Monday Morning Link Roundup

-Many of you are already familiar with former Badger and current Chicago Blackhawks forward Jake Dowell's family history. His father John, and brother Lucas both suffer from Huntington’s disease, which results from genetically programmed degeneration of brain cells in certain areas of the brain. Eventually walking, and intellectual ability decline until it eventually costs you your life.

Ken Campbell from The Hockey News sat down with Jake and they did a phenomenal two part interview. Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here.

Dowell talks about how the disease has affected his father and their relationship. He also talks about the prospects being tested for the disease himself where he has a 50/50 chance. Make sure you check it out.

-Future Badgers Jake McCabe and Nic Kerdiles from the United States U18 team who are playing in the World Championships won an intense 4-3 game over Russia on Sunday afternoon. The United States scored the game winner with only :23 seconds remaining to snatch the victory. Chris Peters from the United States of Hockey who is over covering the tournament in Germany has a full recap.

-Speaking of internationally play, the United States is participating in the Women's World Championships. Former Badgers Jessie Vetter, Meghan Duggan, and Molly Engstrom are all on this years squad along with current Badgers Hilary Knight and Brianna Decker. USA won game 1 5-0 over Slovakia. The Badgers represented well Sunday, Knight had a goal and an assist, Duggan had a goal, Engstrom had an assist, and Decker had 2 goals and 1 assist and was named the player of the game.

-Famed goalie coach David Marcoux said that North Dakota goalie Aaron Dell has been offered a two year contract by the Montreal Canadiens. UND is also expected to lose Brett Hextall and possibly Ben Blood and Jason Gregoire. If all four go, UND could be in trouble next season. They better hope Grimaldi is the real deal. UPDATE: Dell has tweeted that he plans to return to UND next season.

-Andy Baggot has a fantastic article up with former Wisconsin goalie Kirk Daubenspeck who was critically injured in a car crash. Daubenspeck sounds like he's doing phenomenal and is appreciative of the outpouring of support. Dauber even mentioned that he could possibly be driving in the next month. That's amazing.

-Baggot also spoke with UW centerman Craig Smith who was recently tabbed by USA hockey for the Mens World Championships, a rare honor for a college player. The biggest info in the article is Smith reiterating plans to return to Wisconsin for his junior season. As a Sophomore Smith was second on the Badgers in points and led the team in goals.

-Wisconsin assistant Gary Shuchuk joined twitter has been tweeting recruiting updates. In the past few weeks he's been in Connecticut for the Tier 1 USA Hockey U18 and U16 Nationals, and recently across the Northern border recruiting in British Columbia.

-The NHL Playoff action has been excellent so far. Many former Badgers have been putting points on the board so far. Monday night you can catch former Badgers Kyle Turris of Phoenix taking on Brian Rafalski and Detroit at 9:30 on Versus. The Coyotes are down 2-0 in the series. Turris has a goal in the series and Rafalski has 2.

-The Wisconsin high school seniors finished 1-2 at the Minnesota NIT over the weekend which was a bit of a disappointment after winning it last season. Ryan Dau (Hudson) led TW in scoring and tied for the tournament lead with 6 points in 3 games. He's visited Princeton and Holy Cross. Wisconsin recruit Brad Navin had 5 points (4 goals). UW forward Jefferson Dahl's brother Alex also had 5 points for Team Wisconsin. Potential UW recruit Eddie Wittchow from Burnsville who played for the Minnesota senior all-stars did not record a point on the weekend.

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Skille, Smith, Gardiner to represent USA at IIHF Men's World Championships

The United States squad that will compete in the 2011 IIHF Men's World Championships April 29 - May 15, in Kosice and Bratislava, Slovakia will have a major Wisconsin presence as two former Badgers (Jack Skille, Jake Gardiner) and one current member (Craig Smith) have been named to the roster.

Florida Panthers forward Jack Skille was named to the roster earlier in the week. The Madison native is no stranger to international competitions as he won a bronze medal with the United States World Junior team in 2007 and a gold medal with the USA U18 squad at the World Championships in 2005. A product of Verona high school and the United States National Team Development Program, Skille recorded 19 points in 62 games between the Chicago Blackhawks and after a mid-season trade, the Florida Panthers.

Looking for another puck moving defenseman that can skate, the United States added Toronto Marlies defenseman Jake Gardiner to the roster today. Gardiner recently finished up his junior season with the Wisconsin Badgers before signing a pro contract with Toronto. The Minnetonka, Minnesota native recorded 41 points in 41 games for the Badgers during his junior season and was named a second team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Gardiner won a gold medal for the United States during the 2010 World Junior Championships.

