Rochester D-man commits

Rochester Post-Bulletin

On Wednesday night, word came that Riese Zmolek, a defenseman from Rochester Century High School, has committed to Minnesota State.

Zmolek is the son of former University of Minnesota defenseman (friend and teammate of former MSU women's coach and men's assistant and Eric Means) and nine-year NHLer Doug Zmolek.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin's Jason Feldman got in touch with Zmolek about the commitment, and he said:

"MSU has a very good hockey team and great coaches. It is a very good fit for me. ... (Coach Mike Hastings) demands a lot out of you, which is good. That's what you want in a coach, but he respects his players and holds them accountable."

Click on the link to read more comments from him and his coaches. (MSU coaches cannot comment on him until he signs a letter of intent.)

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Zmolek scored 20 goals and had 41 points in 27 games for Century this past season. He had a good fall in the Upper Midwest Elite League and also spent time before and after the season with the Austin Bruins of the junior-level North American Hockey League.

He's a draft pick of the United States Hockey League's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, so it appears likely that's where he'll play at least one season before going to Minnesota State.

You can read another feature story by Feldman about Zmolek here.