2004-05 SCHEDULE RELEASED

The 2004-05 Michigan hockey schedule has just been released. Check it out
at http://www.michiganhockey.net/info/schedule.html

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MONTOYA DECISION COMING SOON

In an article in The Michigan Daily the other day, Michigan goalie Al
Montoya said he will make his decision on whether or not to turn pro in the
next 5-6 days. He said he is still "in the middle" on which way he is
going to go.

Everyone hope that Al continues to listen to his mom... after all, she's
gotten him this far, so why stop now? Great quote by his mom in an article
on ESPN.com:

"Coach Berenson said he's expecting him back ... for one more year," Irene
said. "I said, 'What do you mean, come back for one? I want him back for
two.' And he said, 'Oh, Irene, he'll be too good to stay for two.' I want
him to graduate."

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LERG DECOMMITS, KESSEL GOING TO COLLEGE...BUT WHERE?

For those who haven't heard, U.S. NTDP U-18 forward Bryan Lerg has
decommitted to Michigan and is now heading to Michigan State.

Quite an interesting twist of events. Lerg was schedule to arrive in Ann
Arbor in fall 2005. His time with the U-18 team ran out and he was to play
a year in the USHL before joining Michigan. Everyone had always said he
was thrilled to be coming to Michigan, where his father played back in the
late 70's. However, he decided he wanted to begin his college career now
instead of waiting, so he traded his Maize n' Blue for Green and White,
where his cousin goaltender Jeff Lerg has verbally committed to play in 2005.

Lerg was the leading scorer for the NTDP this past season.

So the loss of Lerg leaves a void for 2005. Could that void be filled with
the next great American hockey star Phil Kessel?

InsideCollegeHockey.com had an article yesterday on U.S. National Team
Development Program Under-18 star Phil Kessel. Here is the link to the article:

http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/7Archives/Features/kessel_0245.htm

The article talks about Kessel being the next great American hockey
forward. Many have compared him to Mike Modano for his up-tempo style of
play and natural ability to score.

There has been a lot of speculation as to whether he will choose the
college or major junior route, and in the article Kessel says he's going to
college and it's just a matter of picking the right one.

As some of you may know, Michigan has been recruiting the kid hard. In
fact, the coaching staff got some help from a group of fans last year at
the exhibition game against the Under-18 Team who brought "We want Kessel!"
signs and the Wolverine players made sure he saw them after the game. The
same group also brought signs when Kessel was in attendance at a game later
in the season.

The article lists Boston University, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin as
his favorites. Kessel is said to be accelerating his schooling to arrive in
fall 2005.

With the recent decommitment of Lerg, there's definitely a void that Kessel
could fill. The Wolverines already have Ontario's top prospect Andrew
Cogliano on board, and Under-18 stud defenseman Jack Johnson. Both Cogliano
and Johnson are considered top 10 picks at next year's NHL draft. Kessel is
considered a top 5 pick for the 2006 draft and perhaps even one of the top
2. To catch all three of them in one class would be incredible.

I'll keep everyone updated on Kessel's status throughout the season. If he
hasn't committed by the next time the Under-18 Team rolls around in
February for the annual exhibition game, we'll definitely have to kick the
Wolverine fan recruiting machine into high gear to help sway him to Yost.

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KNUBLE SIGNS WITH PHILLY

Former Wolverine Mike Knuble has signed a three-year contract with the
Philadelphia Flyers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Knuble, 31, scored 21 goals and added 25 assists in 82 games with Boston
last season. He also led the team with a +19 rating.

Knuble had the following comments regarding his new deal and team:

"I'm happy it got done so quickly. It is sad to leave Boston. That was a
great spot for me and my career. My family and I have great memories there.
But to be able to jump from Boston to an immediate contender, somebody who
was a game away from making the Stanley Cup finals last year, is something
I hope to be in that situation when this free agency came around. I'm real
happy about it.

"What I proved by playing in Boston was that I could complement good
players. I could find a way to play with good players. I didn't get a
chance to show that immediately and kind of bounced around on third and
fourth lines. But over the last two seasons I had a chance to play with Joe
Thornton and Glen Murray a lot. They are all-star caliber players and I
kind of found a way to complement what they do well. Joe is a passer and
Glen is a shooter. I tried to play strong in the corners, win loose puck
battles in the corners and keep the cycling a live and at the same time be
very accountable defensively as well.

"I've played with Kim Johnsson. I played with Robert Esche at world
championships. I was just turning pro with Detroit when Keith Primeau was
there for a little bit. I know a few of the guys. I've heard nothing but
great things (about the Flyers). I've played with guys that have been
through Philadelphia, like Dan McGillis, P.J. Stock and a few other guys
and they've spoken very highly about the team and the organization. It was
a pretty easy decision for me."

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That's all for now...

Go Blue!

Jason
Michigan Hockey Net
http://MichiganHockey.net/