UND head coach Brad Berry announced his 10-player freshman class this morning. He gave a few quick comments on each player coming in. Check them out below.
Brock Boeser
Position: F.
Hometown: Burnsville, Minn.
Coach Brad Berry says: “He’s known as a shooter or a goal-scorer. What people probably don’t know is that his play away from the puck, his compete level to get the puck back, is very high. Sometimes, when you get high-end players, they like to play one side of the puck. He likes to play both sides of the puck. He’s a physical player. he finishes every check. I like to think of him as a throwback, a high-end skill player that plays hard all the time.”
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Shane Gersich
Position: F.
Hometown: Chaska, Minn.
Coach Berry says: “He’s a very smart playmaker. He has a lot of good attributes, but one that stands out is his speed. He plays on the wing - he also played some center - but when he gets the puck, he’s a high-flying winger that can get up and down the ice real quick. He has a knack for scoring goals. He’s a competitive player also.”
Chris Wilkie
Position: F.
Hometown: Omaha.
Coach Berry says: “Chris is a player that, through himself, his father and our program, decided to play an extra year of juniors and it helped him on the ice and physically, too. Chris is a different player now than he was a year ago as far as physical maturity goes. When you talk about how competitive our league is, it’s nice to know that he was willing to go back and play and round out his game and get stronger. Hopefully, he’ll have a chance to be an impact player right away for us.”
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Joel Janatuinen
Position: F.
Hometown: Espoo, Finland.
Coach Berry says: “He’s a very cerebral player, a very smart player. When we went to Sioux City to watch other players, he kept coming on the map. He got a resounding endorsement from his coach as far as his coach-ability and character. Every time you watched him play, he always put up points. You look at the stat sheet at the end of the day and say, ‘He had a pretty good game.’ He doesn’t jump out at you as far as what happens during the game, but at the end, he’s always on the scoresheet. He’s a very smart and responsible player.”
Rhett Gardner
Position: F.
Hometown: Moose Jaw, Sask.
Coach Berry says: “He’s a big centerman. He wins a lot of his faceoffs, a majority of his faceoffs. One thing that stands out about Rhett is that he played in two international competitions this last year in Canada. His teammates voted him captain on both teams. That’s part of leadership and what he is. He’s a great person and a great hockey player.”
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Mike Gornall
Position: F.
Hometown: Irwin, Pa.
Coach Berry says: “Mike brings a heavy body that has good offensive skill and plays hard. He’s played well into his junior career, getting experience. He will challenge for playing time. His character is impeccable, too.”
Hayden Shaw
Position: D.
Hometown: Woodbury, Minn.
Coach Berry says: “Hayden Shaw is a very good, puck-moving defenseman. He makes tape-to-tape passes. He’s highly competitive. He’s very good offensively joining the rush and running the power play. He has a huge compete level for his size.”
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Christian Wolanin
Position: D.
Hometown: Rochester, Mich.
Coach Berry says: “He’s an ultra-aggressive defenseman. A few years back, he was a forward. Now, he has been converted to a defenseman. That’s really intriguing to us and the NHL level as far as his upside as a good, puck-moving defenseman.”
Danys Chartrand
Position: D.
Hometown: Winnipeg.
Coach Berry says: “He played in Flin Flon in the SJHL and played his junior eligibility out. He brings experience on the back end, which you need to have. Sometimes, you have injuries and different things going on and you need players who can come in and play. You need players who have character, fit your culture and can play.”
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Matej Tomek
Position: G.
Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia.
Coach Berry says: “He’s a highly competitive young man who is focused. His attention to detail is impeccable for a young man. Moving away from his home country to play junior hockey shows the commitment and focus he has. He’s coming in as a big, raw goaltender with a huge upside. He’ll be pushing for playing time, for sure.”
- See more at: http://undhockey.areavoices.com/?p=100648
