The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is continuing the tradition of getting the best of the best, as they announced today the addition of four more players to the 2006-2007 roster.

Joining the team are forwards Emmanuelle Blais and Elin Holmlov, defenseman Heidi Pelttari and one of the top netminders in the world, Kim Martin.

\"I'm very excited about our recruiting class this year,\" said Head Coach Shannon Miller. \"In seven years of signing recruits this is without question one of the strongest incoming classes we have ever had.\"

Blais, a native of Montreal, Que, comes to the Bulldogs after spending the last season with Dawson College. She was injured shortly after the season started and played in only five games. She spent the previous two seasons with Notre-Dame College. In her first season with the Sabres, the Canadian Under-22 team player, tallied a team high 73 points in 24 games. The 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 season saw Blais winning the teams performance award.

\"Emmanuelle is an explosive forward,\" said Miller. \"Good hands, speed, and toughness combine to make Blais a potential winger for the first line.\"

The second forward to be added to the roster is a native of Knivsta, Sweden. Holmlov earned a bronze with Team Sweden at the 2005 World Championships. She has been playing with AIK, in the Swedish league for the past 11 years, winning gold in 2003-2004 and silver in 2002-2003 and 2004-2005.

\"This Swedish Olympic player is touted as a power forward,\" Miller said. \"She is big in stature and strong on her skates. Holmlov comes in as a freshman, but has world championship playing experience. We will look to Elin to make some key plays and score some big goals next year.\"

Adding to the defensive corps is Finnish standout Pelttari. A native of Tampere, Finland, she finished the 2006 Winter Olympics tied for fifth on the tournament defensive scoring charts with three points, including one goal. Besides playing on the Finnish Olympic Team, Pelttari was also a part of the Finnish National Championships team, Ilves. She has been on Ilves since 2001 and in 2005-2006 earned the All-Star defenders and Best Defender awards at the Finnish Championships.

\"Coming to UMD as the number one defenseman in Finland, Pelttari is expected to be one of the top blueliners for our team,\" Miller said. \"This 2006 Finnish Olympian reads the game well, makes good decisions on joining the rush and competes to win one-on-one battles. Pelttari is a very talented player whose offensive instincts and aggressiveness will boost our attacking power.\"

The final addition to the 2006-2007 roster during the late signing period is one of the best goaltenders in the world. Martin, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, is a 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist. She ended the tournament with a .927 saves percentage and a 2.21 goals against average. Martin has played on AIK in Sweden with Holmlov for the past 11 years. She was named the best female hockey player in Sweden for the 2003-2004 season, when AIK won gold at the Swedish Championships. Martin recently earned her second Euro SportStar Award for the best female hockey player in the world.

\"Kim comes in as a freshman, but is already recognized as one of the best female goaltenders in the world,\" said Miller. \"Martin has played in world championships and Olympic games since she was 15 years old.\"

Blais, Holmlov, Pelttari, and Martin will join Saara Tuominen, Sarah Murray, and Jamie Rasmussen as the 2006-2007 recruiting class for the Bulldogs.

\"We have a great mix of national and international talent joining our team,\" added Miller. \"Four top players from Europe, with extraordinary Olympic success will wear Bulldog jerseys next season and that is a great complement to our program and exciting opportunity for our fans.”

All signings are contingent upon admission to the University and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse.