Wisconsin native Donnellan leaves Western Michigan

In somewhat of a surprising turn of events, Eau Claire, Wisconsin native David Donnellan has left Western Michigan and has joined the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League.

Donnellan, a 6'0, 185 pound defenseman, was a freshman defenseman for Western Michigan this season. Donnellan had only played in 5 games for the Broncos registering no points.

Donnellan got caught in an unusual set of circumstances. He had committed to Western under old coach Jim Culhan. Culhan was fired at the end of last season before Donnellan stepped on campus and new coach Jeff Blashil obviously doesn't like him as much as Culhan did.

Donnellan, who won a Wisconsin state championship with Eau Claire Memorial, has moved back to the USHL where he spent the past two seasons. Donnellan played in two games last weekend with Sioux City registering no points.

Donnellan could be an interesting player to keep an eye on as a transfer recruit for the 2012 season. This is his final year of eligibility in the USHL so wherever he goes next season he can only practice. Donnellan will have 3 seasons of eligibility starting in the fall of 2012.

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Cody Strang named USHL offensive POTW

Some, including myself have been frustrated by the lack of production of some of Wisconsin's 2011 recruiting class. One player who has given us something to be excited about is Madison native Cody Strang.

A big five point weekend out of Strang was good enough to net him USHL Offensive Player of the Week sponsored by CCM. It's the second time in Strang's USHL career that he's won the award. He also was honored late last January when he recorded a natural hat-trick against Team USA.

According to the release from the USHL website: Strang scored five points (3g, 2a) and posted a plus-four rating to help the Youngstown Phantoms earn five of a possible six points in the standings during the week. He scored the game-winning goal with under two minutes to play in the third period of Friday's 4-3 victory over Sioux City. The win snapped the six-game losing streak for the Phantoms. Strang tallied a shorthanded goal, added an assist, and registered a game high plus-three in Saturday's 4-3 win against Muskegon. The forward then completed the weekend with a two-point effort (1g, 1a), including his fifth straight game with a goal, in Sunday's 4-3 shootout loss to Team USA. The native of Madison, Wisconsin is second on the Phantoms in scoring with 21 points (9g, 12a) in 29 games during his second USHL season and he is tied for fifth overall in the League with a plus-15 rating.

Strang, who is an alternate captain for the Phantoms is second on the team in goals with 8, and second on the team in points with 21. Also of note, Green Bay native Ryan Belonger, who is uncommitted is fourth on the Phantoms in scoring with 18 points.

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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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McCabe Named USHL Defensive POTW

If the NTDP names a come back player of the year, 2011 Wisconsin recruit Jake McCabe is the heavy favorite to take home the hardware.

After missing basically 8-10 weeks to start the season with a stress fracture in his L-5 vertabrae in his lower back, McCabe has come back to the USA U18 squad and is playing like he never missed a beat.

McCabe by all accounts played well over in Sweden in the recent Four Nations tournament in which the United States took home the gold medal. He's continued his play back on US soil recording a goal and assist on Saturday night in a 5-2 victory over the Indiana Ice.

McCabes play over the weekend in a pair of USA victories was good enough to net him the USHL defensive player of the week award sponsored by CCM.

According to the release on the USHL website, "McCabe tallied two points (1g, 1a) and a plus-three rating in two victories for Team USA's Under-18 squad. The defenseman scored the team's first goal and assisted on another in the 5-2 win over Indiana on Friday. It was his first career USHL goal which came on his first shot on goal this season. McCabe also posted a game high plus-three rating in the contest. The 17-year-old from Eau Claire, Wisconsin has played three USHL games this season after competing in 35 games in 2009-10 for Team USA's Under-17 squad.

This weekend McCabe and his U18 teammates head to Maine where they will play a pair of games against D-3 schools Bowdoin College and Colby College.

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Recruiting: USHL Fall Classic Stats

This past weekend the Sioux City Musketeers hosted the USHL Fall Classic (formerly known as the Buc Bowl), a pre-season event that attracts hundreds of scouts from the NCAA and NHL.

There were seven committed Badger recruits participating as well as numerous uncommitted prospects that we've got on our radar.

