Trouba Family Denies Michigan Daily Report in Statement

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Chris Peters

The Trouba family just released a statement through an email from University of Michigan spokesman Rob Tillotson in response to the report from The Michigan Daily that Jacob Trouba received an offer of $200,000 from the Kitchener Rangers to play there next year.

It reads in full:

“There is absolutely no truth or merit to the recent media reports that the Kitchener Rangers have offered Jacob any remuneration. We have the utmost respect for the Kitchener Rangers and those that choose the CHL as an option, but Jacob will be attending the University of Michigan next fall as a student athlete.”

Trouba has said from very early on that his commitment was firm. Doubts began creeping in amid reports he was 50/50 on his decision and then the Daily‘s listing of a $200,000 offer only added fuel to that fire.

The accusations of under-the-table payments in the Canadian Hockey League are nothing new and should be further evaluated in the future, but the statement from the Trouba family should make it a dead issue in this case.

The Winnipeg Jets first-rounder is undoubtedly one of the best recruits in all of college hockey this year and should make an immediate impact at Michigan. It appears this is one recruiting battle that is over, causing Wolverine fans to release one big sigh of relief.

Posted in Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft | 2 Comments

REPORT: Kitchener Put in Big Money Offer for Trouba

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Chris Peters

Updated (7/3 — 3:52 p.m. EDT): The Trouba Family has released a statement through the University of Michigan that reports of the offer are false.

According to a report by Matt Slovin of The Michigan Daily, Winnipeg Jets first-round pick Jacob Trouba has received a significant financial offer from the Kitchener Rangers in order to lure the young prospect away from his commitment to the University of Michigan. Allegations like those reported by Slovin have surfaced numerous times before, but rarely have they ever included a dollar amount.

From Slovin’s report:

Monday night, a different OHL source informed the Daily that Kitchener has presented the Trouba family with a “huge offer” that remains on the table. The source added that he “believes it will happen.”

In place of an education package, the source said Trouba could be compensated to about $200,000.

The toothpaste is out of the tube. A team has been named. A player has been named and most importantly, the dollar amount has been reported in plain sight for all to see. That said, I don’t believe Kitchener could offer anything in lieu of an education package, at least officially. The point remains that there’s a reported monetary compensation here.

This isn’t necessarily a surprising report. The practice of paying players under the table in the CHL has long been speculated, and so often there has been smoke, but no lock-tight reports to shout fire.

Not since Jeff Jackson, current head coach at Notre Dame and a former OHL coach himself, accused Kitchener of offering current Anaheim Duck Cam Fowler in excess of $500,000 to play there has an actual dollar amount been reported publicly. Fowler didn’t sign with Kitchener, but when he went back into the OHL Draft, was selected by and later signed by Windsor, forgoing a commitment to Notre Dame, hence Jackson’s accusations. Lawsuits were threatened, but never executed.

However, in this case, the allegations are not coming from a scorned coach, but a student reporter who has a pretty good head on his shoulders journalistically, and based on his work, a bright future (and therefore a lot to lose if his source turns out to be wrong).

The number 200,000 is out there now. Whether legit or not, it’s out there for the public to decide who to believe.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

UConn’s Move to Hockey East Potentially a Long-Term Win for School, Conference

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Chris Peters

At noon EDT Friday in Hartford, Conn., administrators from Hockey East and the University of Connecticut will gather for a celebration and press conference to formally announce the details of the Huskies accepting an invitation to join the conference beginning in 2014-15.

UConn’s team currently competes in Atlantic Hockey and does not dole out scholarships for its Division I hockey team. Due to AHA’s by-laws, UConn won’t be able to join Hockey East next year when the rest of college hockey’s dizzying realignment takes hold. This may actually benefit the Huskies as they’ll be able to build some better recruiting classes with the allure of playing in Hockey East during recruits’ latter years in school.

While UConn might seem like an odd fit from a hockey standpoint currently, it makes all the sense in the world from both a business standpoint and could wildly benefit the long-term success of Hockey East in the Realignment Era.

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Posted in NCAA | 6 Comments

NCAA vs. CHL: Will This be Another Summer of Broken Commitments?

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Chris Peters

The weeks and months following the National Hockey League Entry Draft are often a whirlwind for the players full of development camps, meetings and, if there’s time, life. These months also represent some of the tensest for college hockey programs around the country. The worry that an NHL team has plans for its newly drafted prospect might not include the school is prevalent. Most NHL clubs leave it up to the player, but there a few that would rather get their guy under contract.

The concerns are not only related to recently drafted prospects. The off-season can be crazy for guys that aren’t slated to come to school for another few years and also some players that just feel like they need to go a different direction that are due on campus or already in school. Basically, until every player that’s supposed to be on campus is on campus, college coaches might not want to be too relaxed at the present.

The de-commitment season got off to an early start with several big-time prospects bailing on the schools they pledged to before this past season was even out, causing some to wonder if this summer could even be worse than the last for college hockey.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

American Prospects to Watch for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Chris Peters

It’s never too early to look ahead. With barely 48 hours passing since New Jersey-native Nick Ebert’s name was called by the Los Angeles Kings, making him the 211th pick of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, it’s time to look into the future once again, getting a glimpse of some of the names you should know for the 2013 Draft.

A lot can happen between now and next June. Players will rise and fall quite a bit over the next few months. Ebert is proof. Last year, many (including me) believed him to be a potential top-five pick in 2012. It was unthinkable back then that he could be one pick away from not even being drafted. Things happen though. Sometimes it’s a matter of an advanced prospect at 16 being caught by his peers at 17. Sometimes a prospect has maxed out his potential at an early age. Sometimes it’s just bad luck.

