College Hockey   CC Tigers and USAFA Falcons Hockey

The Colorado Avalanche wrote a feature in UND senior Brad Malone. A possible CC foe this December, Michigan, lost one of its prized recruits.

The Stars continued their affiliation with ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads, where former Tigers Cody Lampl and Weston Tardy are under contract. Richard Bachman may play in Boise if training camp does not go well.

Lee Sweatt converted considerable success in Europe, notably with TPS in Finland (above), into a contract with the Vancouver Canucks organization this summer.

Here’s a large story I did on former Tigers and their efforts in Europe, including a sidebar on the difficulties of recruiting there. Here’s a video of Lee Sweatt, who is also pictured to the left. In the video, he scored first (No. 85 in black) so be ready. There are plenty of other videos of Lee available there.

The unfortunate news about Mandi Schwartz’s benefactor should not stop anyone from donating to the family directly. Look up Jaden or Rylan up on Facebook to do so.

Here’s a link to Bleacher Report’s offseason grades for all the NHL teams.

Former Colorado College standout Scott Polaski was ready to quit playing hockey a year ago, but he wasn’t ready to turn his back on the sport he loves.

Polaski, one of the Tigers’ assistant captains for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, ended a successful pro career in the CHL’s Colorado Eagles last summer, soon joining Northwestern Mutual of Denver to work as a financial representative.

He took time off from his day job Thursday to teach some skating drills to the high school players at this week’s Local Legends camp at the Sertich Ice Center.

Here are a few questions Scott took the time to answer:

Why did you decide to retire?

It was time to move on. I was still fairly healthy but I knew I wasn’t playing to play in the NHL anymore.

What attracted you to your current job?

I spent a lot of time interviewing with companies trying to find the best situation. I was not sure what I wanted to do after hockey. I wanted to see the differences. I needed the kind of job (flexible hours) that I could transition into after the professional hockey lifestyle. I didn’t want the structure of a 9-to-5 job.

Do you work at a lot of camps?

I do as a volunteer, yes. When I was playing I had my own hockey school and traveled all over the world to teach. I grew up in Colorado Springs so I would love to have some sort of impact with these kids, if possible. It’s a good opportunity for me.

Do you get down to Colorado Springs often?

I work down in Colorado Springs at least once very two weeks. I have (clients) down here and my parents have lived her for the past 40 years.

Here’s a blogger’s review of the last season for former Tiger Toby Petersen and a chance to vote on what you think of his performance. He looks to be having a quiet, solid NHL career, which is exactly what a team like the Stars need. Hence, he got  the recent contract extension.

Tyler Thompson is no longer listed on the MSU-Mankato roster.

Alabama-Huntsville, playing as an independent, announced its 2010-11 schedule, which includes road games at CC on Jan. 21-22. The schedule is a tough one, especially with a number of “home games” played away from Huntsville. I worry for the program’s future with a situation like that.

Alaska-Anchorage assistant Regg Simon has taken the Des Moines head coaching job, replacing departed coach Mike Guentzel, who took an assistant job at Nebraska-Omaha recently.

Guentzel, whose son Gabe is a CC assistant captain, was an assistant for the Tigers for one year before moving on the USHL.

Here’s some good analysis by the Western College Hockey blog. He’s dead-on on his assessment of the effect Nick Leddy’s departure likely will have on the Gophers’ defense. Here’s the Star Tribune beat writer’s original blog with a followup on the other departure. They learn how to spin things at such a young age now, don’t they?

This bit of potentially bad news is provided by the NY Times. Apparently, one of Mandi Schwartz’s main benefactors is under investigation for fraud.  As the article points out, there are no indications that Ted Collins has done anything wrong with Mandi’s drive. I suggest contacting CC athletics about how to send any donations to the Schwartz family directly. Schwartz is in Seattle preparing to receive a transplant soon.

Some upcoming schedule conflicts were ironed out by Bemidji State.

A Bemidji State forward, Ben Kinne, suffered a stroke during a workout on Friday, the school reports.

Michigan Tech (now graduate) Malcolm Gwilliam recovered well enough to play his final year after suffering a stroke in November of his junior year.  There’s no way of knowing if the severity of the strokes are similar but Kinne being quoted in the press release is certainly a hopeful sign. Here’s the USCHO story, based on the Bemidji press release.

