Even More Erstad: Milewski talks to Wil Nichol

Todd Milewski just posted an article on TCT regarding Erstad's recent de-commitment to the Badgers. Todd talked to Pointers Head Coach Wil Nichol, and Nichol shares his knowledge of the situation. While Nichol isn't sharing Erstad's reasons, he does share that he tried to make sure that Erstad knew what he was doing by making this decision.

"I basically cross-examined the kid, and it was very evident to me that he had thought long and hard about this," Nichol said.

More Travis Erstad . . .

• From the Stevens Point Journal:
  

  [Erstad] acknowledged when push came to shove, he wanted to follow his heart and that meant staying closer to home.
  
  "Giving up on being a Badgers was pretty hard, but to go to school in your hometown, you can't beat that," Erstad said. "I thought about this at the end of last season and again in the middle of the summer. I decided that was what I wanted and went with it."

• From WAOW TV:
  

  According to a very surprised Nichol, Erstad wants to get school started instead of playing another year of junior hockey.

• When reporting this news, Todd Milewski speculates on the reason for Erstad's decsion:
  

  When he committed, Erstad said it was for either this fall or the 2009-10 season. One wonders whether not being included in this year's UW freshman class helped Erstad, a fourth-round NHL draft pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2007, change his mind.

• Chris of WCH shares his thoughts about the Erstad situation. Anticipating that some may point to this as a symptom of over-recruiting by the Badgers, Chris heads off the argument and contends that the Badgers were holding up their end of the bargain, reminding us that when Erstad committed it was for either the 08-09 or 09-10 season.
  

• By the way, we here at No Alibis No Regrets wish Travis the best of luck. We're sorry we won't see him wearing the Cardinal and White, and we wish him well in his career as a Pointer.
  

Travis Erstad . . . ?

XYZ and oldtyme get credit for the scoop, posting over on uscho, and here's the story from the UWSP website.

Christmas has come early for UW-Stevens Point men’s hockey coach Wil Nichol. Travis Erstad, a 2007 fourth-round draft choice of the St. Louis Blues and UW-Madison recruit has announced his intentions to enroll at UWSP and play for his former coach.

Erstad, a standout forward at SPASH and the USHL’s Lincoln Stars has made the decision to play for his hometown Pointers this season. Erstad played for Coach Nichol at SPASH before joining the Stars in 2006-07 season. He played in eight games his first year and became a staple for the Stars in 2007-08.

“Travis stopped by my office, out of the blue, and said ‘I want to be a Pointer,’” said second-year head coach Wil Nichol. “ I just can’t believe it. It’s not every day a fourth round NHL draft pick says they want to be a Pointer.”

Nichol has good reason to be excited. The 6-4 200 pound Erstad played in 52 games last season for the Lincoln Stars at forward, notching nine goals and 10 assists.

“He can do it all,” said Nichol. “He has worked on the physical part of his game in juniors, which makes him a huge addition to a team that has a lot of components from last year coming back. From a hockey standpoint, this is huge.”

The Pointers open the 2008-09 season on Saturday, October 25 when they host Northland College at Willett Arena at 7:30 p.m.

So, does this mean that Erstad won't be a Badger, or does this mean he has some academic eligibolity problems that he's working on and is planning to transfer later to Wisconsin? Although, in the latter case XYZ indicates that Erstad would have to sit out a year if he transferred from UWSP to Wisconsin, so that seems like the less likely possibility.

I am curious about the timing of this in relation to Meuer's committment. I'm assuming that Erstad decided to enroll at UWSP shortly before Meuer committed?

HF's Top 20 Prospects, Fall 2008

Below are the Badgers' write-ups in the Top Prospects articles. You can also find their full HF profiles by clicking on their names.

Anaheim Ducks:
#3 Jake Gardiner, D (2nd-ranked defensive prospect)

Acquired: Drafted 17th overall in 2008

The first of five 2008 selections to make an appearance on the Ducks Top 20, Anaheim traded down twice in the first round to select Jake Gardiner. Considered one of the top players in the renowned Minnesota high school hockey program, it’s amazing to consider that Gardiner has only played defense for a single season. Despite his position on the back end, it is clear that creating offensive opportunities isn’t far from his mind. In 25 games with Minnetonka High School, Gardiner scored 16 goals and had 43 points.

Set to start at the University of Wisconsin for the 2008-09 season, Gardiner will benefit from the extra time afforded to him via the NCAA route. Although he’s plenty skilled, there are still rough edges that need to be smoothed out. With a little patience, Anaheim could have a real gem on its hands.

# 16 Justin Schultz, D (6th-ranked defensive prospect)

Acquired: Drafted 43rd overall in 2008

Playing for the Westside Warriors during the 2007-08 season, Schultz is the first player ever drafted out of the BCHL by the Anaheim Ducks. Committed to attend the University of Wisconsin for the 2009-10 season, Schultz will join fellow 2008 Ducks pick Gardiner there.

