I took some time to figure out where UMD has been getting their commitments from over the last 10 years and put my results into a couple different tables to get a better look.  The first table simply looks at the amount of players each junior league has given UMD.  The USHL, to no surprise, leads the way in this category.

I found some interesting facts when going through this as well, for example, did you know that UMD received goalie recuits Matt McNeely, Alex Stalock and Brady Hjelle from Cedar Rapids?  Our faith in the Rough Rider's goalie coach must be pretty high, aye?

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Listed below are the players that are either committed to attend NCAA universities or uncommitted prospects that have potential to become recruited.  The list descends from each individual's final ranking  from NHL's Draft Prospect Rankings.

Waterloo Black Hawks - Ian McCoshen

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Since the WCHA is entering a new era of hockey, I decided it's time take a look at the the past.  Broken down in a couple sortable graphs, we have game outcomes and team accomplishments.  Keep in mind these numbers only reflects games that were played by teams while members of the WCHA and the leagues that preceded it.

In 1951, The Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL) was created, thus being the very first nail that built the house that is the WCHA.  The Western Intercollegiate Hockey League (WIHL) formed for the 1953-54 season, and the WCHA finally played it's first season in1959-60 season.  These leagues are all included in the tables below.

Also, on a side note, the season leading up to the formation of WCHA (1958-59) was a year where teams of the WIHL withdrawal from league play due to the recruiting practices of North Dakota, Denver and Colorado College.

W/S - average wins per season

L/S - average losses per season

T/S - average ties per season

Game Outcomes:

Team	Seasons	Games	Wins	Losses	Ties	Win %	Loss %	Tie %	W/S	L/S	T/S
Alaska Anchorage	20	691	192	422	77	0.278	0.611	0.111	9.60	21.10	3.85
Bemidji State	3	112	38	58	16	0.339	0.518	0.143	12.67	19.33	5.33
Colorado College	62	2179	1016	1054	109	0.466	0.484	0.050	16.39	17.00	1.76
Denver	62	2288	1305	852	131	0.570	0.372	0.057	21.05	13.74	2.11
Michigan Tech	59	2100	916	1050	134	0.436	0.500	0.064	15.53	17.80	2.27
Minnesota	62	2337	1384	803	150	0.592	0.344	0.064	22.32	12.95	2.42
Minnesota Duluth	47	1835	816	891	128	0.445	0.486	0.070	17.36	18.96	2.72
Minnesota State	14	543	229	252	62	0.422	0.464	0.114	16.36	18.00	4.43
Nebraska Omaha	3	116	54	52	10	0.466	0.448	0.086	18.00	17.33	3.33
North Dakota	62	2301	1319	858	124	0.573	0.373	0.054	21.27	13.84	2.00
St. Cloud State	23	911	454	375	82	0.498	0.412	0.090	19.74	16.30	3.57
Wisconsin	44	1804	1040	644	120	0.576	0.357	0.067	23.64	14.64	2.73
Michigan	30	895	490	382	23	0.547	0.427	0.026	16.33	12.73	0.77
Michigan State	30	888	393	473	22	0.443	0.533	0.025	13.10	15.77	0.73
Northern Michigan	13	536	263	243	30	0.491	0.453	0.056	20.23	18.69	2.31
Notre Dame	10	373	166	190	17	0.445	0.509	0.046	16.60	19.00	1.70

HB - Hobey Baker Awards
RS - WCHA Regular Season Champions
TC - WCHA Tournament Champions
NCAA - NCAA Tournament Appearances
FF - Frozen Four Appearances


Accomplishments:

Team	HB	RS	TC	NCAA	FF	Champs
Alaska Anchorage	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bemidji State	0	0	0	0	0	0
Colorado College	2	9	1	15	5	1
Denver	1	13	15	23	14	7
Michigan Tech	0	6	9	10	10	3
Minnesota	4	14	14	34	20	5
Minnesota Duluth	5	3	3	8	4	1
Minnesota State	0	0	0	2	0	0
Nebraska Omaha	0	0	0	1	0	0
North Dakota	2	15	11	27	19	7
St. Cloud State	1	1	1	8	1	0
Wisconsin	0	3	12	15	9	6
Michigan	0	3	0	9	9	5
Michigan State	0	0	2	3	3	1
Northern Michigan	0	1	3	4	1	1
Notre Dame	0	0	0	0	0	0

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

The University of Minnesota Duluth Men's hockey team announced who will be joining the team as freshman next year, earlier today.  You may remember Chris Casto's Early Departure caused the Bulldogs a little confusion about incoming recruits, but everything seems to be settled now.

