I've seen a lot of interest from various people for a star rating system like the one used by the big football and basketball recruiting sites like Rivals.com or Scout.com. and I think it's a pretty good idea since it gives people at least a working knowledge on incoming players at a quick glance.
So I've started with a list of the first 120 players to commit to CCHA or WCHA teams for next year.(Let me know if I happened to miss anyone.) I'll be adding to it if any new players commit between now and next August. The list itself is pretty simple. I started with the 5 star players and worked down to the two star players. Five stars means I think the player will be a great college hockey player. Four stars means a very good player. Three stars means pretty good to average. Two stars means not expected to make much of an impact. I'm just basing this on immediate impact to college hockey, since some of these players may only stay a year or two. The players aren't necessarily ranked. I kind of tried to rank them, but by the time you get about halfway down, it's just too hard to compare players and they're mostly just thrown on there.
Here's a breakdown of how it worked out:
4 Five Star Players
36 Four Star Players
64 Three Star Players
16 Two Star Players
Without further ado, here's a look at the list...
1. Erik Johnson, Defenseman, Minnesota *****
2. Kyle Okposo, Forward, Minnesota *****
3. Joe Palmer, Goalie, Ohio State *****
4. Bill Sweatt, Forward, Colorado College *****
5. Nigel Williams, Defenseman, Wisconsin ****
6. Trevor Lewis, Forward, Michigan ****
7. Matt Butcher, Forward, Northern Michigan ****
8. Michael Carman, Forward, Minnesota ****
9. Michael Forney, Forward, North Dakota ****
10. Andreas Nodl, Forward, St. Cloud State ****
11. Matt Glasser, Forward, Denver ****
12. Kris Fredheim, Defenseman, Colorado College ****
13. Ryan Turek, Forward/Defenseman, Michigan State ****
14. Jim O’Brien, Forward, Minnesota ****
15. Rhett Rhakshani, Forward, Denver ****
16. Blake Geoffrion, Forward, Wisconsin ****
17. Michael Ratchuk, Defenseman, Michigan State ****
18. Steve Kampfer, Defenseman, Michigan ****
19. Erik Felde, Defenseman, Alaska-Anchorage ****
20. Ryan Flynn, Forward, Minnesota ****
21. Eddie del Grosso, Defenseman, Nebraska-Omaha ****
22. Kael Mouillierat, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ****
23. Cody Brookwell, Defenseman, Denver ****
24. Josh Lunden, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ****
25. Jeremie Dupont, Goalie, Nebraska-Omaha ****
26. Kevin Montgomery, Defenseman, Ohio State ****
27. Johan Ryno, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ****
28. Darcy Zajac, Forward, North Dakota ****
29. Ryan Lasch, Forward, St. Cloud State ****
30. Brandon Campos, Forward, Alaska-Fairbanks ****
31. Alex Stalock, Goalie, Minnesota-Duluth ****
32. Phil Axtell, Forward, Michigan Tech ****
33. Kai Kantola, Forward, Bowling Green ****
34. Drew Dobson, Defenseman, Michigan Tech ****
35. Jake Marto, Defenseman, North Dakota ****
36. Kyle Lawson, Defenseman, Notre Dame ****
37. Trent Palm, Defenseman, Minnesota-Duluth ****
38. Tony Lucia, Forward, Minnesota ****
39. TJ Millier, Defenseman, Northern Michigan ****
40. Cody Danberg, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ****
41. Chris Summers, Defenseman, Michigan ***
42. Zach Bearson, Forward, Wisconsin ***
43. Simon Grysbers, Forward, Lake Superior ***
44. David Fischer, Defenseman, Minnesota ***
45. James Perkin, Forward, Bowling Green ***
46. Brian Gifford, Forward, Denver ***
47. Dan Quilico, Forward, Colorado College ***
48. Jacob Cepis, Forward, Bowling Green ***
49. Brian Lebler, Forward, Michigan ***
50. Craig Gaudet, Defenseman, St. Cloud State ***
