B1G Preview : Minnesota vs. Michigan

The Minnesota Men's Hockey Team (@GopherHockey) is coming off of a bye week as the No. 20 ranked team in the USCHO poll. The Gophers are 16-13-0 overall this season and 11-3-0 in the Big Ten Conference.


MICHIGAN
The Minnesota Gophers sit atop the Big Ten standings going into the weekend series. Michigan is a mere one point below the Gophers. Earlier this season, Minnesota and Michigan split the series as Michigan won 8-3 on Friday night while the Gophers came back to win 3-2 on Saturday. The Michigan Wolverines are 19-4-5 overall this season and 9-2-3 in the Big Ten Conference.


THE CAPTAINS PRODUCE

GopherSports.com

All four of the Gophers' leaders have been contributing to the team's success this season. Captain Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) leads the team in assists and is tied for leading in points this season at 14-19--33. Alternate captain Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) leads the team in goals and is tied with Kloos for leading in points this season at 18-15--33. Alternate captain Jake Bischoff (@jakebischoff22) is 5-9--14 this season which surpasses his points from last season (3-8--11). Finally, alternate captain Connor Reilly (@CReilly81) is 6-13--19 this season which surpasses his points from the last two seasons (6-6--12, 11-5--16).


FRESHMEN

GopherSports.com

The Gophers freshmen class has been making an impact this season. From Eric Schierhorn's (@Eschierhorn37) goal tending, to the twenty-one goals scored by freshmen. Tyler Sheehy (@TSheehy22) leads the freshmen class in goals and points this season at 11-15--26. Tommy Novak (@paraloschicos15) leads the freshmen class in assists this season at 3-17--20.


GOPHERS BACK ON CAMPUS

NHL Public Relations, Twitter (@PR_NHL)

This past weekend was the Coors Light Stadium Series presented by the NHL. The game was played on the University of Minnesota campus at TCF Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) topped the Chicago Blackhawks for the third time this season with a 6-1 win. There are currently three former Gophers on the Minnesota Wild roster and all of them contributed to the win on Sunday. Erik Haula (@EHaula), who was with the Gophers from 2010-2013, had a goal and two assists to earn the game's 'First Star' honors and the NHL's Second Star of the Week. Thomas Vanek (@T_Vanek26), who was with the Gophers from 2002-2004, scored his 17th goal of the season, while Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93), who was with the Gophers from 2012-2015, had one assist during the game.


2014-2015 GOPHERS IN THE NHL
Kyle Rau (@kylerau) is the third Gopher from the 14-15 season that has played in the NHL. Last week, he was called up by the Florida Panthers and made his NHL debut on Saturday, February 20th. Earlier this season, the New York Rangers called up Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei) and the Minnesota Wild called up Mikey Reilly.


CASEY MITTELSTADT

Casey Mittelstadt, Instagram (cmittelstadt)

The boys' state high school hockey tournament is almost underway. February 26th is the last day of sections and future Gopher, Casey Mittelstadt (@CMittelstadt), will be playing in the Section 2AA Finals. The Eden Prairie Eagles will be playing the Prior Lake Lakers at 8:00pm on Wednesday, February 24th at Mariucci Arena.

GopherSports.com

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Michigan Wolverines this weekend. They play Thursday night at 7:30pm and Friday night at 8:00pm. Thursday and Friday night's games will be broadcasted on BTN. If you can't catch the game on TV, be sure to listen to both games on 1500 ESPN. #PrideOnIce

O Captain, My Captain

The Gopher Hockey (@GopherHockey) season is a mere 14 days away with their first game and home opener being against Vermont in the 2015 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. You can find their complete schedule here.

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you're in control, they're in control.

- Tom Landry 

Justin Kloos

gophersports.com

Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) was named the 2015-2016 Gopher Hockey captain on August 5th. As a junior, he is the 161st player to wear a letter for the Gophers - following captains Kyle Rau (@KyleRau), Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17), and Ben Marshall (@BenjaminM_10). 

