Jeff Costello Commits to the Fightin' Irish

The USHL Blog is reporting what has been rumored for a few days, namely that Waukesha Catholic Memorial forward Jeff Costello has verballed to Notre Dame for 2010. I got a chance to see Costello play with Team Wisconsin Major on their opening weekend at the Kohl Center, and came away pleasantly surprised. My thoughts on Costello were that he was a very good playmaker, but he ended up with as many goals as assists in the Elite League-18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points, which was good for 5th overall.

Costello's verbal is, at least to my memory, the earliest a Wisconsin high school hockey player has ever committed to a Division 1 program. It used to be that players had to finish high school hockey in Wisconsin and play in the USHL before a Division 1 program would offer them a scholarship. Over just the past year or two, Wisconsin high school Seniors have begun receiving scholarship offers and making commitments (LaPoint, Erstad, Soley, Condon). Now, Costello is breaking new ground with a D1 offer and verbal commitment as a Junior.

Here's a nice article (but not new) on Costello from the Journal Sentinel.

Team Wisconsin Major Game Report

I swung the DPlaya-mobile down to the Kohl Center this morning to take in Team Wisconsin Major's first game in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. Team Wisconsin was able to notch their first win of the season by a score of 4-3 over Team Northeast. Scouts in attendance included Scott Sandelin from UMD, St. Cloud State, Air Force and the Green Bay Gamblers.

My one chance to watch Team Wisconsin last season led me to want to rename the Upper Midwest High School Elite League the Upper Midwest High School Penalty Killing League. This year it was a little bit better in terms of fewer penalties called, but there still were enough penalties that by far more of the game was played with someone in the penalty box than without anyone in the penalty box, and there were plenty of 5 on 3's. The "three penalties and you're done for the game rule" claimed Kyle Walbrun from Team Wisconsin with over 15 minutes left in the second period. I bet his parents were thrilled to have driven two hours each way so he could play 25 minutes of hockey, which was almost entirely spent on the bench or in the penalty box.

Team Wisconsin was without Trent Frey and Andy Singerhouse, and I believe Nick Widing was hurt in the first period and did not return. Add in the loss of Walbrun and they were pretty shorthanded up front. The defensive pairs were Smith and Behrend, Drake and Burke, and Donellan and Sorenson.

Here's some player notes for Team Wisconsin:

F-Seth Soley-skates well, quick wrister, can get his shot off with the puck in any position (his wheelhouse is anywhere his stick touches the puck). He is fantastic at catching passes, and played very physical without taking a lot of penalties (he had one penalty that I remember). I think the right word to describe him is explosive. On the negative side his aggressiveness on offense during the penalty kill was overdone at times, although he did assist on a short-handed goal in the game.

F-Nate Condon-Very good shot, backchecked hard throughout, was good with puck along boards in one on one battles. He did have a bad giveaway on a power play and could have been more physical at times. Team Northeast's 3rd goal was entirely his fault as he got "walked" by Team Northeast's center on a faceoff in the Team Wisconsin end. Scored a shorthander for Team Wisconsin on their third goal, with Soley assisting.

F-Jeff Costello-I had never seen him play, and he was a very pleasant surprise. I would label him a playmaker. He is very quick on his skates. He made a phenomenal pass to Matt Millis on the back door for the first goal, and I was impressed with his passing throughout the game. He consistently played on a line with Matt Millis and Cody Strang, and they had great chemistry. He also was credited with an assist on the last goal by Ted Behrend.

F-Matt Millis-Did a nice job on the penalty kill. Missed a golden chance on the back door at one point because he stopped the puck rather than shoot a one-timer. Scored the first goal of the game on a nice pass from Costello.

F-Cody Strang-Had the 2nd assist on the first goal and scored the second goal unassisted. Needs to work on his speed.

F-Nick Widing-I think he was injured in the first period, and never really got to see him play.

F-Kyle Walbrun-After taking a penalty in the first period he left the box and committed another penalty within twenty seconds. He took his third penalty 4:32 into the second period which meant he was done for the game.

F-Charlie Strauss-He wins the best hair award. He had a "flowing mane" of hair out the back of his helmet which made him easy to spot. He worked hard and was good on the backcheck.

F-Kyle Popovics-One of those players that never distinguished themselves with much positive or negative. Did not play a whole lot of shifts.

F-Brett Bower-Did not play a lot of shifts. I tried to "key in" on him when I realized I didn't have anything written about him, but he never gave me anything to write about.

D-Cameron Johnson-He played some shifts at forward and he was obviously uncomfortable and unsure of where he should be. At one point they played him a few shifts at defense in the second period, and he did not look good there either. Eventually they just moved him back to forward. In his defense, he started the game out of position and never seemed to get comfortable.

