round. The most recent commitment for the Badgers, Taft Prep forward Corbin McGuire was selected by the Fargo Force with the 22nd Overall selection. McGuire, a smallish, crafty forward was a force last summer at the USA Hockey Select 15 festival in St. Cloud. I would expect nothing short of that performance again this summer at Select 16's in Rochester. McGuire, like Schmaltz is committed for 2012. McGuire is committed to his education and there aren't many prep schools in the nation better than Taft. Right now I'd say it's a toss up to as if he finishes his senior season at Taft or goes to Fargo.


The Clark Cup Champion Indiana Ice continue to raid the Wisconsin high school ranks. In the third round they have selected Verona defenseman Joey Fiala. He was a lock down defender for Verona high school this winter leading them to the WIAA State Tournament. Fiala, like Schmaltz was recently selected in the OHL draft. Fiala, who was the only Wisconsin high school player selected, was taken by the Saginaw Spirit in the 14th round. He's a big kid, 6'2, 185 lbs and moves fairly well. He was a key member of TW Minors as they made it to the national tournament. He's definitely a kid to keep an eye on in the next few years.

Eau Claire Memorial Defenseman Jake McCabe has been selected by the Sioux Falls Stampede. The Stampede took McCabe with the 7th pick in the 4th round, #46 overall. McCabe, who is at this time the superior defensman over Fiala, most likely dropped in the draft due to his size (5'10, 165). In the end, I think McCabe will be the better prospect. His brother Andrew will be an incoming freshman forward for Nebraska-Omaha. McCabe, who was a freshman this past season for Memorial, had 22 points in 23 games for the Old Abes.

Wake Up With Your Latest Recruit Corbin McGuire

Last week, we alerted you (via USHR) to the fact that the Badgers landed a top flight forward when Taft Prep forward Corbin McGuire gave Mike Eaves his verbal commitment.

McGuire, who is a freshman at Taft, is one of the top recruits not only on the East Coast, but in the entire nation. He was the second leading scorer at last summers Select 15 festival in St. Cloud and recently competed at the National Team Development Tryouts in Ann Arbor Michigan.

60 Minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets. was lucky enough to talk with Corbin over the weekend. Very mature kid for his age. Any ways, without further ado, 5 burning questions with your newest Badger commit:

5. Chuck Schwartz-You got to participate in the summer Select 15 festival and more recently the NTDP tryouts. What is the experience like playing against the best players in the nation at your age level and how do you feel you stack up?

Corbin McGuire-The experience I had at both those events was really awesome. It gave me chance to meet all the elite players of my age group and get instruction from the some of the best coaches is the country. Also, I got a chance to see the facilities both St. Cloud State use and what the NTDP gets to use. I also got a chance to play in front of coaches that might not be able to see me play during the season at Taft, such as Wisconsin.I felt that I stacked up pretty well at both events with the best '93 players in the country. I did the things on the ice that I knew I wanted to do going in and I conducted myself in the way I wanted to off the ice.

4. Schwartz-If given an invitation to the NTDP, would you accept, and if you don't accept/should you not get invited, where do you see yourself playing the next 3 years before you become a Badger.

McGuire: I still have no idea if I even made the NTDP, so I still don't know if I would accept of not. As of now there is no choice to be made. And as of today I will be walking down the steps at graduation here at Taft School in May of 2012.

3. Schwartz-The recent trend has been that players have been committing to school earlier and earlier now days. Your the second player that Wisconsin has committed for the 2012 class (Jordan Schmaltz being the other). Did you feel pressure to commit so early because other players are doing so?

McGuire: I did not feel pressure at all to commit early. When I called Coach Eaves and he asked if I would want to be a Badger starting in 2012, how can you turn that down? It's always been a goal of mine. And why wait for something that has been offered to me that I have wanted for my whole life.

2. Schwartz-Players with your talent level always feel the pressure from the Canadian junior leagues. With you being at minimum 3 seasons away from being a Badger, what are the chances that you can be lured away by the guys across the northern border?

McGuire: Zero chance. Education is really important to all the people in my family, that is why I am at Taft. I am for sure never even thinking about playing in the QMJHL.

1. Schwartz-Your parents grew up in Wisconsin, but other than that, what ultimately led you into your commitment to the Wisconsin Badgers and what other schools were you considering?

McGuire: I always wanted to play for Wisconsin, ever since I was little and just started playing. Every kid growing up and wanting to play college hockey would be thankful to get to a chance to play for the Badgers, and when I was given the chance to commit, I took it. I was getting looked at by ECAC schools and Hockey East schools but never had the time to do any visits, and I knew Wisconsin is where I really wanted to be.

Badgers Land BIG TIME Forward Corbin McGuire

According to the United States Hockey Report (Pay Site), and courtesy of the USCHO.com poster NCAA Watcher, the Wisconsin Badgers have picked up a huge commitment in Taft Prep forward Corbin McGuire.

McGuire, who is a freshman on the Taft squad, was at the USA National Team Development Tryouts last weekend in Ann Arbor, MI. I have yet to hear any rumors from the tryouts, but from what I saw this summer, McGuire has a great shot at getting an invitation.

At select 15's in St. Cloud, MN this summer, McGuire really held his own and was definitely a player that caught my eye. In fact, while I was there, I had him unofficially ranked as my #2 forward at camp behind Minnesota super recruit Seth Ambroz. In fact, McGuire was second in points in the tournament with 8 points in 6 games while at camp (Ambroz was first).

Being a freshman, the earliest that McGuire could come to Wisconsin would be for the fall of 2012 at this point. Of course there is always the option of accelerating his schooling. McGuire is a smallish forward but has boat loads of talent. I love this pickup for the Badgers.