With all of that in mind, I put together a list of players who performed admirably enough this year to be considered notable prospects to keep an eye out for over the summer and into the early parts of next season.

The first big event of the scouting season is actually happening right now as USA Hockey’s Select 17 Player Development Camp, featuring the best 1995-born players in the country, not currently playing at the NTDP, is underway in Rochester, N.Y. So now is as good a time as any to kick off the 2013 NHL Draft season.

Coming up after the jump, a look at prospects you should know.

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Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NTDP, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

Recapping Day 2 of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Chris Peters

After Day 2, more than 50 American players were selected in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. So many quality players heard their names called over the course of two days in Pittsburgh and there were even a few that didn’t, but all-in-all it was another strong draft for American hockey and its future.

There was also a wide variety of developmental backgrounds from which players were selected. The Draft is always a pretty interesting referendum on where players are getting seen and how they are being valued. It’s not a perfect capsule, but it’s at least a good indicator.

Fifty-fourfive Americans were selected in the NHL Draft, 14 of which were taken within the first two rounds (six in first, eight in second). That’s up six players from 2011. Twenty four of the NHL’s 30 teams drafted at least one American player, with Washington leading the way with four U.S. selections.

Coming up after the jump, a look at all players taken in the second round and some of the interesting mid- and late-round selections from Saturday.

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Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 4 Comments

Recapping the First Round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Chris Peters

Day 1 lived up to and maybe even surpassed the hype. There were big trades, surprising risers and fallers and enough action to keep a blogger from even attempting a bathroom break. The Draft was also stronger than expected for both American-born and college-bound talent.

Six Americans went in the first round Friday night with Alex Galchenyuk leading the way at No. 3 overall to the Montreal Canadiens. Jacob Trouba was up next going ninth to Winnipeg. After a long wait, Jordan Schmaltz got picked by St. Louis at No. 25. Then Henrik Samuelsson (Phoenix Coyotes), Brady Skjei (New York Rangers) and Stefan Matteau (New Jersey Devils) went 27th, 28th and 29th respectively.

It was also a big day for the USHL as six current players were selected including Trouba, Skjei, Matteau (Team USA), Schmaltz (Green Bay), Zemgus Girgensons and Michael Matheson (Dubuque) all heard their names called in the first round. Additionally, Mark Jankowski, whose draft rights are owned by Dubuque, was also taken within the first 30 picks. It was a historic day for the USHL.

Coming up after the jump, some additional thoughts on the first round from the American hockey perspective.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 3 Comments

USofH 2012 NHL Draft Open Thread

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Chris Peters

Like many of you, I’ll have to follow the 2012 NHL Entry Draft from home tonight, which will allow for a bit more of a running commentary. I’ll be sharing a lot of thoughts on Twitter, but will also be periodically updating the blog for the entire first round and potentially parts of Day 2.

Also, feel free to participate with questions and comments of your own in the comments section or on Twitter. I’ll also likely be popping in on the live chat over at “Tonight’s Healthy Scratches” periodically.

The first round begins on NBC Sports Network at 7 p.m. EDT.

Also as a reminder, here’s a look at my Top 30 Overall Rankings as well as my Top 15 Americans for the NHL Draft Part I (1-8) and Part II (9-15 + Honorable Mention).

Hope you’ll stop by for a bit tonight. Enjoy the Draft, everyone!

Editor’s Note: Most recent posts will appear first.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, NHL Draft, NTDP, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

Ranking the Top 30 Overall for the 2012 NHL Draft

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Chris Peters

After putting together the list of Top 15 Americans for the NHL Draft, I decided to take a stab at the top 30 of all players available for the Draft. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen a lot of the prospects from this year’s Draft either through TV, video or at the various international tournaments I’ve covered over the last two years. So I thought, why not? Everyone else is doing it, right? Figured I should jump off the bridge right along with them.

This year’s Draft is going to be almost impossible to predict, as mentioned many times. Once you get outside of the top 10 or top 15, it’s really tough to slot certain guys. That said, I really like the looks of the top half of this year’s draft and I think we’ve got a few potential superstars in the mix here. And it’s really not that the second half is bad. It’s not. It’s just a lot tougher to figure out what some of these guys are going to be down the road.

At the risk of looking like a complete fool and following the crowd of mock drafts and various rankings, I went ahead and put the American flag down for a few minutes. I decided not to do a mock draft, but essentially what would be my draft board if I was the one making the decisions for one team. Which, thankfully for many of you, I am not. So here goes…

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Ranking the Top 15 American NHL Draft-Eligibles (1-8)

Posted on June 21, 2012 by Chris Peters

Starting Friday night, 211 young men will be selected in the National Hockey League Entry Draft, fulfilling a lifelong dream and taking the next step in reaching the ultimate goal of becoming a professional hockey player. It’s difficult not to envy the players for the opportunity they’re all about to receive, but up until their name is called, there’s bound to be tension and anxiety so fierce we’ll be glad not to be in their shoes.

Wednesday, I posted the back half of my Top 15 list. Today, I’ve got my choices for Nos. 1-8. It was particularly difficult to get through the 9-15 rankings, as there are so many similar players and a lot of unpredictability with that crop. The top half was a little easier to get through, but it got a little tougher when I had to put a number next to a players’ name.

Each player in this portion of the list has his own very specific skillset and potential. There’s a wide range of abilities in these eight players, which is actually really great to see from a future-of-American-hockey perspective.

I’d expect at least seven of these players to be drafted within the first two rounds of the NHL Draft, with three to four getting the nod in the first round.

Coming up after the jump, I list the eight best American-born players eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP | 5 Comments