USA Wins Third Straight U18 GOLD Medal

Congratulations to future Badgers Jake McCabe (2011 recruit) and Nic Kerdiles (2012 recruit) on winning the GOLD for the United States at the IIHF U18 World Championships in Germany. It's Team USA's third straight gold medal at the U18's.

Kerdiles talks about match up vs Canada

2012 Wisconsin recruit Nic Kerdiles sits down briefly and talks about Team USA's match up with Canada in the semi-finals at the IIHF U18 World Championships which is coming up on Saturday. PS...how sick does that rink look with the trees in the background? Absolutely beautiful.

Kerdiles, McCabe Named To USA U-18 World Championship Roster

Wednesday afternoon USA Hockey released the official roster that will represent the United States for the 2011 U-18 World Championships that will take place in Germany April 14-24th.

A pair of future Badgers were selected to represent the red, white, and blue overseas as they look to win their third straight gold medal in the event.

Jake McCabe (pictured, far left), a 2011 Wisconsin defense recruit was no surprise to make the roster. McCabe, who has been accelerating his studies to graduate early and enroll at Madison in the fall has been a regular top 4 defenseman for the NTDP U-18 squad since returning from a back injury that kept him out the first month or two of the season. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native has 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) this season in 38 games for the NTDP this season.

Nicolas Kerdiles, a 2012 forward recruit was more of a surprise to make the roster. Kerdiles has spent the majority of this season playing with the NTDP U-17 squad where he has 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists) in 40 games. Kerdiles was promoted to the U-18 squad mid-season and continued to score with 8 points in 12 games. But the Irvine, California native was sent back down to the U-17 squad for the past month and his invite to the U-18 World Championships was up in the air. Kerdiles handled the demotion well and played well since returning to the U-17's, well enough to get invited to Germany.

Update: Here is what United States of Hockey writer Chris Peters had to say about Kerdiles being included on the roster-"Kerdiles is an interesting pick for this team. He actually got called up to the U18s in late January and earned a spot at the U18 Five Nations Cup and performed admirably. However, he was sent back to the U17s. Instead of pouting, all Kerdiles did was up his game. In his last four games with the U17s, he posted five points against USHL competition. Sure enough, he was called back for this tournament and will play as one of four under-agers on the U.S. roster. Kerdiles has great size and strength for a kid his age. His offensive talent is there and he can skate. His style of game lends itself well to the U.S. team."

Team USA will play two exhibition games in Dresden, Germany against Canada and Finland before starting the tournament on April 14th in Crimmitschau, Germany vs. Switzerland. All games will be streamed live by FastHockey.com for a fee.

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Wisconsin Recruiting: Kerdiles earns promotion

When Nic Kerdiles gave his verbal commitment to the Wisconsin hockey program for 2012 last February, many recruitniks indicated that the Badgers had landed a big time target. Almost a year after Kerdiles made his commitment public, It's become apparent that they might have even underestimated him.

The recently turned 17 year old is having an outstanding season with the USA National Team Development Program. Kerdiles is third on the U17's in scoring but leads the team in scoring in USHL play. Kerdiles has also played well on the international level with 9 points in 11 games.

Thanks to a tip from @chrismpeters we've learned that Kerdiles outstanding play with the NTDP U17's has gotten him a promotion to the U18's.

Kerdiles has been up with the U18's for the past two weekends playing in four games. The first weekend Kerdiles got his feet wet with the big club playing in two USHL games. Last weekend however Nic got a big boost in competition when the U18's played two games against college teams Quinnipiac and Providence.

Apparently head coach Ron Rolston is confident in Mr. Kerdiles because he threw him right into the fire. Kerdiles has been playing on the U18's top line with projected first round NHL daft pick and North Dakota recruit Rocco Grimaldi. Kerdiles has even spent some time on the power play registering an assist on the man advantage against Providence.

Chris Peters indicates in his tweet that he's not sure if Kerdiles promotion is permanent or just a temporary thing but Peters reviews of Kerdiles should make Wisconsin fans Salivate. "Reports on Kerdiles have been really positive. Apparently he hasn't looked out of place with the U18s. His size helps." In the past in speaking with Peters told me, "He's only going to improve, kids like him are why the NTDP was created."