Justin Kloos, Instagram (justinkloos)
Switzerland

This past May, Kloos spent some time studying abroad with teammates Hudson Fasching and Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei).

Last season, Kloos was the third leading goal scorer behind Rau and Travis Boyd (@Tboyd93). He ranked fourth in points for the Gophers last season as well. In the 39 games that were played last season, Kloos went 13-19--32. Kloos has played in 80 career games as a Gopher and has 64 career points (29-35--64). In his two seasons playing for Minnesota, the Gophers have won back-to-back B1G Ten Conference Championships. Kloos, a Lakeville native, won the Mr. Hockey award in 2012 - an award given annually to the state's top senior skater. During his senior year of high school, Kloos had a state-best 103 points, which was the 10th highest total in state history.

The alternate captains were named on the first day back to school for the University of Minnesota. 

Connor Reilly

http://www.gophersports.com

Connor Reilly (@CReilly81) is a redshirt junior for the Gophers. Reilly played in 24 games last season (11-5--16) before his season was ended with an injury during a game against Wisconsin. At the time, he was the Gophers leading goal scorer. Reilly has played in 61 career games and has 28 total points (17 goals, 11 assists). Connor, along with his brothers Ryan and Mikey, played high school hockey for the Academy of Holy Angels before playing junior hockey for the Penticton Vees and eventually college hockey for Minnesota.

Connor Reilly, Instagram (creilly2121)
Tsinghua University

The three brothers studied abroad in China this past May through the Carlson School of Management. His other two siblings, Shannon and Caitlin, play(ed) Division I hockey as well - Shannon with Ohio State and Caitlin with the Gophers (transferred this year from Penn State). The Reilly's father, Mike, also played for the Golden Gophers.

Hudson Fasching

http://www.gophersports.com

Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) is a native of Burnsville, Minnesota. The junior played in 38 games last season and went 12-14--26. Fasching has played in 78 career games and has 56 total points (26 goals, 30 assists). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in the fourth round, 118 overall. However, his rights were traded to the Buffalo Sabres during his freshman year. Fasching has played in the IIHF World Junior Championships the last two years, one year under Coach Don Lucia.

Justin Kloos, Instagram (justinkloos)
Baking Class, Germany

Fasching also spent time studying abroad in Europe this summer. The May term is a popular time to go abroad for athletes - it gives them a time to gain their international experience without missing too much training or hockey.

Jake Bischoff

http://www.gophersports.com

Jake Bischoff (@jakebischoff22) is a native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Aside from Michael Brodzinski (@Mbrodzinski20), Bischoff will have the most defensive experience for the Gophers. He played in 36 games last season and went 3-8--11. Bischoff has played in 64 career games as a Gopher and has 18 career points (6 goals, 12 assists). In the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Islanders selected Bischoff in the 7th round, 185 overall. Similar to Reilly, Bischoff's father played for the Gophers as well. 

http://www.gophersports.com

Aside from their schedule above, their TV schedule can be found here. Single game tickets went on sale September 23rd, you can purchase them here. 

The Gopher Hockey season will soon be underway - many are counting down the days until the puck drops. The 2015-2016 season brings in ten new freshman along with junior, Michael Szmatula (@MichaelSzmatula). The season promises to bring new faces, new goals, and new accomplishments for the Gophers; and the Minnesota captains are ready to lead the team to success. 

2015-2016 Welcome to the U

Gopher Hockey, Twitter (@GopherHockey)

The Minnesota Gophers and Gopher Hockey are hosting the Day of 10,000 Steps on Sunday, July 26th! With the belief that people are supposed to get 10,000 steps on a daily basis, the Gophers will take a walk through Minnesota's campus and along the Mississippi River. For more information, click here and to register for the event in advance, click here.

Gopher Hockey, Twitter (@GopherHockey)

The Gopher Hockey Team just released their roster for the 2015-2016 season. As always, there's some people that need an introduction and a warm welcome to the program.