D-Ted Behrend-Solid defenseman that got the job done. Scored the fourth goal when the puck squirted from the net out toward the blue line which he was able to bury on a one-timer.

D-Jeff Burke-Looked pretty good on the penalty kill. Could use more footspeed. Great size. Did a nice job on several 1 on 1's.

D-David Donnellan-Very good shot blocker. Made some poor decisions at times and had some potentially costly turnovers.

D-Chase Drake-Was solid through most of the game, but a bad turnover on his part allowed Team NE to score their second goal. He got caught playing with the puck at one point and got lit up badly in open ice by Matt Johnson from Stillwater.

D-Tim Smith-Another player I would label "very solid". He didn't jump out at me really in any areas, but I never saw him get beat.

D-Tyler Sorenson-Played a mistake free game.

G-Andrew Martin-Played a great game. He stopped everything he should have, and maybe one or two he wouldn't have been blamed for if they went in. The first goal he allowed was in the second period on a 3-0! All 5 Team Wisconsin skaters changed lines at the same time, leaving him no chance. The second goal was on a turnover by defenseman Chase Drake, and he was completely screened. On the third goal Nate Condon got walked off the faceoff. I think Martin made the initial save but there was a scrum and the puck eventually went in.

With all the penalties and injuries, the only real consistent line was Strang, Millis and Costello. It seemed that Condon and Soley started on separate lines, but then ended up together after the Widing injury and Walbrun's game ending early. Team Wisconsin primarily played two forward lines, and spotted in a third. I would say their quality depth was an issue in this game. Their third line seemed to take a penalty every time they were on the ice. Hopefully with a full roster they can at least have two very good forward lines and two others that can at least hold their own.

Team Wisconsin Goal Recap:

#1-Power Play goal by Millis from Costello and Strang

#2-Strang unassisted

#3-Shorthanded by Condon from Soley

#4-Power Play goal by Behrend assisted by Costello

More Odds and Ends

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has an article today about Waukesha CMH junior Jeff Costello. Costello was also featured last week in the Journal Sentinel's Preps Plus video. The latter interview is really nice, so check it out. (Thanks to Timster96 for the links!!) Costello will play for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders next year and has verballed to Notre Dame for 2010.

Potential Badger recruit Patrick Wiercioch recently visited the University of Michigan. He is reportedly considering Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Denver, and New Hampshire. By the way, Wiercioch played last year for the BCJHL's Burnaby Express with current Badger Kyle Turris. (Props to Wojo for the heads-up on the article.)

USA Hockey has a nice article on Badger recruit Nick Pryor. Pryor is a defenseman for the USNTDP and has verballed to Wisconsin for 2009. (I stole this link from Todd Milewski; thanks Todd.)

Todd Milewski has updated stats for Badger alumni and recruits, as well as a brief update on Badgers Kyle Turris and Brendan Smith at Team Canada's WJC evaluation camp. Todd's trying to gauge reader interest in the WJC, so stop by his blog and leave him a note expressing your interest. The more coverage the better, right?

Badger alum and current Chicago Blackhawk Jake Dowell played 3 games on a broken foot (which, he said "kept swelling up and turning different colors") so that his parents could see him play in Chicago. He said, "I knew where they were sitting. As exciting as it was for them, it was twice as exciting for me to have them there."

Oilers blogger extraordinaire Lowetide profiles the Oilers' top prospects and gives some love to Badger alum Tom Gilbert.

And speaking of Tom Gilbert, this video is good for a laugh or two, as Gene Principe visits the house where Gilbert, Andrew Cogliano, and Sam Gagner live.

And finally, for those Badger fans who don't keep up with the rest of the WCHA as well as they'd like, Eric Levine has a nice little summary of the current state of the WCHA.

Oh, and I almost forgot (so much for my previous "finally"), I'd like to say "hi" to Brian and Linda Brandt, who I hear recently stumled upon (and apparently liked!) our humble blog. Their son Andy currently plays for the ECHL's Gwinnett Gladiators, where he has 10 pts (4G, 6A) and a +4 rating. (By the way, Mr. and Mrs. Brandt, if you have any updates or links regarding Andy that you'd like us to post, feel free to send them to me at sixtymin@iwon.com.)

