SSM forward commits, Murdock chooses Lake St.

According to Chris Heisenberg's college-hockey recruiting website, Shattuck-St. Mary's forward Teddy Blueger has committed for Minnesota State for 2012 or 2013. This looks like a tremendous get for the Mavericks. Blueger, a native of Riga, Latvia, had 24 goals and 42 assists in 54 games for Shattuck's prep team this past season, ranking third on the team in scoring as a junior.

If he's part of the 2012 recruiting class, that's a group that already has six players committed, including five forwards and a goalie.

***

Staying on the subject of those recruits, Dan Carlson helped the U.S. Under 18 National Team win the world championship on Sunday. The United States defeated Sweden 4-3 in overtime. The picture at right, taken from the USA Hockey website is of Carlson kissing the championship trophy.

Carlson had one goal and one assist in the tournament but was used primarily on a checking line. It sounds like he'll be one to move up to a more skilled role in the future as some pretty good teammates move on to college next year.

***

Remember Kevin Murdock? Well, the ex-MSU goaltender, who returned to junior hockey last year, is heading back to college in the fall but not to Minnesota State. Murdock committed to play for Lake Superior State. This season with the Lincoln Stars, the lefty went 29-15-4 with five shutouts. He had a .907 save percentage and a 2.91 GAA.

A hot prospect when arriving in Mankato, Murdock eventually fell out of favor with the coaches, playing in just five games. He went 1-3-1 with a .895 SV% and a 3.46 GAA. Falling behind Phil Cook and Austin Lee, he didn't play after mid-November and opted to return to the USHL after the season.

***

Four teams remain in the USHL playoffs, and there is Minnesota State interest in those two semifinal series. In the East, the Green Bay Gamblers take on the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders. Green Bay has MSU recruits Jean-Paul LaFontaine and Brett Stern on the team. In the West, the Dubuque Fighting Saints will take on the Sioux Falls Stampede. Sioux Falls has future MSU goalie Stephon Williams leading the way.

Initial thoughts on the schedule

Here's a quick rundown of the MSU season, which is still more than five months away:

Oct. 3, BRITISH COLUMBIA (exhibition) ... Official practice will begin on Saturday, Oct. 1, and the Mavs will get a quick practice game in four days before the regular season starts.

Oct. 7-8, @ Rensselaer ... This will be good test to start the season. RPI was an NCAA tournament team in '10-11 (they lost 6-0 to North Dakota in the first round).

Oct. 14-15, UMASS-LOWELL ... MSU scored a sweep last year at Lowell, but the Redhawks will have a new coach, having recently hired Norm Bazin.

                            

Oct. 21-22, @ Denver ... A tough spot to open the WCHA schedule — and same place last season ended. The Pios will be one of the favorites to win the conference.

Nov. 4-5, @ Michigan Tech ... Another team with a new coach (still waiting on that hire). Mavs need to get points in Houghton; they left with just one last year.

Nov. 11-12, ST. CLOUD STATE ... This series has been extremely close of late; five of the last eight games between the Mavs and the Huskies have gone into OT.

Nov. 18-19, @ Minnesota Duluth ... MSU will get its first look at the new Amsoil Arena and a shot at the defending national champs.

Nov. 25-26, ALASKA ANCHORAGE ... Last season's home schedule ended with a thud as the Mavs got swept by the Seawolves. This will be a chance to erase that bad memory.

Dec. 2-3, @ Minnesota ... Minnesota State will look to extend its advantage of late in this series. The Mavericks have won five of their last six against the Gophers.

Dec. 9-10, ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE ... MSU will host Division I's lone independent, playing the Chargers for the first time since 2007-08.

Dec. 16-17, COLORADO COLLEGE ... The Tigers have a chance to be pretty good next season. The Mavericks have played close games in this series, splitting twice with CC last year. 

Dec. 30,  TEAM USA (exhibition game) ... No two-week break this year; the Mavericks will get a home exhibition game instead of extra vacation. 

Jan. 6-7, @ St. Lawrence ... After opening the season with a pair of ties at MSU last year, the Saints finished the season 13-22-5.                      

Jan. 13-14, WISCONSIN ... The Badgers have already lost some pretty good players to early pro signings, but stud defenseman Justin Schultz says he'll be back.

Jan. 21-22, NEBRASKA-OMAHA ... The Spirit of the Maverick series returns to Mankato. MSU hopes to give a better performance than it did in Omaha last year.

Jan. 27-28, @ Bemidji State ... The Mavericks will make their first trip to Bemidij since BSU joined the WCHA and get their first look at the Sanford Center.

Feb. 3-4, MICHIGAN TECH ... The second go-round with the new-look Huskies and the end of a stretch that includes five home series over seven weekends.

