That number might grow to eleven pretty quickly, as indications are that Taylor Chorney could be in the St. Louis Blues' lineup tomorrow night against Vancouver. Since being waived by Edmonton and eventually claimed by St. Louis, Chorney has waited patiently for an opportunity to get on the ice in what he says is the longest stretch of non-injury imposed inactivity of his career.
Yesterday it was announced that recruit Nick Schmaltz will be representing Team USA at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympic Games in January. Much of the scouting and evaluation for selecting the players for the team occured at USA Hockey's summer select player development camp. US Hockey Report ranks the top performers, and here's what they had to say about the Sioux recruits that took part in this past summer's camps:
Select 15 Camp:
Forwards:
4. Nick Schmaltz (#10 Grey) 5-10/155 – 3-9-12 – Center has soft hands, sees the ice very well. Gets open, and finds the open man. He’s the brother of North Dakota recruit Jordan Schmaltz. From Verona, Wisc. and Chicago Mission U16.
Select 16 Camp:
Forwards:
3. Luke Voltin (#15 Kelly Green) 6-1/185 – 4-3-7 -- From Hill-Murray (Minn.) HS; going to NTDP. Good hands. Good feet. Extremely athletic.
Note: Voltin's performance was ranked ahead of the likes of Hudson Fasching (#4, uncommitted), Michael McCarron (#5, Michigan St recruit), and Vinni Lettieri (#21, Minnesota recruit). Minot's Alex Schoenborn (uncommitted, potential Sioux recruit) also attended the camp:
12. Alex Schoenborn (#18 Grey) 6-1/190 – 3-2-5 -- 12/12/95 DOB from Minot HS. Lincoln first round pick. A very late ’95, but already a big strong kid.
Defensemen:
6. Keaton Thompson (#6 Red) 6-1/170 – 0-2-2 -- From Devils Lake HS. Joining NTDP. Good defensively, nice outlet passes, and judiciously picks his spots to join the rush.
13. Charlie Pelnik (#7 Forest Green) 6-4/190 – 0-0-0 -- From Carolina Jr. Hurricanes. North Dakota recruit. Quite raw, didn’t have a great week, but there’s a lot to work with here. Fargo’s top pick. Also picked by Plymouth in OHL draft.
Also, former East Grand Forks and current USNTDP U-17 defenseman Gage Ausmus (Denver recruit) was the 16th ranked blueliner.
And here are a few odds and ends:
- Hockey Futures' October College Prospects Notebook
- It's been reported that Michael Hulsizer and his investment group have signed a deal to purchase the St. Louis Blues. Hulsizer had previously shown interest in buying the NHL's redheaded stepchild franchise, the Phoenix Coyotes. Among those in Hulsizer's investment group is former Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules, the father of Sioux recruit Miles Koules.
- The Hockey Writers recently examined the age old and often heated topic of the CHL vs. NCAA. While discussing the CIS (Canada's NCAA equivalent) the author states, "The talent at the CIS level is smack dab in the middle of the CHL and NCAA." I'm not sure what he meant by that, but I found it odd considering the CIS currently has just four active alumni in the NHL.
- The Hockey News recently counted the votes for its The Best of Everything in Hockey edition, and Jonathan Toews was named the league's Best Leader (click the quote for the full Best of summary article): “Jonathan Toews as the best leader, which again isn’t a shock, but it’s interesting for such a young guy to be given so much respect at that age. You’ve got some other veteran leaders like Jarome Iginla and Nicklas Lidstrom, who have been around a lot longer. But Toews obviously has that something special.”
- The Ottawa Senators recently revealed the inspiration for their jersey numbers. Brian Lee, who wears #5 for Ottawa, wore #22 for the Fighting Sioux.
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