Preseason WCHA predictions are starting to come out. Here are a couple of the first:

examiner.com … which calls itself the “insider souce for everything local” in Minneapolis:

1. North Dakota

2. Denver

3. Gophers

4. St. Cloud State

5. Minnesota State Mankato

6. Wisconsin

7. Colorado College

8. UMD

9-10. Alaska Anchorage and Michigan Tech

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There were all kinds of rumors about Jordan Schroeder, the Gophers sophomore center, possibly signing with Vancouver last month, especially out there.

Turns out they were not true.

I e-mailed Jordan and asked him this:

     Are you still planning to play this season at the U? Has Vancouver offered you a contract and tried to sign you?
   Your dad is quoted in a Vancouver Sun story that you could join the Canucks or their farm club at the end of the Gophers season. Is that your plan right now, to sign when the season ends?

His reply by e-mail:  

Those are all just rumors that you heard. I will be here this season with the Gophers. I want to just focus on this season and when the time comes then make a decision. So there are no set plans as of right now.

So that’s that on Jordan. Another rumor had sophomore defenseman Aaron Ness possibly signing with Brandon (Manitoba) Wheat Kings, who recently acquired his Western Hockey League rights.

But the U called Ness and he said he was coming back, too. “Why would Ness want to play in the WHL rather than for the Gophers?” a U official said increduously.
 

The Gophers’ first practice will be Saturday, Oct. 3, that’s only 30 days away.

Of course, team members have been working out all summer. So it’s not too surprising the Gophers play their one and only exhibition game on Oct. 4 against British Columbia at 4 p.m. at the Maroosh.

UND NAMES CAPTAIN

North Dakota recently named a captain for this season, defenseman Chay Genoway. The Fighting Sioux’s assistant captains will be forwards Chris VandeVelde of Moorhead and Darcy Zajac.

Those threee are the only three seniors on the team.

HUSKIES GOALIE SWITCHES

Senior goalie Jase Weslosky of St. Cloud State has transferred to Bemidji State. He will have to sit out this season before being eligible for one more season in 2010-11.

Weslosky was 37-27-4 in his three years with the Huskies. He had a 2.43 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.

He also battled academic problems and would have been academically ineligible at the start of this season.

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Rumors about Jordan Schroeder’s status were flying all around on Thursday in western Canada. Radio stations and web sites said he was ready to sign with the Vancouver Canucks, who took him with the 22nd pick in the first round of the NHL draft.

He would play for the Everett (Wash.) Silvertips this season of the Western Hockey League.

Awful for Gophers fans, eh? Actually the rumors are not true.

The U was concerned enough about the Schroeder buzz that someone contacted him to check what was going on. He told them absolutely nothing.

I talked with John Schroeder, Jordan’s father, too. He also said the rumors were not true.

“They are so far from the truth,” John Schroeder said. “If Jordan is going to leave college, it will be for the AHL or NHL. And Jordan is not leaving until he feels he has a good shot of making it there.”

Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman is quoted as saying in the Vancouver Sun that education is important and “if [Jordan] want to stay for another year of school, that is a good thing.”

Schroeder, who will be a sophomore center, was the second-leading scorer in 2008-09 in WCHA games, one point behind teammate Ryan Stoa. Overall, he had 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 35 games. A great season, especially for someone who should have been in high school.

He accelerated his studies, graduating from high school in three years. 

Schroeder is already being called one of the leading Hobey Baker candidates this season by some hockey web sites. He’s a player whose loss this season could have badly hurt the Gophers. Looks like he will stay, though.

But his father John, in Friday’s Sun newspaper, is quoted as saying Jordan might join the Canucks after the season or their top farm team. So Jordan could be a two and done guy.

Two players who have committed to the U of M each scored a goal as the U.S. under-18 select team beat Slovakia 7-6 in overtime in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in Piestany, Slovakia.

Forward Nick Bjugstad and defenseman Ben Marshall, who play for Blaine and Mahtomedi high schools respectively, each had one goal for the U.S. Bjugstad also had an assist. Marshall’s goal on a power play at 10:35 of the third period tied the score at 7-7.

 Christian Isackson, who will be a senior forward at St. Thomas Academy this season and has also commited to the Gophers, had two assists.  Kyle Rau, of Class 2A state champion Eden Prairie, also had a goal.

The U.S. team has a 3-2 tournament record now. It will play Sweden for third place at 6:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday. 

Three players who have committed to the Gophers all could be playing for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the 2010-11 season.

All three will be high school seniors this coming school year but were at the Stampede’s tryout camp in June.

Two of them are the Reilly twins, Ryan and Connor, forwards on the same line at Holy Angels. The Stampede drafted both of them in the 2008 USHL Futures draft on Oct. 17, 2008. Ryan was the 73rd pick, Connor the 84th.

The other future Gopher expected to play for the Stampede is St. Thomas Academy senior forward Christian Isackson who had 57 points for the Cadets last season.

