UMD Goes Back to Work

After a two-week hiatus, and near the three-week mark since its last game, the UMD men's hockey team returns to the ice on Friday.

The Bulldogs will work out at the DECC for a couple days, because of a DSSO show scheduled for Saturday night at Amsoil Arena.

UMD is at Western Michigan next weekend. The Broncos lost at St. Cloud State 4-2 on Thursday, as the Huskies scored three goals in the third period. The teams play again Friday.

I'll write more about this next week, but I expect UMD will need a very sharp Kenny Reiter next Friday. Do the math. UMD hasn't played since Dec. 10, the day of the Minnesota Wild's last win before Thursday night's triumph over Edmonton. Western Michigan has a series this weekend, so they should be a little sharper.

Assistant coach Jason Herter will lead practice, as head coach Scott Sandelin is working with Team USA at the World Juniors in Edmonton. The hope is that the Americans will make it to a medal game on Thursday. Even if that happens, Sandelin is expected to be in Kalamazoo in time for the Friday game against the Broncos.

I was told that freshman defenseman Derik Johnson spent some time this week at the Washington Capitals facility, as father Jim is an assistant coach for Dale Hunter there. Herter mentioned that captain Jack Connolly and others were active during the break, too.

Hopefully, no one ate a younger sibling during Christmas break, but Herter joked they'd work it out of anyone who did.

WCHA Mid-Season Awards and Such

Every year, I usually kill some time during mark the midseason break in college hockey by taking a stab at what my actual WCHA awards ballot would look like, if I had to fill out such a thing now.

This year is no different, so let's get a move on this. We'll start with the all-league teams.

First team
Forwards
Nick Bjugstad, Minnesota
Jack Connolly, Minnesota Duluth
Jason Zucker, Denver 
Defensemen
Brady Lamb, Minnesota Duluth
Justin Schultz, Wisconsin
Goalie
Kent Patterson, Minnesota

Second team
Forwards
J.T. Brown, Minnesota Duluth
Erik Haula, Minnesota
Rylan Schwartz, Colorado College
Defensemen
Brad Hunt, Bemidji State
Nick Jensen, St. Cloud State
Goalie
Kenny Reiter, Minnesota Duluth

Third team
Forwards
Brock Nelson, North Dakota
Kyle Rau, Minnesota
Matt White, Nebraska Omaha
Defensemen
Wade Bergman, Minnesota Duluth
Nate Schmidt, Minnesota
Goalie
Josh Robinson, Michigan Tech

All-Rookie Team
Forwards
Caleb Herbert, Minnesota Duluth
JP LaFontaine, Minnesota State
Kyle Rau, Minnesota
Defensemen
Joey LaLeggia, Denver
Andrew Prochno, St. Cloud State
Goalie
Juho Olkinuora, Denver

Player of the Year: Jack Connolly, F, Minnesota Duluth
Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Schultz, D, Wisconsin
Rookie of the Year: Kyle Rau, F, Minnesota
Coach of the Year: Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech

For starters, I expect this to change a lot as the season wears on. It's always easier for me to evaluate players when I see them in person, and I still have not seen a lot of notable teams (Nebraska Omaha, Colorado College, St. Cloud State, North Dakota) in person.

(For example, I left SCSU's Ben Hanowski off the list, though I've been impressed by the numbers he's put up since Drew LeBlanc went down. I haven't seen SCSU since then, and have only seen them on television once.)

If I could leave the second defense spot on the first team blank, I would. Schultz is that much better than everyone else I've seen to this point. I'd venture that he's the best defenseman in the college game right now, without a close second. There isn't anything he doesn't do well.

Connolly started a bit slow by his standards, but he's been the best player on the hottest team in the country for about two months. Picking him over Bjugstad and Schultz wasn't easy, but it wasn't difficult, either. Somewhere in between. Bjugstad is a hell of a player, and the leap he's made since I last saw him last season is very impressive. I've already talked up Schultz. Connolly was in a tough spot entering this season, having lost his two-year linemates, but he's been carrying this team, scoring big goals and making big plays for a large chunk of the first half of the season.