Brock Kautz (No. 1) - Rochester, Minnesota

Brock Kautz, Instagram (brock_kautz)

Brock Kautz (@BroKautz30), a native of Rochester, Minnesota, enters as a freshman goalie. Last season he played for the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League. In 23 regular season games, Kautz had a .906 save percentage and gave up 2.33 GAA. Kautz, along with incoming freshman Darian Romanko, won the NAHL playoff championship with the Wilderness this past season. Before that, he played three seasons for the Janesville Jets where he averaged a 0.911 save percentage and 2.71 GAA.

Jack Sadek (No. 2) - Lakeville, Minnesota

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Jack Sadek (@JackSadek16) enters the Gophers as a defenseman. Last season he led the Lakeville North Panthers to an undefeated season (31-0) and the Class 2A Minnesota State Championship. Sadek finished the regular season 5-20--25 and the playoffs/state championship 2-6--8. He was recently drafted to the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round, number 204 overall. Sadek attended the Minnesota Wild development camp last week while at the same time attending his first collegiate courses. Luckily, he has been able to receive advice from former Gophers such as Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) and Sam Warning, and current Gopher, Robin Höglund (@Hoogi29), who all attended the development camp with him. Sadek has also been able to receive advice from his cousin over the yeras, former Gopher Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei). Sadek took number 2, Skjei's old number.

Brent Gates Jr. (No. 10) - Grand Rapids, Michigan

USHL.com

Brent Gates Jr. (@brentgatesjr), a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is an incoming forward that decommitted from Notre Dame last fall. Gates was recently drafted to the Anaheim Ducks in the third round, number 80 overall. Gates spent the last two seasons in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Green Bay Gamblers. Last season, Gates finished with 10 goals and 17 assists. Gates's father, also Brent, played baseball for the Minnesota Gophers from 1989-1991.

Curtis Simonson (No. 14) - Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Minnesota Magicians

Curtis Simonson, a native of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, is a defenseman that spent the last season with the Minnesota Magicians of the NAHL. Simonson played his last year of junior hockey eligibility this past season. During the regular season and the playoffs, he played in 54 games and finished the season 3-1--4. Simonson was a late commit, and it was just announced this July that he would play for the Gophers.

Jack Ramsey (No. 16) - Chanhassen, Minnesota 

MN Hockey Hub

Jack Ramsey (@Ramsey_16), born in Farmington, Michigan, is an incoming forward for the Gophers. Ramsey played high school hockey for Minnetonka with current Gophers Vinni Lettieri (@19Lettieri95) and Stevie Johnson (@Steviej5). He has spent the past two seasons with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). As an assistant captain this past season, Ramsey finished the regular season 17-21--38 and playoffs 3-6--9. Ramsey was drafted in 2014 by the Chicago Blackhawks in the seventh round, number 208 overall. His father, Mike Ramsey, was a member of the 1980 USA Olympic "Miracle on Ice" Team.

Tommy Novak (No. 17) - River Falls, Wisconsin

NHL.com

Tommy Novak (@paraloschicos15), a forward from River Falls, Wisconsin, will enter Minnesota as a recent Nashville Predators draft pick. Novak was drafted in the third round, number 85 overall. Novak spent the last season in the USHL with the Waterloo Blackhawks. In 46 regular season games, Novak finished 14-34--48. Before playing in the USHL, he played three years of high school hockey for St. Thomas Academy. In 2014, he helped the US win a gold medal at the Five Nations Tournament.

Tyler Sheehy (No. 22) - Burnsville, Minnesota 

Tyler Sheehy, Instagram (t_sheehy22)

Tyler Sheehy (@TSheehy22) will be a forward for the Gophers this upcoming season. The Burnsville native was originally verbally committed to Ohio State University but decided to re-open his search once the Buckeyes fired Mark Osiecki in April 2013. After playing high school hockey for Burnsville, Sheehy went on to play for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL, forgoing his senior season with the Blaze. During his one full season with the Blackhawks in 2013-14, Sheehy finished the regular season 21-28--49 and the playoffs 8-7--15. This past season during March, Sheehy was traded from the Blackhawks to the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. In the beginning of the season, Sheehy was 15-26--41 with Waterloo and finished the season 2-10--12 with Youngstown.