Feb. 10-11, @ Alaska Anchorage ... Another road series from which the Mavericks have to come home with points.

Feb. 17-18, MINNESOTA DULUTH ... What will the champs look like when they get to Mankato for this second meeting and late-season series?

March 2-3, @ North Dakota ... A rough place to close out the season, especially if the Mavericks need points for home ice or a good matchup in the playoffs.

What do you think of the schedule?

Mavericks release '11-12 schedule

Minnesota State released its 2011-12 men's hockey schedule on Tuesday morning, and the Mavericks will play 20 games (including exhibitions) at the Verizon Wireless Center. Here's the schedule, but check back for an update later with some thoughts on next season's matchups:

Oct. 3 — BRITISH COLUMBIA (exhibition)
Oct. 7-8 — @ Rensselaer
Oct. 14-15 — UMASS-LOWELL
Oct. 21-22 — @ Denver
Nov. 4-5 — @ Michigan Tech
Nov. 11-12 — ST. CLOUD STATE
Nov. 18-19 — @ Minnesota Duluth
Nov. 25-26 — ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Dec. 2-3 — @ Minnesota
Dec. 9-10 — ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE
Dec. 16-17 — COLORADO COLLEGE
Dec. 30 — USNTDP U18 (exhibition)
Jan. 6-7 — @ St. Lawrence
Jan. 13-14 — WISCONSIN
Jan. 20-21 — NEBRASKA OMAHA
Jan. 27-28 — @ Bemidji State
Feb. 3-4 — MICHIGAN TECH
Feb. 10-11 — @Alaska Anchorage
Feb. 17-18 — MINNESOTA DULUTH
March 2-3 — @ North Dakota

Wagner's hat trick

Ex-Minnesota State defenseman Steve Wagner scored 12 goals in his three-year college career. As a professional, goal-scoring hasn't been his forte either. But Saturday night Wagner did something even some pure goal scores haven't done: He had a natural hat trick. Wagner scored three goals in the first period of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' 6-3 win over the Norfolk Admirals in the American Hockey League playoffs. The game closed out the series, and Wagner's team advanced to the East Division Finals.

Wagner said it was his first hat trick since high school in Grand Rapids.

"I was thinking when I got to the bench, 'Man, I only had five goals all year and I have three in one period,'" he told the Scranton Times-Tribune. "It definitely wasn't what I was looking for, but I'll take it." Read more of that story here.

Wagner left MSU after the 2006-07 season. Since then, he has played five professional seasons, including 46 NHL games in 2007-08 and '08-09 in St. Louis. He was traded midway through the 2009-10 season and has spent all of this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the top AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. During the regular season, Wagner had five goals and 23 assists and was +16 during the regular season this year.

Coaching dominoes continue to fall

Penn State made its big announcement on Sunday, hiring Princeton coach Guy Gadowsky as its first men's hockey coach. He will be introduced during a press conference Monday afternoon. Two other candidates with WCHA ties interviewed for the job: Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin and Wisconsin women's coach Mark Johnson. Sandelin said he's thrilled that he's not leaving Duluth but was intrigued by the Penn State job. Undoubtedly a contract extension at UMD is in the works since had had just one year remaining on his deal.

Gadowsky has been coaching for 12 years, the last seven at Princeton where he took the Tigers to two NCAA tournaments. Before that, he spent five years at Alaska (Fairbanks) where he had two winning seasons, including a 22-win season in 2001-02. The Colorado College graduate has a career record of 173-198-37 (.469).

By the way, Sandelin's career record is 192-200-52 (.491) with three NCAA appearances (and the national title) in 11 seasons at UMD. By comparison, Minnesota State's Troy Jutting has a record of 172-200-53 (.467) with one NCAA tournament in 11 seasons.

Gadowsky's hiring creates another opening in the college coaching ranks, as Princeton will be looking to replace him. Union quickly filled its open position after Providence hired away Nate Leaman, the national coach of the year. He was replaced by one of his assistants Rick Bennett.

Other jobs that are still open include Michigan Tech and Clarkson.

Western Michigan, meanwhile, has locked up its coach-of-the-year candidate, Jeff Blashill, giving him an extension through 2016. The deal reportedly will pay him $175,000 per year with up to $100,000 more in supplemental income (media, etc.)!

Around the rinks

Earlier this week I checked in with North Mankato native Tyler Bruggeman, who just wrapped up his third season of junior hockey. The goaltender played for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL and saw his playing time drop a bit from last season when he was with the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits. Bruggeman, 20, says he plans to return to the Bucs for a final season of junior hockey in hopes of landing a college opportunity somewhere. You can see Bruggeman's career numbers here.

