Ryan Stoa, the 6-3, 217-pound left wing who missed most of last season because of a knee injury, was given a medical redshirt over the summer.

That means he will still be listed as a junior on the roster and can play two more seasons — if he wants. How well he plays will probably determine how hard the Colorado Avalache will try to sign him. The Avs took him in the second round of the 2005 NHL draft; he was the 34th pick overall.

He has been named the team’s captain for this coming season. He was injured in the Gophers’ second game last season and did not rejoin the team’s practices until late in the season.

Coach Don Lucia, in a KFAN interview on Tuesday, said Stoa was given medical clearance to play in the NCAA tournament against Boston College but the risk of re-injury outweighed the benefits of Stoa’s return.

As a sophomore, Stoa had 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points and started his junior season on the Gophers’ top line.

Stoa started his high school career at Bloomington Kennedy before playing two seasons with the national development team in Ann Arbor, then signed with the ‘U’.

Here are other highlights from Lucia’s radio interview:

* He turned 50 last week. Happy Birthday, Don.

* Lucia on the Gophers’ problems beating WCHA champion Colorado College and Final Five champion Denver: “We did not match up well with them at all.”

* Lucia said sophomore goalie Alex Kangas, who was sensational at times the second half of last season, will probably play in most of the games this season. “We were not able to score enough goals to win until Alex took over in goal,” Lucia said.

* Lucia on why scoring was down in the WHCA: “Everybody seems to have a good goalie no matter who you play.” … Goalies are better, he said, because goalie coaching   and the scouting is better. But the two-referee system, which will be used this season, could open up the game in college hockey. Games will be called tighter.

* Among the returning players Lucia expects to be much improved are junior defenseman Dave Fischer — “he is around 200 pounds with weight room training” — junior forward Jay Barriball — he slumped badly last season after leading the Gophers in scoring as a freshman — junior forward Mike Carman — he was academically ineligible the first half of last season — and sophomore forwards Patrick White an Mike Hoeffel. “We will be very well-balanced. There will not be a lot of difference between our first and third lines.”

* Lucia expects a better regular season and a more smoother season. “Stoa will be a good captain. I hope this year will be a lot like 2005. … We are fired up for the season.

Informal team practices start Sept. 15, formal practices on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Gophes have an exhibition game on Oct. 10 against the University of British Columbia at Mariucci and then go right into WCHA play. They play St. Cloud State in a home-and-home series on Oct. 17-18.

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