Ryan Norman (No. 23) - Maplewood, Minnesota

Gopher Commits Tumblr

Ryan Norman (@Ryan_Norman23), a native of Maplewood, Minnesota, has spent the last three seasons as a forward for the Shattuck St. Mary's prep team. He has led the team in scoring the past two seasons - Norman finished the 2013-2014 season 27-44--71 in 53 games, while finishing the 2014-2015 season 27-38--55 in 54 games. His father, Tom Norman, played college hockey for North Dakota.

Darian Romanko (No. 26) - Shoreview, Minnesota

Darian Romanko, Twitter (@dromanko_26)

Darian Romanko (@dromanko_26) of Shoreview, Minnesota has spent the last two seasons playing as a forward for the Minnesota Wilderness of the NAHL. This past season he finished with 31 goals and 30 assists in 54 regular season games. Romanko was 7-12--19 in the playoffs where he and the Wilderness won the Robertson Cup in the NAHL playoffs. Before playing in the NAHL, Romanko played three years of high school hockey for Mounds View High School.

Eric Schierhorn (No. 37) - Anchorage, Alaska

USHL.com

Eric Schierhorn (@Eschierhorn29), a native of Anchorage, Alaska, has been the goalie for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL the past two seasons. During the 2013-2014 season, he had a 0.875 save percentage and 2.94 GAA. During the  43 regular season games of the 2014-2015 season, Schierhorn had a .927 save percentage and gave up 2.51 GAA. Schierhorn was recently named the 2014-2015 USHL Goaltender of the Year. A week before that, he was named USA Hockey's Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year. Schierhorn, who finished the season 26-13-4, set a club record for single-season victories, had more saves (1,352) than any other goalie in the USHL, and was ranked first in the league with his .927 save percentage. 

Michael Szmatula - Commerce Township, Michigan

THONLINE.COM

Michael Szmatula (@MichaelSzmatula) of Commerce Township, Michigan is a transfer from Northeastern University. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Huskies, where he finished as the third leading scorer with 29 points in 36 games. Before playing for Northeastern, Szmatula played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL where he finished off his junior career by helping the Fighting Saints win the Clark Cup. He was named MVP of the Clark Cup and was named a USHL First Team All-Star. He also helped Dubuque win its first Anderson Cup in 30 years. Szmatula will sit out the 2015-2016 season per NCAA rules and will have two seasons left of eligibility starting in 2016-2017.

GopherSports.com

As the summer continues to wind down, it's time to start looking to the 2015-16 Gopher Hockey season. With three seniors, and ten new additions to the roster it should make for an exciting season. To check out the full roster, click here. Don't forget to register for a "Day of 10,000 Steps!"

Welcome Home Mike Reilly

As of tomorrow, July 1, 2015, Mike Reilly (@mreilly93) will officially don a Minnesota Wild sweater. The 21, almost 22-year-old has had an adventurous six weeks since he announced he would not return to the Minnesota Gophers for his senior year. From competing in the 2015 IIHF World Championship, to studying abroad in China with his twin brothers, Connor (@CReilly81) and Ryan (@rreilly08), to becoming a free agent on June 16, he has had a whirlwind of experiences in six short weeks.

IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Mikey Reilly was the fourth youngest skater for the United States in the IIHF World Championship that was played in the Czech Republic this past spring. USA defeated Switzerland 3-1 in their first game. They lost in the semi-finals 0-4 to Russia. They went on to win the bronze medal against the Czech Republic 3-0.