In somewhat of an eyebrow raising move, the team USA brass has also added current Wisconsin forward Craig Smith to the roster. The Madison native paced all Badger forwards in scoring this season with 43 points in 41 games including a team leading 19 goals. The Madison La Follette product is only one of two players not currently playing pro hockey to be named to the roster. Boston College forward Chris Kreider is the other. Smith represented his country in the World Junior A challenge in 2007 and 2008, winning a gold medal with the 08 squad when was named to the all tournament team.

Skille, Gardiner, and Smith will begin play on Saturday, April 30th when they kick off the tournament against Austria at 9:15 AM CST. The United States will also play Norway and Sweden in first round action.

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Schultz 100% Coming Back, Smith Likely As Well

That didn't take long.

While much of the fan base is (rightfully) still depressed about the Wisconsin men's hockey team's season coming to an end at the hands of Colorado College last night, that is sure to change.

Andy Baggot from the Wisconsin Sate Journal is reporting that Sophomore defenseman and leading scorer from this seasons squad is 100% returning to school. According to the report Schultz, who is a second round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks met with the Ducks assistant GM Dave McNab over the weekend and informed him of his decision.

This shows very good maturity on the part of Schultz who undoubtedly would have been offered close to a max rookie contract with the Ducks. I believe Schultz realizes while ultra talented offensively, he's still got work to do to improve himself defensively before he's ready for the NHL. Personally I've always felt that if you're going to leave school early it should be for the NHL, not to play a season in the AHL.

Next seasons blueline should look pretty solid. While it's all but a foregone conclusion that Gardiner will sign, the Badgers will return 5 players that saw pretty significant action this season with Schultz, Simonelli, Springer, Faust, and Ramage. The Badgers will add NTDP defenseman Jake McCabe to the mix as Benilde-St. Margarates D-man Patrick Daly. Chase Drake who is being red-shirted this season is also expected to compete for ice time next season.

Update: I'm not sure foregone conclusion would be the right term for Gardiner leaving. I know he really enjoys it in Madison and it would not shock me if he did stay. I guess the way last offseason played out makes me a little gun why when it comes to departures so you naturally assume a player of his caliber will sign. If indeed he stays, Wisconsin instantly becomes one of those hand full of teams in discussion for the Frozen Four next season. Let's not push him out just yet.

Baggot also spoke with Sophomore forward Craig Smith, the second leading scorer on the Badgers this season. While Smith didn't give Baggot any promises, it sounds as if he's a heavy lean to come back.

Smith was the most dynamic forward for the Badgers this season and should have been named to the end of the season All-Conference team. A fourth round draft pick of the Nashville Predators, Smith is following in the path of 2010 Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion. While maybe not expected to be a four year player, Smith can see the success Geoffrion had coming back to school and how it developed him as an all around player.

The biggest question mark left is Junior Jordy Murray. Last off season Murray weighed his options on going to Europe to play pro hockey but ultimately decided to return to school. At this point as a junior, close to finishing his degree, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to make the move to Europe and waste your final free year of school when you can go over in a year any way.

If Murray returns, along with Smith most likely returning, and Zengerle, Barnes, Mersch and Derek Lee, Wisconsin has a fairly potent top 6 next season. Add in some of the freshmen, increased roles for guys like Jason Clark, and Jefferson Dahl and I'm already getting excited for the puck to drop next fall.

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Craig Smith named WCHA Offensive POTW

Red Baron® WCHA
Offensive Player of the Week

Craig Smith - Sophomore, Forward
University of Wisconsin

Press Release from WCHA.com

University of Wisconsin center iceman Craig Smith, who led all league players with three goals and six points while helping the host Badgers to a two-game sweep over Canisius last weekend, has been named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Jan. 11, 2011.

A 6-0, 196-pound sophomore from Madison, Wis., Smith posted six points, six shots on goal and was a +3 in the two wins vs Canisius, including a team season-high four points in last Saturday's (Jan. 8) 6-5 (ot) victory. In the series opener Friday (Jan. 7), Smith scored UW's second goal in a 3-0 victory at 9:43 of the third period. He then assisted on UW's final goal late in the third to seal the victory and finished with two shots and a +2 rating. Last Saturday, Smith tallied two goals and added two assists for four points to pace the Badgers to their seventh straight win. He scored his 12th of the season in highlight-reel fashion, stick-handling down the slot around three Canisius players to put UW up 3-0 just shy of the midpoint of the second. Then with his team trailing 5-4 with less than 4:00 remaining in the third, Smith scored to tie the game at 16:26 to force overtime and then assisted on the game-winner in the extra session.

A draftee of the NHL's Nashville Predators, Smith's six-point weekend elevated him into the Wisconsin scoring lead with 31 points. His 13 goals are tied for the team lead.

Also nominated this week: Matt Read, F, BSU; Corban Knight, F, UND; Drew LeBlanc, F, SCSU

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What I Want To See This Weekend

Since some of us weren't able to make it to St. Louis last weekend to see our Badgers' first games of the year (jealously looking at you, 60min...), this weekend will be the first time we're seeing the guys in game action. And in my case, one of only a handful of series I'll be able to attend. That said, there are a few things I want to see this team show me this weekend against a team from a place that won't get natural ice all winter.

