Ryan McDonagh & assorted Friday morning links

• The Hockey News has a very nice article on Badger alum RYAN MCDONAGH. (Thanks to anon for sharing.)
  

  “In my time at the combine, he’s been the single most impressive guy ever,” said Rangers director, player personnel Gordie Clark.
  
  “He’s just a smaller version of Marc Staal,” Clark said. “We did not have him as a point-producing guy. In the NHL, this guy is going to be a shutdown defenseman with his skating ability.”
  
  But don’t expect this Minnesota native’s NHL career to be put on hold for much longer, as the Rangers are expecting him to be with the big club at some point this season.
  
  “I don’t think there’s any question,” Clark said. “We lose Gabor, Prospal and Drury – well now we had to come up with a new way to win games and stay in the hunt until we get our talent back and every game is like a one-goal game. That wouldn’t have been a place for a young defenseman coming right out of college. He’s the go-to defenseman in Hartford.”

  By the way, the Hartford Wolfpack has been renamed the Connecticut Whale. Apparently whales are both family friendly and competitive. (Either that, or the hockey team isn't competitive.)
  

  “We have created a fun logo that not only captures the family-oriented approach of the Whale, but also represents the competitive nature of Coach (Ken) Gernander’s Whale team.”

• Gandalf is going to be disappointed that he can't make this event tomorrow -- Alex Stalock Bobblehead Night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. Don't worry G, I'm sure some of the bobbleheads will turn up on ebay so that you'll still be able to get one.

• Did you know that ANDY BOHMBACH is "famous for his career in the NHL"? Wasn't aware that he had played an NHL game yet, lol, but hey, at least there are some Badger highlight videos there -- the 1st video, btw, has nice goals by TOM GOROWSKY and DEREK STEPAN.

• When Chris Hickey left the Badgers, it was reported that he would transfer to Dartmouth. Apparently, however, he has decided to stay at St. Thomas, where he joined the team mid-season while sitting out the obligatory D1 season. Note to Hockey's Future: this St. Thomas is located in St. Paul and plays in the D3 MIAC; it's not the St. Thomas in New Brunswick, Canada. Anyway, I hope all is going well for Chris and wish him the best for the future.
  

• A PSU hockey blog has taken offense to EoDS' BTHC post, which is kind of funny because EoDS really didn't mention PSU except as the obvious impetus for the likely creation of the BTHC, and so it seems a stretch to say that we're "taking out our frustrations re: Big Ten Hockey on [PSU]". I think it would be more accurate to say we're expressing our frustrations with the BTHC. Also amusing - apparently we're now an "NCAA hockey establishment blog", lol.
  

Chris Hickey to Dartmouth?

GreatLakerMowahk has pointed out that the Strib's Michael Russo is reporting via twitter that Chris Hickey is going to Dartmouth. Given that Hickey is a Wild prospect, I figure Russo has a clue, and I figure we'll hear more about this shortly.

Hickey played 8 games for the Badgers last season, including a game @ the DUMP where he delighted the No Alibis No Regrets crew by scoring his first collegiate goal.

Best of luck, Chris.

UPDATE:

Wild prospect Chris Hickey, who played last season at Wisconsin, is "completing arrangements to transfer to Dartmouth," said assistant GM Tommy Thompson. Hickey, a former Cretin-Derham Hall player, was drafted by the Wild in the seventh round of the 2006 draft. [Star Tribune]

16 Forwards: Hickey's gone . . .

"He just thought there was a gut feeling that he could go some place and have a better shot to play more right away." -- Coach Mike Eaves regarding Chris Hickey

Entering this offseason with a glut of forwards for the coming year, I was going to do a little series of posts titled "19 Forwards", "18 Forwards", "17 Forwards", etc., because it seemed clear that something(s) had to give. But then Tom Bardis left the program and Tyler Barnes was delayed a year, and we were down to 17 forwards before I had a chance to write my 19 or 18 forwards posts.

But at 17 forwards, I actually thought things had stabilized. Yeah, 5 forwards seemed like an awful lot to be sitting each night, but I looked at the roster and didn't really see anyone else leaving. Admittedly, I didn't really think very hard about Hickey. My mistake.