2007 Boys All-State Selections

Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association 2007 All-State Team

First Team Forwards
12 Justin Johnson, Eau Claire North***
12 Travis Erstad, SPASH**
12 Tedd Falk, Homestead**
12 Isaiah Bennis, Eau Claire Memorial
12 Scott Pavelski, SPASH**
12 Karl Burns, USM**
12 Zach Kohn, Arrowhead
12 Ryan Smet, Fond du Lac
12 Ian Andrews, Sheboygan
11 Cody Lettau, Fond du Lac
11 Jefferson Dahl, Eau Claire Memorial
11 Seth Soley, Eau Claire Memorial**

Defensemen
12 Alex Gerke, Tomah***
12 Josh Nelson, Wisconsin Rapids**
12 Evan Jeszka, Kettle Moraine**
12 Tyler Gross, Fond du Lac
11 Brady Keegan, Eau Claire Memorial
11 Ted Behrend, Oregon
11 Tyler Krueger, SPASH
11 Tim Smith, Superior

Goaltenders
12 Nick Niceswanger, Tomah***
12 Randy Willis, Fond du Lac
12 Al Armour, Hayward
11 Brady Sand, Eau Claire Memorial

Honorable Mention Forwards
12 Jacob Esche, Madison West
12 Shawn Graskey, Superior
12 Spencer King, Homestead
12 Brian Pierpont, Superior
12 Anthony Knuth, Wisconsin Rapids**
12 Brody Zebro, Mosinee
12 Will Mitchell, Neenah
12 Derek Teachout, Waupun
12 Andy Michels, Kettle Moraine
12 Alex Molski, SPASH
12 Matt Mullendore, Amery
12 Braden Zehner, Stoughton
11 Alex Van Kampen, Altoona**
11 Mike Lennon, Baraboo/Reedsburg
11 Nate Condon, Wausau West
11 Casey Kirley, Hayward
11 Charlie Strauss, Northland Pines
11 Trent Frey, River Falls**
11 Kyle Walbrun, Neenah
11 Matt Michlig, Wausau East
11 Kevin Radke, Mosinee
11 Matt Buswell, Tomah
11 Gavin Hartzog, Marquette
10 Jeff Costello, Catholic Memorial
10 Cody Strang, Edgewood
10 Nik Van Vonderen, Hayward

Defensemen
12 Kurtis Muller, Sun Prairie
12 Darth Denter, Tomah
12 Andy Schroeder, Antigo
12 Jordan Speros, Hayward
12 Mike Hicks, Northland Pines
12 Sam Wright, Homestead
12 JD Frank, Kettle Moraine
12 Ethan Hayes, Webster
11 Chase Drake, Mosinee
11 Matt Millis, Black River Falls**
11 Ben Kincaid, EC Memorial
11 Tyler Sorenson, Edgewood
11 David Donnellan, EC Memorial
11 Jeff Burke, Somerset
11 Jack Wigdale, USM
11 Ryan Sykora, Chippewa Falls
10 Taylor Kuypers, Edgewood

Goalies
12 Dustin LeClaire, Kettle-Moraine**
12 Andy Scheib, Sun Prairie**
12 Kevin Lebert, Lakeland**
12 Hunter Tesmer, DC Everest
12 John Schroeder, Homestead
12 Casey Stern, McFarland
11 Josh Lehr, Appleton
10 Andrew Martin, Stoughton

** 2nd Year *** 3rd Year

USHL Futures Draft

Plenty of Wisconsinites were selected tonight in the USHL Futures Draft. The first was defenseman Eric "Moose" Johnson from the Madison Capitols who was selected in the second round, 19th overall by the Cedar Rapids Roughriders. Hockey in Wisconsin was seeing & hearing rumblings early in 2006 of his exceptional play.

Current Elite League leading scorer Nate Condon was selected by the new Fargo franchise with the first pick in the fifth round, 53rd overall. Tyler Barnes, who is rumored to have given a verbal commitment to UW, was selected by the Waterloo Blackhawks 58th overall. UW recruit Jake Gardiner was also selected in the fifth round, 61st overall by the Green Bay Gamblers. Fellow UW recruit Derek Stepan was selected in the 6th round, 68th overall by the Lincoln Stars.

Waukesha Catholic Memorial's Jeff Costello was selected by the Cedar Rapids Rough Riders 83rd overall, in the 7th round. Hockey in Wisconsin reported on how impressed we were with him on the first weekend of the Elite League this season. Fellow Team Wisconsin member defenseman Tim Smith from Superior was selected by Sioux Falls 89th overall in the 8th round. Finally, former Madison Edgewood and Russell Stover Midget Minor forward Jordan George, who is currently playing with Topeka in the NAHL, was selected 92nd by Fargo in the 8th round.

As with last year, there were five Wisconsin players taken in the USHL Futures Draft.