1. I want a freshman to blow me away
Four years ago, I traveled to Green Bay to see the Badgers and Northern Michigan play a series at the Resch Center. One young, small kid amazed me with his speed and ability, scoring two goals in his debut. He'd go on to have some issues in practice before developing into an excellent offensive playmaker, topping 50 points in his senior year. That's right, of all the freshman in the 2006-07 class, Michael Davies impressed me the most in his first set of games. I want to see someone amaze me again this weekend.

2. I want to see leadership on the ice
During Adam Burish's two-year term as captain, there was no question who the emotional leader of the Badgers was, and it showed on the ice. The same can be said for Blake Geoffrion last year. In the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons, however, it was not as obvious to me. That's not to say that Andrew Joudrey or Davis Drewiske weren't good captains; I'm sure they were. They just didn't seem to me to have the swagger that those young teams needed from their leaders. I want to see Sean Dolan and Jake Gardiner exuding confidence on the ice and stepping up big in the toughest spots.

3. I want to see scoring from everyone and everywhere
I think a key to this team is getting points from every line and defensive pair. We'll need power-play blasts from Justin Schultz and Jake Gardiner at the blue line; we'll need garbage goals from Dolan, Ryan Little, and company; we'll need great playmaking from Craig Smith and Ginger Jordy Murray; and we'll need some of the young defensemen to lend a hand on the offensive end. Last week the scoring was spread out widely, with 12 different players on the scoresheet - this Badger team should have success if that continues.

4. I want to see two wins
This goes without saying. I'll be bummed if we end up with less than 4 points anything other than a sweep.

And I'll leave you with one more:
5. I want to meet a lot of fellow Badger fans at 60's tailgate
That one's pretty self-explanatory as well. Hope to see you all there!

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Chucks All-WCHA Teams

Ok, so I don't get an official vote...yet, but here is how I would have voted if the WCHA would let me. I can honestly say that I took this seriously and showed no bias towards Wisconsin or against it's rivals. Keep in mind that this is not a prediction of what will be announced, but this is how I would have voted.

First Team All-WCHA

F-Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin)-Senior
F-Rhett Rakhshani (Denver)-Senior
F-Justin Fontaine (Minnesota-Duluth)-Junior
D-Brendan Smith (Wisconsin)-Junior
D-Patrick Wiercoich (Denver)-Sophomore
G-Marc Cheverie (Denver)-Junior

Second Team All-WCHA

F-Michael Davies (Wisconsin)-Senior
F-Jack Connolly (Minnesota-Duluth)-Sophomore
F-Ryan Lasch (St. Cloud State)-Senior
D-Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin)-Junior
D-Nate Prosser (Colorado College)-Senior
G-Brad Eidsness (North Dakota)-Sophomore

Third Team All-WCHA

F-Mike Connolly (Minnesota-Duluth)-Sophomore
F-Kevin Clark (Alaska Anchorage)-Senior
F-Garrett Roe (St. Cloud State)-Junior
D-Kurt Davis (Minnesota State)-Junior
D-Garrett Raboin (St. Cloud State)-Senior
G-Alex Kangas (Minnesota)-Junior

WCHA All-Freshman Team

F-Craig Smith (Wisconsin)
F-Danny Kristo (North Dakota)
F-Rylan Schwartz (Colorado College)
D-Matt Donovan (Denver)
D-Nick Leddy (Minnesota)
G-Mike Lee (St. Cloud State)

Awards

WCHA Player of the Year: Marc Cheverie, Goalie (Denver)
WCHA Rookie of the Year: Craig Smith, Forward (Wisconsin)
WCHA Defenseman of the Year: Brendan Smith, Defense (Wisconsin)

Wisconsin 3 - Minnesota (Sucks) 2

Box Score

Quite the sloppy game at the Target Center tonight, but UW comes away with the victory. The Badgers had a lot of help from a two-goal performance by Craig Smith- who is doing his best to strengthen his case for the WCHA Freshman of the Year award.

I felt like it was a game with a lot of good and a lot of bad- like I said, this was a sloppy game. There were a lot of really bad, undisciplined penalties by both teams. The gophers took a lot of bad penalties in the first, and UW certainly returned the favor in the second. But, there was also a lot of good intensity and when the Badgers were passing well, they looked pretty darn good.

The rodents took the lead with a shortie off of a very poor turnover by Justin Schultz at the blueline. However, Schultz acquitted himself with a nicely excecuted power play, setting himself up at Wangas' weak side and getting an excellent pass from Michael Davies. In between these two goals, Craig Smith had tied the game with a very nice transition goal on the power play. Ben Street took an errant gopher shot that wound up back in the neutral zone, and dished it on up to Jordy Murray, who had Smith on Wangas' left side on an odd man rush.

