Ryan Zuhlsdorf commits to Minnesota

According to his Twitter account, 1997-born Edina defenseman Ryan Zuhlsdorf committed Tuesday to the University of Minnesota.

So excited and very honored to announce I have committed to play my college hockey at the University of Minnesota. #GopherNation

— Ryan Zuhlsdorf (@Shaka_Zulu5) April 29, 2014

Zuhlsdorf just completed his sophomore season at Edina (MN-HS) where he had 16 points (1G-15A) in 30 games for the Class AA champion Hornets.

Our own Chris Dilks had Zuhlsdorf as the 18th-best sophomore in Minnesota high school hockey last November. Since then, the mobile defenseman has worked his way up several scouts' boards for the 2015 NHL Draft as one of the top blue liners in the area with his skating, athleticism and hockey IQ.

Based on age and need, Zuhlsdorf would be expected at Minnesota for the 2015-16 2016-17 season. Besides the Gophers, he was linked with Nebraska-Omaha and Ohio State according to Over the Boards in March.

He'd be the first Edina player on campus since former Gopher captain Zach Budish.

Zuhlsdorf is the second player to commit to Minnesota over the last week. 14 year-old Shattuck-St. Mary's forward Brannon McManus also did over the weekend. McManus, a native of Newport Beach, California, is the youngest player in the Gopher pipeline. He was eligible for Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft, where Portland took McManus with the 85th overall pick.

--

Nathan Wells is a college hockey columnist for SB Nation. You can also follow him on Twitter -- Follow @gopherstate