One of the biggest biggest amateur tournaments every year is the IIHF World Under-18 Championship. This years tournament is being played in Germany and usually it's rare for underage players like Kerdiles to be invited. Jack Skille and Phil Kessel come to mind as a few of the exceptional under agers who were invited by the United States. When I asked Chris Peters what Kerdiles chances of making this years squad was, it sounded promising, "I'd say they are very good. IF he goes with U18s to 5 Nations in Feb, I'd say he's a lock. Not definite just yet."

The U18's have three more games in the USHL before they leave for the 5 Nations tournament in the Czech Republic in early February. Those three games will undoubtedly serve as a three game tryout for Kerdiles to see if he's got what it takes to play with the U18's internationally. I have a feeling he'll do just fine.

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McCabe, Kerdiles Help USA To Four Nation Titles

It's been a tough season so far for 2011 Wisconsin recruit Jake McCabe (pictured). Upon returning to Ann Arbor earlier this fall the Eau Claire native learned that he had a stress fracture in his L-5 vertebra which is in the lower back. 8-12 weeks of rest and rehab were in store for the young defenseman.

McCabe was able to return for a warm up USHL game last weekend and made the trip to Sweden with his U18 teammates for the Four Nations Cup. McCabe must be feeling better. He chipped in a goal against Switzerland on Saturday and this morning Team USA beat Sweden 5-4 in a shootout to win their second consecutive Four Nations Cup at the U18 level.

The United States U17 experienced similar success this weekend. Thanks to Badger forward recruit Nic Kerdiles, who is looking like one of the premier players in the country for the 2012, the USA U17 squad was also able to capture gold in a 6-1 route of Russia. Kerdiles was great all tournament recording three goals and an assist in four games. The California native showed great consistency, recording a point in every game.

The United States women who were playing for the Womens Four Nations cup this weekend weren't as fortunate. Team Canada got the best of them in the championship game, winning 3-2 in overtime. Badger senior forward Meghan Duggan finished the tournament leading USA in scoring with five points. Former Badger Meaghan Mikkelson scored the game tying goal for team Canada and assisted on the game winner in overtime.

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International Badgers

It's a huge week/end for international hockey. USA has teams in the U17 Four Nations Cup in Woodride, Il, the U18 Four Nations Cup in Sundsvall, Sweeden, the World Junior A Challenge in Penticton, British Columbia, and the Women's Four Nation Cup in St. John's N.L.

2012 Wisconsin recruit Nic Kerdiles (pictured) got the USA U17 team on the board Wednesday with a goal en route to a 6-1 victory over Switzerland. Kerdiles also notched a goal in the opening game, a 4-1 USA victory over Slovakia. The U17 team finishes up pool play on Friday night vs Russia.

2011 Wisconsin recruit Jake McCabe and the USA U18 team lost in an exhibition game to Sweden on Wednesday 3-1. McCabe did not record a point. The U18 team opens pool play Thursday morning against Finland at 8:30 AM CST.

There are no future Badgers on Team USA at the World Junior A challenge but there are four Wisconsinites playing for the red white and blue. Ohio State recruit Max McCormick (DePere), North Dakota recruit Jordan Schmaltz (Verona), Denver recruit Garrett Allen (Delafield), and Colorado College recruit Aaron Harstad (Stevens Point) are all in attendance. Team USA is 2-0 so far and will be playing in the Semi-Finals on Saturday.

At the Women's Four Nations Cup Team USA is off to a fast 2-0 start. The USA Women avenged a loss to Canada in the last Olympics with a 3-2 shootout victory to open the tournament. Badger senior forward Meghan Duggan had a goal and Badger Junior forward Hilary Knight scored the only goal in the shootout. Former Badger Jessie Vetter stopped 32 shots in the game plus all three shooters she saw during the shootout. Vetter was named the player of the game.

Meghan Duggan led the charge in game two vs Finland with two goals. Badger sophomore forward Brianna Decker had a goal and an assist and was named the player of the game for Team USA in the 4-0 victory. Hilary Knight chipped in an assist. The ladies are on the ice next on Friday vs Sweden. Former Badgers Molly Engstrom and Jinelle Zaugg-Siergiej are also on the roster for Team USA.

