Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Irish Hockey Adds Four More Players For Freshman Class Of 2004-05

May 12, 2004

Notre Dame, Ind. – University of Notre Dame hockey coach Dave Poulin announced today that four players more players have signed national letters of intent to join the Irish hockey program. Three of them will arrive in September for the start of school, while a fourth will defer his acceptance to the 2005-06 season. The group includes forwards Evan Rankin (Portage, Mich.) and Mark Van Guilder (Roseville, Minn.) along with defensemen Brian D’Arcy (Western Springs, Ill.) and Jamie Silverson (Thunder Bay, Ont.).

“We are thrilled with the quality and depth that we have added with this recruiting class,” said Poulin. “This group joins our elite freshman class from this season and will help us continue our climb towards a national championship at Notre Dame.”

The four players announced today join a group of four who signed during the November early-signing period, giving the Irish eight newcomers for the 2004-05 season. Notre Dame loses six players to graduation. The group includes four defensemen – Tom Galvin, Neil Komadoski, Brett Lebda and T.J. Mathieson – along with forwards Aaron Gill and Rob Globke.

Evan Rankin is a 6-0, 185-pound left-handed center who played last season for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL). A hard-working forward with strong offensive skills, Rankin finished fourth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points and 33 penalty minutes. Seven of his goals came on the power play, one was short-handed and one was a game winner. Lincoln finished fifth in the USHL’s Western Division with a 29-27-4 record and did not make the playoffs. He also participated in the USHL’s “Top Prospect” All-Star game in February. Rankin was a member of the 2003 U.S. Under-18 Select team that won the gold medal at the Under-18 World Cup in August of 2003 where he was a teammate of incoming freshman defenseman Luke Lucyk. The former HoneyBaked Midget AAA standout had three goals and an assist in the tournament, including the overtime game-winning goal versus Russia in tournament play.

Poulin on Rankin: “We’re excited to have a player of Evan’s caliber join our program. He’s from the area (Portage, Mich.) and should fit well in our mix of forwards. He played for Andy Slaggert with the U.S. Under-18 Select team last August and had a strong showing there. We’ve been following him since he played for HoneyBaked and his game continues to improve. He should be a contributor for us next season.”

Mark Van Guilder is a 6-2, 186-pound right wing who has been a member of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL for the past two seasons. In 60 regular-season games Van Guilder tied for fifth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points while getting 23 minutes in penalties. He had three power-play tallies and four game winners among his 17 goals. Tri-City won the USHL’s Anderson Cup as the league’s regular season champions as they finished first in the league’s Western Division with a 43-12-5 record. In the USHL playoffs, the Storm defeated Sioux City in the Western Division finals before losing in the finals to Waterloo, three games to one, for the USHL title. In 11 playoff games, Van Guilder had three goals and two assists for five points with a power-play goal and a game-winning goal. In 2002-03, he had 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points in 59 games.

Poulin on Van Guilder: “Mark’s got good size and reach and has shown a nose for the net. He’s a highly skilled player who will give us some versatility as he’s played all three forward positions in his junior career. He’s a smart player who knows how to get himself into position around the net.”

Brian D’Arcy joins the Irish after an injury-shortened season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. The 6-2, 205-pound blueliner is a tough, rugged defensive-defenseman who played in 32 games with two assists and 36 minutes in penalties. With the Storm, he teamed with incoming defenseman Luke Lucyk, before injuries ended his year. In his two seasons of junior hockey, D’Arcy proved to be a reliable defenseman. He spent the 2002-03 season with the Cleveland Barons of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) where he played in 48 games with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 55 penalty minutes. Brian joins a long list of D’Arcy family members to attend Notre Dame as both his father, Edward D’Arcy, Jr., (’76) and grandfather, Edward D’Arcy (’52) are graduates. He also continues Notre Dame’s connection with the Chicago area (Western Springs, Ill.) for solid defenseman as he joins current and former Irish defensemen Evan Nielsen (Evanston), Brett Lebda (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) and Joe Zurenko (Palentine, Ill.).

Poulin on D’Arcy: “We lose four senior defensemen after this season and Brian is one of four newcomers that we will be looking to fill those crucial spots with our defensive unit. He gives us a steady, defensive-minded player on the blue line who will give us reliable depth for the upcoming season. “

Jamie Silverson is a big, rugged defenseman who likes to play a physical-style of defense. An outstanding skater for a player of his size, Silverson is a 6-4, 215-pound left-handed defenseman who played for the Leamington Flyers of the Western Ontario Junior Hockey League (WOJHL) during the 2003-04 season. He helped Leamington to a fourth-place finish in the league with a 28-18-1 record as he collected a goal and nine assists for 10 points in 45 games and collected 80 minutes in penalties. The Flyers lost to London in the first round of the playoffs, four games to two. Silverson has ties to Notre Dame, as he was a teammate of current Irish defenseman Wes O’Neill and incoming freshman center Victor Oreskovich when they were members of the 2002 Ontario Under-17 team at the Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia.

Poulin on Silverson: “Jamie brings great size and a physical style of play with his game. He should be a force in the physical game that is played in the CCHA. His style of play will help continue the defensive pride that has helped make Notre Dame one of the top defensive teams in the country.”

These four players join Luke Lucyk (Fox Pointe, Wis.), Victor Oreskovich (Oakville, Ont.), Brock Sheahan (Lethbridge, Alb.) and Dan VeNard (Vernon Hills, Ill.) who signed national letters-of-intent to join the Irish in November of 2003.

Notre Dame Hockey Incoming Freshman Class of 2004-05
Player Pos. D.O.B. Ht. Wt. S/C Hometown/2003-04 TeamBrian D'Arcy D 6/29/84 6-2 205 R Western Springs, Ill./Tri-City Storm (USHL)Luke Lucyk D 5/5/86 6-1 205 L Fox Pointe, Wis./Tri-City Storm (USHL)Victor Oreskovich F 8/15/86 6-3 215 R Oakville, Ont./Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)Evan Rankin C 3/28/86 6-1 180 R Portage, Mich./Lincoln Stars (USHL)Brock Sheahan D 5/6/84 6-0 170 L Lethbridge, Alb./Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves (AJHL)Jamie Silverson D 3/26/86 6-4 215 L Thunder Bay, Ont./Leamington Flyers (WOJHL)Mark Van Guilder F 1/17/84 6-2 186 R Roseville, Minn./Tri-City Storm (USHL)Dan VeNard D 10/5/85 6-0 175 R Vernon Hills, Ill./Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)