****

Unfortunately, this was kept on the downlow and was publicized after the fact, but before country-music star Dierks Bentley's show in Mankato Thursday night, he skated over at All Seasons Arena with members of the MSU men's and women's hockey teams and a few others. Bentley, who plays rec-league hockey in Nashville, told Paul Allan that he keeps his hockey gear on his tour bus just in case he gets a chance to skate during his tour.

****

This has been one of the busiest offseasons in terms of coaching changes. So far, six teams are in the process of making changes, and that could grow depending on how those jobs get filled.

A few weeks ago, Michigan State hired CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos as its new coach, and this week, UMass-Lowell hired alum and former Colorado College assistant Norm Bazin to take the reins. That leaves Michigan Tech, Providence, Clarkson and Penn State still open.

Tech is an interesting, as it appeared to be was close to hiring alum and longtime Michigan assistant Mel Pearson, only to have Pearson turn down the job. Now, some reports are coming out that Nebraska-Omaha assistant Mike Hastings might be interviewing in Houghton.

Penn State, which is looking to make a big splash with its first coach, has/is in the process of interviewing Minnesota Duluth's Scott Sandelin. Sandelin has a career record of 192-200-52 in 11 seasons at UMD, but this month's national championship certainly makes him a hot prospect. Adding intrigue to the story is the fact that Sandelin's wife is a Penn State graduate.

Meanwhile, Providence might be in the process of poaching national coach of the year Nate Leaman away from Union.

****

Even the women's hockey world is seeking coaches, as Ohio State's Jackie Barto announced that she is stepping down after 12 seasons with the Buckeyes and 27 years overall.

****

The Minnesota Wild have been busy signing some college starts, inking North Dakota's Chay Genoway and Minnesota Duluth's Justin Fontaine. Both players' seasons ended at the Xcel Energy Center a couple of weeks ago, with Fontaine winning the national title, and Genoway making it to the national semifinals.

****

The Minnesota State women's hockey team announced its postseason awards this week. They were:

• Most Valuable Player — Lauren Smith, so. F
• Most Improved Player — Kari Lundberg, fr. F
• Rookie of the Year — Kathleen Rogan, fr. F
• Tiffany Searles Award (all-around student-athlete) — Jenna Peterson, jr. F/D
• Maverick Pride Award — Ariel Mackley, jr. D
• Daniel Mundahl Service Award — Emmi Leinonen, jr. F

****

News broke Friday morning that Kurt Davis' dad, MSU alum Carl Davis, has stepped down as Wayzata High School coach. In 16 years, Davis had a record of 247-146-24, five conference titles and two state-tournament appearances.

Jutting talks recruits

Minnesota State made it official this week, announcing the signing of defenseman Mat Knoll to its recruiting class for 2012. Knoll is playing for the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. After winning the AJHL title, the Knoll and the Saints are taking on the BCHL-champion Vernon Vipers for the Doyle Cup — Canada's Junior A national championship the winner of which moves on to the Canadian Junior A national championship tournament (Thanks for the clarification, PA!). Spruce Grove leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.

Mavericks coach Troy Jutting called Knoll one of the best defensemen on the best junior team in Canada. He said that Spruce Grove rotated six defensemen pretty equally during the regular season but that Knoll got more responsibility in the playoffs, including time on the top power play. Knoll had 10 assists in 13 playoff games. He also has on assist in the Doyle Cup so far.

"He's a 20-year-old who's played a ton of games," Jutting said. "He's in his third year in the Alberta league and was the best defenseman on the team in Lloydminster last year. He's been around the block and understands the game. He's been a very good player. He's very experienced and a leader."

Sounds like a good recruit to bring in considering the loss of Kurt Davis, Ben Youds and Channing Boe.

Knoll will join the four players who signed during the early period in November and Matt Leitner as part of a six-player rookie class (Leitner will be a sophomore).

Here's what Jutting had to say about the other recruits coming in next fall:

On forward Jean-Paul LaFontaine: "He's second (on the Green Bay Gamblers) in scoring in his first year of juniors. He's had a great year there."

On defenseman Zach Palmquist: "The team (Waterloo) was not as good this year, and his numbers were down a little offensively. But his shots were up and his (playing) time was up. ... He's had a great junior career, and we're really excited about him. We hope Zach can pick up some of the slack with what we lose with (Davis) graduating."

On defenseman Brett Stern: "He's on one of the best team in the USHL (Green Bay). ... He's had to sit behind some veteran defensemen, but he's a good hockey player. He doesn't get as much get as much playing time but when he has he's played well."

On forward Max Gaede: "He's had a good year. He's got some thing to learn. But he's a big, raw, talented kid. We're very excited about him."

On Leitner: "He's on track (to play). Obviously, he's an extremely talented kid. He has potential to be a first-line center in the WCHA."