And now, after hearing chatter over on uscho about someone (possibly Hickey) leaving the program, it appears that Hickey is in fact leaving.

You know, I liked Chris Hickey, and I know Gandalf liked him a lot, and I'm kinda bummed about the whole thing. (Well, bummed might not be the right word, but I'm trying to be diplomatic.) Good luck to Chris wherever he ends up.

By the way, Baggot's article also talks about the aforementioned Bardis and Barnes situations. I find Mike Eaves' quotes interesting. (Again, interesting might not be the correct word here.)

Regarding Bardis:

"[W]e just didn’t see him being able to play here with his skill set."

Which begs the question: wasn't the coaching staff familiar with his skill set before he became a Badger?

Regarding Barnes:

“I think we tried to manage it in the proper fashion,” Eaves said. “We met face-to-face and explained to him what our situation was and how it would affect (him). It’s not an easy thing to.

“They sensed we were trying to be up-front and honest. At first, I’m sure it’s an inital shock, then you try to take a look at it.

“That was a big part of our talk — would another year (in juniors) benefit him? In Tyler’s situation, we think that it will because he’s going to be in a lot more responsible situation with his junior team.”

More HF prospects updates, interview w/ Derek Stepan

Last week I linked Hockey's Future's prospects updates for Brendan Smith, Patrick Johnson, Ryan McDonagh, Joe Piskula, and Davis Drewiske. Today I have some more:

Hurricanes 2008-09 NCAA prospects update

Jamie McBain, D • Wisconsin (WCHA)
Ht: 6’2 • Wt.: 197 pounds
Drafted: 2006 second round • 63rd overall

The most impressive Carolina NCAA prospect is Wisconsin junior defenseman Jamie McBain. McBain has become one of college hockey’s best blueliners. His 28 points — on five goals and 23 assists in 26 games — are tied for 16th in the NCAA and are tops among all defensemen in the country. He’s already surpassed his career high of 24 points set last season with the Badgers and has been a guiding force on a Wisconsin team that’s battling for the top spot in the WCHA.

After leading the Badgers defense in scoring the past two years, McBain was named an alternate captain prior to this season and his breakthrough 2008-09 has the Wisconsin athletic department touting McBain as a Hobey Baker Award candidate. It wouldn’t be out of the question to expect McBain to jump right to the NHL after his college career is over — perhaps as early as next season if he passes up his senior year.

Wild 2008-09 NCAA prospects update

Chris Hickey, F
University of Wisconsin Badgers
Acquired: 7th round, 190 overall, 2006

Hickey is fighting for ice time as one of four freshmen on the Badgers roster this season. But unlike the others, who are having successful seasons and seeing regular shifts, Hickey has not found himself a regular spot in the lineup.

Hickey has only suited up in eight of a possible 26 games this season; in those games, he has seen very little ice time. His stats show his lack of ice time; in his eight games played he has only managed one goal, a -2 rating and four penalty minutes.

Looking ahead to next season, life won’t be getting any easier. Out of the 16 forwards on the Badgers roster, 14 are eligible to return. Many of the players returning next season are of the core group that provides the offensive punch and defensive stability for the Badgers. Hickey will need to do everything he can during the remainder of this season and in camp next season to show he is the Badgers’ shut-down guy.

One positive that can salvage this season for Hickey is the 10 pounds he put on over the summer. Hickey is going to need to continue to grow faster and stronger to become an elite checking line forward. Checking will need to be Hickey's forte as it was never envisioned that he would be a major contributor on offense.

Kings 2008-09 NCAA prospects update

Selected as a project by then general manager Dave Taylor, Joshua Turnbull has not shown much in his second season with the Wisconsin Badgers. With only six points in 21 games, he has stepped back in his production from his freshman season with little chance of getting off the fourth line. And with nearly all of the Badgers forwards returning next season, the prospects for better ice time does not look good. Turnbull must earn his time by showing more development or he may not make it out of college hockey. He still has two more seasons to improve and catch the attention of the Los Angeles brass.

