Jan. 16, 2007
Toronto, Ont. – The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Central Scouting Service has listed seven hockey players who have signed national letters-of-intent to attend Notre Dame in the fall of 2007 in their mid-term rankings for the 2006-07 season. The seven include a goaltender, two defensemen and four forwards.
The group includes three players currently playing for the U.S. National Team Development program and four players now playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). Central Scouting, now in its 31st year provides scouting and evaluation of draft-eligible players to all NHL teams. The mid-season rankings features the top 210 skaters and 30 goaltenders in North America. CSS also prepares a list of the top 175 skaters and 15 goaltenders from Europe. The lists are then updated in May for the NHL Entry Draft on June 22-23 in Columbus, Ohio.
Notre Dame’s goaltending prosepect is Brad Phillips (Farmington Hills, Mich./U.S. Under-18 Team) who is a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program. The 6-2, 163-pound puckstopper is ranked fourth among 30 North American goaltenders and is the top rated goaltender to sign a national letter-of-intent. Phillips has played in 17 games and is 11-4-2 overall with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Through Jan. 16, the U.S. Under-18 Team was 22-8-3 overall while playing against international teams, junior teams and college teams.
The highest ranked Irish skater is Phillips’ teammate, defenseman Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill./USA Under-18 Team). Ruth is ranked 34th of 210 skaters and is the 12th-highest rated North American defenseman. With the Under-18 Team, the 6-1, 199-pound Ruth has played in 30 games and has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points and 58 minutes in penalties.
Following Ruth on the list at 50th is forward Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich./ Des Moines Buccaneers-USHL). With Des Moines, Ryan currently leads the Buccaneers in scoring with nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points in 30 games. That ranks the 5-11, 190-pound center third in scoring in the USHL with his 31 assists tied for the league lead. The Bucs are currently tied for second in the USHL’s West Division with a 17-9-4 record.
Also breaking the top 100 on Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings is forward Robin Bergman (Stockholm, Sweden/Cedar Rapids Roughriders-USHL) who is 97th on the list. In 23 games in Cedar Rapids, the 6-0, 189-pound center has 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points to rank fourth on the team. Eight of his goals have come on the power play and two are game winners. His 14 goals tie him for 12th in the USHL. Cedar Rapids is tied for first with Waterloo in the USHL’s East Division with a 20-10-1 record
Following Bergman and ranked 109th overall is fellow Swede Calle Ridderwall (Stockholm, Sweden/Tri-City Storm-USHL). A 5-11, 165-pound left wing, Ridderwall leads the Storm in scoring with 15 goals and 18 assists for 33 points in 28 games. Nine of his goals have come on the power play and four are game winners. Ridderwall is 13th in scoring, tied for ninth in goals and tied for fourth in power-play markers. Tri-City is tied for second in the USHL West Division with Des Moines. The Storm are 18-8-2 on the season.
Four spots behind Ridderwall at 113th overall is defenseman Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich./U.S. Under-18 Team) who teams with Ruth as members of the U.S. National Team Program. At 6-1, 211-pounds, Cole has played in 34 games and has three goals and 14 assists for 17 points while recording 38 minutes in penalties.
Rounding out the incoming Irish players listed among the skaters is center Billy Maday (Burr Ridge, Ill./Waterloo Black Hawks-USHL) who is ranked 177th. The 5-11, 165-pound center iceman had four goals and five assists for nine points in 15 games before being sidelined with a broken wrist. Waterloo is tied for first in the USHL’s East Division with Cedar Rapids. The Black Hawks are 19-6-3 this season.
Notre Dame's Incoming Class of 2007-08
Player Pos. DOB Ht. Wt. S/C Hometown/2006-07 Team Robin Bergman F 7/12/88 6-0 189 L Stockholm, Sweden/Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)Ian Cole D 2/21/89 6-1 211 L Ann Arbor, Mich./U.S. Under-18 TeamBilly Maday F 2/25/88 5-11 165 R Burr Ridge, Ill./Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)Brad Phillips G 4/22/89 6-2 163 L Farmington Hills, Mich./USA Under-18 TeamCalle Ridderwall F 5/28/88 5-11 165 L Stockholm, Sweden/Tri-City Storm (USHL)Teddy Ruth D 2/14/89 6-1 199 R Naperville, Ill./USA Under-18 TeamBen Ryan F 10/18/88 5-11 190 R Brighton, Mich./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)