Here's the freshman who will be pulling on a Bulldog sweater this fall:

Name	Pos	HT/WT	Birthdate	Hometown	Current Team	League
Dominic Toninato	F	6-1/170	3/9/94	Duluth, MN	Fargo	USHL
Kyle Osterberg	F	5-8/170	9/5/94	Lakeville, MN	Omaha	USHL
Alex Iafallo	F	5-11/165	12/21/93	Eden, NY	Fargo	USHL
Sammy Spurrell	F	5-11/180	10/5/92	Sherwood, ALB	Spruce Grove	AJHL
Name	Pos	HT/WT	Birthdate	Hometown	Current Team	League
Willie Raskob	D	5-9/190	3/14/95	Hastings, MN	Shattuck	PREP
Dan Molenaar	D	5-11/185	7/5/93	Eden Prairie, MN	Sioux City	USHL
Carson Saucy	D	6-4/195	7/14/94	Irma, ALB	Spruce Grove	AJHL

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Just days after the bombs went off during the Boston Marathon, the Boston Bruins took to the ice for the first time since before the incident.  The Bruins' professional singer, Rene Rancourt, sang the National Anthem, and to be honest, if this doesn't give you goosebumps than I'm not sure what will.

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Roughly one week ago, the University of Maine fired their long-time head coach, Tim Whitehead.  The decision came after a dramatic downfall in performance from the previous year, as Maine went from making the NCAA tourney to only managing to win 11 games this year.

"This is about the future of our marquee program," UMaine Athletic Director Steve Abbott said.  "Since 2008, UMaine has experienced declining Hockey East success, season ticket sales and overall ticket revenues, and waning student engagement in men's ice hockey. The President and I are committed to ensuring that our Men's Hockey Program is financially sustainable, continues to focus on developing the student-athlete and is known nationally for excellence."

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The wait is finally over.

Although the amount of unanswered questions and confusion was at an all-time high throughout the majority of the process, Denver Athletics finally found what seems to be a perfect fit for the new Pioneer men's hockey coach.

When the dust had finally settled, fans received closure from Peg Bradley-Doppes about the firing of their beloved George Gwozdecky and Denver had named Jim Montgomery as their new men's hockey head coach.

Photo: Denver Pioneer Athletics

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I NEED YOUR HELP!

But before I can ask the questions, I need to explain what is exactly going on.

Awhile ago I wrote an article titled, The Attendance Issue, which discussed a couple of my opinions regarding the lack of attendance from both students and fans.  Well, after a couple of meetings things began to snowball and before I knew it, we had a group formed in hopes of bettering the atmosphere at Amsoil and show that we truly are the best fans in the country.

After meetings with Lendley Black (UMD's Chancellor), Lisa Erwin, (Vice Chancellor of Student Life), UMD Athletics, and the UMD Student Association, the ball began to roll, and kept picking up speed as time went on.

In the end, Jace Romano, Erik Doeden, Mike Becker and myself created a group for students that is much like Michigan Tech's group "Mitch's Misfits".

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Yale University Bulldogs

National Champions

Photo: CollegeHockeyNews.com

Typically, when there's a low scoring hockey game, it tends to be filled with a lot of back and forth movement, but the quality shots and intensity levels are usually just marginal.  This game was just a little bit different, though.

The amount of quality shots followed by amazing saves, hard hits that occurred both offense and defensively, tricky passes leaving one wondering how the hell the guy got the puck, and, well, penalties in this game was numerous.  All in all, this was one of the best hockey games i've seen to date.