Cody Goloubef also got mention in HF's January college prospects notebook:

Badger brings home the gold

The NCAA was well represented at this year’s IIHF U20 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, but it would be a University of Wisconsin defenseman who would bring home the biggest prize of all. Oakville, ON native and Badgers sophomore Cody Goloubef (CBJ) and his Team Canada teammates captured their fifth straight gold medal after defeating Sweden 5-1. Goloubef finished second on the Team Canada roster with a plus-10. He also added an assist.

An finally, HF has an interview with Badger forward Derek Stepan.

Bendickson Back, Bardis & Hickey to make debuts

60 would probably cover this tomorrow morning, but I think it deserves its own post.

Todd is reporting in his blog today that Tom Bardis and Chris Hickey will make their debuts tomorrow night for the Badgers. I'm pretty excited to see Hickey play. In addition, Aaron Bendickson will center the new skaters as he returns from injury after being out of the line for 6 games. Its great to have Bendickson back. He is a great PK guy, and I think he is ready to add some offense for the Badgers.

Ben Grotting is still injuried, and Michael Davies and Josh Turnbull will be watching in street clothes. As Todd's blog post says (they) were being held out of the lineup because of a "50-50" combination of injuries and performance issues.

Makes sense to me, and hopefully it will be a wake up call to both players moving forward. I remember when Davies was benched last season, he played much more consistently afterward, but as a junior you shouldn't need a benching to motivate you.

Here are the lines:

Murray-Geoffrion-Bohmbach
Mitchell-Dolan-Gorowsky
P. Johnson-Thurber-Stepan
Hickey-Bendickson-Bardis

Smith-McBain
McDonagh-Goloubef
Gardiner-Little

Men's Player Previews: #25 Chris Hickey

Vitals:

Position: Forward
Year in School: Freshman
Shoots Right
Height: 6-1
Weight: 202
Hometown: St. Paul, MN
Previous Team: Tri-City (USHL) last season

NHL Considerations: 7th round pick (2006) of the Minnesota Wild.

07/08 Stats: 55 games, 15-16-31, -24, 34 PIM
05/06 Stats: ? games, 37-26-63

08/09 Role: 4th line EV

07/08 Recap: Chris skated w/ the Tri-City Storm last season in the USHL after playing 4 years at Cretim-Durham Hall w/ Ryan McDonagh winning a state title in 2006. Chris had a pretty good season w/ the Storm as he adjusted to the USHL's higher level of play. If you recall, Chris was a late addition to the freshman class after issues arose w/ his draft rights. If Chris wouldn't have started school this fall, the Wild either would have had to sign him to a contract, or give up his draft rights.

08/09 Thoughts: I'm not really sure how much playing time Chris will get on the team this season, my prediction is pretty low, but he could easily surpass that. I don't think he is as ready for the WCHA as his fellow freshman forwards. He'll probably be fighting for playing time on the 4th line w/ a bunch of other guys. Overall, I'm pretty happy Chris has joined the team. He is a solid two way player who has the potential to be a top scorer for Wisconsin in the future.

Prediction: 14 games, 2-4-6

Photo from uwbadgers.com

A few Friday morning links

• Todd Milewski has more on Mike Valley and his new association with the Badger goaltenders.
  

• These alumni links come courtesy of uwbadgers.com. Somehow I missed them when they were first posted -- I suppose because uwbadgers.com posted them just before it posted Bill Howard's resignation.
  
  Here's a really nice video about Brian Rafalski's day with the Cup. Looks like Brian and his family had a really nice day. Nice to see Brian wearing a UW shirt during the fireworks.
  
  Here's a video about what Dany Heatley did this summer.
  

• Continuing with HF's Top 20 Prospects, Fall 2008 -- Chris Hickey is the #15 prospect for the Minnesota Wild.
  