Mike Reilly, Instagram (mikeyreilly5)

During his time at the World Championship, Reilly was able to gain wisdom and advice from players that are currently in the NHL. He was able to take this into consideration when looking at all of his options, including becoming a free agent.

STUDY ABROAD - CHINA 
As students of the Carlson School of Management, Connor and Ryan are required to study abroad in order to fulfill their International Experience Requirement that the school has. Mikey took this time to study abroad himself before officially leaving the University of Minnesota. From what looked like cooking in Beijing,

Mike Reilly, Instagram (mikeyreilly5)

to climbing the Great Wall of China,

Connor Reilly, Instagram (creilly2121)

it looks as if the three brothers had a great experience together traveling to new places and experiencing new things.

FREE AGENCY
Mikey was drafted 98th overall, in the fourth round, of the 2011 NHL Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mikey officially became an unrestricted free agent on June 16th after he declined to sign with Columbus. With that being said, Reilly could sign a two-year, two-way deal with any of the 30 NHL Clubs. Since all of the deals that were being offered were essentially the same, it all came down to where Reilly felt most comfortable. After deep consideration, he thought the Minnesota Wild would be the best fit for him.

MAROON AND GOLD CAREER
In his three years with the Gophers, Mikey was able to make a big impact. He was a two-time All-American player, a Hobey Baker Finalist, and a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

Gopher Hockey, Twitter (@GopherHockey)

In his final season as a Gopher, he led not only the Gophers in points and assists, but also the nation's defensemen (6-36--42). He also led the Big Ten Conference in assists (3-24--27). In Mikey's 117 career games, he had 18 goals, 71 assists, and 89 scoring points total.

MINNESOTA IS HOME
In the years that Mikey has been playing hockey, he has only played one season outside of Minnesota. In 2011-2012, he and his two brothers played for the Penticton Vees in the BCHL. Other than that, Reilly played high school hockey for the Academy of Holy Angels (2008-2010) and Shattuck St. Mary's (2010-2011). When taking that into consideration, it makes sense that Reilly would want to be close to home and to his family. Family seems to be an important determining factor in the Reilly family - in fact, his younger sister, Caitlin, will be playing for the Minnesota Gophers this upcoming season after playing her freshman year for Penn State, because she wanted to be around family and forge her own path with the Gophers. After playing three seasons in his home state, Mikey is fully prepared to return to his hometown team and earn a spot on the Minnesota Wild's roster.

Mikey will definitely be missed playing in the maroon and gold alongside Connor and Ryan.

Mike Reilly, Instagram (mikeyreilly5)

Wishing Mikey all the best as he chases his dream of being in the NHL. I have no doubt that the State of Hockey will welcome him with open arms into the Minnesota Wild community that he has grown up in. 

Minnesota vs. Notre Dame Weekend Preview

The Minnesota Gophers remain ranked No. 1 in both the USCHO poll and the USA Today poll after sweeping Bemidji State at home two weeks ago and splitting the series with St. Cloud State this past weekend.

BEMIDJI STATE
Two weeks ago, the Gophers defeated Bemidji State 5-2 on Friday night, which was quickly followed by a 5-3 win on Saturday night. Unlike Friday night, Minnesota had to rally back in the third period to get the win. Bemidji State is a more developed and experienced team than last season and was able to put up a strong fight against the Gophers.

ST. CLOUD STATE
Minnesota split the series against No. 7 St. Cloud State. After a tough 1-4 loss on Friday night, they were able to bounce back in overtime to win 4-3 after Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) scored his first career hattrick. The Huskies were able to put up the challenge that the Gophers needed in order to improve their own game and become more disciplined with the puck and their penalties.

BRODZINSKI BROTHERS

A story line that has come up in the past two years has been the Brodzinski brothers. Gophers' Michael Brodzinski (@Mbrodzinski20) and Huskies' Jonny Brodzinski (@Brodzyy) have been playing hockey together since they could skate. However, the past two years have put the brothers on opposing sides. The Gophers and the Huskies have met four times thus far in the course of the Brodzinski brothers college careers. Even though the Gophers have taken three of those four games, it has never diminished the brothers' relationship.

