Spartans closer to not getting Duchene

Matthew Duchene is among 35 players expected to attend the Brampton Battalion’s minicamp this weekend.

The 16-year-old Duchene, the fifth overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selection on May 5, joins returning players and prospects chosen last year for fitness testing Saturday morning. There will be four-on-four ice sessions from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday.

Stan Butler, Battalion director of hockey operations and head coach, said Duchene, a center who has yet to commit to the Troops, will visit Humber College in west Toronto. Humber is one of two Ontario schools offering the program toward a bachelor of applied technology degree with a major in industrial design that Duchene seeks.

“I’ve talked to his parents, and they’re going to visit Humber on Friday,” Butler said Wednesday. “They’ll be here the rest of the weekend. It’s important that people make informed decisions, and how they do that is by coming here and seeing what we have.”

Duchene had verbally committed to Michigan State last summer.

More on Duchene and Brampton HERE.

Kimball leaves WSU for North Dakota

The University of North Dakota announced Tuesday that Grant Kimball has been hired as an assistant coach for the women's hockey team.

Kimball comes to UND from Wayne State University, where he was the associate head women’s hockey coach this past season and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator since 2003. During his four years at Wayne State, Kimball helped coach the Warriors to 57 wins and a College Hockey America conference championship game appearance in 2007.

“Grant brings a proven recruiting track record with him to UND," Sioux head coach Brian Idalski said. "His work ethic and desire to succeed will be valuable assets to our program as we move forward.”

As Wayne State’s recruiting coordinator, Kimball helped recruit the most productive freshman class in the nation in the 2005-06 season, when Wayne State’s freshmen scored 154 points. During his four years at Wayne State, players Kimball recruited went on to earn a number of CHA honors. They included three players who were named first team All-CHA, six players who were named second team All-CHA, five players who were named to the CHA All-Rookie team and 27 CHA All-Academic selections.

Among his duties at Wayne State, Kimball was involved in all aspects of the program, to include budget analysis, practice preparation, game strategy, pre-scouting of opponents, video analysis. He was responsible for coaching the defense during games.

Prior to coaching at Wayne State, Kimball spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Lake Forest College of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. He helped lead Lake Forest to a 13th-place national ranking and a fourth-place western region ranking in the 2002-03 Ratings Percentage Index.

Kimball served as director of the Michigan Regional Girls Development Camp in 2005 and 2006, co-coach of the USA Hockey Girls National Select U-14 Camp in 2005, head coach of Team Michigan in the Chicago Showcase Tournament in 2004 and 2005 and head coach of Team IllinoisGirls U-15 and U-19 teams from 1996-2000.

A Harvard, Mass., native, Kimball played varsity hockey as a defenseman from 1992-95 at Lake Forest College and graduated from Lake Forest in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

MSU's Lerg, Petry honored by USA Hockey

Michigan State sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg and incoming defenseman Jeff Petry will be honored by USA Hockey at its 2007 Annual Congress at the Sheraton Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Lerg has been named the organization’s College Player of the Year, while Petry will be honored as the Junior Player of the Year.

The five-day Congress provides USA Hockey’s various committees, districts and employees the opportunity to come together for a series of forums, workshops and award ceremonies intended to improve the organization and honor those who have contributed to its great success. USA Hockey will honor its service award recipients and present the player of the year awards on Wednesday, June 6, at an award banquet tabbed “A Night of Tribute.” The event will be staged in the Sheraton’s Grand Ballroom beginning at 7 p.m. MDT.

Lerg, who was honored as the USA Hockey Junior Player and Goalie of the Year while playing for the Omaha Lancers, led Michigan State to the NCAA Division I national championship this season for the first time since 1986. The sophomore played in all 42 of Michigan State ’s games in 2006-07 and posted a 26-13-3 record, to go along with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. Lerg was perhaps at his best in the NCAA Tournament, as he allowed just five goals in four tournament games (1.25 GAA, .954 SV%). He was named NCAA Midwest Regional MVP and also to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.

Petry completed an outstanding second season with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States Hockey League and is the recipient of USA Hockey’s Junior Player of the Year award. Petry, the USHL’s 2006-07 Defenseman of the Year, notched 18 goals and 27 assists in 55 games to triple his point production from the previous season while leading Des Moines to the Clark Cup Final Four. He will join the Spartan defensive corps in the fall, and was a second-round draft selection of the Edmonton Oilers (45th pick overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

WMU recruit named best in OHA Junior B

Western Michigan recruit Max Campbell, currently of the Strathroy Rockets, has been selected the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior B Player of the Year.

