Five talented prospects from a variety of playing backgrounds -- forwards Drew Akins (Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League), Logan Gorsalitz (Camrose/Alberta Junior Hockey League) and Jordan Fulton (The Breck School) and defensemen Trent Palm (U.S. National Under-18 Team) and Chase Ryan (Des Moines/USHL) -- have all signed national letters of intent to attend and play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2006-07.



That quintet joins goaltender Alex Stalock (Cedar Rapids/USHL) and forward Mitch Ryan (Waterloo/USHL) as the 2006-07 Bulldog recruits.



\"Collectively, these seven incoming freshmen bring us some things we need such as grit, skill, speed and additional character,\" said Scott Sandelin, the 2003-04 Spencer Penrose Award recipient (NCAA I Coach of the Year) who will begin his seventh year behind the Bulldog bench this October. \"We had to create more depth up front and the addition of four promising forwards -- Drew Akins, Jordan Fulton, Logan Gorsalitz and Mitch Ryan -- will help in that regard. On the blueline, we were looking for guys who are reliable and somewhat defensive-minded to complement what we have coming back and I feel we found them in Trent Palm and Chase Ryan. With the loss of Isaac Reichmuth, who averaged nearly 30 starts a year for us over the past four seasons, our top priority was to recruit a top-flight goaltender and we did just that with Alex Stalock. What's impressed me most about Alex is that he's improved each season -- from his first year of high school right on through last season -- and is a proven winner. He's also an aggressive goaltender whose not afraid to leave the crease and create some opportunities with the puck\".



The complete list of the 2006-07 UMD recruiting class is as follows:

Player Pos Hgt Wgt Birthdate Hometown Previous Team (League)

Drew Akins F 6-0 190 11/4/85 Excelsior, Minn. Sioux Falls/USHL

Jordan Fulton F 6-0 190 9/12/87 Brooklyn Park, Minn. The Breck School

Logan Gorsalitz F 5-11 180 1/9/86 Fort McMurray, Alberta Camrose/AJHL

Trent Palm D 6-0 205 6/10/88 Edina, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team

Chase Ryan D 6-2 200 11/9/86 Algonquin, Ill. Des Moines/USHL

Mitch Ryan F 6-0 200 10/28/86 Cloquet, Minn. Waterloo/USHL

Alex Stalock G 5-7 170 7/28/87 South St. Paul, Minn. Cedar Rapids/USHL

Drew Akins (6-0, 190, Forward) -- Displayed his on-ice wares in Sioux Falls, S.D. this past winter while skating for the Stampede of the United States Hockey League ... placed fourth on the club in regular season scoring with 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points in 58 games and was a +16 to boot ... tied for the Stampede lead with two shorthanded tallies ... produced six more points (three goals and three assists) during the 2006 USHL playoffs while helping the Stampede to a runnerup finish in the Clark Cup ... spent the 2003-04 season with the Sante Fe (N.M.) Roadrunners ... his scoring totals with that North American Hockey League franchise included 36 points on 18 goals and 18 assists in 56 regular season outings ... is a 2004 graduate of Minnetonka High School ... captained the hockey Skippers as a senior ... was an All-Classic Lake Conference pick that winter and reigned as the team's top point producer ... received the Skippers' Most Determined Player Award in each of his three varsity seasons.

Jordan Fulton (6-0, 190, Forward) -- Comes to UMD directly from the high school ranks -- a path which has gradually become an anomaly in NCAA I hockey ... enjoyed a prosperous four-year run at The Breck School (Minneapolis) last March...landed a spot on the 2005-06 Associated Press All-State team after finishing third in points (83) and second in goals (45) among all Minnesota high school competitors ... amassed that impressive offensive harvest in a mere 28 games ... was also a finalist for the Mr. Hockey Award in 2005-06 ... racked up 128 goals in his four years with the Mustang varsity ... is a 2006 graduate of Breck ... will be the youngest entry on the 2006-07 Bulldog roster.

Logan Gorsalitz (5-11, 180, Forward) -- Is the latest in a classy line of Camrose Kodiak alumni to migrate to the UMD campus, joining junior-to-be Matt McKnight and sophomores Mason Raymond and MacGregor Sharp ... was a teammate of each of those three Bulldogs for two seasons (2002-04) in Camrose ... resided atop of the 2005-06 Kodiak regular season leader board with 55 points (32 goals and 23 assists) ... took part in the AHJL All-Star Game in both 2005 and 2006 ... helped lead Camrose to the AJHL South Division title for a fourth straight year in 2005-06 and to the finals of the AJHL playoffs, collecting 14 points during a 16-game postseason run ... ranked seventh among his AJHL brethren in playoff points in 2005-06 ... was named a co-winner of the Kodiaks' Most Valuable Player Award for 2005-06 ... was a member of two AJHL championship clubs (2003 and 2005), two Doyle Cup titleholders (western Canadian junior champion in 2003 and 2005) and two Royal Bank runners-up (Canadian national junior champion, 2003 and 2005).