MINNESOTA RIVALRIES
After weekends against both Bemidji State and St. Cloud State, it brings about the rivalries that the state of Minnesota holds. In Minnesota alone there are five D1 college hockey teams. From the Minnesota Gophers to the St. Cloud State Huskies, Bemidji State Beavers, Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, and the Mankato State Mavericks, Minnesota provides almost endless college hockey entertainment.

Minnesota has their own tournament that brings all of the rivalries together under one roof at the Xcel Energy Center. Tickets for the North Star College Cup go on sale Monday, November 10th and they can be purchased here.

INJURIES
Brady Skjei (@BradySkjei) was originally assessed a day-to-day injury. However, he is now expected to be out a few weeks. Minnesota is hoping to have him back for the road trip following Thanksgiving against Boston College and Northeastern. Travis Boyd (@Tboyd93) is expected to miss a month with a lower-body injury. This will provide the opportunity for the freshmen and other players to step up and fill the gaps that Skjei and Boyd leave in the lineup.

NOTRE DAME
Minnesota faces off against No. 14/15 Notre Dame at home this weekend. This is Notre Dame's first road trip of the season. The games will be on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. The Gophers will have to play more disciplined than they have the past couple of weekends in order to come out on top against the Irish.

LUCIA X 2

A story line that both Coach Lucia and youngest son Mario Lucia (@MLucia2293) believe has played itself out is the matchup of the father and son against each other. Coach Lucia played his college hockey for Notre Dame and Mario decided to go that path as well, instead of following after older brother Tony Lucia and attending Minnesota. Mario has created a name for himself at Notre Dame, in fact he was just named Hockey East Player of the Month for October. He is ranked No. 2 in the nation for goals scored this season with 8, just one behind Bowling Green's Kevin Dufour.

MINNESOTA-NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS
Although the Minnesota and Notre Dame matchup brings about the Lucia family connection, there are many other connections that most aren't aware of. For example, Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93) and Mario Lucia played together in the 2013 World Junior Championships where they went on to win the gold medal for the United States. The Reilly brothers (Mikey, Connor (@CReilly81), and Ryan (@rreilly08)) all played together with Lucia for a season in the BCHL for the Penticton Vees. Taylor Cammarata (@Cammy12Scores), Justin Kloos, and Notre Dame's Vinnie Hinostroza (@Hinostroza12) played together for the Waterloo Black Hawks. Cammarata and Hinostroza got especially close that they started calling each other "big bro" and "little bro."

They even look alike if you ask me. Along with those connections, there are seven Irish that call Minnesota home. With the series being on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, Saturday will provide a good opportunity for some of the players to travel home if it works out.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Notre Dame Irish this weekend. They play Friday night at 7:00pm and Sunday afternoon at 4:00pm. Friday night's game will be broadcasted (watch) on BTN and Sunday afternoon's game will be on ESPNU. John Buccigross and Barry Melrose will be in town to call Sunday's game. Both games will also be streamed (listen) on 1500 ESPN.

Minnesota vs. Bemidji State Weekend Preview

The No. 1 ranked Minnesota Gophers return to Mariucci this weekend to face Bemidji State after a bye week. The Gophers have started the season 2-0-0 after the Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Indiana.

ICE BREAKER TOURNAMENT

The Gophers started off the season with some hardware. They are two-time Ice Breaker Tournament champions. Last season, Minnesota hosted the tournament against Clarkson, Mercyhurst, and New Hampshire. This year the tournament was in South Bend at Coach Don Lucia's alma mater, Notre Dame. Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Notre Dame, and Rensselaer competed in the tournament and Minnesota came out on top. Minnesota defeated Duluth 4-3 and went on to defeat Rensselaer 3-0 two days later.