Rau is the best rookie in the league, and it's not terribly close. LaFontaine and Herbert have been rock-solid, though, and deserve inclusion on that team. Apologies to Bemidji's Andrew Walsh, but Olkinuora wasn't expected to play much, and he's done a fine job in my view of keeping that ship afloat while the other main goalies have battled injuries.

There's only one Michigan Tech player listed, but let's not discount what's happening in Houghton. Pearson isn't just coaching a team. He's trying to change a culture, and while the work he's done so far is very much worthy of recognition, it's just the start.

I'm sure everyone will hate this list. Maybe I'll get called a Gopher fan. So fire away.

(Note: A Badger fan -- presumably -- chimed in to remind me about Mark Zengerle. Oops. When I file my final vote in March, it's after I've taken notes on each team. I haven't done that yet because I still haven't seen every team in a game either in person or on television. Anyway, I did this without notes, and forgot about Zengerle. He should be on the second or third team, probably second. I'm not taking someone off at this point, so consider this my humble apology, Badger fans. It wasn't out of some disrespect or anything. Just an oversight that again proves my humanity to you.)

Brendan Shanahan Dropping the Ball

On Nov. 30, impressed with a recent drop-off in NHL suspensions, as well as the general consistency we were seeing with them, I wrote this piece for SB Nation.

It seems so very simple, but it's a complicated and stressful process. Guys like (Brendan) Shanahan, Stephane Quintal, and Rob Blake are not that far removed from playing in the NHL. There are players in the league who know these guys, played with them, and played against them. Just like with their still-unnamed predecessor -- whose last name is also a famous brand of soup (no, not Lipton) -- there are personal biases that must be overcome.

Perhaps these biases will see a stiffer test at some point down the line. Maybe they are missing numerous rules violations that should lead to suspensions. But the fact that we're nearly two months into the season and still haven't heard a ton of complaints from media and fans about an arbitrary and seemingly random disciplinary system tells me that Shanahan and the people around him are doing a good job.

The NHL system was never perfect, before Shanahan or now. But in the last month, it seems that there has been a lot of ball-dropping in the Department of Player Safety. No, Jermichael Finley didn't get hired.

While the league has still issued a few suspensions for illegal conduct during that time, there have been some incidents that have gone mysteriously unpunished.

Yes, many of them involve the Minnesota Wild, and the latest one of those is my primary concern right now. But this is almost certainly a league-wide issue.

Right?

"Monday evening, an incident occured in the game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild. At 5:42 of the first period, Colorado player Cody McLeod delivered an illegal hit to Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon. As a result of the hit, Spurgeon fell face-first into the ledge along the top of the boards. As you can see in the video ..."



Oh, McLeod was not suspended. No hearing. Played in Tuesday's game against Winnipeg like nothing ever happened.

Huh?

This came a couple weeks after Winnipeg defenseman Zach Bogosian escaped a suspension for his hit from behind on Pierre-Marc Bouchard. I still don't like that decision, but this one is much, much worse.

Spurgeon 1) hasn't played the puck and 2) has his back to McLeod the entire play. McLeod 1) makes no effort to minimize the contact, actually skating through the hit, and 2) is making no effort to play the puck. He's simply trying to blow Spurgeon up, which was apparently the Avalanche game plan Monday.

This is a textbook illegal hit and a suspension. Yes, McLeod received a game misconduct and a major penalty, but Spurgeon left the game, did not return, and is out for the Wild's game at Nashville Wednesday, if not longer.

I hate to keep bringing up the asinine suspension Pierre-Marc Bouchard got for an accidental high-stick to the face, but Shanahan can't tell us then that a player is responsible for his stick and the consequences of an illegal act like swinging said stick at someone, then keep silent when a player cross-checks a guy in the back, causing a broken nose. Worse, he then stays silent when a player checks a guy from behind (having never seen anything but the numbers on that player's back) and causes an injury.