Each year the OHA selects one player from each category to be the winner of this prestigous award. Campbell was chosen over Kyle Helms of the Midwestern League's Cambridge Winterhawks and Steve Ludzik of the Niagara Falls Canucks of the Golden Horseshoe League.

Campbell has also been chosen as a recipient of this year's OHA Top Prospect Award. The OHA chooses six players each year to honour with this prestigious award. The award is presented to individuals who are judged to have potential to advance to a professional level of the game.

"This is a great achievement for Max as both a player and a person," stated Rockets GM Dan Gibson. "The Rockets are very proud to have Max chosen as the winner of the award."

Scoring 46 goals and 95 points, Campbell was named the WOHL's Most Valuable Player this past season and helped the Rockets to their first league title since 1997.

“Max Campbell is a very skilled, dynamic player, who has the ability to control a game," said WMU associate coach Chris Brooks. "His offensive abilities will aid us in filling the gap we lose by graduating Paul Szczechura. Max has developed into a great player at the junior level and his accomplishment being named Most Valuable Player in the WOHL and now the OHA Junior B Player of the Year are both great honors to him, his teammates, the entire Strathroy Rockets organization and our hockey program at Western Michigan University."

The 6-foot, 175-pound Campbell, who will turn 19 this December, who will join his Bronco teammates this fall, hails from the same junior program as Bronco great Jeff Campbell (no relation).

LSSU adds two more to freshman class

The Lake Superior State Lakers have added goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson and defenseman Matt Cowie to its list of 2007 spring recruits.

Cowie, a Nepean, Ont., native, is a 5-foot-10, 180-pound defenseman who totaled 12 goals and 30 assists in 45 games with the Nepean Raiders of the Central Junior A Hockey League. He is regarded as one of the most-distinguished captains in the Raiders' history after helping Nepean reach the CJHL finals five straight seasons.

"We recruited him last summer, but he had trouble getting through the NCAA Clearinghouse," said LSSU coach Jim Roque, who finds that Canadian prospects often lack the core classes necessary to get through the Clearinghouse. "We are really glad to get him. He's like a Troy Schwab on defense. He's a really good skater and competitive kid."

Mahoney-Wilson, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound goaltender from West Roxbury, Mass., is a 2004 ninth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks. He was drafted after totaling six shutouts and a 1.16 goals-against average at Boston's Catholic Memorial High School. He suffered an injury in 2005 and missed half of the 2005-06 season, and bounced around three leagues - the British Columbia Hockey League, United States Hockey League and Eastern Junior Hockey League. He was picked up last season by the Newmarket (Ont.) Hurricanes and finished 10-10-2-2 with a 3.23 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.

"He's a lot like Jeff Jakaitis was," Roque said. "He played behind some really good goaltenders and just needed a chance. But he played all this year in Newmarket. He's an athletic goaltender."

Mahoney-Wilson's father, Randy, and two uncles played for Providence College. His uncle, Ron Wilson, is the current coach of the Sharks. His grandfather, Johnny Wilson, is a former player and coach for the Detroit Red Wings whose name was engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1950.

LSSU's freshman class for the fall of 2007 will be comprised of five forwards, two defensemen and a goaltender.

Burlon commits to Michigan for 2008-09

St. Michael’s Buzzers defenseman Brandon Burlon has committed to the University of Michigan for the 2008-2009 season.

Burlon, a 1990 birthdate from Nobleton, Ontario, will be the third Buzzer in the last four years to play for the Wolverines when he steps on the ice at Yost Arena in 2008. Preceding him are Andrew Cogliano and a teammate from the 2006-2007 season, Louie Caporusso.

Rich Ricci, coach and GM of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League's Buzzers, sees a lot of upside to Burlon.

"As a smart, mobile defenseman, Burlon is offensively gifted and skates well with excellent puck control," Ricci said. "His excellent leadership skills will be called upon next year for the Buzzers as he will be an integral part of the defensive lineup for St. Mike’s. Next year will be big for Burlon who is being seen as a potential selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.”