  15. Chris Hickey, C, 19
  7th round, 192nd overall, 2006
  
  When the Wild picked Hickey, they knew they were getting a great athlete. He played in Minnesota state championship games his senior year of high school in football, hockey and baseball. He has a good frame to work with, listed at 6'1 and 185 pounds, and his work ethic is superb. However, as he discovered when he jumped from the high school ranks to Tri-City of the USHL, it only gets tougher from here on out. After scoring at a better than a goal a game clip in high school, Hickey tallied 15 goals and 16 assists in 55 games in his first USHL season. He will be skating this year with the perennial WCHA powerhouse Wisconsin Badgers where he will continue his development. The Wild will certainly have some eyes in the stands when the Badgers come to town to play the Gophers. If he can improve his game and develop the strength to play at the pro level, we could be hearing more from Hickey on the pro circuit in a few years.

• Gandalf has been previewing all 10 WCHA teams. He previously previewed UAA, and I'd expect a Tech preview shortly. Looks like a couple of other blogs are doing previews as well. This is the WCHA will begin previewing teams next week. Donald at UAA Hockey Fan Blog also has brief previews. Donald has CC running away with the top finish, Wisconsin finishing anywhere between #3 and #7, and UAA finishing no lower than #8 and possibly as high as #4. Interesting.
  

• The Third Man In has updated it's Blackhawks Depth Chart. For what it's worth, Adam Burish and Jake Dowell are listed as the #4 and #5 centers, and Jack Skille is listed as the #3 RW. You can see all 3 Badgers at the Hawks Red and White Event in Rockford on Sunday, September 21.
  

Season Preview: Freshman

So far I’ve looked at all the returning Badgers in the senior, junior and sophomore classes. Now its time to tackle the freshmen, the biggest unknown on the team. When looking at this group, I ponder two main things:

1) How quickly will they adjust to the rigors of the WCHA from the level they previously played? For some it might be mid-season, for others it might take until Fall 2009 before they are adjusted. 4 of these young men spent last season (2 of them multiple seasons) in the USHL. One came directly from high school and two teammates come from Shattuck St. Mary’s, which I would consider a step above HS hockey, but below the USHL.

2) Will this group be able to make up a significant portion of the scoring that departed from last season? This may be a function of #1. Of those who moved on, they tallied 27-66-93 last season. That is a lot to make up. Most of that came from Kyle Turris and the scoring from the blue line by Davis Drewiske and Kyle Klubertanz. The returning players should also improve, but a good chunk of that lost production will be on the shoulders of the freshman.

Last season, Wisconsin had the #1 ranked class in the nation, and overall they made large contributions to the team. Kyle Turris, Ryan McDonagh and Cody Goloubef arguably met expectations last year, while Patrick Johnson and Sean Dolan exceeded them. Only Brendan Smith could be labeled a disappointment. The freshman class of 2006 (the current juniors) were highly ranked as well, yet their contributions were not on par w/ their expectations. While Jamie McBain did his part, Blake Geoffrion and Michael Davies did not, and Nigel Williams left the team after a few weekends. How will this year’s freshman do?

The freshman class of 2008 should be ranked pretty high as well, featuring 3 NHL draft picks. In 2006, forward Chris Hickey was a 7th round pick of the Minnesota Wild. This past summer, forward Derek Stepan was a 2nd round pick of the NY Rangers, while classmate Jake Gardiner was the 1st round selection of the Anaheim Ducks. Joining Stepan and Hickey at forward are Matt Thurber and Jordan Murray. Joining Gardiner on the blue line are Ryan Little and Eric Springer. There is a strong Wisconsin connection to this class. Thurber is from Beaver Dam, Little is from Fond du Lac and Springer grew up in Wrightstown.

Starting w/ the blue liners, Jake Gardiner comes to Wisconsin w/ high expectations. Before the start of last season w/ Minnetonka HS, Gardiner switched from forward to defenseman. The move vaulted him up the draft board. Gardiner was considered one of the best skating blue liners, if not the best, in this summer’s NHL draft. W/ his background as a forward, he adds to Wisconsin’s list of offensive dmen, and should see time on the PP this season. Gardiner’s recent switch to the blue line is also his biggest weakness. Coach Oz will definitely have Gardiner under his wing for the next few seasons as he attempts to mold him into a solid defensive force. Gardiner is a high risk high reward player for the Badgers, who as a freshman is likely to make his share of mistakes in his own end. Fans should be patient, w/ some hard work Gardiner should be a star in the coming seasons. Stats last season: 28G, 20-28-48

