Thursday, November 18, 2004

Hensick rated high for NHL Draft

Michigan sophomore forward T.J. Hensick is ranked second among U.S. college players eligible for the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft, according to the NHL's Central Scouting Service's preliminary rankings released earlier this week.

Hensick, Michigan's leading scorer last season with 12 goals and 34 assists for 46 points, was named the CCHA's 2004 Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the CCHA all-rookie team as well as becoming the first Wolverine in history to be named to the All-CCHA first team as a freshman. His 34 assists tied him for second best in the nation and his 46 points tied him for first in freshman scoring in the nation.

This season, Hensick is second on the team with three goals and 12 points in 10 games. He had a career-best six-game point streak to start the season and has recorded three multi-point games as well as being named to the 2005 U.S. National Junior Team that will attempt to defend its gold medal this Christmas in Grand Forks, N.D.

Boston College's Dan Bertram tops the Central Scouting list for college players. The CCHA, which had 10 players make the list, boasts the next three position players listed and has five skaters in the top 15. After Hensick, Western Michigan's Paul Szczechura (20th) and Michigan State's Chris Mueller (22nd) and Bryan Lerg (27th) round out the rest of the Michigan-based CCHA schools.

The draft is scheduled for June 25-26 in Ottawa.

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