Northern Michigan recruiting talent overseas

By Kyle Whitney

In an attempt to prepare for the upcoming hockey season, the Northern Michigan Wildcats have dipped into a largely untapped NCAA talent pool: Sweden.

Erik Gustafsson, who played last season at Sweden's Superelit level, is currently the only NMU recruit to have signed and returned a National Letter of Intent.

In the last two seasons, Gustafsson played 79 games for Timra and posted 10 goals and 17 assists. For his career, he picked up 16 goals and 20 assists.Although Gustafsson is the only player to have signed an NLI thus far, NMU head coach Walt Kyle would not rule out the possibility of more European players joining next year's squad.

"One of the things we tried to do this year was we tried to make in-roads into a couple of countries in Europe," he said.

Kyle said European hockey is a high-skill, fast-paced game. It is also played on an Olympic-sized ice sheet, exactly like the one in the Berry Events Center, and in that regard, the transition should be seamless.

The switch to American hockey, however, can still pose a challenge for incoming European freshman. Such was the case with former NMU goaltender Tuomas Tarkki, who came to Marquette from Finland in 2001. After three years on the bench, Tarkki became an all-American and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in his senior season.

"With these guys, it is probably a longer learning curve than with the other guys," Kyle said. "They are going to have to come over here and adjust to culture as well as hockey."

An adjustment must also be made by the NMU staff members, who have put a great deal of time into establishing connections and a positive rapport throughout European hockey. One of the most attractive aspects of the European hockey scene is the fact that very few NCAA clubs are currently scouting it, said Kyle, who sent assistant coach John Olver overseas on a recruiting trip.

"I don't think very many schools are in there right now," Kyle said. "John Olver told me, 'What a treat to go over and watch games in Sweden and to be sitting in the stands and be the only college guy there.'"

This is a stark contrast to the heavily scouted games in the United States, where there will sometimes be as many as 30 scouts in the stands.This sheer number of scouts is one of the reasons that Northern is finding it more and more necessary to search for their talent overseas, Kyle said.

Although the Wildcats have had a winning record in nine of the past 10 seasons, they will likely never achieve the type of reputation held by the larger Michigan schools.

"Northern Michigan is not going to have the same profile as Michigan or Michigan State," Kyle said. "Do we hope to have as good or better of a program? Yes. Do we think that our institution and our academics are every bit as good? Absolutely. But we're not flashed across national television every time there's a basketball game or a football game. When you're dealing with young kids, that's the stuff they see. We're going to always fight that battle."

Kyle said that he hopes to close the gap between NMU and the larger schools in the coming years and that one way to do that is by recruiting players one and two years in advance. The coach said that this has been a growing trend in college hockey for many years and that Northern is finally catching up with the rest of the pack.

"Quite honestly, when I was here before as an assistant [recruiting years ahead] wasn't a part of college hockey," Kyle said. "It has become part of it and it has taken us a couple of years to get involved in it. We've been able to do it this year and we're real happy with our recruiting right now."

From The North Wind, April 19, 2007

Rockwell pledges $500,000 to MTU hockey

Former Michigan Tech hockey player John Rockwell (1975-79) has provided $500,000 towards Michigan Tech's $3 million Hockey Enrichment Campaign, as announced by MTU senior director of athletic development Rick Yeo.

The campaign has raised approximately $2.4 million, and is slated to continue through June 30, 2007.

"It is great to see results on the ice, and the program looking so promising," said Rockwell, currently the Chairman of the Hockey Enrichment Campaign. "I had a very rewarding experience at Michigan Tech, and am pleased to be in a position where I can give back to the hockey program."

Rockwell, who is a 2006 inductee to the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame, played 69 games and made 2,268 saves in net for the Huskies from 1975-79. The goaltender earned All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association First Team honors in 1978-79 and was the team’s most valuable player that season. Originally from Bloomington, Minn., Rockwell also earned the team’s most improved player award and Winter Carnival MVP laurels during his career. He is an active member of the Hockey Advisory Council.

Rockwell now serves as managing director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) Element in Menlo Park, Calif. DFJ Element is a leading venture capital fund focused on clean technology. The Fund invests in emerging companies bringing innovative solutions to environmental and resource constraints in energy, water, and other large industrial and commercial markets.

Rockwell received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Michigan Tech and a master's degree in business administration from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

"John has been a very loyal hockey alumnus who has been very active in the Hockey Enrichment Campaign," said Yeo, who is set to retire at the end of this month. "He has been quite successful in his business ventures, and is more than willing to give back to a program that he believes is going in the right direction."

To contribute to the Hockey Enrichment Campaign, or for further information, contact Randy Heinonen, director of athletic development, at 906-487-1604.

Wolverines get tenth recruit for 2007-2008

The University of Michigan received a National Letter of Intent from defenseman Chad Langlais today. Langlais is the tenth member of the freshman class for the 2007-08 season.

"Chad Langlais is an offensive defenseman who has been a point producer in the USHL for two years," said U-M assistant coach Billy Powers. "He is a local Michigan high school product from Cranbrook Kingwood -- he played and graduated from there. After that, he spent two years in the USHL with Lincoln. He will be the veteran among our freshman group next season. Chad should be able to step in and contribute right away based on his quality of play and his experience."

Langlais (5-foot-8, 170 pounds from Spokane, Wash.) spent the 2006-07 season with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League. The 20-year-old had a 6-40--46 line in 51 games this season to finish fifth on the Stars in points. Langlais was +3 and earned 118 penalty minutes. The blueliner tallied four goals and 26 assists on the power play. He was also picked to skate in the USHL's midseason all-star game. In the playoffs, Langlais had one assist and eight PIMs as the Stars were swept in four games.

Langlais also played for Lincoln in 2005-06, when he recorded four goals and 18 assists in 59 games and earned all-rookie team recognition. He had two goals and two assists over nine playoff contests.

The last two seasons, Langlais played in front of goalie Bryan Hogan, who is also a U-M recruit for 2007-08.

LSSU's Smith jumps to Ottawa Senators

Lake Superior State junior defenseman Derek A. Smith signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Ottawa Senators on April 12.

Smith, a finalist for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association's Outstanding Offensive Defenseman Award, tied for the team lead in points with 30 (10 goals and 20 assists). He had a high-impact season after totaling a combined 3-12--15 during his first two seasons.

"It took me a while to mature as a player, and my mental game got a lot better," Smith said. "The coaches prepared me well, and the rest of the team having a good year definitely helped out a lot."

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