Hi, My Name is ... appears weekly on NHL FanHouse. We will spotlight future NHL prospects currently making a name for themselves in college hockey. Where applicable, the players' draft rights will be listed. Check back each Tuesday at 8AM ET. Please post in the comments section if you have a nomination, or if you feel the author really blew it this week, or if you have a Varsity Blues joke that you're dying to tell because you misread the headline.The college hockey season is past the proverbial quarter-pole for most teams (ECAC teams started late, so they're not as far into the season as everyone else).
I'll get to some of the hot storylines of the first part of the season in a moment, but I first wanted to update the progress of one of the higher-profile draft picks from the summer of 2007.
James vanRiemsdyk was the second overall pick of that 2007 draft, going to the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a key pick for Philly, who isn't exactly known for imploding badly enough to get such a high pick.
All indications - very early on - are that the Flyers nailed this one. vanRiemsdyk is only getting better in college, and it's going to set him up for a lucrative professional career when he's ready.
Playing his college hockey at New Hampshire, vanRiemsdyk didn't disappoint in his freshman year, as he scored over a point per game (11 goals and 23 assists in 31 games). Along the way, he impressed his coaches with his humility and work ethic.
"The thing that really keeps me humble, I guess, is I really don't feel like I've accomplished too much yet," van Riemsdyk said. "It's my first year in this league, and I really haven't done anything. You have to go out there and basically just let your play do the talking and speak for you. That's what I've been trying to do this year. There's nothing really for me to be cocky about because I really haven't accomplished that much."vanRiemsdyk also posted a tournament-high 11 points in just six games at last year's World Juniors in the Czech Republic.
This year, he's showing signs of further development for UNH. In just 13 games, the 19-year-old has already scored eight goals - three off his total from last year - and totaled 18 points. His points-per-game average of 1.38 ranks 15th in Division I. While UNH is just 5-5-3 overall, the Wildcats have played an insanely tough schedule. If they can post even a decent Hockey East record, they're going to end up making the NCAA Tournament. Once there, all bets are off.
Other players to watch
Quick: Name the only unbeaten and untied team in Division I.
If you said "Air Force", you probably cheated. The 12-0-0 Falcons are doing it with offense, as their 5.17 goals per game average is tops in the country. They lead second-place Notre Dame by over one goal per game. Senior Brent Olson and sophomore Jacques Lamoureux (both undrafted) have each picked up 21 points in those 12 games, and they're tied for the national lead.
One of the other awesome stories in the country so far is the play of Alaska-Fairbanks. The Nanooks (they prefer to be called "Alaska", not "Alaska-Fairbanks") are off to a 7-4-1 start under first-year head coach Dallas Ferguson, who has done a superb job cleaning up after the messy departure of Doc DelCastillo. A big reason for the good start has been senior goalie Chad Johnson (Pittsburgh). His .940 save percentage leads all CCHA goalies. Johnson stopped 69 of 71 shots over the weekend as Alaska beat Ferris State 3-2 and 2-0 in Big Rapids, Michigan. Don't look now, but the Nanooks are sitting in fourth place in the CCHA.
Speaking of goalies, how about the start Cornell junior Ben Scrivens (undrafted) is off to? The Big Red have scored just 12 goals in their first six games, but they are off to a 4-0-2 start thanks to Scrivens. He's started all six games, posted a .971 save percentage, and he has a goals-against of 0.81. Both those numbers lead the nation, though he's only played six games. I'm guessing Cornell is going to pick up the goal-scoring a little bit, which will only help Scrivens.
I guess we've turned this into a goalie show. Minnesota-Duluth junior Alex Stalock (San Jose) stopped 68 of 71 shots as UMD tied (2-2) and beat (3-1) North Dakota. The Saturday win snapped a five-game winless streak for the Bulldogs.
