More Links, Cos There's Nothing Else Going On

MHNet says the Alumni Game will be July 31 this year.

Nice article from The Arizona Republic about the Michigan connection with the Phoenix Coyotes. Porter, Kolarik, Montoya, Summers, Chris Brown. There are a lot of really great quotes in the story, both from the Coyotes and the Michigan players. Phoenix GM Don Maloney said that he would be "stunned" if Brown spent four years in college.

Maloney also said that Summers "will be with us at the end of the year, for sure".

Jed Ortmeyer and Dwight Helminen both signed one year contracts with the San Jose Sharks. They're the latest Michigan teammates to become reunited. Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble both signed with the Washington Capitals.

More praise for Mac Bennett. CTV called him the biggest surprise of Habs camp, citing his poise despite being as young as he is. Montreal's Director of Player Development said that he looks like he had been to two or three of those camps.

The Jerseys Aren't Changing

I've been told by someone who would know that the jerseys being sold at MGoBlueShop are not the jerseys that the team will be wearing in this upcoming season and that the jerseys aren't changing. So as nice as the ones being sold online look, it looks like the white throwbacks are coming back for another season, and that makes me happy.

Here's a camp notebook from the Habs website about Mac Bennett.

Mike Spath addressed NHL rumors surrounding Kevin Lynch. No comment since it's a premium story and they didn't give anything away in the teaser.

More Links

A couple more features involving Mac Bennett: A take on the changing landscape in youth sports and a really good story about the Bennett family hockey legacy.

Culver's is sponsoring the Camp Randall Hockey Classic. There have been 20,000 tickets sold, but Mike Eaves is still convinced there will be 80,000 in attendance. I guess I just need to make more friends!

3 of ESPN's top ten NHL free agent signings are former Wolverines.

JMFJ and Mike Komisarek made the 34 man roster for the USA Hockey Olympic Orientation Camp. It'd be fun to see the two of them playing together in Vancouver next year.

Matt Hunwick filed for arbitration with the Bruins.

Another Jersey Change?

Yes, that's right. Those gorgeous throwback whites may have only lasted one year. A reader passed along a link to the new MGoBlueShop.com. In the hockey section we have these:

Individually, I like all three of them (the maize jerseys stayed the same). I don't really like having the same layout for all three jerseys, though. And I especially don't like that they got rid of the whites from last year, which were quite possibly the best Michigan jersey ever (neck and neck with the gold dazzle from the championship years).

That said, I guess I've got two more jerseys to buy. And yes, I'm fully aware that people like me are the reason they change jerseys ever year.

There's no confirmation (yet) that these are the jerseys that the team will wear. But with the official Michigan store selling them, I have to believe they are.

They could be worse. Signed, North Dakota.

Three Players Selected; Omaha to the WCHA

Future Wolverines Chris Brown (Rd 2-Phoenix), Kevin Lynch (Rd 2-Columbus), and Mac Bennett (Rd 3-Montreal) were selected today in the NHL Entry Draft.

Brown becomes the fifth Wolverine in the Coyotes organization, joining Kevin Porter, Chad Kolarik, Al Montoya, and Chris Summers. Bennett joins Max Pacioretty and Mike Komisarek as a member of the Montreal franchise.

The New England Hockey Journal caught up with the newest Hab who was in Montreal for the draft.

WPRI had an interview (pre-draft) with Bennett and his father before they headed to Montreal. There are some good highlights of Mac in there, including a sick little pass at about the 2:40 mark.

INCH has a quick bit about Bennett where he says he'd like to compare himself to a Mike Green type.

MGoBlog chimes in. Definitely a plus that Brown went to an organization that has a history of letting guys from Michigan stay in school. Kolarik and Porter played four years, and they don't seem to be pushing Summers to turn pro. He also makes a point that Montreal is a scary place for Mac Bennett to have gone, given that they took Komo (2 years) and Pacioretty (1 year) early and he still has another year of juniors before arriving at Michigan. Don't listen to them, Mac! Our 2010 team is gonna be nasty! :-)

The bleachers at Yost are going to get replaced. No more playing games of "Is today the day someone falls through?" (HT MGoBlog)

Phoenix's official website has a video interview with Brown. He seems like he's pretty happy to have ended up there--and probably doesn't want to see that team move. About Michigan, "I'm going there, hopefully for a couple of years [before moving to Phoenix]."

The other news is that UNO is officially headed to the WCHA, along with Bemidji State, in 2010-11. While the CCHA wouldn't comment on a 12th team, it seems pretty reasonable to assume that Alabama-Huntsville will be joining the conference. I'm just happy that it looks like the conferences were able to work out the logistics so that two programs (including one that just made the Frozen Four) wouldn't have to fold.

I guess the question now becomes, what happens when the time arrives for another school to start up a D-1 program. Does this kill Moorhead's chances of creating a program (if the CCHA takes UAH)? Will they create a Big Ten Hockey Conference (I know, I know) and open up slots for several teams? It's interesting that in saving two teams, they've effectively sealed off hope of future Western expansion without starting another new conference.

I'll miss UNO. On the bright side for them, after they move to the WCHA they'll beat Michigan about as often as they currently do.

Draft Stuff

There's lots of draft stuff out there with several future Wolverines set to be selected this weekend:

MHNet has links to Bob McKenzie's rankings as well as more from Red Line Report. McKenzie compares Chris Brown (#39 overall) to Jamie Langenbrunner. TSN, ISS, Central Scouting, and McKeen's really like him (ranking him between 34-40). Red Line Report has him as #101. McKenzie has Mac Bennett as #56 overall and he compares Bennett to Petr Svoboda, which is kind of awesome. It wouldn't be remotely shocking to see him go higher than that. Kevin Lynch is listed an as Hono(u)rable Mention.

Here's yet another feature on Bennett and Derek DeBlois, who played together growing up, played together at Hotchkiss Prep, should play together in Cedar Rapids, and will play together at Michigan.

Kevin Allen from USA Today predicts Bennett will go in the second round.

The Maple Leafs Hot Stove profiles Chris Brown as a potential Leafs' selection.

Another Brown profile.

The Hockey Program has Bennett as his sleeper.

The New England Hockey Journal has Bennett as the #3 New England area player and DeBlois as the #9 player from the region. They have profiles of both. DeBlois is describe as a "fiery, playmaking sparkplug".

WCH profiles Kevin Lynch.

Not draft related: The Hockey News has their fantasy look at the St Louis Blues for next year and states that Aaron Palushaj could see 50-60 games. (HT Bret at GoBlueWolverine)

Jeff Rohrkemper to Join 09-10 Wolverines

MICHO is reporting that Jeff Rohrkemper--a Grosse Pointe native who most recently played forward with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL--will join the Wolverines this upcoming season. (Good find by Alnike at the Yost Post.)

Rohrkemper had a 8-17--25 line with a +6 rating in 60 games this season. He had 7-6--13 in 54 games the previous year. He had 75 PIMs over the two years he played in the USHL. Pointstreak lists him at 5'11", 177.

He wore #10 with the Stampede, so there's probably a good chance he ends up with that at Michigan as well (unless one of our other recruits wore 10 and I just didn't notice).

Quote from the coach:

"I think Jeff is a valuable recruit for Michigan,” said Sioux Falls head coach Kevin Hartzell. “He can play the role of a third-line center – meaning he can play against other top lines, win face-offs and be dependable in all situations.”

Google-Stalking:
For lots and lots of photos, click here.

He was first-team all state in Michigan in 2007 while playing for Grosse Pointe North.

That's about all I got.