51. Jamie McBain, Defenseman, Wisconsin ***
52. Jon Ammerman, Defenseman, St. Cloud State ***
53. Ryan Thang, Forward, Notre Dame ***
54. Chris Vandevelde, Forward, North Dakota ***
55. Todd McIlrath, Forward, Bowling Green ***
56. Mark Letestu, Forward, Western Michigan ***
57. Jared Hummel, Defenseman, St. Cloud State
58. Andrew Rowe, Forward, Michigan State ***
59. David Grun, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
60. Jay Sprague, Forward, Michigan State ***
61. Ken Selby, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
62. Nate Prosser, Defenseman, Colorado College ***
63. Mark Olver, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
64. Brian Connelly, Defenseman, Colorado College ***
65. Jeff Young, Forward, Alaska-Fairbanks ***
66. Geoff Irwin, Forward, Minnesota State ***
67. Jordan Fulton, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
68. Garrett Suter, Defenseman, Wisconsin ***
69. Steve Jakiel, Goalie, Michigan ***
70. Mike Davies, Forward, Wisconsin ***
71. Ray Kaunisto, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
72. Brett Blatchford, Defenseman, Notre Dame ***
73. Paul Crowder, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
74. Jerad Stewart, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ***
75. Kevin Clark, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
76. Mark Santorelli, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
77. John Mitchell, Forward, Wisconsin ***
78. Chris Clackson, Forward, Western Michigan ***
79. Kevin Deeth, Forward, Notre Dame ***
80. A.J. Gale, Forward, St. Cloud State University ***
81. Matt Schepke, Forward, Michigan State ***
82. Tyler Ludwig, Defenseman, Western Michigan ***
83. Jarrod Palmer, Forward, Miami ***
84. Mickey McCrimmon, Defenseman, Northern Michigan ***
85. John Scrymgeor, Forward, Lake Superior ***
86. Tommy O’Brien, Goalie, Notre Dame ***
87. Jeric Agosta, Forward, Nebraska-Omaha ***
88. Chay Genoway, Forward/Defenseman, North Dakota ***
89. Mike Testwuide, Forward, Colorado College ***
90. Jason Lepine, Forward, Ferris State ***
91. Julian Zamparo, Defenseman, Western Michigan ***
92. Dan Kissel, Forward, Notre Dame ***
93. Trevor Hunt, Defenseman, Alaska-Anchorage ***
94. Jason Wiley, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ***
95. Michael George, Forward, Lake Superior ***
96. Alexandre Gagne, Forward, Michigan Tech ***
97. Chris Minella, Forward, Notre Dame ***
98. Mitch Ryan, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
99. Gary Steffes, Forward, Miami-Ohio ***
100. Cody Chupp, Forward, Ferris State ***
101. Eli Vlaisavljevich, Defenseman, Michigan Tech ***
102. Blair Riley, Forward, Ferris State ***
103. Jon Olthuis, Goalie, Alaska-Anchorage ***
104. Nathan Perkovich, Forward, Lake Superior ***
105. Brian Stewart, Goalie, Northern Michigan **
106. Mark Stockdale, Forward, Western Michigan **
107. Brian Moore, Defenseman, Bowling Green **
108. Ryan Gunderson, Forward, Minnesota State Mankato **
109. Stephen Balint, Forward, Northern Michigan **
110. Aaron Bendrickson, Forward, Wisconsin **
111. Drew Akins, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth **
112. Steve Kaunisto, Defenseman, Lake Superior **
113. Ryan Peckskamp, Forward, St. Cloud State **
114. Ben Grotting, Forward, Wisconsin **
115. Ryan Baird, Defenseman, Lake Superior**
116. Matt Overman, Forward, Colorado College **
117. Nik Sellers, Forward, Lake Superior **
118. Phil Greer, Goalie, Bowling Green **
119. Chad Swartzentruber, Defenseman, Lake Superior **
120. Chris Berenguer, Defenseman, Northern Michigan **
Any questions, comments, or complaints about the listing can be sent to me via email or posted as a comment. All I ask is that you try to keep it civil.