Brendan Woods-Muskegon (2011 recruit)
Finished the weekend with one assist in three games but the positive here is that he came out of the tournamanent healthy. Last year he broke his leg during the fall classic and misssed over half of the USHL season. Woods was a first round pick in the expansion draft by Muskegon and should be in line for a big year.

Cody Strang-Youngstown (2011 recruit)
Strang (who I believe may have been named a captain for the Phantoms) had a goal in the opener of the fall classic and picked up an assist on the second night. Strang really came on at the end of last year and Youngstown plans to lean on him for some scoring punch this year.

Matt Paape-Sioux City (2011 recruit)
The Appleton native picked up a pair of helpers over the weekend for the Musketeers. Paape started off strong last year and many thought he might be brought in as an 18 year old freshman. With a year under his belt in the USHL, he should be able to hold pace a bit better this season.

Corbin McGuire-Fargo (2012 recruit)
Corbin got his first introduction to the USHL this past weekend at the Fall Classic picking up an assist over two games. McGuire should be fun to follow this season because he's only a junior in high school and I'm interested to see what kind of an adjustment he will make to the pace of the USHL from prep school. In late May I talked to Corbin and he felt that moving to the USHL this season was best for his hockey development, I feel he made the correct choice.

Troy Hesketh-Fargo (2011 recruit)
The former Minnetonka high school defenseman didn't put up any points in his first two USHL games but did end the weekend +1. Hesketh is expected to play big time minutes for the Force this season.

Jake McCabe-USA NTDP U18 (2011 recruit)
McCabe has yet to play in an exhibition game for Team USA so far this season which would lead me to believe he's got some sort of injury. Since there has been no reports on it yet, I'm going to assume it's something minor and they are just holding him out of the pre-season contests. Hopefully we can see him soon.

Tyler Lapic-Chicago (2011 recruit)
Lapic has taken the tour of the USHL now that's for sure. He was recently traded from Des Moines to Chicago. Last season he was traded from Omaha to Des Moines. The New Prague native had 1 assist over the weekend. I've seen Lapic play and he's got the skill set to put points on the board so hopefully he can get into a rythm this season and find some consistency with Chicago.


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Numerous Wisconsinites Make USHL Rosters

Thanks to help from the guys at the Unnoficial USHL Hockey Blog, we've been able to track down rosters for multiple USHL teams so far, which is usually a big hassle at this point in the summer.

So far 8 out of the 13 teams (9 out of 14 if you include the NTDP) have released rosters publicly.

Here are the Wisconsin natives that have made rosters that I can tell. If I have omitted someone, please leave a comment or e-mail me at chuckschwartz@live.com

Lincoln Stars
Andrew Schmit-Grafton

Des Moines Buccaneers
Tyler Lapic-New Prague, MN (2011 Badger recruit)
Ray Pigozzi-Illinois (Potential Badger recruit)
David Jacobson-Janesville, WI (Affiliate list?)

Sioux City Musketeers
Max McCormick-DePere, WI
Matt Paape-Appleton, WI (2011 Badger recruit)
Noah Nelson-Oconomowoc, WI
Jake Suter-Oregon, WI
Will Butcher-Sun Prarie, WI
Jose Delgadillo-Milwaukee, WI
Jordan Schmaltz-Verona, WI
Cliff Watson-Appleton, WI (Affiliate List)

Youngstown Phantoms
Cody Strang-Madison, WI (2011 Badger recruit)
Ryan Belonger-Green Bay, WI

Muskegon Lumberjacks
Brendan Woods-Pennsylvania (2011 Badger recruit)
Garrett Clemment-Wausau, WI (Affiliate list?)

Cedar Rapids Rough Riders
Peter Maric-Milwaukee, WI (Affiliate List?)

Dubuque Fighting Saints
Tyler Lundey-Middleton, WI

Fargo, Green Bay, Indiana, Sioux Falls, Tri-City, and Waterloo have yet to publicly release rosters, but I know that Waukesha native, Jarrod Rabey has made the Indiana roster. I'll let you know more WI players as the other teams release rosters.

Players with (Affiliate List?) after their name were listed on teams that announced their 35 man roster which includes the affiliate list and they didn't differentiate between the two.

2011 Recruit Woods Selected In USHL Expansion Draft

The USHL has just announced the results from Mondays Expansion Draft featuring new franchises from Muskegon and Dubuque. In a surprise to me, 2011 Wisconsin forward recruit Brendan Woods was selected by Muskegon (The USHL does not release round info on the expansion draft).