Boys High School Hockey Team Previews-Honorable Mention & Others

I'm going to put out a series of posts previewing boys high school hockey teams for the 2007-2008 season. I'm beginning today with teams that finished in the "Honorable Mention" category last season as well as any other teams that may have caught my eye during the process of doing research on this season.

I normally compile my own statistics when I put the previews together, but since Power Play from Wisconsin Prep Hockey had already done that part, I used his information as a starting point (thanks Power Play).


Unranked Teams From Last Season

Hayward-I haven't been able to locate a roster from last season to look through all of Hayward's losses to graduation, but their biggest loss was undoubtedly All-State goaltender Al Armour. Returning this season are two high octane forwards in Senior Casey Kirley and Junior Nik Van Vonderen, both of whom were Honorable Mention All-State last season. Also in the fold is Sophomore defenseman Nolan Kirley who is also a member of Team Wisconsin Minor and was selected for the Select 15 National Development Camp this summer.

River Falls-River Falls graduated six Seniors, all of which were forwards. The biggest loss at forward was Sam Pilney who contributed 28 goals and 14 assists for 42 points. Returning for the Wildcats is two-time State Honorable Mention forward and Team Wisconsin Major forward Senior Trent Frey. He'll have help on offense from Junior Levi Johnson who I am told is one of the fastest forwards in the state. Also back for his Senior campaign is goaltender Wes Kusilek who managed a save percentage of 90% last season and a 2.70 goals against average. In addition, Sophomore defenseman Luke Jenkins could make an impact after playing with Team Wisconsin Minor in the pre-season.


Honorable Mention Teams From Last Season

Appleton-Big graduation losses were sustained by Appleton this past offseason with 4 forwards, 5 defenseman and a goaltender having moved on. Remaining is Honorable Mention All-State senior goaltender Josh Lehr, as well as sophomore Matt Paape who is a member of Team Wisconsin Minor.

GF 116 - GA 41

Losing 10 Seniors

(F) Ryan Campbell
(F) Nathan Huntington
(F) Phil Laird
(F) Andy Miller
(D) Tyler Wanke
(D) Tom Parsons
(D) Nick Vanden Heuvel
(D) Mike Klinger
(D) Mike Lindeke
(G) Mike Turner


Waukesha Catholic Memorial-This team may be better than last season after graduating just two players, both of which were forwards. Junior forward Jeff Costello, who was Honorable Mention All-State and is playing for Team Wisconsin Major will be back, as will one of the Team Wisconsin Minor goaltenders, Sophomore David Chapin.

GF 97 - GA 62

Losing 2 Seniors

(F) Andrew Krueger
(F) TJ Waite


Madison Edgewood-This is another team with a small graduating loss, with just one forward and one defenseman to replace. The bigger offseason loss suffered by Edgewood though was losing Junior defenseman Taylor Kuypers to the Madison Capitols. Even so, Junior forward Cody Strang and Senior defenseman Tyler Sorenson both are members of Team Wisconsin Major, with both also having been Honorable Mention All-State last season and will be returning. Add in two Team Wisconsin Minor junior forwards in Patrick McCoshen and Chris Kanak, and Edgewood still has lots of firepower. One can only imagine this team if Jordan George had not left for Russell Stover last season (and is now with Topeka in the NAHL), and Taylor Kuypers had not left for the Capitols this season.

GF 85 - GA 48

Losing 2 Seniors

(F) Matt Kloppenburg
(D) Mark Stemrich


Mosinee-They top the list so far with 11 players having graduated, 8 forwards, one defenseman and a pair of goaltenders. Their graduation losses scored 33% of their goals last season, lead by Honorable Mention All-State forward Brody Zebro with 27. Even so, lots of firepower returns with Honorable Mention All-State Senior forward Kevin Radke returning, along with Honorable Mention All-State senior defenseman Chase Drake. Add in Junior forwards Parker Tomczyk and Ethan Nauman who are members of Team Wisconsin Minor, and you can see there's still some firepower left in Mosinee. The questions will likely be whether or not they can replace all of their losses and have quality depth.

GF 144 - GA 70

Losing 11 Seniors

(F) Brody Zebro: 27g-15a = 42 pts
(F) Vince Hagman: 10g-12a = 22 pts
(F) Jacob Pitt: 8g-10a = 18 pts
(F) Brogan Schantz: 1g-6a = 7 pts
(F) Jacob Stephany: 1g-3a = 4 pts
(F) Brian Dombrowski: 1g-0a = 1 pt
(F) Cale Charneski: 0g-0a - 0 pts
(F) Kyle Koprowski: 0g-0a - 0 pts
(D) Dan Gliniecki: 0g-0a = 0 pts
(G) Jordan McKellips: .897 Sv%
(G) Seth Cramer: .690 Sv%

Elite League

Team Wisconsin Major went 2-1 this past weekend and currently sit in a tie for second place in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League. Nate Condon still leads all scorers with 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points, while Seth Soley moved from third to second in scoring over the weekend and is now just behind Condon with 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. UW recruit Tyler Barnes slipped from second in scoring to fifth with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. Jeff Costello from Team Wisconsin has worked his way up the scoring leaders and now sits tied for eighth with 12 goals and 11 asssists for 23 points.