Shanahan spent the first two months of the season suspending based on injuries more than actions or intent. Now, it seems he wants to change his tune, which makes him more like Colin Campbell than any of us ever wanted him to be.

US World Junior Team Announced

USA Hockey has announced the roster for this year's World Junior Championships, which start Monday in Edmonton and Calgary.

Here is the announcement:

USA Hockey today announced the 22 members of the U.S. National Junior Team that will compete at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2011-Jan. 5, 2012, in Edmonton and Calgary, Alta.

Among those on the U.S. roster are seven returning players from the bronze medal-winning 2011 U.S. National Junior Team, including goaltender Jack Campbell (Port Huron, Mich./Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds); defensemen Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn./Univ. of North Dakota) and Jon Merrill (Brighton, Mich./Univ. of Michigan); and forwards Nick Bjugstad (Blaine, Minn./Univ. of Minnesota), Charlie Coyle (East Weymouth, Mass./Boston Univ.), Emerson Etem (Long Beach, Calif./Medicine Hat Tigers) and Jason Zucker (Las Vegas, Nev./Univ. of Denver).

"Every year this decision seems to get harder," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "The number of talented players from which we get to form a team says a lot about hockey's growth in the United States as a whole."

"Having been behind the bench when we won the gold medal two years ago, I can't wait to get started again," said Dean Blais, head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team. "This is an incredible group of players whose speed and tenacity should help us succeed in Edmonton and Calgary."

The U.S. will look to earn its third straight medal after capturing the bronze medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y., and the gold medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Saskatoon, Sask.

Click here for the roster. Duluth's Derek Forbort, a sophomore defenseman at North Dakota, is on the team for a second straight year.

The Americans are without two potentially huge pieces on the blue line. Justin Faulk is playing with the Carolina Hurricanes and was not made available, while Seth Jones was injured in the first exhibition game against Russia.

Russia is the defending champion, having beaten Canada 5-3 in last year's championship game. The United States rallied after losing to Canada in the semifinals to beat Sweden for the bronze medal.

Holiday Update

I'm on and off the grid lately, and between normal responsibilities and my new SB Nation responsibilities and everything that surrounds Christmas prep. I know you all understand, and I'm certainly appreciative of the continued support.

For shorter updates, check out my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter. Links are on the left-hand side.

UMD is off until late next week, when they'll resume practice in preparation for a Jan. 6-7 series at Western Michigan. Head coach Scott Sandelin is in Canada, working as an assistant coach for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, which start Monday.

All of the USA and Canada games will be on NHL Network, with the US games being original productions (they'll take a TSN feed of the Canadian games).

The American group is a bit depleted defensively, with former UMD defenseman Justin Faulk up with the Carolina Hurricanes and not available for the tournament, and 17-year-old Seth Jones now injured and out for the event.

The roster is due out later Thursday morning.

Faulk had another assist for the Hurricanes in a 4-3 loss to Phoenix Wednesday. He led the team with nearly 25 minutes of ice time, an obvious sign that the team likes what they're seeing out of him. He seems more comfortable every time I watch him play.

It's sure a loss for Team USA, but hard to argue from Carolina's standpoint. It's not like general manager Jim Rutherford is supposed to do USA Hockey a favor. They shouldn't be in a position where they feel obligated to loan the guy who's on the ice for them more often than anyone to play in a junior tournament. It's loaded with risks for the organization, and it's not necessarily beneficial to Faulk's development.

I'll post the roster once it's available.

Chad Huttel's Team in England Records Parody Music Video

This might be better than the Florida Panthers singing Christmas carols.

Former UMD defenseman Chad Huttel is in his first year with the Sheffield Steelers, a team in England's Elite Hockey League. Huttel played four years at UMD, helping the Bulldogs win a national championship and make two NCAA Tournament appearances in his time here. That came after he was the captain of the Hermantown Hawks during their unbeaten run to the state Class A title in 2007.

