The Exiled One

Oops, my bad.

He'll play a year of juniors either next season or the season after. Does anybody else agree with me that he's got to be the front runner for the Frank Brimsek award?

I imagine Dunn will be the starter as a senior, and Mike Lee will back him up as a freshman. If he pans out, Mike could be a three year starter for the Huskies. That's as much as any goalie can ask for. I don't doubt that if UND had pushed harder for him, they could've landed him. The situation for him at SCSU was probably just a better fit. That seems to be the way it goes for goalies. I'm sure the next goalie UND recruits will be a gem... nothing to worry about.

Very astute analysis... well done. A few more tidbits I'd add about this all-star laden H.S. team: Rumor has it that either the UND or the UMN coaching staff was telling Budish to shoot more. The idea is to make him more of a "drive-the-net" type of player. You're correct that Max is the younger brother of Marshall, and is a good compliment to Gleason because he's going to be a solid defensive defensman. Anders Lee is definately a goal hound (which isn't meant in a bad way). Obiously his scholarship opportunities will be better in hockey, but I wonder if he doesn't enjoy Football enough to go that route instead?

That was me, and you paraphrased fairly accurately.

Western College Hockey Blog says he's interested in Denver, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Boston College.

Budish is probably a bit overhyped at this exact moment for those that are expecting a Kessel/Parise/Vanek/Toews type of phenom. I've heard him compared to Grant Potulny with maybe a bit more skill. However, just remember the intagibles that GP brought to the table helped the goofers go B2B. He's (potentially) a future captain for every team he plays on from now to eternity. For that reason, at least, he's not overhyped at all.

That's going to be one hell of a game too. The top two teams in the state, both unbeaten! Forget whatever happens at the metrodome, this is the real State Championship!!

Some would say that top notch defensemen for '09 and '10 are already becoming scarce, so I expect Motzko may "open the vault" for Schmidt. Hopefully, it will be an amount the Sioux just can't match. The goofers are already going to be quite full at D for '09 & '10 (add that to the fact that Schmidt considers the goofers to be his favorite team's arch enemy) and I think that Minnesota is out of the running. Actually, Schmidt's decision could be affected strongly by the next two "big name" commitments who are deciding between you guys and the goofers (one could take his roster spot, the other is a good friend of his). Also, I expect that some "futher away" WCHA teams may try to push for Schmidt. I just hope he ultimately shows loyalty to his hometown. We need him more... period.

Take Nick Mattson if you want to, but keep your filthy mitts off Nate Schmidt!!!

Here's the original link.

SCSU is also pretty full for next season and the season after that. IMHO, the best way to identify potential '09 & '10 recruits from Elite League stats is to identify the best sophomores and juniors (especially the young ones). Check their size, other stats, and any previous accolades (Select Camp, Model Camp, USHL Tryouts, etc). Then, if like me, you really don't have to opportunity to watch these kids play in person all that much, ask the opinion of somebody who has. For example, after Hanowski, Danny Mattson, and the Wisconsin kids, the highest scoring junior was Dan DeLisle from Totino-Grace. First off, he's 6'3" 209... that's good. I checked his stats from last season and saw that he was the second leading scorer for a very good Eagles team... that's good too. Finally, I saw that he participated at Model Camp, but not much else. I asked somebody with some knowlege what he thought of Dan and he said he was 'okay'. He's 2009 draft eligible, which helps explain why he hasn't gotten much attention yet. I'm guessing that, like most big kids, if he can learn to skate really well he'll get some attention. If he takes to long to really emerge, he'll be a signee with either a non-WCHA school or a walk-on for the goofers.

It doesn't matter if they compete for an NCAA title every season. It only matters if the recruit believes they'll contend for the period of time they're attending college. At this early juncture, there's absolutely no reason to believe that SCSU won't contend from 2010 through 2014.

I have to call bull**** on that one. He did an interview with the USHL where he's quoted as saying he'd LOVE to play for his hometown team. Unfortunately, USHL.com dropped the link, but I'll see if I can find the story archived somewhere. The article also said he's interested in the Sioux, but that doesn't mean it's always been his "dream" school. I know that he's not a big fan of the goofers. I think CC is pursuing him too. I doubt Schmidt is concerned about team histories and he probably thinks that SCSU has just as much chance of success as UND has in upcoming seasons. So, weigh the fact that he's a Huskies fan against UND's facilities and it's likely a dead heat. I have some inside sources on this subject matter too. *EDIT* Here are the portions of that article that refer to North Dakota and St. Cloud State... "I like St. Cloud State, the Gophers (Minnesota), North Dakota, and Colorado College.” Interestingly, Schmidt got hooked on Colorado College when at a baseball tournament. Schmidt is a St. Cloud State hockey fan, attends games regularly, and would love the chance to suit up for his hometown university.

Ryan Walters of St. Thomas Academy to Minnesota Jake Hendrickson of Burnsville to Duluth

That too.

Yeah, all that obvious stuff.

Advantage for UND: Potential fellow freshmen Fink, Gleason, and Danny Mattson. All on good terms with Zach. Advantage for SCSU: Potential fellow freshmen Oliver, Hanowski, Ravndalen, and possibly Schmidt. All on good terms with Zach. Not as much of an advantage for the Gophers, but they've got both our schools beat in other regards.

http://www.startribune.com/526/story/1472322.html Article on Zach Budish. Hmmmm.... any guesses on the top two might be.

USA Hockey is pretty high on Leddy too. He was part of that U17 Five Nations team that played last month. He led all defensemen in points with three in four games. He's no Nick Mattson, but he's a high end recruit to be sure. He's about on the same level as Nate Schmidt, though a bit smaller. I think SCSU is recruiting him too. I wouldn't be surprised if the Gophers were in the game as well, though I haven't heard anything about that.

Personally, I think the fact that his teammates on the U17 USA Team elected him captain speaks volumes about his character.

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/wildblog/?p=226 A little info about one of our favorite potential recuits is about halfway down the page. By my count there were five former Huskies mentioned in the article. Hopefully they took the opportunity to remind Zach where they played college hockey!!

I didn't forget about Andy, I wanted it to be kind of a trick question... well done!!!

Word has it that Budish's decision is still a ways off. Word also has it that despite his dad's status, he has no particular allegence to Minnesota. My guess is that he'll pick based purely on the offer and his personal feelings about each particular college's atmosphere. Don't forget, he's being looked at for football scholarships too. I have a feeling he'll go the hockey route though. The good thing for me is that SCSU could still be in the mix, as the college atmosphere is fun, the offer could be much bigger, and the proximity could be a selling point too. Granted St. Cloud is at a disadvantage in many other ways, but program prestige doesn't seem to be a factor for this recruit. Still, even though I hate to admit it, my gut feeling is that the goofers will end up with him. Trivia Question: Name Zach's two older brothers and where they played college hockey. (10 points)