For defenseman, UW recruit Jake Gardiner is fourth in scoring with 6 goals and 4 assists for 10 points. On the goaltender front, Team Wisconsin's Brady Sand has a .956 save percentage and 1.00 gaa which is the best in the Elite League, but has only played two games. Andrew Martin from Team Wisconsin has played nearly 10 games and is fifth in gaa with 3.723 and has a .876 save percentage.

Team Wisconsin Finishes 2nd in Elite League

Team Wisconsin completed the final weekend of play in the Elite League with a 3-0 record, bringing them to 13-7-1 overall, which was good for second place out of seven teams. Next up is the 2007 Elite League Playoff, where #2 seed Team Wisconsin will face off in their first game against #7 seed Team Southeast. You can find the complete playoff bracket here.

Here's the statistical breakdown for the Elite League Team Wisconsin players and UW recruits near the top of each category:

F-Nate Condon (Team WI)-20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. Finished first in scoring, tied for second in assists and first in total points.

F-Seth Soley (Team WI)-18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points. Finished third in goals, tied for second in assists and was second in total points.

F-Tyler Barnes (UW recruit)-19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points. Finished second in goals, fourth in assists and was third in total points.

F-Jeff Costello (Team WI)-16 goals and 15 assists for 31 points. Finished fifth in goals, tied for sixth in assists and sixth in total points.

G-Brady Sand (Team WI)-181.7 minutes; .967 sv. %, .991 gaa. Finished first in sv % and gaa in limited playing time.

G-Andy Martin (Team WI)-621.1 minutes; .885 sv. %, 3.478 gaa. Finished sixth in sv % and fourth in gaa.

D-Jake Gardiner (UW recruit)-7 goals and 5 assists for 12 points. Finished fourth in total points among defensemen.

Elite League Playoff Results & Nike Bauer NIT

Team Wisconsin Major finished second in the Elite League Playoff, losing to the Russell Stover Midget Major team by a score of 5 to 4.

Two teams have been formed from the Elite League to compete in the Nike Bauer NIT this weekend in New Hope, Minnesota. Team Minnesota White features UW recruits Jake Gardiner and Tyler Barnes, while Team Minnesota Red includes Team Wisconsin members Nate Condon, Seth Soley, Jeff Costello, Tim Smith and Andrew Martin. Shattuck St. Mary's Boys Prep Team will also be playing in the tournament featuring UW recruits Derek Stepan and Jordan Murray. You can find the tournament bracket here.

Team Wisconsin U16 Roster Released

The Team Wisconsin Boys U16 roster has been released. Here's the roster:


1
Andrew Martin
Stoughton
Goalie
2
Ted Behrend
Oregon
Defense
3
Blaine Disrud
Kettle Moraine
Defense
4
Tyler Krueger
SPASH
Defense
5
Brian Kemp
St. Mary’s Springs
Defense
6
Alex Amundson
Brookfield
Defense
7
Isaac Sinz
Eau Claire Memorial
Defense
9
Cody Strang
Madison Edgewood
Forward
10
Ethan Nauman
Mosinee
Forward
11
Andy Singerhouse
Hudson
Forward
12
Sean Little
Fond du Lac
Forward
13
Seth Johnson
Lakeland
Forward
14
Matt Millis
Black River Falls
Forward
15
Jordan Tredinnick
Onalaska
Forward
16
Matt Paape
Appleton United
Forward
17
Kyle Walbrun
Neenah
Forward
18
Zach Olson
New Richmond
Forward
19
Kolton Jones
Madison LaFollette
Forward
20
Charlie Strauss
Northland Pines
Forward
21
Jeff Costello
Waukesha Catholic
Forward
30
Mitch Thompson
Onalaska
Goalie


Alternate Players:

8
Ryan Sykora
Chippewa Falls
Defense
22
Sam Frank
Kettle Moraine
Defense
23
Derek Lund
Eau Claire North
Forward
35
Tanner Milliron
New Richmond
Goalie


Head Coach
Sean Storie
Superior

Asst Coach
Dave Witting
Beloit

Asst Coach
Mike Calouri
Madison

Asst Coach
Bill McCoshen
Madison

General Manager Bill McCoshen