Trent Palm (6-0, 205, Defense) -- Becomes the first U.S. National Under-18 Team product to sign on with the Bulldog hockey program ... patrolled the blueline for the U.S. Under 18s which defeated Finland 3-1 in late April to capture the gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under 18- Championship in Angelhom, Sweden ... wound up with 10 points, which included eight assists, in 59 games with that Ann Arbor, Mich.-based club in 2005-06 ... both of his goals last winter came on the power play ... gave Bulldog fans a sneak preview into the future this past winter when he and his U. S. Under-18 teammates stopped by the DECC for a Jan. 7 exhibition engagement (a 6-3 UMD win) .... played 63 games for the U.S. National Under-17 Team the previous year, racking up 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points ... picked up two of those points at the 2005 Four Nationals Cup in Rochester, N.Y, where the U.S. walked off with a first-place finish ... attended Shattuck-St. Mary's School (Faribault, Minn.) in 2003-04 and tallied 51 points on 20 goals and 31 assists while appearing in 64 games ... is a 2006 graduate of Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School.

Chase Ryan (6-2, 185, Defense) -- Served a three-year tour of duty in the United States Hockey League, biding his time with three different clubs (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and St. Louis) ... registered the fourth best plus-minus rating (plus-19) of any USHL blueliner during the 2005-06 regular season ... appeared in 59 regular season outings with the Des Moines Buccaneers and had one goal and 16 assists to show for it ... played in the 2006 USHL Prospects/All-Star Game as a member of Team West ... suited up in all 11 USHL playoff games for Des Moines during its 2006 Clark Cup title conquest ... mustered four regular season points (all assists) in 2004-05 while stationed in Cedar Rapids, home of the Clark Cup (USHL playoffs), Anderson Cup (USHL regular season) and USA Hockey Tier 1 Junior A champion Rough Riders ... was a teammate of fellow 2006-07 Bulldog recruit Alex Stalock during his one winter in Iowa ... launched his USHL career in 2003-04 as a 17-year old with the St. Louis Heartland Eagles ... his scoring line that season showed one goal and two assists in 56 regular season games ... will become just the third Illinois native to lace up his skates with the Bulldogs (2005-06 senior center Tim Stapleton was the last).

Mitch Ryan (6-0, 190, Forward) -- Debuted in style in the United States Hockey League this past winter and evolved into Waterloo's top offensive threat ... contributed a team-high 51 points -- nine points more than his nearest competitor -- to the Black Hawk scoring coffers in 2005-06 ... also paced the Black Hawks in a host of other statistical categories, including goals (27, the ninth best figure turned in by a league skater), power play scores (8), shots (251) and penalty minutes (109) ... was the only Black Hawk to take part in all 60 regular season games ... capped off a rewarding three-year stay at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton in 2004-05 by racking up 78 points on 39 goals and 39 assists in 28 outings en route to attaining both the Associated Press and St. Paul Pioneer Press All-State recognition ... was 2004-05 Minnesota Mr. Hockey finalist and an All-Lake Superior Conference honoree as well ... finished third on CEC's all-time scoring list behind a pair of current and former National Hockey League performer -- Jamie Langenbrunner and Corey Millen .... also lettered five times in golf and twice in football (linebacker and tight end) as a prep ... is a 2005 graduate of Cloquet High School.

Alex Stalock (5-7, 170, Goaltender) -- Resided among the USHL puckstopping heavyweights during a two-year stint in Cedar Rapids -- and had the hardware and stats to prove it ... was named the USHL's Goaltender of the Year after accumulating league highs for both wins (28) and saves percentage (.931) in 2005-06 ... made 44 regular season appearances in all and crafted a 28-13-3 record to go with a 2.54 goals against average ... skated for Team East at the 2006 USHL Prospects/All-Star Game and competed for the U.S. Select Team at the 2006 Viking Cup Tournament this past winter ... backstopped the RoughRidersto to the Clark Cup (USHL playoff champions) and the USA Hockey Tier 1 Junior A national title in 2004-05 ... was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Clark Cup playoffs after posting a 7-2 record, a 1.44 goals against average and a .950 saves percent in nine USHL playoff appearances ... his statistical printout during the 2004-05 regular season included a 19-9-3 record, a 2.73 goals against average and a .905 saves percentage in 32 outings ... was selected in the fourth round (112th pick overall) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2005 National Hockey League draft ... is a 2005 graduate of South St. Paul High School ... played two seasons with the Packer varisty, receiving Associated Press All-State and All-Classic Suburban Conference status in 2003-04 ... helped the Packers earn a trip to the Minnesota State High School Class A Tournament that season ... also was a two-year letterwinner in both baseball (outfielder) and football (defensive back) at South St. Paul High School.

UMD, which loses five seniors to graduation, closed out the 2005-06 season with an 11-25-4 overall record and was 6-19-3 in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play (ninth place).

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