It was so far from your average, typical college hockey game.

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On the first day we watched Yale's Jesse Root score a goal nine seconds in overtime to beat Minnesota, UMass-Lowell completely dismantle a surging Wisconsin, North Dakota score twice in the last period to squeeze by Niagara, and New Hampshire bury four goals in a row to blow by Denver.

On the second day we watched St. Cloud State roll over Notre Dame, Yale score four to pull off the upset over North Dakota, Miami shutout Minnesota State, Quinnipiac score three late goals to squeeze by Canisius, UMass-Lowell blank New Hampshire, and Union end the reigning-champions, Boston Colleges', season.

By the end of the second day, both Yale and UMass-Lowell had punched their tickets to Pittsburgh, allowing them to wait and watch as four more teams fought for the final two spots.

On the final day of regionals, day three, we watched St. Cloud State's Joey Benik score twice to blow by Miami, and Quinnipiac's Matthew Peca earn a natural hat trick to send the Bobcats over Union.

The Frozen Four was set.  Yale would square off against UMass-Lowell, while St. Cloud State would battle Quinnipiac for a spot in the national championship game.

So who are the remaining two?

Photo: NCAA Associated Press

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The University of Minnesota Duluth receives a commitment from a former St. Scholastica defenseman, Brenden Kotyk.

BIg Thanks to all St.Scholastica Coachs,Staff and most of all the Boys for a great first year of college! Excited to become a UMD Bulldog
— Brenden Kotyk (@BrendenKotyk74) April 11, 2013

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Pessimism.  Fans of sports around the state of Minnesota share this one trait.  It’s in our blood.   Whether you’re a fan of the Vikings, Twins, Gophers, Wild, or Timberwolves; being prepared to be let down is built into our preseason expectations.  That's what happens when many of us were too young to remember, if even born, the '87 and '91 Twins championships, but have the ’98 Vikings (damn!), permanently ingrained in our brains.

By David Case & Michael Becker

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If you're in the Bensenville, Illinois area and looking for something to do tonight, wing into the Chicago Edge Arena.  Inside, you'll find the Chicago Steel lacing up their skates and preparing to take the ice in hopes of defeating the Youngstown Phantoms.

Inside Chicago's locker room, you'll find a blonde haired kid, roughly 6-1, about to take the ice for his final home game in the United States Hockey League.  It's not his last game of the season, as Chicago still has two more games on the road, but failed to clinch a playoff berth.

Tyler Heinonen will pull on his Chicago Steel sweater just three more times before he'll venture farther north, where he'll join Mel Pearson and the rest of the Michigan Tech Husky hockey team.  But let's not jump ahead to far now, let's take a step back.

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The Bulldog Country OFFICIAL USHL Update.  

It really looks a lot more important if you bold it, so why not?  The United States Hockey League is the US' tier 1 junior hockey league.  When explaining it, I usually revert to calling the USHL "AAA minor league" College Hockey.  Many college hockey players will spend time in the USHL or the NAHL or a league within the CJHL.

In the USHL, playoffs are right around the bend, which means teams will compete for the Clark Cup.  Some UMD Recruits are on teams that have clinched a playoff berth.  Can you guess who?  UMD recruits from Fargo are also highlighted, earning rewards and accomplishments.  More to follow below...

Enjoy.

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Since the firing of former Denver hockey coach, George Gwozdecky, the Pioneers have been faced with issues other than finding a new coach for the team.

With the early departures of Scott Mayfield and Juho Olkinuora, the de-commitment from Gage Ausmus and the backlash from former players and fans about the reasoning for Gwozdecky's firing, one must ponder what's going to happen next.

Mayfield, a promising 6-4 defenseman, left the team with two years of NCAA eligibility left to pursue a professional career with the Edmonton Oilers.  Olkinuora, a very talented goaltender from Finland, left the team with two years of eligibility as well, signing with the Winnipeg Jets.

Will others follow in the steps of Mayfield and Olkinoura?