The U.S. team routed Russia 8-1 on Tuesday in Lake Placid, N.Y., in a matchup of under-20 national teams.

Coach Dean Blais of the U.S. team still has 29 players in a junior national evaluation camp. He is looking for the players he wants to compete for the U.S. in the World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan over the holidays.

Against Russia, two Gophers had goals. Zach Budish, a freshman forward, deflected a shot for the third U.S. goal. It came on a two-man advantage. Jordan Schroeder, a sophomore center, had the last goal, on a power play, and an assist.

Mike Lee, a St. Cloud State freshman, was the U.S. goalie for the whole game.

The U.S. and Russia will play again on Wed., Fri. and Sat.

Hopefully, those games are more competitive.

Danny Kristo, a North Dakota freshman forward from Eden Prairie, had two goals for the U.S.

AROUND HOCKEY

* Stunning news: The CCHA has turned down Alabama-Birmingham’s request for admission. UAB is in the same four-team conference as Bemidji State and its disbanding after this coming season.

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Jordan Schroeder, the Gophers sophmore center, is the leading scorer at USA Hockey’s national junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., after three intersquad scrimmages.

He has two goals, both short-handed, and six assists. Freshman defenseman Nick Leddy of the Gophers has three goals and one assist.

Sophomore defenseman Aaron Ness (0-2-2) and freshman forward Zach Budish (1-1-1) of the Gophers don’t have many points but both survived the cut from 42 to 29 players.

Those left will play four games against a team from Russia this week. The first one is at 5 p.m. today.

From the players at this evaluation, the U.S. team for the World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan in late Dec. and early Jan. will be picked.

Schroeder has played for the U.S. in the last two World Junior Championships and said he is enjoying the chance to be a leader on his this team.

Jim Johannson, the U.S. team general manager, called Schroeder an all-around dominant player.

Tim Taylor, the U.S. director of player personnel, said Schroeder at his best is the best skater and the team needs his offensive skills.

TIDBITS

Alaska-Anchorage is going to be able to put some big bodies on the ice. Two recent additions to the 2009-10 teams are freshmen forwards Daniel Naslund, a 6-3, 205-pound Swede, and Mitch Bruijsten, a 6-3, 200-pound Dutchman.

Naslund had 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in Sweden’s SuperElite League; Bruijsten had 16 goals and 25 assists for 41 points last season for Sioux City of the USHL.

All four Gophers at the USA Hockey national junior evaluation camp at Lake Placid, N.Y., made the first cut.

Coach Dean Blais trimmed the roster from 42 to 29 players who will play four games against a team from Russia this week. The Gophers still playing are sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder, who has played on the last two U18 U.S. teams in the World Junior Championships; sophomore defenseman Aaron Ness, freshman forward Zach Budish and freshman defenseman Nick Leddy.

Also still in camp are the other forward Minnesotans invited there: forwards Danny Kristo of Eden Prairie and Derek Stepan of Hastings, defenseman Jake Gardiner of Minnetonka and goalie Mike Lee of Roseau.

Kristo will be a freshman at North Dakota this season, Stepan and Gardiner will be sophomores at Wisconsin, and Lee a freshman at St. Cloud State.

“We kept five defensive pairs and five forward lines, and all of them will have a chance to show what they can do against Russia,” said Dean Blais, head coach of the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team. “Even after this camp ends, we will continue to evaluate all of these players, including those who are heading home now.”

The World Junior Championships are Dec. 26-Jan. 5 this winter and typically several Gophers make the U.S. team.    

Gophers sophomore center Jordan Schroeder — and three of his teammates — will be among the 43 players at the U.S. national junior evaluation camp starting Friday in Lake Placid, N.Y. It runs until Aug. 15.

From that camp, the players will be picked for the U.S. team competing in the 2010 World Junior Championships from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15 in Saskatoon and Regina, Sask.

Schroeder has played on the last two U.S. teams in the World Juniors. He should be a near lock to make a third, barring injury.

Also trying for spots on the team are sophomore defenseman Aaron Ness and two incoming freshmen, defenseman Nick Leddy and forward Zach Budish.

Others with Minnesota ties who will be at the evaluation camp are:

* Goalie Mike Lee of Roseau. He played for the Fargo Force of the USHL last season and will be a freshman at North Dakota this coming season.

* Defenseman Jake Gardiner of Minnesota. He will be a sophomore at Wisconsin this season.

* Forward Danny Kristo of Eden Prairie. He played for Omaha of the USHl this past season. He will be a freshman at North Dakota.

* Forward Derek Stepan of Hastings. He will be a sophomore at Wisconsin.

My guess is the Gophers will probably lose three players will miss the U’s holiday tournament to play on the U.S. team, Schroeder, Ness and one of the two freshmen.

At Lake Placid, the U.S. players will have three split-squad games and four games against a team from Russia. USAHockey.com will have complete camp coverage, according to a release from USA Hockey.