Who gets the nickname?

Hockey players, coaches and fans can't call each other by their real names. It's almost impossible. So when Minnesota State's latest commitment comes to Mankato in 2012, it will be interesting to hear what he's called. The Mavericks recently got a verbal from defenseman Jon Jutzi of the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League.

Can he be called Jutz, which might sound an awful lot like Jutts, the moniker of MSU coach Troy Jutting? Or is it Jootz? Just a thought.

No matter what he's called — even if it's just Jon —the Mavericks appear to have a good one. Jutzi is a 6 foot 2, 195-pound defenseman from Ontario. He had six goals and 18 assists for the Kings last year, and in a recent press release, his coach said their are high expectations for him this coming year.

Here's what Jutzi said about his commitment to MSU:

“From the first time I talked to the coaching staff atMinnesotaState I just had a great feeling. I get along with the coaches really well and agree with their coaching philosophies. When I was down there I liked the campus, liked the rink and liked the town. When I walked around this campus I could see it as a place I would feel comfortable in for 4 years. The whole process can be a little overwhelming at certain times but a lot of it is going with your gut feeling.”

Interestingly, the recruiting of Jutzi continues the Mavericks return to Canada for player. The incoming freshman class will have defenseman Mat Knoll of the AJHL. But the 2012 freshmen will have Jutzi, as well as Brett Knowles and Bryce Gervais, all of the BCHL. The upcoming team will have just two Canadians: Knoll and goalie Evan Karambelas.

USHL finals underway

Green Bay Press-Gazette photo

The Clark Cup finals — the United States Hockey League's championship series — got underway this weekend, and the Green Bay Gamblers and the Dubuque Fighting Saints split their first two games in Green Bay, Wis.

Green Bay has two Minnesota State connections, with forward Jean-Paul LaFontaine and defenseman Brett Stern. LaFontaine (pictured) scored the opening goal in Friday's series opener. LaFontaine has two goals and two assists in nine playoff games. Stern has not played in the playoffs.

The series is a best-of-five series, with Games 3 and 4 scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Dubuque, Iowa. If necessary, Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24, in Green Bay.

By the way, here's a list of all of the college commits in this series:

Green Bay's college list: Alex Broadhurst (Nebraska-Omaha), Austin Czarnick (Miami), Robert Francis (Western Michigan), Aaron Harstad (Colorado College), Max Hartner (Air Force), Sam Herr (Notre Dame), Ludwig Karlsson (Northeastern), William Kessel (Western Michigan), Jean-Paul LaFontaine (Minnesota State), Nolan LaPorte (Western Michigan), Markus Lauridsen (St. Cloud State), Travis Lynch (Michigan), Ryan McKay (Miami), Brian O'Rourke (Nebraska-Omaha), Brett Stern (Minnesota State), Matt Stewart (Western Michigan), Andy Welinski (Minnesota-Duluth), Adam Wilcox (Minnesota).


Dubuque's college list: Luke Curadi (Rensselaer), Jordan DiGiando (Colorado College), Derek Docken (Alaska-Anchorage), John Gaudreau (Northeastern), Zemgus Girgensons (Vermont), Eric Johnson (Notre Dame), Tony Larson (Alaska-Anchorage), Nick Luukko (Vermont), Matt Morris (Maine), Joakim Ryan (Cornell), Vinny Saponari (Northeastern), T.J. Schlueter (Ferris State), Shane Walsh (UMass), Scott Wamsganz (Colorado College).