Breaking down the roster

Classes started at Minnesota State today, so it seems like a good time to take a look at the Mavericks' roster for the upcoming season.

Most of the players have been in Mankato since the last weekend of July, and they spent August working out, skating and team building. Coaches are allowed to do individual and small-group practices now that school is in session, and they'll get two hours a week on the ice with their teams starting in mid-September. Full practices can begin Oct. 6, and MSU will have an exhibition game the next day.

A few nuggets from the roster:

Here are the freshmen, with their jersey numbers:

4—Nick Buchanan, D
9—Bryce Gervais, F
14—Taylor Herndon, F
23—Teddy Blueger, F
24—Brett Knowles, F
26—Dylan Margonari, F
28—Jon Jutzi, D
35—Stephon Williams, G

It doesn't look like any of the returning players made any changes to their numbers this year.

Here is the breakdown of where the players are from. They represent three countries (four, if you count Evan Karambelas being born in Greece), as well as 14 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

United States (20)
Minnesota (7)—Zach Palmquist, Max Gaede, Corey Leivermann, Zach Lehrke, Charlie Thauwald, Eriah Hayes, Brett Stern
Illinois (3)—Tyler Elbrecht, Evan Mosey, Phil Cook
Alaska (2)—Eli Zuck, Stephon Williams
Oklahoma (2)—Taylor Herndon, Chase Grant
Wisconsin (1)—Josh Nelson
Michigan (1)—Jean-Paul LaFontaine
Missouri (1)—J.P. Burkemper
California (1)—Matt Leitner
Massachusetts (1)—Johnny McInnis
Pennsylvania (1)—Dylan Margonari

Canada (6)
British Columbia  (3)—Nick Buchanan, Brett Knowles, Evan Karambelas
Saskatchewan (1)—Bryce Gervais
Alberta (1)—Mat Knoll
Ontario (1)—Jon Jutzi

Latvia (1)
Teddy Blueger

So how did these players get here? What leagues did they play in before coming to MSU?

United States Hockey League (12)
Palmquist*, Gaede*, Leivermann*, LaFontaine, Burkemper, Leitner, Lehrke*, Grant, Hayes*, Margonari, Stern*, Williams

North American Hockey League (7)
Nelson, Herndon, Elbrecht, Mosey, Thauwald*, Cook, Karambelas

British Columbia Hockey League (5)
Buchanan, Gervais, Knowles, Jutzi, Zuck

Alberta Junior Hockey League (2)
Knoll, McInnis

Prep (1)
Blueger

* Played Minnesota high school hockey before going to junior league.

There are five seniors (Elbrecht, Mosey, Cook, Hayes, Zuck), five juniors (Leivermann, Nelson, Burkemper, Lehrke, McInnis), nine sophomores (Palmquist, Gaede, Knoll, LaFontaine, Leitner, Thauwald, Grant,** Stern, Karambelas**) to go along with the eight freshmen on the team.

** Redshirted (Karambelas in 10-11 and Grant in 11-12 (medical))