At Minnesota, Josh Birkholz has left while another Nick Leddy, has reportedly signed with Chicago according to Inside College Hockey. Leddy did get a lot of praise from the Blackhawks’ Stan Bowman after the development camp so a generous offers seems likely. Max Gardiner will come a year earlier than expected to the Gophers, partly because of the one, maybe two, roster openings.

Manitoba Junior Hockey League MVP Taylor Dickin and his 92 points has committed for 2010-11 for North Dakota.

Here’s list compiled by the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Schlossman of all the early departures, not including Leddy. Note: Goalie Michael Shibrowski remains signed with CC and is expected to return after another year of seasoning in juniors.

Early signings/departures in the WCHA (17)

Alaska-Anchorage (2)
Lee Baldwin, Fr, D, New York Rangers
Bryce Christianson, Jr, G, Stockton (ECHL)

Denver (3)
Joe Colborne, So, F, Boston Bruins
Patrick Wiercioch, So, D, Ottawa Senators
Marc Cheverie, Jr, G, Florida Panthers

Minnesota (2)
Jordan Schroeder, So, F, Vancouver Canucks
Josh Birkholz, So, F, Everett Silvertips

Minnesota-Duluth (2)
Rob Bordson, Jr, F, Anaheim Ducks
Brady Hjelle, So, G, junior A

MSU-Mankato (2)
Kevin Murdock, Fr, G, junior A
Tyler Pitlick, Fr, F, WHL

UND (2)
Corey Fienhage, So, D, WHL
David Toews, So, F, WHL

Wisconsin (4)
Cody Goloubef, Jr, D, Columbus Blue Jackets
Brendan Smith, Jr, D, Detroit Red Wings
Derek Stepan, So, F, New York Rangers
Ryan McDonagh, Jr, D, New York Rangers

It’s a slow news day. Colin Stuart and Matt Zaba remain unsigned free agents so I’ll keep an eye for developments.

Asian League scoring champion Alex Kim, left, and teammate and points leader Tim Smith of the High1 team.

In the meantime, here’s a chance to catchup with former Tiger Alex Kim, who is enjoying an excellent pro career in South Korea as part of the Asian League (China, Japan, South Korea).

He’s pictured at the 2009-10 season-ending awards ceremony. Photos and video of playoff Game 1 and Game 2 against eventual champion Anyang Halla (dark blue jerseys) from semifinal series games in mid-March 2010 were just posted on Monday by a California blogger. So,  enjoy these now.

Kim is No. 79 in white with Alex on the back for High1. He scored to make it 3-1 and had his shot redirected for the winning goal in Game 1.  He scored to make it 2-1 Halla in a Game 2 loss (3:23 mark).

Here’s where some see Mark Stuart landing in the defensive rotation for Boston.

It looks to me that if Mike Testwuide doesn’t make the NHL roster full time for the Flyers, he should get ample playing time with  the Phantoms in the AHL If he’s fully healthy as past articles suggest, he won’t spend much time in a Phantoms uniform.

CC fans, players and coaches will see a familiar face when the Mavs visit Dec. 18-19. Mike Guentzel is back in the WCHA coaching ranks at Nebraska-Omaha.

North Dakota announced its 2010-11 roster. The Sioux have a deep defensive corps, prompting some defenseman to be listed as forward/defenseman. CC’s Arthur Bidwill has the same designation which will help his chances of making it onto the ice more. He’s got a reputation as a hard worker so that is good to see.

Wisconsin’s roster has firmed up with one of the few top scorers left saying he expects to be back.

The new Bemidji State rink will be a popular place. Big surprise there, huh?

This is unfortunate, if true, but such an injury could help make more room for former Tiger Lee Sweatt in the Canucks organization and improve an already good chance of making the NHL roster. It depends how much offense the Canucks want from their defensemen.

The former Tiger and pro veteran, Mark Cullen, has signed with the Florida Panthers organization. His career stats are included in the press release. He should have a good chance of making the NHL roster. Cullen knows that at age 31, he may not have many chances left to make the NHL.

The signing is good news for CC fans since the Panthers training camp opens Sept. 14 in Eagle. The Avs are in Centennial starting Sept. 13. Plan your road trips now.