Though not as heralded, Ryan Little will join Gardiner on the blue line this Fall. Little played the last few seasons for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Last season he served as team Captain, bringing leadership to the Badgers, and was an USHL All-Star. He is solid in his own end, which on a team of offensive dmen, should earn him some playing time. He does take a lot of penalties, and needs to learn to stay out of the box. Little should be a solid four year player for Wisconsin. Stats last season: 58G, 2-11-13, -21, 100 PIM

Another USHL All-Star joining the Badgers is Eric Springer. Springer had a very successful season w/ Sioux Falls of the USHL last year. Springer was a later addition to the class. I don’t know much more about Springer, though I think based on his play during his only season in the USHL, the Badgers landed themselves a steal. Springer is another offensive defenseman, which could limit his playing time this season, but he should be here for 4 years and do some good things. Stats last season: 60G, 8-23-31, +21, 94 PIM

Headlining the talented group of incoming forwards is Derek Stepan. Stepan spent the last two seasons w/ Shattuck St. Mary’s where he was 2nd on the team in scoring (both seasons) and a huge factor in their back to back National Championships. Stepan should add some much needed offense to the team and help fill the void made by Turris’ departure. His draft stock rose throughout the season, and I remember reading that he was the most dominant player on the ice during Shattuck’s playoff run. Stats last season: 60G, 42-62-104, 16 PIM

Joining Stepan is his teammate Jordy Murray. Murray is the veteran of three seasons on Shattuck’s varsity squad and was 3rd in scoring the last two seasons. Murray’s dad Andy is the current coach of the St. Louis Blues, and his brother Brady played for North Dakota. Some pretty good hockey bloodlines. Murray is a small player, but should hopefully remind Badger fans of Ryan Lasch or Garrett Roe, both smaller forwards who have had a lot of success at St. Cloud. Last season stats: 60G, 38-57-95, 68 PIM

The Badgers also welcome one of the top forwards in the USHL from last season in Matt Thurber. Thurber won a championship of his own helping the Omaha Lancers to the Clark Cup. An All-Star last year, Thurber was near the top of many different statistical categories. He was tied for 14th in scoring, 4th in assists, 5th in +/-, and 1st in short handed goals league wide. Thurber averaged about 3 assists per goal, and should provide much needed playmaking for the Badgers. Stats last season: 58G, 14-41-55, +23, 71 PIM

Rounding out the freshman class is forward Chris Hickey. Hickey was a late addition to the class after issues arose about his draft status w/ the Wild. If he would not have entered Wisconsin, the Wild would have had to sign him, or give up his draft rights. Regardless, Hickey is a nice addition to the team. Hickey spent last season w/ Tri-City of the USHL, and before that played out his senior HS season as teammates w/ Ryan McDonagh. Not sure how much room there will be for playing time for Hickey, but he should provide Wisconsin w/ a solid two way forward. Stats last season: 55G, 15-16-31, -24, 34 PIM

The main thing w/ the freshman class is that there are a lot of unknowns. I have high hopes for all of these kids, but I don’t want to get them too high. Last year I thought Kyle Turris could have a 20-30-50 season, and when he “only” produced a 11-24-35 season, I was disappointed most of the time. Really in retrospect, a 35 point season for a WCHA rookie is pretty darn good. The switch from the BCHL is a huge jump, and while I thought KT should have buried a few more goals, his season should be considered a success.

As high draft picks, Gardiner and Stepan should produce a lot, but I think their seasons will be considered a success if they improve from day one and are markedly better by season’s end, same for their teammates. Personally, I think Matt Thurber is going to have the best season of all the frosh, and I can’t wait to see him play. He has been playing against older competition in the USHL for three years, and I think he is ready to make NHL teams wish they had drafted him this past June.

6 weeks to go until the first puck drops out in Boston and some of these question marks started producing answers.