According to the USHL, member clubs were able to protect up to 8 veteran players (players who had played in at least 10 games).

Woods, a 17 year old winger out of Virginia just finished up his first season in the USHL with the Chicago Steel. The 6'2, 180 pound forward battled serious leg injuries in the early part of the season but was able to rebound and finish the season strong. Woods finished the season with 10 points in 34 games but had 6 points in his final 10 games. Woods is expected to be selected in this summers NHL Draft.

Woods joins former Wisconsin assistant coach Kevin Patrick in Muskegon who no doubt had a large hand in selecting Woods. Patrick left the Wisconsin program at the completion of the 2009-2010 hockey season.

Sean Little’s GWG = Clark Cup for GB Gamblers

I see EoDS already posted something, but I'll post my thoughts as well since I was in attendance.


Wow, what a great championship game last night in Green Bay to determine the USHL playoff champs. This was one of the best games I’ve ever been to, back and forth w/ 4 lead changes and the game came down to the final moments before it was ever in hand for either team. Hats off to both the Gamblers and the Fargo Force on a great game, great series, great season.

For those not following the USHL at all, the Fargo Force won the first two games of the series on the road against an Anderson Cup (regular season champ) Gamblers team that was tough to beat at home. The Force held the lead into the final minute of Game 3, only to see it tied up and the game go almost an entire other game before GB won in 3OTs. The Gamblers won Game 4, which set up this epic Game 5.

There is a TON of future WCHA talent between these two teams. Wisconsin native Garrett Allen (Denver) started the scoring on a fluke goal as he just threw the puck at the net, and the Gambler goalie never saw it go over his shoulder. Allen is a wicked fast skater, which would have been a nice addition to the Badgers, but he does have a penchant to dive, as twice in the game he attempted to embellish to draw penalties.

GB scored the next two goals by Robert Francis and Ryan Furne (Mich Tech). In between those goals, Stevens Point native Aaron Harstad (CC) took on Joe Finley Jr, a Russian blue liner named Oleg Yevenko, who is about as talent less and slow skating as the original Joe Finley. Harstad got the worse of that encounter.

Fargo scored the next pair, Joe Rehkamp tied it up late in the 2nd, and Matt Leitner (Mankato) scored his 10th of the playoffs to give Fargo the lead early in the 3rd.

After that it was ALL Gamblers. Halfway through the 3rd Anders Lee (Notre Dame) redirected a shot by Nick Jensen (St Cloud) to tie it up. David Makowski (Denver) also assisted and had three assists on the night. Makowski was named USHL Defenseman of the Year and is an absolute beast. He reminds me of a combo of Ryan McDonagh and Jamie McBain, just not quite as talented as either. Anders Lee is also a beast, and I’m glad he’s heading to college next season since it is bittersweet to watch him succeed, knowing he “might” have been a Badger if Eaves hadn’t given him a decision ultimatum before Lee was ready to make his college commitment. Anders Lee was named the Playoff MVP.

The game winning goal though went to none other than Fond du Lac native and 2010 Badger recruit Sean Little. Little scored w/ about 6:30 left and the Gamblers never looked back. It was Sean’s first goal of the playoffs, and he picked the right time to push one past the Fargo goalie. Sean had two REALLY nice chances earlier in the game as well. More thoughts on Sean at the end.

The Gamblers added an ENG by Robert Francis (had two on the night) and raised the Clark Cup for the first time in a decade. The Resch Center was full and the roughly 8,500 person crowd was LOUD and set a Gambler and a USHL Clark Cup attendance record. Final score: 5-3.

The Gamblers were the better team all night, except for a few lapses and a stretch late 2nd thru early 3rd where Fargo was the better team. They controlled play at EV and finally late in the game took advantage of the PP. Coach Jon Copper really has done an amazing thing in GB. In 2007/08 the Gamblers were the worst team in the USHL; the last two seasons they won the Anderson Cup as regular season champ both seasons and took the Clark Cup this season. The USHL is similar to college hockey; the staff only gets the players for a short time (1 to 3 years) but the draft structure limits loading up on top talent like a team “could” at the college level. Congrats to Coach Cooper and his staff on turning a proud program around and getting people in Northeastern WI excited about hockey again on a larger scale.

