St. Louis, Vanek Get New NHL Addresses

The biggest two transactions involving former NCAA players in yesterday's NHL trade deadline concerned a pair of New York metropolitan clubs.

The New York Rangers acquired Tampa Bay Lightning all-time leading scorer Martin St. Louis (Vermont) for Ryan Callahan and two high-level draft choices, while the New York Islanders shipped Thomas Vanek (Minnesota) to the Montreal Canadiens for Swedish prospect Sebastian Colberg and an exchange of draft picks.

St. Louis, who led Vermont to its first-ever NCAA Frozen Four in 1996, won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, when he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and made his New York City debut last night in a 3-2 loss to Toronto. Vanek, who was dealt to Long Island in October after spending the inaugural part of his pro career with the Buffalo Sabres, led the Golden Gophers to the 2003 NCAA title.

There were other former college skaters and netminders who received new NHL zip codes as well on Wednesday.

The Florida Panthers sent Tim Thomas (Vermont) to the Dallas Stars in exchange for fellow goaltender Dan Ellis (Nebraska-Omaha). Forward Matt Moulson (Cornell), who was dealt to Buffalo from the Islanders in the Vanek trade last fall, will now take up residence with the Minnesota Wild, who sent Torrey Mitchell (Vermont) to Buffalo in turn.

Lee Stempniak (Dartmouth) joined the Pittsburgh Penguins from the Calgary Flames, while fellow forward Matt Frattin (North Dakota) is now a Columbus Blue Jacket after having been switched out for Marian Gaborik. Defenseman Matt Taormina (Providence) went from Columbus to Tampa Bay in a multi-player swap.

Concerning current college players, Hudson Fasching (Minnesota) is now Buffalo property after his rights were traded from Los Angeles.

North Dakota Captains Suspended for Season Opener

There's trouble in Grand Forks. Again. 

North Dakota senior men's hockey captain Andrew MacWilliam and assistant captains Corban Knight, Danny Kristo and Carter Rowney have all been suspended for UND's opener on Oct. 19 against WCHA opponent Alaska Anchorage at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush in Fairbanks, AK.

The quartet has been suspended for allegedly violating team rules as the result of a party that was held on Sept. 15, according to USCHO.com.

“The behavior in this situation was unacceptable,” North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison said in a prepared statement issued by the university. “Measures taken by the athletics department do not preclude possible additional measures by the department, or actions by the university or local and state authorities.”

The team is also on probation, according to Faison, with further violations possibly costing players as much as their scholarships.

It's not the first time something like this has happened at UND, or under head coach Dave Hakstol's watch.

Former UND forward Matt Frattin was acquitted on drunk driving charges in 2010 after he was dismissed from the squad for violating team rules. He had previously been brought up on disorderly conduct charges. Frattin returned to lead the Fighting Sioux to the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four, and was also a Hobey Baker Award finalist that season before turning pro.

In Feb. 2007, then-Sioux forwards Jonathan Toews and T. J. Oshie,. now both established NHL players, were cited for being minors in a Grand Forks bar, while teammate Robbie Bina reportedly faced charges of obstructing a police officer in the same incident.

Incidents, especially those involving alcohol, can and do happen on or near college campuses all the time - witness last season with two incidents at Boston University, or in 2010 at Boston College, or in July with Minnesota's Erik Haula. That doesn't excuse them, as they give all of college hockey a black eye.

Hopefully this will be the last incident in Grand Forks for a while. Forever is too long a time to ask for.

2011 Hobey Hat Trick Revealed

It's down to the final three contestants in the 2011 Hobey Baker Memorial Award race. The trio includes Cam Atkinson of Boston College, Matt Frattin of North Dakota, and Andy Miele of Miami.

Atkinson, who just signed a pro contract with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets and will not return to the Heights next season, is second in the nation with 31 goals, one year after registering 30 tallies and helping BC to the 2010 national title. He scored his final collegiate goal in BC's 8-4 West Regional first-round loss to Colorado College on March 25.

Frattin leads NCAA Division I with 36 goals this season, and is second in the nation with 60 points. He's also the only one of the trio that will be playing in the 2011 Frozen Four, after the Fighting Sioux rampaged through the Midwest Regional in Green Bay with lopsided wins over both Rensselaer and Denver on March 26-27. Frattin, who collected a goal and two assists last weekend, is property of the the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Miele leads all college players with 47 assists and 71 points, although his season and career ended with Miami's 3-1 loss to New Hampshire in the first round of the Northeast Regional on March 26. I'd say he's the favorite, judging by his point totals, plus he seems to have avoided arrest issues that have afflicted his competition, although none of those incidents occurred this winter.

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2011/03/30_atkinson,_frattin,_miele_in.php

Frattin and Atkinson have seemingly cleaned up their acts. It's been well-documented how Frattin was suspended from North Dakota after two arrests, left campus to sort out his life, and came back stronger for it. Atkinson's one-time troubles with the law actually took place two months before he ever skated for the Eagles. It all depends on how much weight the committee gives to character issues, although both players have been pretty active in their communities, as has Miele, a pro free agent.

Still, the Hobey Baker Award is supposed to encompass a number of factors, including playing ability, statistics, character and academics. Selfishly, I'd like to see Atkinson win it, having met him at last year's Northeast Regional, and also with his being a (now) fellow BC alumnus. Still, 36 goals are hard to ignore - and so are 71 points. It may very well come down to so-called character, which could put Miele in the driver's seat.

The 31st Hobey Baker winner will be revealed on April 8 on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m. EDT. That's one day after the Frozen Four commences in St. Paul with Minnesota-Duluth taking on Notre Dame, and North Dakota facing off against Michigan, both on ESPN2. The national championship game itself, and the final college contest of the 2010-11 campaign, will be televised on April 9 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.