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TW Wins Opener; Clark Wins, Kerdiles Loses

The Team Wisconsin U16's took care of business in the opener in a thrilling 2-1 victory over the #25 ranked Carolina Jr. Hurricanes.

Team Wisconsin who played in the National Tournament last year as well, also opened up with an OT victory if my memory serves me correctly. The goal last year was scored by former Eau Claire Memorial, current USA NTDP-17, and future Badger defenseman Jake McCabe. Tonight's goal was scored by another Eau Claire Memorial product with a Badger connection, Alex Dahl who's older brother Jefferson will be a freshman forward for the Badgers next season. Garrett Clemment from Wausau assisted on the game winner.

Brandon Walls from DePere had the other goal for Team Wisconsin. He was assisted by Ashton Wackym from USM and Ben Scherschel from Oregon. Austin Priebe from Wausau West was a rock in the nets for TW stopping 26 of 27 pucks to earn the victory.

Team Wisconsin U16's next play tomorrow vs #10 North Jersey Avalanche @ 5:00 PM.

Nic Kerdiles, the 2012 forward recruit who plays for the LA Select U16's, who I talked about in the previous post lost 2-0 to the #1 ranked Chicago Mission squad. The Mission, who sent 6 players to the recent NTDP tryout camp are absolutely loaded. Forward Lane King who is from Wisconsin had an assist in the win for the Mission. Kerdiles obviously went scoreless. Kerdiles and the U16 LA Selects next play tomorrow at 12:45 PM vs the Carolina Jr Hurricanes.

Jason Clark, the 2010 forward recruit mentioned previously had a bit better fortune. His #1 ranked Shattuck St. Marys U18 squad beat the Pittsburgh Hornets 2-1 in Overtime. Clark, who will be an NHL draft pick this summer was held scoreless in the opener. Clark and U18 Shattuck St. Marys squad next plays tomorrow at 7:30 PM vs Detroit Belle Tire.

Badger Recruits At USA Nationals

As I noted in the last post, USA Hockey is running it's annual National Tournaments this week/end. Two committed Badger recruits are poised to be prominent players as they lead their teams towards a Championship.

Nick Kerdiles, a 1994 born forward from California is the premier player for the LA Selects U16 squad. Back in February, Kerdiles committed to the Badgers for the 2012 season. He visited the campus for the Culvers Camp Randall Hockey Classic. I interviewed him shortly after the commitment.

Kerdiles and his LA Selects squad advanced to Nationals by sweeping through the Pacific District playoffs going 5-0. The LA Selects are ranked #14 in the Country in the U16 division according to My Hockey Rankings.com. They play the Chicago Mission team tonight at 6:20. The Mission are the #1 ranked team in the U16 division. They have a pair of potential UW recruits with forward Ray Piggozi and defenseman Justin Wade.

Jason Clark, who I mentioned earlier today in my post talking about the NHL Central Scouting rankings leads his Shattuck St. Mary's squad into the U18 tournament. Shattuck St. Mary's is the number 1 ranked team in the country according to My Hockey Rankings.com. Clark, a 2010 forward recruit committed to the Badgers in January. He's had a very nice season for Shattuck St. Marys and is ranked as the #81 best available North American prospect for the upcoming NHL Draft.

Shattuck is having an outstanding season going 35-9-5. They went 10-3-2 in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League featuring the best U18 players from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Shattuck opens up their tournament with the Pittsburgh Hornets at 4:10 PM.

Nick Kerdiles LA Selects Schedule:

4/7/2010-6:20 PM vs Chicago Mission
4/8/2010-12:45 PM vs Carolina Jr Hurricanes
4/9/2010-8:15 AM vs North Jersey Avalanche

Jason Clark's Shattuck St. Mary's Schedule:

4/7/2010-4:10 PM vs Pittsburgh Hornets
4/8/2010-7:30 PM vs Detroit Belle Tire
4/9/1010-2:45 PM vs Mid Fairfield Blues

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.