Lastly a few thoughts on 2010 recruit Sean Little. I’ve seen Sean played 7 or 8 times the past two seasons with the Gamblers, and I’m really excited to see what he can do as a Badger. Every time I see him play he is so close to scoring in every game (reminds me of Michael Davies throughout his career {because he doesn't finish some nice chances [had to add for the whiny anon]}). I don’t know if it is completely random when I’m in attendance or what, but if Sean can start burying those chances (like his GW), I think he could be a very nice two way forward for the Badgers down the road. Sure he isn’t the most talented forward coming in, but this kid gives a great effort each shift on the ice, and is a responsible player in his own end, which any Badger fan can appreciate. The last three seasons, my favorite Badger (Andy Bohmbach) wasn’t my favorite because he scored the most or was the flashiest player, but because he did whatever was tasked him on the ice and he gave it his all each shift. I think Sean Little could be a player like that. Some other recent grinder/defenders like Aaron Bendickson, Nick Licari and Ben Grotting will never be spoke of because of their abundant talent (like Blake Geoffrion or Derek Stepan or Joe Pavelski), but because of the little things they did for the team each night and the effort they gave. Sean might never be a first line forward at Wisconsin, but I for one am looking forward to his Badger career. There will be a lot of ice time available at forward next season, no reason Sean can’t snag some of that and get on the Kohl Center ice regularly.

Congrats again to Sean and all his Gamblers teammates on an OUTSTANDING USHL season!

Recruiting: Tyler Barnes Scores In USHL All-Star Game

Tonight the Indiana Ice hosted the annual USHL All-Star game at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana. Waterloo Black Hawk and future Badger forward Tyler Barnes was selected for the event for the first time.

The two teams competing in the event represent the USHL's East and West Divisions, with each roster consisting of 21 players - six defenseman, 13 forwards, and two goaltenders. With the growth of the USHL to 14 Member Clubs this season, All-Star rosters were set at 21 to accommodate the increasing talent pool in the League.

"As one of the USHL's premiere events, the All-Star Game is a much-anticipated event not only for our fans, but the hundreds of NHL and college scouts who regularly recruit our young stars," said USHL Commissioner Skip Prince. "Congratulations to all of those chosen – you're the best of the best."

Barnes, a 6'0 180 lb forward, scored at the 7:16 mark of the third period to give Team CCM a 4-3 lead. Team RBK would later tie it, but Team CCM prevailed in overtime for a thrilling 5-4 victory. Barnes, who played his high school hockey for Burnsville, is a 2010 recruit for Wisconsin.

The state of Wisconsin was also very well represented at the All-Star game. Forwards Nate Condon (committed to Minnesota) from Wausau, Brock Montpetit (committed to Nebraska-Omaha) from Somerset, Jeff Costello (committed to Notre Dame) from Milwaukee, and goaltender Troy Grosenick from Brookfield were selected to play in the event.

More on Alex Rigsby

While Baggot hasn't reported on Tom Bardis yet, he did have a nice article about 2010 Women's recruit Alex Rigsby. If you recall, Alex made history earlier this summer by being the first female drafted by a USHL franchise. In addition, she was the backstop of the USA U-18 gold medal team coached by Mark Johnson. That team included two other 2010 recruits in Brittany Ammerman and Madison Packer.

She will be attending the Chicago Steel's camp this summer, and if the opportunities arises, could be the first female to ever play in the USHL.

According to WHKY Blogger on USCHO, the original name of the article was "Better than Vetter?" It sounds like she is going to be another great addition to the Badger Women, but I certainly wouldn't go that far until she wins a National Championship and get a bunch of shutouts.

Jessie will be the pillar every female goalie in the country looks up to for some time, I would venture.

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.

Bennett, Ice capture Clark Cup

Photo from ushl.com

Another USHL Champion is crowned and another Badger recruit was a huge part of that success. The Indiana Ice took the Clark Cup Finals in 4 games over the Fargo Force, winning 5-1 on friday night.

Brett Bennett backstopped the Ice in each game, and overall made 107 saves on 112 shots faced in the Finals for a 95.5 save %, and roughly a 1.25 GAA. Those are pretty impressive numbers, and we can only hope that he continues that success here in Madison next season fighting for the goaltender position w/ Scott Gudmandson.

