Louie Roehl, who enjoyed a record-breaking year patrolling the Minnesota Wilderness (North American Hockey League) blue line this past winter, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend and play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2017-18.

The 5-10, 170-pound Roehl (pronounced "Rail") joins fellow defensemen Matt Anderson (Green Bay Gamblers/USHL), Mikey Anderson (Waterloo Black Hawks/USHL), Scott Perunovich (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders/USHL) and Dylan Samberg (Hermantown High School), forwards Koby Bender (Muskegon Lumberjacks/USHL), Justin Richards (Lincoln Stars/USHL), Kobe Roth (Des Moines Buccaneers/USHL) and Nick Swaney (Waterloo/USHL) and goaltender Benjamin Patt (Notre Dame Hounds/Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League) in UMD's 2017-18 recruiting class.

In his lone season with the Cloquet, Minn.-based Wilderness, Roehl racked up six goals and 35 assists for 41 points -- the most ever by a rookie defenseman in franchise history -- in 67 overall games (including 57 outings during the regular season) en route to landing NAHL All-Rookie second team honors. A member of the NAHL All-Central Division Rookie Team, Roehl skated in the 2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament for the NAHA Selects club and had one assist in two games. His 2016-17 resume also included a three-outing stint with the United States Hockey League's Waterloo Black Hawks.

Roehl joined the Wilderness fresh off a standout career at Eden Prairie High School. As a junior and a senior, he and the Eagles qualified for the Minnesota State High School Class AA Tournament, taking runnerup honors in 2015 and placing third the following winter.

Roehl's father, Dale, was a goaltender at Minnetonka (Minn.) High School who went on to letter four years in football at UMD -- including a pair of seasons as a starting strong safety -- and landed all Northern Intercollegiate Conference recognition as a senior in 1990.