Now, Huttel is spending his spare time helping his team record parodies of bad music videos. Here are the Steelers doing what virtually every American does daily: making fun of Nickelback. Huttel drew the short long straw and got the opening scene.



Huttel has four points in 24 games for the Steelers, who are second to Belfast in the league standings.

(Stick tap: Puck Daddy)

The Florida Panthers Want To Wish You A Merry Christmas, Via Song

Things are going great for the Florida Panthers. Kevin Dineen looks like a Jack Adams Award candidate. Former UMD Bulldog Jason Garrison leads all NHL defensemen with ten goals. Forward Kris Versteeg is on pace for 40 goals.

Oh, and Florida leads the Southeast Division by eight points.

In the spirit of the season, the Panthers want to wish all of us a Merry Christmas. Using the power of song and YouTube, they have found a fun way to do it.



Gotta love Ed Jovanovski yucking it up. So many guys could learn from him.

Others, meanwhile, obviously don't realize Movember ended.

Zach Bogosian Non-Suspension Ludicrous

So the NHL has decided not to suspend Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian for his hit on Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard Tuesday night.

Player Safety Dept. feels that Bogosian did not run at Bouchard and that Bouchard turned just prior to the hit.  

Okay.

So if Bouchard doesn't turn, and Bogosian cross-checks him in the face, breaking Bouchard's nose in the process, is that somehow a clean and legal hockey play?

Watch it again.



Tell me this is a clean and legal hockey play if Bouchard doesn't get hit in the back.

IT'S A CROSS CHECK.

One that would have been high enough to hit Bouchard in the face or neck had he not turned around. How the hell is this not worthy of anything more than a one-minute penalty (there was only 1:06 left)?

As Mike Johnson says here on the TSN broadcast, and I fully acknowledge this is true, Bogosian tried to hold up. He didn't follow through or run through Bouchard. That's fine.

But did Bouchard really try to high-stick Matt Calvert in the face here?



We were told at the time that Bouchard was responsible for his own stick, and that it didn't matter that Calvert lifted Bouchard's stick into his own face.

Despite that, it somehow matters that Bouchard turned before being cross-checked into the dasher boards, a play that would have been dangerous no matter what body part Bogosian hit.

I don't get the logic, and all this does is feed the growing perception among Wild fans that the Department of Player Safety is -- for some unknown reason -- showing bias against the Wild.

(It sounds preposterous, but look at the way the NHL handled Kevin Porter's knee-on-knee hit on David Booth versus how it handled Ryan Whitney's knee-on-knee hit on Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck, by the way, was indeed injured on the play. Worth noting.)

Zach Bogosian Boards Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian should be expecting a telephone call from Brendan Shanahan soon.

His hit on Minnesota forward Pierre-Marc Bouchard left Bouchard injured, and apparently also created new stains all over the MTS Centre.

Bouchard's status is unknown at this point, but Bogosian's shouldn't be questioned. He's facing a suspension, as he very well should.



What say you? Seems like a textbook dangerous hit to me, one that will probably get Bogosian a couple games off, at the least.

Game 18: UMD at Wisconsin

MADISON, Wisc. -- The halfway mark happens as of this game, and the Bulldogs' national title defense probably couldn't have started any better than it has.

UMD has a chance to sail into the holiday break with a school-record 14-game unbeaten streak with a win in this game against Wisconsin.

There is a lot of other potential significance to this game that we'll talk about on the air during the broadcast, which begins at 7:30.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Seidel - Connolly - Basaraba
Herbert - Oleksuk - Brown
Crandall (Justin) - Hendrickson - Grun
Krause - Tardy - Flaherty

Bergman - Lamb
Kishel - Casto
Olson - McManus

Reiter - Crandall (Aaron)

Wisconsin
Woods - Zengerle - Barnes
Mersch - Dahl - Clark
Navin - Labate - Meuer
Lapic - Paape - Little

Simonelli - Schultz
Springer - Ramage
McCabe - Faust

Rumpel - Peterson - Thompson