Nick Bjugstad is a first-round NHL draft pick, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's overall goal leader and will be wearing a captain's letter today at the World Junior Championship.
It wasn't long ago -- three years to be exact -- that the standout hockey player was skating with Blaine High School at the Herald Jason Stadstad Hockey Classic, a prep tournament that begins today in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The Stadstad Classic is in its fifth season and has featured an array of North Dakota and Minnesota teams. One constant has been that it has highlighted future WCHA and professional players.
Bjugstad is on the short track to the NHL. One Stadstad tournament alumnus, Roseau's Aaron Ness, already has signed an NHL contract with the New York Islanders. He's currently playing with the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Roseau's Mike Lee (St. Cloud State), Nick Oliver (St. Cloud State) and Tyler Landman (Providence) also went on to Division I careers.
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Current UND recruits Luke Johnson and Paul LaDue suited up for the tournament-host Knights before moving on to the United States Hockey League and making verbal commitments.
Red River's Eric Meland also was a participant in the inaugural tournament in 2007. He's now a junior at Princeton.
Caleb Herbert is a fifth-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals and the top rookie scorer on No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth with 16 points in 18 games. He suited up for Bloomington Jefferson in 2008. So did Joe Faust, a sophomore at Wisconsin who was drafted in the fourth round by the New Jersey Devils.
Apple Valley, the two-time defending champ in the tournament, showcased future Gopher forwards A.J. Michaelson and Hudson Fasching at the last two events. Fasching made his verbal commitment on Tuesday.
There will be plenty of talent at this year's event, too. Red River is the top-ranked team in North Dakota. East Grand Forks Senior High is one of the top-ranked teams in Minnesota. And Brainerd features two of the state's highest scorers in seniors Mitch McLain and Matt Pohlkamp.
The tournament begins at 2 p.m. today with Senior High taking on Bismarck Century. Fargo Davies will play Brainerd at 4:15 p.m. Central takes on Bismarck High at 5 p.m. in the Olympic rink and Red River plays Princeton (Minn.) at 6:30 p.m. in the main arena.
The championship is at 1 p.m. Friday.
Reach Schlossman at (701) 780-1129; (800) 477-6572, ext. 129; or send e-mail to bschlossman@gfherald.com .
