With a school-record 11 seniors (eight forwards and three defensemen) on its current roster, the University of Minnesota Duluth coaching staff has obviously had to spend plenty of time on the recruiting trail. The end result is eight standouts from the junior and Minnesota High School ranks have all signed national letters of intent to attend and play hockey for UMD in 2005-06.



The group includes six forwards -- Andrew Carroll of the United States Hockey League's Sioux Falls Stampede, Michael Gergen, a senior at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault, Minn., Nick Kemp (Sioux City of the USHL), Mitch Kerns (Omaha of the USHL) and Mason Raymond and MacGregor Sharp, both of whom are currently skating for the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Camrose Kodiaks -- as well as defensemen Jason Garrison (Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League) and Matt Niskanen, who is beginning his final season with the cooperative Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl high school hockey program.



The 2005-06 UMD hockey recruiting class is as follows:

Player Pos Hgt Wgt Birthdate Hometown Current Team/League

Andrew Carroll F 6-0 189 5/7/85 Shoreview, MN Sioux Falls Stampede/USHL

Jason Garrison D 6-2 205 11/13/84 White Rock, BC Nanaimo Clippers/BCHL

Michael Gergen F 6-2 195 2/17/87 Hastings, MN Shattuck-St. Mary's School (MN)

Nick Kemp F 6-0 185 1/5/86 Hermantown, MN Sioux City Musketeers/USHL

Mitch Kerns F 6-0 180 12/24/85 Stoughton, WI Omaha Lancers /USHL

Matt Niskanen D 6-1 185 12/6/86 Mountain Iron, MN Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl HS

Mason Raymond F 6-0 185 9/17/85 Cochrane, ALTA Camrose Kodiaks/AJHL

MacGregor Sharp F 6-1 180 10/1/85 Red Deer, ALTA Camrose Kodiaks/AJHL



The No. 7-ranked Bulldogs, who are 5-3-2 overall and 4-2-0 in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play this season, will host Brown University this weekend (Nov. 19-20) in a pair of non-conference engagements.