Prospect camps: Wings, Wild

• Thanks to NEWI Badger Fan for spotting this article about Brendan Smith at the Red Wings' prospects camp. (I think NEWI must be a Wings fan, because he also gave us an article previously. But hey, I'm a Wings fan, too, so I'm not going to complain.) The latest article has a number of nice quotes from Smith and Detroit VP Jim Nill -- Nill has some nice things to say about Smith, and Smith talks about what it's like to play in front of 15,000 fans at the KC, the areas of his game that he's working on, and how long we might see him wearing the Cardinal and White. (I don't believe the last part for a second!)

• Thanks to DPlaya on HIW for sharing this article about Chris Hickey at the Wild's prospects camp. Hickey talks about what he's been working on in camp and why he wants to play for Mike Eaves at Wisconsin.

Chris Hickey

There are a lot of good quotes in this article about Chris Hickey and the Wild. (Thanks to DPlaya for spotting the article.)

"This year will be a much better test, to see him at a higher tempo on a well-run team," said Tommy Thompson, Wild assistant general manager for player personnel. "We'll see how he does there."

So, it sounds like the Wild are happy that Hickey is headed to Wisconsin, and it's nice to see that they have a high opinion of the Badgers.

After tearing a ligament in his left knee as a senior with the Raiders, Hickey said he felt behind in his development and joined the USHL to "touch up on everything."

"It was really good for me," he said. "Now I feel like I'm all the way ready to play in the WCHA and make an impact right away."

I hope he is able to make an impact right away, and it's nice to hear that that's his plan. The Badgers could definitely use his scoring touch. I also like his response to his injury and playing in the USHL.

A seventh-round pick in the 2006 entry draft, Hickey played on state championship teams in hockey, baseball and football at Cretin-Derham Hall but chose to pursue hockey when the Wild drafted him after his junior season.

Hickey was available late because of questions about his skating ability. "I think it's fair to say the question mark is still the same," Thompson said. "Is he going to be quick enough to play at a higher tempo?"

Well, not everyone is the fastest skater. Joe Pavelski isn't the quickest guy, but he sure gets things done. The question is whether his skating will be merely a hindrance or an actual liability. And, of course, at this point I can't help but think about Tom Gorowsky. It seems like Goro's skating has held him back with the Badgers. Goro's skating did improve last year, but it appears the coaching staff is still not comfortable with his ability to keep up in fast-paced games. (More thoughts on this later.)

"My skating is probably my weakest part of my game; I definitely need to improve," he said. "I need to get a lot stronger in my lower body. ... I really didn't have the time to get that strength because of that injury to my left knee, and I really couldn't work on it. So this past year in the USHL, I really worked hard on my lower body strength.

"I'm getting faster. We had the testing (Wednesday), and I saw a significant improvement in my quickness. My speed still needs to improve. ... I feel like if I can get faster and quicker, I can make it (in the NHL) someday."

Nice to see that he recognizes his weaknesses and has already started to make improvements. I know I say this about all of our recruits, but I'm looking forward to seeing him play.

Mitchell invited to Wild Prospect Camp

I've been meaning to put together info on the various NHL Prospect Development Camps, but haven't had the time.

I figured it was worth mentioning though that "Big" John Mitchell has been invited to the Minnesota Wild's camp, along w/ 2008 recruit Chris Hickey.

Pretty cool to see "Big" John getting some NHL attention. He made huge strides this past season. If he makes similar strides next season, it could very well be his last in the Cardinal and White. It was rumored he was drawing attention from a few NHL teams to sign as an undrafted free agent, but Coach Eaves and "Big" John both agreed another season at UW was in his best interest.

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.

Thoughts on NHL Draft Rights

Ok, I'm trying to figure this all out.

Andy Baggot has another article on Chris Hickey, which sheds some more light on NHL draft rights for NCAA players. From the Baggot article (the quote is from Hickey):

"By signing with UW, Hickey said his homestate team will retain his rights "all the way to the end of my college eligibility." "

The article also says the following:

"The CBA gives NHL teams a four-year window to tender a qualifying contract offer to draftees."

