Okay, since Lefty was nice enough to ask, here is what I know about committed recruits for this year and beyond. So far, there are 10 players verbally committed to be Gophers between now and 2016.
They are (in order of somewhat projected arrival):
-Jack Glover, D, 6-3, 192 USNTDP U-18
-Steve Johnson, D, 6-1, 185 Omaha Lancers (USHL)
-Ryan Collins, D, 6-4, 205 USNTDP U-18
-Jack Ramsey, F, 6-2, 185 Penticton Vees (BCHL)
-Tarek Baker, F, 5-11, 185 Omaha AAA
-Ryan Norman, F, 5-11, 175 Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
-Tommy Novak, F, 5-11, 172 St. Thomas Academy
-Rem Pitlick, F, 5-3, 140 Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
-Ryan Edquist, G, 5-11, 160 Shattuck-St. Mary's U-16
-Ryan Lindgren, D, 5-11, 180, Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
As for what I know about the recruits individually, there are several top prospects here. Glover is considered a rock-solid, close-to-elite level prospect with good size and puck-handling ability. Johnson is a guy that wasn't considered a great prospect initially but has gotten progressively better with his time in juniors. Collins is more a stay at home defenseman in the Seth Helgeson mode. Ramsey is the son of former Gopher great Mike Ramsey and the younger brother of women's team player Rachel Ramsey. He spent last year with Minnetonka before moving on to play in Penticton (same team that the Reillys played for before coming to Minnesota).
Baker is an interesting story. He's originally from Verona, WI and has been considered one of the top players in Wisconsin for his age group for a long time. But the Badgers never really got after him on the recruiting trail, which surprised a lot of folks apparently since he was recruited by several top schools. He's been tearing it up in Omaha for the past two years.
Norman and Novak are considered top-level prospects. Norman made the Shattuck Prep team as a sophomore and finished third on the team in points. He's also the son of a former North Dakota player and chose the Gophers over the artists formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. Novak is a player I'm sure everybody is pretty familiar with. He was the leading scorer for St. Thomas Academy last year as a sophomore and has put together a pretty dominant performance in the Fall Elite League, which showcases some of the very top talent in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Pitlick is something of a midget at this point at only 5-3 and about 140 or so pounds. Obviously, he needs to get bigger and stronger. Nevertheless, he's playing with Norman on the vaunted Shattuck Prep team. He's also the son of former Gopher Lance Pitlick. Edquist is considered one of the top goalie prospects in the country for his age group. He's currently with the Shattuck U-16 team.
The prospect that I've heard the most chatter about however is Lindgren. He's been called an absolute phenom by most everyone that has seen him play. There's been a lot of talk about him possibly being the best 1998 birth year player in the country. Pro scouts apparently love his game and there have been whispers about him being one of the best d-man recruits to ever come out of the Shattuck system, which is saying something.
All and all, there is a ton of potential in this group. Have to keep an eye on all of them, but most are very well thought of by scouts. I'm hardly in an insider when it comes to recruiting, but I thought it would at least be good to get the conversation going when it comes to the recruiting front.
They are (in order of somewhat projected arrival):
-Jack Glover, D, 6-3, 192 USNTDP U-18
-Steve Johnson, D, 6-1, 185 Omaha Lancers (USHL)
-Ryan Collins, D, 6-4, 205 USNTDP U-18
-Jack Ramsey, F, 6-2, 185 Penticton Vees (BCHL)
-Tarek Baker, F, 5-11, 185 Omaha AAA
-Ryan Norman, F, 5-11, 175 Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
-Tommy Novak, F, 5-11, 172 St. Thomas Academy
-Rem Pitlick, F, 5-3, 140 Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
-Ryan Edquist, G, 5-11, 160 Shattuck-St. Mary's U-16
-Ryan Lindgren, D, 5-11, 180, Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep
As for what I know about the recruits individually, there are several top prospects here. Glover is considered a rock-solid, close-to-elite level prospect with good size and puck-handling ability. Johnson is a guy that wasn't considered a great prospect initially but has gotten progressively better with his time in juniors. Collins is more a stay at home defenseman in the Seth Helgeson mode. Ramsey is the son of former Gopher great Mike Ramsey and the younger brother of women's team player Rachel Ramsey. He spent last year with Minnetonka before moving on to play in Penticton (same team that the Reillys played for before coming to Minnesota).
Baker is an interesting story. He's originally from Verona, WI and has been considered one of the top players in Wisconsin for his age group for a long time. But the Badgers never really got after him on the recruiting trail, which surprised a lot of folks apparently since he was recruited by several top schools. He's been tearing it up in Omaha for the past two years.
Norman and Novak are considered top-level prospects. Norman made the Shattuck Prep team as a sophomore and finished third on the team in points. He's also the son of a former North Dakota player and chose the Gophers over the artists formerly known as the Fighting Sioux. Novak is a player I'm sure everybody is pretty familiar with. He was the leading scorer for St. Thomas Academy last year as a sophomore and has put together a pretty dominant performance in the Fall Elite League, which showcases some of the very top talent in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Pitlick is something of a midget at this point at only 5-3 and about 140 or so pounds. Obviously, he needs to get bigger and stronger. Nevertheless, he's playing with Norman on the vaunted Shattuck Prep team. He's also the son of former Gopher Lance Pitlick. Edquist is considered one of the top goalie prospects in the country for his age group. He's currently with the Shattuck U-16 team.
The prospect that I've heard the most chatter about however is Lindgren. He's been called an absolute phenom by most everyone that has seen him play. There's been a lot of talk about him possibly being the best 1998 birth year player in the country. Pro scouts apparently love his game and there have been whispers about him being one of the best d-man recruits to ever come out of the Shattuck system, which is saying something.
All and all, there is a ton of potential in this group. Have to keep an eye on all of them, but most are very well thought of by scouts. I'm hardly in an insider when it comes to recruiting, but I thought it would at least be good to get the conversation going when it comes to the recruiting front.