So I've started with a list of the first 120 players to commit to CCHA or WCHA teams for next year.(Let me know if I happened to miss anyone.) I'll be adding to it if any new players commit between now and next August. The list itself is pretty simple. I started with the 5 star players and worked down to the two star players. Five stars means I think the player will be a great college hockey player. Four stars means a very good player. Three stars means pretty good to average. Two stars means not expected to make much of an impact. I'm just basing this on immediate impact to college hockey, since some of these players may only stay a year or two. The players aren't necessarily ranked. I kind of tried to rank them, but by the time you get about halfway down, it's just too hard to compare players and they're mostly just thrown on there.
Here's a breakdown of how it worked out:
4 Five Star Players
36 Four Star Players
64 Three Star Players
16 Two Star Players
Without further ado, here's a look at the list...
1. Erik Johnson, Defenseman, Minnesota *****
2. Kyle Okposo, Forward, Minnesota *****
3. Joe Palmer, Goalie, Ohio State *****
4. Bill Sweatt, Forward, Colorado College *****
5. Nigel Williams, Defenseman, Wisconsin ****
6. Trevor Lewis, Forward, Michigan ****
7. Matt Butcher, Forward, Northern Michigan ****
8. Michael Carman, Forward, Minnesota ****
9. Michael Forney, Forward, North Dakota ****
10. Andreas Nodl, Forward, St. Cloud State ****
11. Matt Glasser, Forward, Denver ****
12. Kris Fredheim, Defenseman, Colorado College ****
13. Ryan Turek, Forward/Defenseman, Michigan State ****
14. Jim O’Brien, Forward, Minnesota ****
15. Rhett Rhakshani, Forward, Denver ****
16. Blake Geoffrion, Forward, Wisconsin ****
17. Michael Ratchuk, Defenseman, Michigan State ****
18. Steve Kampfer, Defenseman, Michigan ****
19. Erik Felde, Defenseman, Alaska-Anchorage ****
20. Ryan Flynn, Forward, Minnesota ****
21. Eddie del Grosso, Defenseman, Nebraska-Omaha ****
22. Kael Mouillierat, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ****
23. Cody Brookwell, Defenseman, Denver ****
24. Josh Lunden, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ****
25. Jeremie Dupont, Goalie, Nebraska-Omaha ****
26. Kevin Montgomery, Defenseman, Ohio State ****
27. Johan Ryno, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ****
28. Darcy Zajac, Forward, North Dakota ****
29. Ryan Lasch, Forward, St. Cloud State ****
30. Brandon Campos, Forward, Alaska-Fairbanks ****
31. Alex Stalock, Goalie, Minnesota-Duluth ****
32. Phil Axtell, Forward, Michigan Tech ****
33. Kai Kantola, Forward, Bowling Green ****
34. Drew Dobson, Defenseman, Michigan Tech ****
35. Jake Marto, Defenseman, North Dakota ****
36. Kyle Lawson, Defenseman, Notre Dame ****
37. Trent Palm, Defenseman, Minnesota-Duluth ****
38. Tony Lucia, Forward, Minnesota ****
39. TJ Millier, Defenseman, Northern Michigan ****
40. Cody Danberg, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ****
41. Chris Summers, Defenseman, Michigan ***
42. Zach Bearson, Forward, Wisconsin ***
43. Simon Grysbers, Forward, Lake Superior ***
44. David Fischer, Defenseman, Minnesota ***
45. James Perkin, Forward, Bowling Green ***
46. Brian Gifford, Forward, Denver ***
47. Dan Quilico, Forward, Colorado College ***
48. Jacob Cepis, Forward, Bowling Green ***
49. Brian Lebler, Forward, Michigan ***
50. Craig Gaudet, Defenseman, St. Cloud State ***
51. Jamie McBain, Defenseman, Wisconsin ***
52. Jon Ammerman, Defenseman, St. Cloud State ***