So which one is it? The four-year window for the Wild would be up after the 2009/2010 Badger Season, but according to Hickey's quote, the Wild would retain his rights all the way through if he plays four seasons w/ the Badgers which would be 2012.

This is all rather confusing, and I have searched the web, but haven't really found any hard evidence either way, the only thing I could find was from the following website:

"NCAA players are an exception: NHL teams retain the rights to a college player until 30 days after the player has left college."

Now this is under the heading "Re-entering the Draft" which a player can't do once they reach 20 years of age. This "30 days" issue has come up w/ Blake Wheeler of minnesota, because usually a team retains a players rights until August 15th.

If any readers have some more knowledge on this, please leave a comment below.

Based on things I've read, I'm led to believe that draft rights for NCAA players extend through their NCAA eligibility as long as they are entering school w/ in 2 years of their Draft year, otherwise they would become a free agent first since they would be considered like any other North American player. So looking at Chris Hickey, now that he is coming to Wisconsin next Fall, his draft rights w/ the Wild extend 6 years.

Edit: I just found the NHL CBA which is written by lawyers or something since it sounds stupid. Anyway, on Page 19 they explain the draft rights of college players. As I read it, as long as Chris Hickey is a student at UW as of June 1, 2008 the Minnesota Wild retain his 2006 NHL Draft rights until August 15th of 2012. This will likely apply for Chase Drake in 2010 and Travis Erstad at this time next year.

Odds & Ends

• Todd has a post on future Badgers involved in today's USHL draft, and DPlaya has a post on future Badgers / potential recruits / Wisconsin kids selected in today's USHL draft.

• In today's TCT, Todd has even more on incoming Badger Chris Hickey.

• Adam Burish has a fifth installment of his World Championships blog.
  

• Speaking of the World Championships, Team USA faces Finland shortly (6:15 CDT). Team Canada already defeated Sweden 8-2 in their quarterfinal earlier today. I'll have the usual links and Badger stats for both games after the Team USA game is completed.
  

More on Chris Hickey

Andy Baggot has more on Chris Hickey on the Badger Blog.

Andy brings up some interesting points. At a roster of 29 the Badgers would eclipse the UW's roster management policy. Also, it appears that Chris' entry into next season's class has something to do w/ the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

I've been trying to figure out for several days how NHL draft rights work. Under the current CBA, the Minnesota Wild (who drafted Chris in the 7th round in 2006) hold his rights for 4 years. Reading various things on the internet, I thought I gathered that that clock starts ticking once the player enters college. Apparently that is not the case, and 2 years have already expired on Hickey's NHL draft rights. Therefore, after his sophomore year he either will have to sign w/ the Wild or if he doesn't and stays at UW, he will become a free agent. This will not only impact Chris, but it will impact other recruits in the future (unless the rules change) like Travis Erstad and Chase Drake. More on that another time though.

Just for reference on NHL draft rights, players from the CHL or North Americans who are not headed the NCAA route have draft rights for only 2 years. Take Karl Alzner who plays for the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2007. His draft rights expire in 2009, where Brendan Smith's draft rights w/ the Red Wings expire in 2011.

Edit: As was pointed out in the comments, if Chris Hickey wouldn't have came to Madison this Fall he would have been considered like any other North American player (like Karl Alzner) and his draft rights would have expired this summer either forcing the Wild to sign him or allow him to become a free agent. Thanks to those who commented that correction.

Chris Hickey to wear Cardinal and White this Fall

60, I can answer your post for you, Chris Hickey is indeed coming to Wisconsin this Fall, per Todd at TCT, and will be part of the now 7 strong 2008 Class.

I'll point out that I said the following last month during a post about the forwards for next season:

"I have a feeling that Chris Hickey will still be on the team next season, no actual reason to think that, other than a gut feeling."

Glad that rang true. We have a pretty full house at forward now, and as Todd speculated in his blog post, is someone else leaving? Right now that puts the roster at 29 Badgers for 2008/2009. The only likely candidates to leave in my mind are Tom Gorowsky and Zach Bearson because of playing time. I certainly hope that is not the case though. W/ Geoffrion and Street apparently staying to Captain the team, I don't see anyone else leaving early.