HUDSON RIVER FASCHING

Hudson Fasching (@Hfasching22) was named the Ice Breaker Tournament Most Valuable Player after going 2-1--3 over the weekend. He scored the eventual game winning goal against Duluth. Many people thought Fasching would turn pro after his freshman year, but along with many others, he believes there's unfinished business to take care of. One of the aspects that could have contributed to his decision to stay with the Gophers was having his NHL rights traded from the LA Kings to the Buffalo Sabres last season. Fasching will still have a dominant role with the team up front after his impressive freshman year (14-16--30).

FRESHMEN

The freshmen class brings in three drafted players. Jack Glover (@JackGlover8) is drafted to the Winnipeg Jets, Steve Johnson (@Steviej5) is drafted to the Los Angeles Kings, and Ryan Collins (@Ryan_Collins_6) is drafted to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Along with these NHL draftees, there are two Swedish players on the roster. Leon Bristedt (@Leonbristedt) and Robin Höglund (@Hoogi29) are the first two Swedish players to play for the University of Minnesota. Freshman goalie Nick Lehr (@LehrBear) is a native of Roseville, Minnesota and has spent the last three years with the Austin Bruins in the NAHL. This freshmen class brings in a ton of talent, similar to last year. The freshmen will have a different role than last year's freshmen did, but they will have a significant role nonetheless.

B1G TEN

Friday night's game against Bemidji State will also be the unveiling of the 2014 Big Ten regular season championship banner. Last season was the inaugural season for the Big Ten Hockey League and Minnesota was able to win their 15th regular season championship, which was also their third straight.

MIKEY REILLY

Saturday night's game against Bemidji State will honor Mike Reilly (@mreilly93) who was named First Team All-American last season. Not only was he named First Team All-American, but he was also named to the First Team All-Big Ten team and was named the Big Defensive Player of the Year. The last Minnesota player to be named First Team All-American was Ryan Stoa in 2009. M. Reilly went 9-24--33 last year during his sophomore season.

FAMILY AFFAIR

According to Bemidji State Athletics, there are just three sets of twins playing this season out of the 59 college hockey teams. Jonah and Nathan Renouf are freshmen on Quinnipiac University's hockey team, replacing Connor and Kellen Jones. Tyson and Tylor Spink are juniors on Colgate University's hockey team. And last but not least, Connor (@CReilly81) and Ryan (@rreilly08) Reilly are on the University of Minnesota's hockey team.

This weekend will be the first time the Reilly's (Connor, Ryan, and younger brother Mikey) will face three other siblings in college hockey all at once. Leo, Gerry, and Myles Fitzgerald are all freshmen on the Bemidji State hockey team. Although this is the first time the Reilly's have faced three siblings in college hockey, it is not the first time they have played the Fitzgerald's. As a part of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), the Reilly's who were a part of the Penticton Vee's faced the Victoria Grizzlies, or the former team of the Fitzgerald's.

BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY

Bemidji State is 1-1-0 so far this season after splitting a series with University of North Dakota. Bemidji won the first game 5-1 and lost the second game 1-2. Last season when the Gophers played the Beavers, Minnesota was able to sweep them on their home ice. The scores were 6-3 the first night and 5-1 the second night. As a freshman, Justin Kloos (@jkloos15) went 1-4--5 in that series. Kloos hopes to continue that streak this weekend.

Good luck to the Gopher Men's Hockey team as they face the Bemidji State University Beavers this weekend. They play Friday night at 8:00pm and Saturday night at 7:00pm. Friday night's game will be broadcasted (watch) on BTN and Saturday night's game will be on FSN+.

Welcome to The U

The Gopher Hockey season is just one month away, and we have some people that need an introduction and a warm welcome to the program. They are entering a program with a lot of history and tradition, and I hope they fall in love with it as much as both past and current players, coaches, and fans have.

