Six talented prospects from both the United States and Canadian junior leagues -- forward Jack Connolly (Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League), forward Mike Connolly (Camrose Kodiaks/Alberta Junior Hockey League), forward David Grun (Sioux Falls/USHL), goaltender Brady Hjelle (Cedar Rapids Roughriders/USHL), defenseman Scott Kishel (Sioux Falls/USHL) and forward Travis Oleksuk (Sioux City Musketeers/USHL) -- have all signed national letters of intent to attend and play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2008-09.
The following is a closer look at each of the six signees:
Jack Connolly (Forward • 5-8 • 155 • Duluth, Minn.) -- Is currently in his first year of United State Hockey League competition with the Sioux Falls Stampede ... has collected 11 points (four goals -- including three on the power play -- and seven assists) in 11 games thus far ... skated for the U.S. at the recent World Junior A Challenge in Trail, British Columbia ... is a 2007 graduate of the Marshall School in Duluth ... paced the 2006-07 Hilltoppers in scoring with 37 goals and 40 assists for 77 points in 31 games ... was a member of the 2007 Minnesota State Class A All-Tournament Team after helping lead Hilltoppers to a second consecutive runnerup finish at the event ... earned All-Lake Superior Conference first team, Duluth News-Tribune All-Area second team and Associated Press All-State honorable mention acclaim as a senior ... also made his mark in soccer at Marshall and was the 2006 Duluth News Tribune's All-Area Boy's Soccer Player of the Year.
Mike Connolly (Forward • 5-8 • 175 • Calgary, Alberta) -- Has established himself as one of the Alberta Junior Hockey League's top snipers the past two seasons ... currently holds down the No. 2 spot on the Camrose Kodiak scoring charts with 37 points (14 goals and 23 assists) in 18 games and is a team-leading plus-26 to boot ... finished as leading scorer (11 points in just five outings) at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge earlier this month en route to being bestowed with the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award ... his spirited play helped propel Canada West to the World Junior A Challenge title ... accumulated 18 goals and 30 assists during the 2006-07 regular season, which was the fourth highest figure turned in by a Kodiak ... went on to rack up a league-leading 20 points for the AJHL playoff champion Kodiaks ... played a significant role in Camrose's conquest of the 2007 Doyle Cup (AJHL/British Columbia Hockey League playoff championship) ... strutted his stuff with the South Team at the 2007 AJHL All-Star Game ... played for the Calgary Buffaloes (AAA Midgets) in 2005-06 ... is the latest Camrose product to enlist his services with the UMD program, joining the likes of current Bulldogs Matt McKnight, MacGregor Sharp and Evan Oberg as well as 2006-07 All-WCHA winger Mason Raymond, who signed with the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks last spring after a sensational sophomore season.
David Grun (Forward • 6-1 • 195 • White Bear Lake, Minn.) - Has become more of an offensive force in his second go around with the Sioux Falls Stampede ... shares the team scoring lead through 13 games with 14 points on two goals and a Stampede-high 12 assists ... scored nine times and assisted on six other regular season goals as a USHL rookie ... added six more points during Sioux Falls' eight-game playoff run ... began the year at Cedar Falls before relocating to Sioux Falls after the opening week of play ...is a 2006 graduate of White Bear Lake High School ... captained the Bears as both a junior and senior and was an All-Suburban East Conference and Associated Press All-State honoree both of those years.
Brady Hjelle (Goalie • 5-10 • 175 • International Falls, Minn.) - Bypassed his final year of eligibility at International Falls High School, where he stopped pucks in record-breaking fashion, by signing on with the United States Hockey League's Cedar Falls franchise (the same one which produced current UMD sophomore goaltender Alex Stalock) ... has patrolled the Roughrider goal mouth in 12 of a possible 14 games to date and has an impressive 9-2-1 record, a 2.24 goals against average and a .933 saves percentage to show for it ... competed for the U.S. (and was a teammate of fellow UMD recruit Jack Connolly) at the 2007 World Junior A Challenge, which wrapped up a couple of weeks ago in Trail, British Columbia ... ranked first among Iron Range Conference netminders in overall saves percentage (.934) while facing a whopping 943 shots -- an average of nearly 35 per game -- last winter ... posted three shutouts and gave up only one goal in eight other contests ... holds a share of the Minnesota State High School League record for saves in one game (74) which he set against Cloquet-Esko-Carlton in 2006.
Scott Kishel (Defenseman • 5-11 • 160 • Virginia, Minn.) -- Now makes his hockey home in Sioux Falls, S.D. where he has generated one goal and one assist in 12 games for the Stampede of the United States Hockey League ... is a 2007 graduate of Virginia High School ... was a three-year fixture on the Virginia-Mountain Iron-Buhl blueline ... contributed a career-high 48 points (14 and 34 assists) to the Blue Devils scoring coffers last winter ... was a two-time member of the Associated Press All-State Team (honorable mention) ... earned Duluth News-Tribune All-Area second team recognition as a senior .. served as a team captain in 2006-07 ... played with former Bulldog defenseman and current Dallas Star Matt Niskanen during his sophomore season at Virginina-MIB... also was a standout on the prep baseball diamond (pitcher, first base and outfield) and football fields (quarterback and safety) ... received Virginia High School's Athlete of the Year Award for 2006-07 ... was selected in the seventh round (192nd pick overall) by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2007 National Hockey League draft.
Travis Oleksuk (Forward • 5-11 • 185 • Thunder Bay, Ontario) -- Has spent the last two seasons enhancing his game with the United States Hockey League's Sioux City Musketeers ... had 11 points and a respectable .200 shooting percentage to his credit through the opening 13 games of the year .. . five those points (two goals and three assists) have been registered on the power play ... closed out his USHL debut year with six goals and 16 assists in 56 regular season engagements ... his father, Bill Oleksuk, was a standout left winger for the Bulldogs from 1978-82 and held the UMD record for most goals in a season by a freshman (30) before a fellow by the name if Brett Hull came along and shattered the mark six years later.
Player Pos Hgt Wgt Birthdate Hometown Current Team (League)
Jack Connolly F 5-8 155 8/15/89 Duluth, Minn. Sioux Falls/USHL
Mike Connolly F 5-8 175 3/7/89 Calgary, Alberta Camrose/AJHL
David Grun F 6-1 195 12/17/87 White Bear Lake, Minn. Sioux Falls/USHL
Brady Hjelle G 5-10 175 5/3/90 International Falls, Minn. Cedar Rapids/USHL
Scott Kishel D 5-11 160 4/21/89 Virginia, Minn. Sioux Falls/USHL
Travis Oleksuk F 5-11 185 2/3/89 Thunder Bay, Ontario Sioux City/USHL
Note: All signings are contingent upon admission to the University and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Clearinghouse.
