Rink Live podcast

I had a great time talking to my friends Mick Hatten and Jess Myers for a Rink Live video podcast about my 20 seasons covering Minnesota State hockey for The Free Press.

Give it a watch it here.

So long, Free Press

Freddy's three thoughts ...

1. How to boil down the last 20 years? My final column appeared in The Free Press this morning. Please give it a read here. After 20 hockey seasons and nearly 20 full calendar years, I've accepted a new job. I'll be a communications manager for Specialty Soya & Grains Alliance. It will be a new challenge — one that I'm excited about — but it will be weird not to be covering sports, especially hockey, which I've done for the last 25 years (that includes five years at Let's Play Hockey prior to starting at The Free Press).

2. I'm not going anywhere: Mankato has become home to the Frederick family, so the good news is: I'm not leaving town. So, if it works out, I hope to continue to do some freelance writing and other things in the college hockey universe once — if? — the hockey season starts up again in the fall. And I'll try to be active on Twitter as well as this blog (the web address has changed, FYI, so adjust your bookmarks accordingly) when I can. And if I'm not in the press box, I'm looking forward to watching some games in the stands. I'll finally find out what it's like to have a beer during an Minnesota State hockey game at the civic center!

3. Thank you, everyone: There are so many people to thank — from editors and writers and co-workers to coaches and players and staffs to sports information/communications folks and other beat writers and other media members— that it would be impossible to name them all without unintentionally forgetting a few. But it's impossible to do this job without the support and cooperation of good people, and I've had that. Let me add a thank you to my family for putting up with a sports writer's crazy schedule over the last couple of years and another to all of the readers who followed Minnesota State hockey and other Mankato-area sports over the last two decades. I hope I was able to "capture the spirt of the thing" for you!

Mavericks get grad transfer from RPI

Todd Burgess, an Ottawa Senators draft pick who scored 14 goals as a senior at RPI last season, is transferring to Minnesota State for his final year of college hockey. As a graduate transfer, Burgess will be eligible to play immediately.

Excited to announce my commitment to Minnesota state, Mankato to play hockey and obtain my masters degree next year. To my teammates, coaches, family, fans, and people I met along the way at RPI, thank you for the… https://t.co/6qXhMbIuUT

— Todd Burgess (@burgess_todd) April 16, 2020

Read more about Burgess in The Free Press' article from Friday.

Burgess will be one of what is expected to be at least seven newcomers on next season’s Minnesota State team.

Forwards Brendan Furry, Ondrej Pavel and Connor Gregga and defensemen Akito Hirose and Jake Livingstone already have signed with the Mavericks. Furry spent last season practicing with MSU but was ineligible to play due to signing a previous letter of intent with Niagara before re-opening his recruitment.

The Mavericks also have commitments from forwards Tanner Edwards and Sam Morton. Morton spent a season and a half at Union before returning to junior hockey. Due to transfer rules, he likely will not be eligible until 2021-22. Don't be surprised if MSU brings in another goaltender, too, to solidify the backup situation behind Dryden McKay.