The Wisconsin men's hockey team announced Monday the signing of six new players to national letters of intent, with all expected to be on the roster for the 2008 season.
Three of the players are from Wisconsin, and the other three are from Minnesota.
Derek Stepan from Hastings, Minn., was ranked 72nd among North American players by NHL Central Scouting, which grades 210 NHL Draft-eligible players. In February, he skated for the Team USA Under-17 team in Slovakia.
Badgers head coach Mike Eaves had high praise for Stepan.
We look for Derek to come in and, even as a freshman, hopefully do some good things for us offensively,"" Eaves said in a statement.
UW's other recruits from Minnesota include Jordy Murray from Faribault and Jake Gardiner from Deephaven.
Murray is a teammate of Stepan's at Shattuck - oSt. Mary's, a boarding school in Faribault noted for its hockey program. Murray, a forward, is the son of NHL St. Louis Blues head coach Andy Murray and was ranked 191st in NHL Central Scouting.
Defenseman Jake Gardiner, ranked 22nd in the scouting, is another Minnesotan recruited by the Badgers. A top-10 finalist for Minnesota Mr. Hockey, Gardiner is also expected to contribute in his first year.
""Jake is a highly touted young high school defenseman who has a terrific gift to skate,"" Eaves said.
Matt Thurber from Beaver Dam, Wis., has played the last three seasons with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. He led his team with 39 assists this past season. Eaves called the forward a ""heart and soul guy"" who is competitive and has leadership qualities.
Ryan Little of Fond du Lac and Eric Springer of Wrightstown are two Wisconsin defensemen who have both logged time in the USHL. Eaves expects both to compete for playing time on defense where he said ""everybody is going to be pushing each other.""
The Badgers' season came to a disappointing end after a loss to North Dakota in the Regional Final at the Kohl Center last month. The Badgers will be without at least five players from last season when they take the ice next year - four were seniors, and the other, Kyle Turris, left for the NHL after his first year.
