I received a bit of interesting news tonight when It was brought to my attention that Illinois forward Michael Vilardo has de-committed from The Ohio State University and is looking at other options.Michael is an extremely talented forward who played as a '92 with the Team Illinois Minor program last winter. He is listed at 6', 160 pounds and recorded 48 points in 31 games last season in the MWEHL.
If you may recall, I posted about his commitment last winter. I may have over-reacted in the initial post, but I'm not backing off the principles of my original arguments. I will clarify, that Michael was a bit un-fairly singled out in the post, it was more of a general rant towards the recruiting process in general, it just so happened that he was "in the now."
The fact remains that Vilardo is a great player. Vilardo is changing teams and playing with the Chicago Mission Midget Major program this season. This is also the same team that 1993 born defenseman and Wisconsin commit Jordan Schmaltz will play for. It would not shock me to see him end up playing some games this season in the USHL for the Steel or another franchise. (He was drafted by Fargo but they do not currently own his rights)
I do not know if Vilardo has interest in the Badgers. I will say that we are in need of forwards in the 92 age group, and I'm assuming Schmaltz will be making an effort to try and make him a Badger. Vilardo certainly will be an option now. Along with kids like CJ Eick and Ryan Belonger from Green Bay, and another Wisconsin native Garrett Allen who has made the Fargo Force roster.
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