Some controversy, as the rodents were on the disappointing end of three close calls/goal reviews. The first was a no-brainer: Goody got his stick back after a Jacob "I guess I should've transferred to UW" Cepis breakaway shot hit the crossbar and his leg. The second was tricky. Towards the end of a 5x3 power play, the gophers Mike Hoeffel thought he had banged a rebound past Goody, but he was determined to be in the crease. The differences between the college and NHL rules for crease violations aren't known by everyone- so I do understand the whining that is due to come from rodentsota- but the facts are the facts: the rules dicate that it was a crease violation, thus no goal. Unless the refs just had the rule wrong. But that's crazy talk. I mean, it's not like a WCHA ref would ever screw up a replay. Right?

The third was a close call, after tying the game off of the faceoff in the third, the goofs thought they had a goal, but the net had clearly come off its moorings beforehand, much to Don Lucia's chagrin. Frankly, all three of these "controveries" are pretty open and shut if you ask me, so the outcry ought to be pretty small.

UW broke the tie late in the game with Craig Smith's second goal. Captain Kickass gave a nice feed from the boards to Smith, who sat uncontested just behind the hash marks. Smith had plenty of time to settle the puck and fired a twisted wrister past Kangas for the GWG.

UW Nominates Smith Over Geoffrion For WCHA MVP

Well, I guess you could say I'm a bit surprised, but I learned tonight that Wisconsin has nominated Brendan Smith over Blake Geoffrion for the WCHA Player of the Year.

First of all, I'm surprised at the stupidity of the voting process. Why on earth would you have to nominate a player, and at that, only one player. I think it's fair to say that Wisconsin, as well as a couple of other schools like Duluth and Denver, have more than one candidate worthy of consideration.

In my opinion, the voters should simply write in their selection and not have to chose from a list. Granted, there is a write in possibility for the MVP, but if your own team didn't nominate you, do you honestly think the voters are going to? I doubt it.

Through twitter tonight I had communication with a few of the voters of the award. Brad Elliott Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald said that his vote came down to Geoffrion and Denver goaltender Marc Cheverie. In the end he chose Cheverie. Bruce Ciske, Minnesota-Duluth radio announcer said that he would have to seriously consider Geoffrion if he was on the ballot. That alone proves that teams only being able to nominate one person is a joke.

For reference, each team gets 1 head coach, 2 asst coaches, 2 captains, 2 media and 1 SID to vote for all WCHA teams.

I honestly would be shocked if Blake does not get at least some write in votes for player of the year. But him not being on the ballot has absolutely killed his chances of winning the award.

I don't think that Brendan is a terrible choice, in fact I think he would be a good choice, I just think that Blake would have had a better chance at winning the award. Geoffrion is the captain and emotional leader of the Badgers, he's our first line centerman, plays on our top power play, plays on the penalty kill, and he's the WCHA's leading scorer.

Here are the official candidates for the WCHA Player of the Year:

Marc Cheverie (G)-Denver
Brendan Smith (D)-Wisconsin
Bill Sweatt (F)-Colorado College
Jack Connolly (F)-Minnesota-Duluth
Ryan Lasch (F)-St. Cloud State
Chris VandeVelde (F)-North Dakota

Here are the official candidates for the WCHA Rookie of the Year:

Nick Leddy (D)-Minnesota
Craig Smith (F)-Wisconsin
Matt Donovan (D)-Denver
Steven Seigo (D)-Michigan Tech
Dylan Olsen (D)-Minnesota-Duluth
Danny Kristo (F)-North Dakota
Rylan Schwartz (F)-Colorado College

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Hockeys Future NCAA Prospects Update

Hockey's Future is doing a series of updates on NHL teams college hockey prospects. Hockey's Future is one of the best resources on the net for following NHL prospects. We're still waiting on the profiles for five other players. When they become available we'll post them as well.

Cody Goloubef:

Chris Roberts has recently profiled the Columbus Blue Jackets who own the rights of Badgers Junior defenseman Cody Goloubef.

"Known primarily as a quiet defenseman possessing a sound defensive game in his first two seasons of collegiate hockey, Goloubef has been involving himself on the offensive side of the ice more frequently this season. He recorded a career high of 13 points in 36 games last season, and in just 22 games this season he’s almost matched that total with 12 points. His ability to move the puck up the ice and jump in on the rush has improved, and he already has a career high in assists with nine.

Goloubef is seeing top minutes on defense on a team that boasts a trio of first round picks on the blue line in Brendan Smith (DET), Ryan McDonagh (NYR) and Jake Gardiner (ANA). Add in John Ramage, an important piece to the United States’ blue line at the WJC, and Goloubef has been an important part of one of the top defense corps in the nation. He is currently tied for the team lead with a +16 rating as his defensive game continues to flourish as well."