Congrats to Brett Bennett on a stellar USHL season!

Force Skate Over Ice In Game 1

Last night, the Fargo Force defeated the Indiana Ice 2-1 in in an absolute thriller in game 1 of the Clark Cup USHL Finals.

Like I've mentioned here before, arguably the two best goaltenders in the USHL are featured in this series and they did nothing to disappoint last night. Mike Lee (Fargo), a St. Cloud recruit, finished with 33 saves on 34 shots. Brett Bennett (Indiana), a Wisconsin recruit, finished with 28 saves on 30 shots.

Indiana toook a 1-0 lead into the third period before an Eamonn McDermott goal at the 9:31 mark tied the game. Steve Spinell was the hero for Fargo when he recorded a goal with only 38 seconds left in the third period.

Gavin Hartzog, the other Wisconsin recruit in the series, was held pointless, was even, and recorded 1 shot on goal.

The two teams will meet up again tonight in Indiana at 7:05 for game two in the best of 5 Clark Cup Finals.

Dahl and Little part of Anderson Cup

From worst to first, that is the story of the Green Bay Gamblers this season. Last season was horrible, but this season they walk away w/ the Anderson Cup as the top team in all of the United States Hockey League. They had to defeat Des Moines yesterday in the last game of the USHL regular season. Badger recruits Jefferson Dahl and Sean Little are both members of the Gamblers.

Time to change gears though as the USHL playoffs are set to begin and its time to fight for the Clark Cup. Only one Badger recruit playing in the USHL did not make it. Chase Drake and Sioux City finished short of the 4th spot in the Western Conference.

Eastern Conference

1 – Green Bay (Dahl & Little) vs
4 – Waterloo (Craig Smith, Tyler Barnes & Keegan Meuer)

2 – Cedar Rapids vs
3 – Indiana (Brett Bennett)

Western Conference

1 – Lincoln vs
4 – Sioux Falls

2 – Omaha vs
3 – Fargo (Gavin Hartzog)

In the Eastern Conference, the gap in the standings between 1st and 4th was not much, so I think that could go any way. If you don’t have much to do this weekend head up to GB to watch up to five Badger recruits on the ice. I’m hoping the series goes five games, so the following weekend I can catch the deciding game in GB after returning from the Frozen Four.

The Fargo Force are in their first season in the USHL and its impressive to see them make it to the playoffs. Lincoln should be the favorite in the West to reach the Clark Cup Finals.

Good luck to all Badger recruits as they begin their quest for the Clark Cup. Last season, Matt Thurber and the Omaha Lancers finished as the league’s champion.

Sean Little notches 1st USHL point

It took a long time, but Sean Little has notched his first USHL point w/ a PP goal in the 3rd period of tonights beat down that the GB Gamblers laid on the Waterloo Black Hawks. Final score 11-0. Nice work Sean! The three teams I've seen him play this season, he has worked hard on the 4th line, and should have a much bigger role w/ the Gamblers next season.

Jefferson Dahl continues to play well as he notched two goals doing his part in the rout.

USHL All-Star Game Tonight

The fans vote (at least on our blog) for the most anticipated 2009 recruit, Craig Smith, will be taking part in the USHL All-Star game tonight. GL to Craig and hopefully he comes away w/ the 1st star after a dominating performance!

He is the only Badger recruit in the USHL selected to play in the game.

GB Gamblers/Tri-City Storm Scouting Report

Last friday night, I made my way to GB for the Gamblers game against Tri-City. Tri-City is not a good team, and the Gamblers dominated the whole night. It was watching a Gamblers game last season, just in reverse. I was joined by buckyville's own DoorCountyBadger, but I didn't let his Door County Bias get in the way.

Jefferson Dahl (2010 forward recruit from Eau Claire) was in the lineup and had a goal and an assist late in the 1st period as GB scored twice w/ in 20 seconds or so. I don't have much to add to my previous scouting report from around Thanksgiving. He looked good on the PP, and spent some time camped in front of the net, always a good sign. Another season in the USHL will do well for his strength IMO.