An offensively talented blue liner, Schultz pairs great skating ability with solid decision-making and in just a single season he already stood out as one of the top defensemen in the BCHL, being named Defenseman of the Year for the Interior Conference. In 57 games, he marked 40 points and he looks set to do even more damage in the 2008-09 season.

Other notables: Nick Pryor, D


Carolina Hurricanes:
#4 Jamie McBain, D (top-ranked defensive prospect)

Height: 6’2 • Weight: 197 • Age: 20

Through no fault of his own, McBain falls two spots from the fall rankings. It’s easy to forget that McBain has only two seasons at the University of Wisconsin under his belt because he has shouldered responsibility beyond his years with the Badgers. McBain exhibited his talents at Carolina’s prospect camp — a combination of size and skill that every NHL team craves. He will return to Wisconsin for his junior season.

Phoenix Coyotes:
#1 Kyle Turris, C

1st round, 3rd – 2007, 19, 6’2, 170

For obvious reasons, Turris has a stranglehold on the Coyotes top spot. After a one and done season with the University of Wisconsin, Turris’ sole focus remains on the Coyotes and the NHL. The talented centerman brings an equal amount of speed and skill. He is currently slotted to be the team’s second line centerman, where he’ll be matched with skill and size. Expect Turris to be in the hunt for the Calder Trophy right out of the gates.

Chicago Blackhawks:
#5 Jack Skille, RW

6’1, 205 pounds
Drafted Round 1, 7th Overall, 2005
Born: May 19, 1987

Skille is best known for his speed, blistering shot, strength and contact game. Some see him as a top-six forward based on his offensive talent alone. However, his style of play and lethargic defense could reduce his role to something less than this. Unlike Brouwer, who can create scoring chances regardless of those around him, Skille is highly dependent on his linemates. Fortunately, Chicago has the playmakers to compliment Skille’s game.

Other notables: Jake Dowell, C


St. Louis Blues:
Other notables: Travis Erstad, C


Florida Panthers:
Other notables: Zach Bearson, F -- His HF profile was updated Aug 25, 2008, but apparently they missed the memo that he's no longer playing with the Badgers.

Recruit Recap: Travis Erstad

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 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) We've also covered Jefferson Dahl, 2008 Wisconsin Mr. Hockey award winner from state champion Eau Claire Memorial who will play for Green Bay next season. Most recently we previewed Chase Drake from Mosinee, Wisconsin who will be a teammate of Dahl's in Green Bay for the upcoming 2008-2009 season. Today we take a look at Travis Erstad formerly of Stevens Point who plays for the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League.


Name: Travis Erstad
Position: Forward
2008 Team: Lincoln Stars (USHL)
2009 Team: Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Commit date: 10/15/2007
Season entering Wisconsin: 2009
Height/Weight/Birth year: 6'4/185/1988
NHL Draft Status: 2007 St. Louis Blues, 4th Round, 100th Overall

Last Seasons Stats

Games: 52
Goals: 9
Assists: 10
Points: 19
Plus/Minus: -10


By far the tallest recruit Wisconsin has lined up, Travis Erstad is looking to have a monster season as he wraps up his USHL career. Erstad is originally from Madison and moved to Stevens Point with his mom before high school. While at SPASH, he was one of the best forwards the school has ever seen. (No disrespect to Joe Pavelski) He teamed up with Pavelski's brother Scott to form one of the top forward lines the state of Wisconsin has ever seen. (Scott is currently a forward with the Waterloo Black Hawks) While at Stevens Point Erstad guided his squad to the State Tournament his Junior and Senior seasons. After being eliminated from the tournament his senior year, Erstad joined the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League for the final 11 games of the season and the playoffs. Last year he continued with the Lincoln Stars and put up 19 points in 52 games.

Erstad is a prospect who has the opportunity to be a special forward when he enters the University of Wisconsin. 19 points last season in 52 games for Lincoln is somewhat of a disappointment considering the talent of Erstad. He is very tall and very lean, (6'4, 185) and moves very well for his size. His biggest knock is his lack of physicality on the ice. I'm sure this was the biggest factor moving from Wisconsin high school hockey to the USHL. At times during high school games he could get away from shying away from contact and just skating around everyone. Obviously you can't get away with that in a league like the USHL. For his size, he controls the puck extremely well. Once he learns to play to the contact, and with his skills with the puck there is no doubt he will be a productive forward in the USHL.

If I were to compare him to anyone, I would compare him to an advanced John Mitchell. Not just because of the size but because of the raw talent. I feel that Travis still has a great chance to play in the NHL once he fills out at Wisconsin and learns the defensive side of the game. St. Louis has an excellent scouting department and they took a 4th round pick on him so you know that they are high on him already. The strength and conditioning program at Wisconsin has done wonders for John Mitchell and will turn Erstad into a great player at UW.

Like I said earlier, expect Erstad to have breakout season in the USHL this winter. I expect him to average a point per game for Lincoln. There is no doubt that the talent is there and as long as he plays like he can, he will be one of the top forwards in the league. There are no excuses, It's his time to shine.


Tyler Barnes recap
Aaron Crandall recap
Jefferson Dahl recap
Chase Drake recap

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.