Jake Gardiner:

Kyle Kujawa has recently profiled the Anaheim Ducks who own the rights of Badgers Sophomore defenseman Jake Gardiner and freshman defenseman Justin Schultz.

"After a promising rookie season, Gardiner’s game has taken a step back this season. He’s produced only three points in 20 games on the season after 21 as a freshman. A big part of the lack of production has to do with Gardiner being slotted into more of a defensive role. Brendan Smith (DET) receives most of the power-play minutes, so Gardiner is focused more on the defensive end of the ice.

The smooth-skating defenseman will likely step into that role if Smith turns professional after the season, as expected. From a development standpoint, it’s a move that could pay off for Gardiner, as he converted to defense from forward while in high school.

Gardiner won gold at the World Junior Championship with the United States. Gardiner started the tournament as one of the three defensemen rotated in and out of the last pairing, but gradually earned more ice time as the tournament progressed. His +9 rating was tied for the best on the team. He also added three assists in seven games."

Justin Schultz:

"One of the more pleasant surprises in the system is the play of the Schultz. Playing on a Wisconsin defense that is one of the deepest in the country, Schultz has been able to step in as a freshman and make a contribution. He’s put up nine points in 22 games so far, even logging some power-play minutes.

Schultz is a superb skater who excels at moving the puck. So far his defensive play has been acceptable. He still needs to put on considerable weight until he turns pro, as he’s still listed at 185, though he doesn’t look it. The former second-round pick has a lot of time to work on that though, and he’s in a system that has produced a few very good offensive defensemen in recent years."

Brett Bennett:

Andrew Sykes has recently profiled the Phoenix Coyotes who own the rights of Badgers Junior goaltender Brett Bennett.

"Bennett, a fifth-round pick in 2006, has gotten off to a nice start with the Wisconsin Badgers. After starting his college career at Boston University, Bennett decided to leave the school and play a year in the USHL before returning to the collegiate level. That decision has turned out to be a good one as Bennett has been solid in goal for the fourth-ranked Badgers. The 21-year-old has appeared in nine games, posting a 6-3 record with a solid 2.12 goals against average and a save percentage of .904. Bennett has split the goaltending duties with fellow junior Scott Gudmandson and that formula has worked well all season, and has the Badgers very much in the mix for the national title."

Blake Geoffrion:

Connor Jennings has recently profiled the Nashville Predators who own the rights of Badgers Senior forward Blake Geoffrion and Freshman forward Craig Smith.

"Geoffrion is a tri-captain at the University of Wisconsin. The 21-year-old is a strong two-way winger with professional physical attributes.

The senior has progressed in the goal column every year at Wisconsin, and has continued that trend this season. Geoffrion leads the team with 15 goals, and has 21 points in 21 games, which is good for fourth on the team. He has also shown great ability on the power play, with nine of his goals coming when up a man. Geoffrion projects as a second or third-line forward."

Craig Smith:

"Smith has been having a solid season as a freshman for the Badgers. He has not shown much of a scoring touch, but has flashed significant playmaking ability in his short time with Wisconsin.

The fourth-round pick has 3 goals and 14 assists in 20 games. Smith is fifth on the team in scoring, only four points behind Geoffrion. The 20-year-old has a long time to develop, but could be a potential top-six forward in the NHL."

A clarification of Smith's suspension

Andy Baggot has kindly clarified who had handed down the additional game suspension for Craig Smith. Looks like the UW was proactive in handing down the punishment themselves, and Baggot indicates that if the UW hadn't given the additional punishment, the WCHA would likely have done so.

A few Wednesday evening links

• It doesn't matter who handed down the extra game suspension to Craig Smith; it's appropriate. But I think it's interesting, as pointed out by reader Todd, that Baggot indicates the WCHA handed down the additional punishment whereas the WCHA says that the UW handed it down. The UW press release concurs with the WCHA release, but I'm sure there's a lot of politics going on here. Especially given what DPlaya heard about the WCHA looking for a longer suspension.

  But Eaves said he was notified by the WCHA that Smith has had another game added to that punishment. Eaves didn't disagree with the action because Smith didn't appear to slow down when he crosschecked Mankato left winger Geoff Irwin into the boards in the third period of a 3-2 loss. [Baggot's Tuesday blog post]
  
  Meanwhile, UW coach Mike Eaves was notified by the office of WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod that freshman right winger Craig Smith would have to miss both games against New Hampshire for the major penalty he was assessed Oct. 24 at Minnesota State-Mankato. [Baggot's Wednesday WSJ article]
  
  The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department has decided to have Smith sit out an extra game to reinforce the learning experience for the local area product. [UW press release]
  
  "The WCHA fully concurs with the additional one-game suspension handed down today by the University of Wisconsin," said WCHA Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod. "We appreciate the University's initiative on this matter and their pro-active approach in creating a learning experience out of a difficult circumstance." [WCHA press release]
  
  10/28-1:30 PM Edit-From what I'm being told it sounds like the WCHA may have been looking for a 4-6 game suspension, so the Badgers and Craig Smith are lucky that he will instead serve a 2-game penalty. [DPlaya, HIW]

• Uwbadgers has a mid-week release regarding the Badger Women's upcoming home series v. minnesota, and it includes a video with Jasmine Giles and Brooke Ammerman.