Sean Little (2010 forwrd recruit from Fondy) was ever so close to notching his first USHL point on the 4th line friday night. He had a great feed to a teammate that was stopped, had a perfect tip that the goalie was in the exact position to defend (luck on that one) and hit the pipe later in the game. He looked much improved from when I last saw him. He also took a puck off his helmet, which didn't phase him.

I made a point of watching David Donnellan on Tri-City a defenseman who Chuck pointed out has garnered interest from UW. It was tough though, his team spent so much time in their end. He looked like a strong skater who moved the puck well on top. He was out there on the PP.

Recruit Update: USHL Part II

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

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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



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

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

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

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

Recruit Update: USHL Part I

Wisconsin has 8 recruits in the USHL so I'm going to break this update up into two posts. We'll start w/ the young men on the Waterloo Black (Badger) Hawks, all of which will be joining the Badgers next season.

Tyler Barnes has spent the season w/ Waterloo getting his feet wet in the USHL. The Mr. Hockey finalist in MN started off the season strong, but has quieted down. Since Christmas, Tyler is 0-2-2, -4, w/ 0 PIM.

Overall Tyler's stats aren't bad for a rookie USHL season. He is 6-11-17, +5, w/ 22 PIM, 2 PP goals and a 14% shooting %age in 29 games. He is only 4 pts behind the #3 scorer on the team, as Waterloo has a slew of quality talent.

W/ a solid finish to the season, Tyler might hear his name in June at the NHL draft. Either way he'll be a nice addition to Wisconsin's forward corp next season.


Keegan Meuer is in the middle of his third season w/ Waterloo and is definately on track for his best season (only three pts shy of all of last season). In seven games since the break, he is 1-2-3, -4, w/ 2 PIM.

Through 31 games this season, Keegan is 5-16-21, +4, w/ 41 PIM, and 1-4-5 on the PP. He is tied for third on the team in scoring and assists.

I don't expect him to light the lamp early and often at Wisconsin, but he is going to the kinda player (like Patrick Johnson) that makes a team successful.


Similar to Keegan Meuer, Craig Smith is in his third season w/ Waterloo, and having a breakout year. In seven games since Christmas, Craig is 4-8-12, +1, w/ 8 PIM and 3 PP goals. His best performances were on 1/2 when he had 4 assists, and this past saturday when he notched 2 goals and an assist. Somehow in the latter game he wasn't 1st star, something smells fishy in Fargo...

Craig's played in a few less games (27) than most because of the Junior A Challenge, but still leads his team in every statisical catergory besides +/- where he is 2nd. His stats: 18-25-43, +18, 67 PIM, 16.8% shooting, and 7-9-16 on the PP. Overall he is 2nd in the USHL in pts, 3rd in goals, t-2nd in assists, t-4th in +/- and tied for 3rd in PP goals.

I think his season speaks for itself.

Unlike the BCHL, the USHL is about halfway home, w/ the regular season stretching until April (BCHL regular season ends next month). Right now Waterloo sits in 4th in the East Division w/ 41 pts, only 5 pts behind 1st place. The Black Hawks are also the highest scoring team in the league.

Also, Joe Pavelski's #8 will be retired by Waterloo this weekend. Pavs was a key part of the 2004 Clark Cup champions, where he captained the team and was later named USA Junior POY. Congrats to Joe!

Huge Night for Waterloo Badger Hawks

The Waterloo Blackhawks laid the smack down on Indiana tonight 10-3. Waterloo's friday night game was postponed due to weather.

Craig Smith had 2 goals and 2 assists, Tyler Barnes and Keegan Meuer each had a goal and 2 assists. Smith was 1st star and Meuer was 3rd star. Nice work guys can't wait to have you in the Cardinal and White next Fall!

Also, the USHL website currently has a poll on who of the current top 10 scorers will reign supreme at season's end. If interested scroll down to the bottom of their site and vote for Craig Smith.

Up in Green Bay this weekend, the Gamblers hosted Sioux City for a pair of games. Damn the weather, I would have been there tonight if not for old man winter continue his onslaught. My complaints aside, Jefferson Dahl had a nice weekend. On friday he scored the Gamblers only goal, while tonight he added an assist. Neither Sean Little (GB) nor Chase Drake (SC) dented the score sheet.

As wojo pointed out in 60's Aaron Crandall post, he got shelled on friday night. Luckily tonight's game for Des Moines was postponed.