Kobe Roth, a standout right winger with the United States Hockey League's Des Moines Buccaneers, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2017-18.

He  joins four fellow USHL colleagues and November signees  -- defensemen Matt Anderson (Green Bay Gamblers), Mikey Anderson (Waterloo Black Hawks) and Scott Perunovich (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) and Nick Swaney (Waterloo Black Hawks) -- in UMD's 2017-18 recruiting class.

A 5-7, 165-pound native of Warroad, Minn., Roth is in his first full season in Des Moines and closed out the 2016-17 regular season ranking fourth on the Buccaneer scoring charts with 31 points on 12 goals (four of which came on the power play) and 19 assists. He split the previous winter between the North American Hockey League's Minnesota Wilderness (seven goals and 20 points in 35 outings) and Des Moines (three points -- all goals -- in 17 outings). Roth missed a good chuck of his senior season at Warroad High School nursing ankle and hip injuries after pacing all Minnesota high schoolers both in goals (40) and points (85).

Roth and his Buccaneer teammates begin a best-of-five first-round USHL playoff series tonight (April 14) against regular season champion Sioux City.