• INCH's First Shift entry for this week is somewhat WCHA-centric, and it's hard to silently pass by this mention of the minnesota golden gophers:
  

  “They outworked us at times but I think we deserved at least one this weekend.”—Minnesota captain Tony Lucia, to Roman Augustovitz of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune following Denver’s second shutout of the weekend at Mariucci Arena Saturday.

  When Lucia the younger says “one”, is he referring to a win or a goal?

• Chris on WCH mentions Blake Geoffrion as one of his favorite WCHA players to watch and picks him as his dark horse candidate for the WCHA's best player:

  Blake Geoffrion, Wisconsin: Kind of a dark horse pick, but one of my favorite players in the WCHA to watch. He'll probably only score in the point per game range, which won't put him among the leaders, but he's as tough a player as there is in the league.

• Friday is Kids Day at the Kohl. The event starts at 11AM and precedes the Badger Women's 2PM game v. minnesota. Looks like the event is free and includes free admission to the game. Nice!

• The UW has issued a reminder about Camp Randall / Kohl Center policies regarding carry-ins.
  

Smith suspended for an additional game, Lee cleared to play, & other news

• In addition to sitting out this Friday's game v. UNH due to his game disqualification associated with his check-from-behind on Mankato's Geoff Irwin last Saturday, Craig Smith will also be sitting out this Saturday's game, as the WCHA handed down an additional game suspension yesterday. Andy Baggot writes about it in his blog and the WSJ, and here's the uwbadgers release. Shane Frederick reports that Irwin will miss both games at Denver this weekend due to an upper body injury.

• Derek Lee has finally received clearance to play by the NCAA. Baggot writes about it in the same blog post and WSJ article linked above, and here's the uwbadgers release.

• Mike Eaves and Tracey DeKeyser addressed the media Monday in their weekly press conferences.

• Andy Baggot has 5 good minutes with Brett Bennett.

• Olivia Jakiel returned to her blog this week.

• Tom Hager of the Badger Herald has a nice article about Lauren Unser, as well as an article about the Badger Women's early struggles and goaltending battle.

• The Badger Herald finally has a recap of the Badger Men's games last weekend.

• As expected, with the the Hawks off until Thursday, Jake Dowell was sent back to Rockford yesterday. The Icehogs play tonight @ the Chicago Wolves.
  

09/10 Men's Preview: #15 Craig Smith

Vitals:

Position: Forward
Year in School: Freshman
Shoots Right
Height: 6-0
Weight: 195
Hometown: Madison, WI
Major: unknown
Previous Team: Waterloo (USHL) last season

NHL Considerations: Drafted in the 4th round by Nashville this past summer.

08/09 Stats: 54 games, 28-48-76, +32, 108 PIM
07/08 Stats: 58 games, 13-10-23, -3, 90 PIM

09/10 Role: 3rd line (hopefully w/ Murray and Stepan) and special teams

08/09 Recap: I think its safe to say Craig had a breakout year in his final USHL campaign. He was 2nd in the league in scoring and assists, and 4th in +/-. He was a 1st team All-USHL selection, joining teammate Brett Bennett. During the middle of the season, he took part in the Junior A Challenge where he was the captain of Team USA. He led the team to gold w/ some stellar play which earned him a spot on the all-tourney team. He again led Waterloo (Badger Hockey USHL factory) to the USHL playoffs, but lost in the 1st round to Green Bay.

Biggest Strength: I was able to see Craig play once last season in GB. The one thing that really stuck out to me that night is that he plays much bigger than 6 feet tall, 195 lbs. He used his body well, and was a contributor in all scenarios on the ice.

Biggest Weakness: Based solely on his stats, he has an issue w/ PIM. He’s going to have to learn to control his temper, much like his further Nashville teammate Blake Geoffrion did.

09/10 Thoughts: I’ve learned to temper my expectations of freshman since Kyle Turris graced Madison w/ his presence for one season. Had the blog existed then and had I done these previews, I would have predicted a 45 pt regular season for young KT. I expect Craig to contribute, he is older, being 20 at the start of the season, and comes off an outstanding USHL season. How much he contributes is a different story. He played in all situations in Waterloo, and I would expect to see him on the 2nd PP unit, though getting a spot on the PK might be difficult. If he beats my expectations, great, but w/ the depth at forward this season, there is no reason for unreasonable KT like expectations to cause disappoint. Getting his feet wet in some WCHA action and being ready to step up in 10/11 will be key.