Leon Bristedt (No. 18) - Waxholm, Sweden

Leon Bristedt (@Leonbristedt) enters Minnesota as a freshman forward. He was the first Swedish player to commit to Minnesota, soon followed by Robin Höglund who will also be a freshman this year. For the past three seasons he has skated with Linköping, one of the top clubs in Sweden. Bristedt was not selected in the 2013 NHL Draft, but he was ranked 68th amongst European prospects in Central Scouting's final rankings. He was ranked 24th amongst European prospects in Central Scouting's final rankings prior to the 2014 NHL Draft.

Ryan Collins  (No. 6) - Bloomington, Minnesota

Ryan Collins (@Ryan_Collins_6) is a freshman defenseman from Bloomington, MN. For the last two seasons he has played for the U.S. National Development Team (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2012 he helped Benilde-St. Margaret's to the Minnesota Class AA Title. Collins was the first Gopher to be taken in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was chosen 47th overall in the second round. Collins will join two other Blue Jackets prospects on the Gophers - Seth Ambroz (@Ambroz17) and Mikey Reilly (@mreilly93).

Jack Glover (No. 3) - Golden Valley, Minnesota

Jack Glover (@JackGlover8) from Golden Valley, MN will be a freshman defenseman for the Gophers as well. He has been Ryan Collins' teammate on both the Benilde-St. Margaret's state championship team and the U.S. National Development team. In 2012-2013, Glover's first year with the USNTDP, he was the leading goal scorer amongst the defensemen on the team. Glover was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2014 NHL Entry draft. He is just the third Gopher to be drafted by the Jets and the first since they relocated to Winnipeg.

Robin Höglund (No. 29) - MöIndal, Sweden

Robin Höglund (@Hoogi19) hails from MöIndal, Sweden. The incoming freshman will be a forward for Minnesota. Last season he played in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) with the Janesville Jets. Höglund committed just months after Bristedt did. Höglund said his goal when he came to the United States was to play college hockey at the highest level possible and he found it with the Gophers.

Steve Johnson (No. 4) - Excelsior, Minnesota

Steve Johnson (@Steviej5) a native of Excelsior, MN will be another freshman defenseman for the Gophers. Last season he skated with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Before playing in the USHL, Johnson played for the Aberdeen Wings in the (NAHL) where he scored 23 points - six goals, 17 assists. Johnson played high school hockey at Minnetonka where current Gopher Vinni Lettieri (@19Lettieri95) played and Gopher recruit Jack Ramsey (@Ramsey_16) played. Johnson was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Nick Lehr (No. 34) - Roseville, Minnesota

Nick Lehr (@LehrBear) will join Adam Wilcox and Ryan Coyne (@rmcoyner) as a goalie for Minnesota. For the last three seasons he has played in the NAHL with the Austin Bruins. Last season he had a .932 save percentage and was a big reason why the Bruins had a winning season. Lehr replaces the graduated Michael Shibrowski (@shibby_01).

Mitch Rogge (No. 27) - Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Mitch Rogge makes the 15th forward on the Minnesota Gophers roster. Rogge played high school hockey for Eden Prairie and was a part of the 2009 state championship team with current Gopher Kyle Rau (@KyleRau). Rogge spent three years in the NAHL before going to Sacred Heart University last year. Rogge should help fill the gap that the former Number 27, Gabe Guertler (@gabeguerts8), left when he was granted his release over the summer.

Nick Seeler (No. 12) - Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Nick Seeler makes one more defensemen for Minnesota. According to NCAA transfer rules, he must sit out the 2014-2015 season. He will still have two years of eligibility remaining after he sits this season out. In high school, Seeler helped Eden Prairie win a pair of state championships in 2009 and 2011. He will join Rogge and Rau at Minnesota who he played with in high school. Seeler spent a year in the USHL and two seasons with the University of Nebraska - Omaha Mavericks. Seeler was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The wait for the Gopher Hockey season is almost over. Here's to hoping that this year will bring as many memories as last year. With six seniors and eight new additions to the roster, it should be a great season in the making.