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It's that time again!  The top NCHC committed recruits, seperated by each player's estimated arrival.  I'll post the rest of the conferences tomorrow.

Take into the consideration the difficulty of the leagues and strength of schedules each player is faced with.  For example, the competition in the USHL is much more difficult than that of the Minnesota State High School League.

Enjoy.

Expected Arrival 2013:

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This year the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has donated many talented players to the professional ranks.  Some of them leaving school early to pursue dreams while others are finding paychecks waiting after they've finished their senior seasons.

With 10 (give or take) WCHA players gone to the NHL so far, who's left?  It would seem as though the best are gone, but that is far from the case.  Below is a few of the conference's finest hockey players that could potentially make their hockey dreams come true.

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Today has been quite the day for college hockey's talented players.  Theres been multiple signings today, especially in the WCHA.  Denver's Scott Mayfield, Minnesota State's Eriah Hayes, Minnesota's Mark Alt and North Dakota's Derek Forbort have all signed with professional teams today.

Minnesota State's Eriah Hayes

Minnesota's Mark Alt

If you'd like to keep up with the college hockey departures, click "Early Departures" in the navigation bar above, or just click this link here to keep up with all the confusion.

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The University of Minnesota Duluth found a replacement for the former AD, Bob Nielson, who left for Western Michigan early during the academic year.

Josh Berlo comes from Notre Dame, where he served as senior assistant athletics director for guest relations and event marketing.  He leaves Notre Dame after 12 years of success.

"Josh has a proven track record of leadership in Division I athletics with strategic planning, budgeting, recruiting and hiring of coaches, NCAA compliance, academic mentoring of student athletes, and increasing resources for programs and facilities," said UMD's Chancellor, Lendley Black. "He also understands the values and importance of Division II athletics. We believe his experience and skills will help foster the continued national prominence of UMD athletics and promote new levels of excellence."

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The Minnesota Golden Gopher hockey team finds themselves falling short of the NCAA title game once again, this time, failing to make the Frozen Four.

"Don't blame the players, if you want to blame somebody, blame me," said Don Lucia, Gopher coach, during his last radio show of the season. "You still have to look at the big picture and what the kids accomplished... It was a pretty good run for our guys."

Gopher fans aren't exactly happy with the team's first round exit during the NCAA tournament, while college hockey hockey fans are wondering what the heck happened to the team that was picked by a lot of people to win the national championship, preseason of course, and didn't come close.

Patrick Reusse wrote a great article pointing out mistakes and flaws in a program that has shown more disappointment in recent years than success.

Should Don Lucia be fired?  It seems to be the thing to do right now, right?

The Gophers are able to get the top recruits from not only the state of hockey, but also the surrounding areas.  Every year I see fans salivate at the thought of the returning talent and incoming freshman, and how this is going to be the year "Pride on Ice" takes it all.

It's no secret that the Gopher's have 15 NHL prospects on their team, giving them arguably the most talented team in the entire country.  So what's the deal?  It's Lucia the problem here?  Should the Gophs just have fired him the day after the 3-2 OT loss to Yale much like they handled the Tubby situation?

But hold on one second here...

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The University of Denver Pioneers fired 19-year men's hockey coach George Gwozdecky today.

Gwozdecky, who's now 59 years old, had one more season left in the 12-year contract he signed and was reportedly talking with the school about an extension, which obviously failed to conclude.

The School, who made it sound as though Gwozdecky was "leaving" and not fired, released an official announcement today and stated that Gwozdecky will speak tomorrow at 11:00am about leaving the school.  The following are highlighted from the school's release:

“We certainly wish George the best in his future endeavors and we are thankful for his 19 years at the helm of our hockey program,” said Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes. “He certainly had his fair share of success, returning the program to the pinnacle of the collegiate hockey world during our great run in the middle of the previous decade. In addition, he has always run our program with class and professionalism, which has certainly made our fans proud to be Pioneer supporters." 

“We must now turn our attention toward a new direction for our hockey program with another innovative coach taking the lead for our inaugural season in the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference.”

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