I think Badger fans will like what they see of the Madison native (if you haven’t seen him already). I’ve been hyping him here on the blog for months, and can’t wait to see him play.

Prediction: 32 games, 8-8-16*
*All predictions for regular season only

Photo from uwbadgers.com

WCH Best of the West

The Western College Hockey Blog continues their countdown of the top players entering the WCHA/CCHA and that includes two Badgers.

#20 Derek Lee

Role he'll likely play: Lee fills a role that the Badgers really haven't had in recent years: a small playmaker who excels at setting up his teammates. Mike Davies is a small, offensively gifted player, but he has nearly as many goals as assists in his college career, whereas Lee is more likely to have at least 2 assists for every goal he scores. Lee could be a valuable asset, especially on the powerplay, where he has the ability to set up some of Wisconsin's big defensemen at the point.

Why he is ranked here: Lee was an outstanding player in the BCHL for three years, so his numbers declined a bit last season when he switched teams, and there are some concerns about his game translating to the next level due to his lack of size.

Why he'll be great: Lee has shown the ability, if he finds the right chemistry, to pick up a lot of assists. The fact that Wisconsin doesn't have a lot of players like him means that if he's good, he'll play a lot.

Why he might not: It's not easy to play in the WCHA at just 165 lbs. He might have to add some weight before he really stars to be effective.

Contrived Rivals-style star ranking: 3 and a half stars


#26 Craig Smith

Role he'll likely play: With 16 forwards on the roster, Smith will have to really fight to find ice time on a deep Wisconsin team, but there's a number of older forwards on the team he should be able to beat out to get pretty consistent ice time.

Why he is ranked here: After two fairly average seasons in the USHL, Smith had a breakout year last season, scoring 76 points and being among the league leaders in +/-. His effort got him drafted in the NHL Draft in his final year of draft eligibility. If scoring like that becomes a habit and not a fluke, Smith could be an excellent college player.

Why he'll be great: Smith has always been regarded as a player with a lot of potential. Last year, that potential started to come together. If he continues building on that, he could become one of Wisconsin's top forwards.

Why he might not: Wisconsin has a glut of forwards and it could be hard for Smith to really show his abilities in a more limited role, at least early on in his career.

Contrived Rivals-style star ranking: Three and a half stars


Chris makes some good points about both players. I think Smith will play almost every night this season, he is a big strong kid coming off a great season. Lee may or may not be limited by his size and strength (see Garrett Roe at SCSU), I think he'll play a lot but of the two I think Smith will contribute more as a frosh.

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.
  

More HF's Top 20 Prospects, Fall 2009

Detroit Red Wings

3. Brendan Smith, D – 7.5C
6’2, 174lbs
Acquired: 1st round, 27th overall, 2007

While off-ice incidents have hindered Smith’s progress, the mobile defender’s point production has still improved quite nicely. Smith nearly doubled his 2007-08 production during the 2008-09 season, potted 23 points in 31 games for the University of Wisconsin. His mobility and strong power-play presence make Smith an ideal prospect for the Red Wings’ style of play.

Smith will return to Wisconsin this fall. His play and behavior during the year could determine whether or not Detroit will bring him up to the AHL a year early. So long as Smith can improve on his point totals and keep a straight head on and off the ice, he should stay on a development curve.

Nashville Predators

17. Blake Geoffrion, LW
Acquired: 2nd round, 2006

In his third season for the University of Wisconsin, Geoffrion placed fourth on his team in scoring with 28 points in 35 games. He was also tied for the club lead in goals with 15.

Although a fast skater with decent offensive instincts, Geoffrion is known more for his stable two-way play and utility as a forward. Geoffrion uses his 6'2" frame well on the ice, frequently delivering hard hits along the boards. Although he shows a willingness to drive to the hard areas in the offensive zone, Geoffrion's offensive abilities aren't quite as high other Nashville prospects so he'll have to continue to grow the other aspects of his game in order to eventually make the NHL. He'll return to Wisconsin for another season.

Craig Smith is an "Other Notable".

More on the NHL Draft and other stuff

The Edmonton Oilers top scout has some thoughts on Troy Hesketh that are worth checking out. He was highly regarded by the organization, and the Oilers give Coach Osiecki some props for the work he does recruiting and developing top blue liners at UW.

I was looking for something similar from the Nashville Predators about Craig Smith, but no luck. They mention Craig in this draft recap, and from their draft blog the Preds say the following about Craig:

"Decent size, good speed, high energy guy. Tremendous work ethic. We’ve always appreciated his speed and his work ethic and then this past year he was able to provide some offense for his team; that has really come along. We think he has a bright future. "

Congrats to Troy and Craig on being drafted in the NHL and having a dream come true.