Badgers Go West, Land Elite California Recuit

Andy Baggot's blog tips us off to the fact that the Wisconsin Badgers took the next step in continuing their storied tradition by landing the services of elite forward Nick Kerdiles from Irvine, California. Kerdiles is a 1994 born forward who currenltly plays for the LA Selects program. Over the past summer he played at the USA Hockey select 15 festival in Rochester, New York. He has already accepted a spot with the USA National Team Development Program for next season.

Kirdiles will be a 2012 recruit and joins other committed players Corbin McGuire and Jordan Schmaltz to form the start of an absolutely sick class.

I got a chance to talk to Kirdles tonight and here were his initial comments:

"I'm absolutely speechless and still in shock and I don't think it has set in yet. It is such a great academically and athletically strong school. Its track record proves it with six National Championships. I love the facility that they play in! The Kohl Center is second to none and is just absolutely amazing. I can not wait to play in it! The atmosphere is amazing there at the Kohl Center and everyone loves the badgers in the community which is awesome!!!

Most importantly i really like the coaches. They are very approachable and I felt comfortable around them. I felt welcomed and they are such nice people. They all have strong backgrounds and I had a chance to talk with some of the boys and go out to eat with them and hang out at the dorms and they just told me so many great things about them. Its honestly a first class University."

Chuck Schwartz: You were at the Camp Randall game last weekend. What was that experience like?

Nick Kerdiles: All I can say is breath taking. It was such an amazing experience. Only so many people in the world will ever get to experience what I was fortunate to see. The crowd was loud and very positive, the weather was nice and cold for a California guy like me but i loved it, and the game couldn't have turned out better with the big win for The BADGERS!

Chuck Schwartz: How long have you been considering Wisconsin and what made you decide on them?

Nick Kerdiles: Wisconsin has always been high on my list because of the instant interest they showed me right off the bat. They were the first to send me a questionnaire and also really wanted me to talk to them as much as I could. I have always loved wisconsin and they have a great track record, and I believe they are the best University for hockey to develop and get better and I have a great chance to win a National Championship with them!

Chuck Schwartz: What other schools were you looking at?

Nick Kerdiles: The University of Michigan showed me a lot of interested and also offered me and Denver was talking to me closely and a little of North Dakota.

Chuck Schwartz: Wisconsin has a very elite class shaping up for 2012 with Jordan Schmaltz and Corbin McGuire already committed, do you know those players and are you excited to play with them?

Nick Kerdiles: I do not know them. I am extremely excited for opportunity that lies ahead of me and I will do anything to win a national championship and develop for hopefully one day the NHL.

Chuck Schwartz: 2012 is still a long ways away. Is there any chance of you playing in the WHL or are you dead set on the college route?

Nick Kerdiles: I am dead set on the college route. I get good grades and I can use that to my advantage by getting my college paid for and also having more time to develop both as a man and by a hockey player.

Chuck Schwartz: Wisconsin is a long ways away from California, how did they get into the picture as a future destination?

Nick Kerdiles: Wisconsin is a great hockey school so I would fly across the world if it meant that I would be putting on the Badgers uniform. I laid out the pros and cons of Wisconsin and all I could come up with was the pros, no cons which is a great sign.

Chuck Schwartz: I see you listed at 150 pounds. Is that accurate and where do you see your size/weight when you come to Madison?

Nick Kerdiles: That is false. I am Currently at 6 foot 1 and 1/2 and i weigh 184 pounds. Going to the NTDP will give me a huge advantage because of how strong the program is. They have great trainers and Coaches and I will be playing against older guys in the USHL and the following year on the 18U team against colleges too. I do not have an exact estimate for you but i trust the NTDP staff of putting on the right weight that I need to put on.

Chuck Schwartz: Can you give us an indication on your style of play?

Nick Kerdiles: I'm a big strong play maker who will play gritty and fight for loose pucks. I have speed and I excel in puck-protection. I like being the difference maker in games by putting up points and helping my team win.


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I can't thank Nick enough for taking the time out tonight to answer a couple questions for us. I wish him luck over the next few seasons and can't wait to see him on campus in 2012.