Michigan was always Burlon’s first choice.

“The education, tradition and quality program is what initially attracted me to U-M,” said Burlon. "But the strength of the incoming class in 2008 and the opportunity for me to be a part of something as special as Michigan was too good to pass up. Great opportunities like this only come around so often.”

Part of that opportunity will be to share the ice with Caporusso, who will start attending Michigan this fall.

“I think Louie and I played well together and being able to extend that chemistry at the next level will be a big plus in my play as a Wolverine," added Burlon.

Wolverines get another Hunwick

Alpena IceDiggers' goalie Shawn Hunwick has committed to play goal for the Michigan Wolverines this upcoming season.

The Sterling Heights native will carry the Hunwick name for another four years at the university. Shawn's older brother, Matt, just finished his senior season as Michigan's captain.

Hunwick, 20, spent this season in Alpena compiling a record of 17-9-2 with a 3.06 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage with one shutout in 31 games played.

"Shawn deserves the chance to play at the D-I level," Alpena head coach Kenny Miller said. "He is a hard-working kid that will compete everyday in practice. He is very excited about this chance and I am happy for him and his family."

Hunwick joins Eric Roman (Wayne State) and Chad Billins (Ferris State in '08) as members of the 2006-2007 Alpena team to commit to in-state Division I programs.

Hunwick originally committed to the new D-III team in Adrian before deciding on Michigan.

Wayne State rolls out '07-08 schedule

The Wayne State University men's hockey team released its schedule for the upcoming 2007-08 season early last week.

In addition to their 20 games against College Hockey America foes, the Warriors will face five teams from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, two Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams, and one from the ECAC Hockey League.

Wayne State will open the campaign Oct. 12-13 at the 17th annual Nye Frontier Classic, hosted by the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Hockey East contender Boston University and fellow CHA member Robert Morris will join the two teams in Anchorage for the event. The Warriors will play the host Seawolves on Friday and the RMU Colonials in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.

WSU's road trip continues to CCHA member Ferris State on Oct. 19-20 and Robert Morris the following weekend for the Warriors' first CHA series of the season.

After an idle weekend, Wayne State returns to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum to host Lake Superior State on Nov. 9-10 and Bemidji State on Nov. 16-17 before traveling to St. Lawrence on Thanksgiving weekend.

Wayne State will meet Bowling Green in a home-and-home series Nov. 30-Dec. 1. WSU will entertain BGSU on Friday, with Saturday's contest being played in Ohio.

Head coach Bill Wilkinson, who has been at the helm of the Warriors since the program's inception in 1999, returns to Kalamazoo on Dec. 7-8 to face his former team, Western Michigan, prior to wrapping up the 2007 portion of the schedule at CHA rival Niagara on Dec. 14-15.

After taking a two-week hiatus from competition for exams and holidays, Wayne State will embark on a difficult seven-week stretch that begins at Minnesota on Jan. 4-5. Northern Michigan will host WSU on Jan. 11-12 before the Warriors reach the bulk of their CHA schedule, returning home for a pair of league series against Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville.

WSU is at Bemidji State to begin the month of February, playing host to Robert Morris on Feb. 8-9, and at UAH the following weekend. A weekend off precedes another trip to BSU, while the Warriors will wrap up the regular season at home against Niagara on March 7-8.

The College Hockey America Tournament is scheduled for March 14-16 with a host site to be determined.

WSU's Schroeder gets look from Hockey Canada

Wayne State University defenseman Tegan Schroeder is participating in Hockey Canada's Under-22 Conditioning/Skating Camp for the second straight year.

As a freshman for the Warriors in 2006-07, Schroeder played in 33 of WSU's 34 games and earned Second Team All-College Hockey America honors as well as being named to the CHA All-Rookie Team. The 19-year-old from Lumsden, Sask., assisted on the game-winning goal against Cornell on Nov. 3, and recorded a goal and an assist in the Colgate series on Jan. 5-6. Tegan had an assist against No. 1 Mercyhurst on Jan. 13 and scored a power-play goal at Mercyhurst on Feb. 17.

Hockey Canada's National Women's Team head coach-general manager Melody Davidson, along with National Women's Program head scout Wally Kozak, announced that 46 of the country's top 21-and-under women's players will converge on Calgary from May 25-27 for a strength and conditioning/skating camp.