On to the other stuff, Baggot mentions that all six new Badgers are on campus and getting ahead of the curve. The Men's Basketball team has had a successful summer program of having incoming players take summer classes to get use to school, the campus and the City, and Coach Eaves is following suit for the Hockey team. Justin Schultz and Derek Lee, as Canadians, need the classes to be allowed to come to campus to praticipate in the off season strength and conditions which is also occuring.

Over at HIW, Dplaya has the following snipet:

The incoming Freshmen are on campus practicing with the veterans from the UW Men's Hockey Team. I heard from a source today that Ryan McDonagh has an absolutely great work ethic and has returned to school at about 225 pounds and chiseled. I also hear that Craig Smith and John Ramage have looked great at practice thus far and have really stood out.

I love good news! Dplaya also mentions that Wes Wauters has made the Gamblers 30 man roster, and that another recruit and Gambler Sean Little has again broken his hand during a fight during the tryout camp. I'm excited to see Sean play again this season, to see how his role w/ the team expands. Last season he was a 4th line grinder, energy player, but he definately showed some skill too.

NHL Draft Day 2

I'm shocked by this, at #71 the Edmonton Oilers have selected Badger recruit Troy Hesketh from Minnetonka HS who committed during the past season. I think the Badgers got another steal here on the blue line. Baggot had mentioned he had a growth spurt recently which increased his draft stock, but now he's an Oilers prospect. Troy was not ranked in the final Central Scouting rankings.

Now add Madison's own Craig Smith to the list of drafted players. He is now a Nashville prospect going #98 in the 4th round. A couple Predators' prospect at forward for the Badgers this season, joining Blake Geoffrion.

Different paths to the USHL

The USHL website had a nice story about ways for undrafted players to make a USHL club. One of the success stories featured is that of 2009 recruit and 1st Team All-USHL star Craig Smith.

No one makes Coach Fukushima's point better than Waterloo forward Craig Smith, who was the captain of the Black Hawks this season. His 2008-09 points total ranked tied for second in the USHL with 76 (28g, 48a), landing him on the All-USHL First Team. The undrafted Smith earned a spot on the Waterloo roster through a tryout.

"I was just an excited young kid coming into a tryout with Waterloo," said Craig Smith. "I wasn't sure if I would make the team and thought it might be another year, but I ended up having a good tryout and made the squad."

After three seasons of development in the USHL, and he now takes his potent scoring game to the University of Wisconsin.

"Playing in the USHL absolutely boosted my development," said Smith. "Coming into the league, I weighed about 165 pounds, but I came out 192 pounds. Playing under coach P.K. O'Handley in Waterloo was one of the best things for me. He is tough, but it made me a better hockey player and a better person."

From watching Craig play last September in Green Bay, he definately plays "big" for his size and will be a welcome addition to add another power forward type player who can play special teams, do the dirty work in the corners, take faceoffs and provide leadership as he grows as a Badger.

As the article also points out, the USHL conducts tryout camps all across the United States giving kids a chance to show off their skills for a chance to play in the USHL next season, or give the teams a reason to follow their progress for the following seasons draft. The Omaha Lancers (where Tyler Lapic will likely be playing next season) is having camps in CA, AZ and TX among more traditional hockey areas.

McKeen's Q&A w/ Craig Smith

Chuck is doing a fine job keeping the blog going while I vacation and 60 takes a break from her whirlwind tour of the Midwest Regional and Frozen Four (good of an excuse as any).

The other day over on USCHO, sagissor posted a McKeen's Q&A w/ 2009 Badger recruit Craig Smith. Definately a great read so take the time and check it out.

I won't cut and paste the whole thing here, it's long. In that same interview, they state the Craig must be in contention of USA Hockey Junior POY, and I think he deserves it. Somehow Andrew Miller was named USHL POY even though his team was far from the playoffs. The last Badger recruit to be named USA Hockey Junior POY was Joe Pavelski, good company should he be so honored.

Craig is an ideal player to jump into the Eaves system, he is a two way player, and wants to be a two way player. Michael Davies and Josh Turnbull should take notes. During the one chance I was able to see him play, I was impressed. He plays in all situations, and uses his body exceptionally well for positioning. I'm not sure how much PK time he'll see. Wisconsin has a pantheon of PK stars: Geoffrion and Street, Bomhbach and Stepan, Grotting and Bendickson, Thurber and Murray, etc. He was a key part of Waterloo's PP though, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him gain some time there. We need a more reliable second PP unit.

All in all, I'm pretty excited about Craig Smith coming in, and our blog should continue to hype him and his "classmates" (Derek Lee, Tyler Barnes, Keegan Meuer, Justin Schultz, John Ramage and Brett Bennett) as the season nears. The off season is never dull w/ recruiting news and soon we can debate the 2009/10 schedule.