53. Ryan Thang, Forward, Notre Dame ***
54. Chris Vandevelde, Forward, North Dakota ***
55. Todd McIlrath, Forward, Bowling Green ***
56. Mark Letestu, Forward, Western Michigan ***
57. Jared Hummel, Defenseman, St. Cloud State
58. Andrew Rowe, Forward, Michigan State ***
59. David Grun, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
60. Jay Sprague, Forward, Michigan State ***
61. Ken Selby, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
62. Nate Prosser, Defenseman, Colorado College ***
63. Mark Olver, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
64. Brian Connelly, Defenseman, Colorado College ***
65. Jeff Young, Forward, Alaska-Fairbanks ***
66. Geoff Irwin, Forward, Minnesota State ***
67. Jordan Fulton, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
68. Garrett Suter, Defenseman, Wisconsin ***
69. Steve Jakiel, Goalie, Michigan ***
70. Mike Davies, Forward, Wisconsin ***
71. Ray Kaunisto, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
72. Brett Blatchford, Defenseman, Notre Dame ***
73. Paul Crowder, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
74. Jerad Stewart, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ***
75. Kevin Clark, Forward, Alaska-Anchorage ***
76. Mark Santorelli, Forward, Northern Michigan ***
77. John Mitchell, Forward, Wisconsin ***
78. Chris Clackson, Forward, Western Michigan ***
79. Kevin Deeth, Forward, Notre Dame ***
80. A.J. Gale, Forward, St. Cloud State University ***
81. Matt Schepke, Forward, Michigan State ***
82. Tyler Ludwig, Defenseman, Western Michigan ***
83. Jarrod Palmer, Forward, Miami ***
84. Mickey McCrimmon, Defenseman, Northern Michigan ***
85. John Scrymgeor, Forward, Lake Superior ***
86. Tommy O’Brien, Goalie, Notre Dame ***
87. Jeric Agosta, Forward, Nebraska-Omaha ***
88. Chay Genoway, Forward/Defenseman, North Dakota ***
89. Mike Testwuide, Forward, Colorado College ***
90. Jason Lepine, Forward, Ferris State ***
91. Julian Zamparo, Defenseman, Western Michigan ***
92. Dan Kissel, Forward, Notre Dame ***
93. Trevor Hunt, Defenseman, Alaska-Anchorage ***
94. Jason Wiley, Forward, Minnesota State, Mankato ***
95. Michael George, Forward, Lake Superior ***
96. Alexandre Gagne, Forward, Michigan Tech ***
97. Chris Minella, Forward, Notre Dame ***
98. Mitch Ryan, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth ***
99. Gary Steffes, Forward, Miami-Ohio ***
100. Cody Chupp, Forward, Ferris State ***
101. Eli Vlaisavljevich, Defenseman, Michigan Tech ***
102. Blair Riley, Forward, Ferris State ***
103. Jon Olthuis, Goalie, Alaska-Anchorage ***
104. Nathan Perkovich, Forward, Lake Superior ***
105. Brian Stewart, Goalie, Northern Michigan **
106. Mark Stockdale, Forward, Western Michigan **
107. Brian Moore, Defenseman, Bowling Green **
108. Ryan Gunderson, Forward, Minnesota State Mankato **
109. Stephen Balint, Forward, Northern Michigan **
110. Aaron Bendrickson, Forward, Wisconsin **
111. Drew Akins, Forward, Minnesota-Duluth **
112. Steve Kaunisto, Defenseman, Lake Superior **
113. Ryan Peckskamp, Forward, St. Cloud State **
114. Ben Grotting, Forward, Wisconsin **
115. Ryan Baird, Defenseman, Lake Superior**
116. Matt Overman, Forward, Colorado College **
117. Nik Sellers, Forward, Lake Superior **
118. Phil Greer, Goalie, Bowling Green **
119. Chad Swartzentruber, Defenseman, Lake Superior **
120. Chris Berenguer, Defenseman, Northern Michigan **
Any questions, comments, or complaints about the listing can be sent to me via email or posted as a comment. All I ask is that you try to keep it civil.