Chaz and Cruz Lucius verbally commit to Minnesota

Minnesota picked up a pair of verbal commitments Thursday (August 31, 2017) from Blaine, MN brothers Chaz and Cruz Lucius, The Gopher Hockey Blog can confirm.

Congratulations to Chaz and Cruz Lucius on committing to play DI hockey at the University of Minnesota! #GoGophers @GopherHockey pic.twitter.com/SMDuYKodAL

— Gentry Academy (@gentry_academy) August 31, 2017

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Landed two big ones today! Welcome to the #Gophers! #PrideOnIce pic.twitter.com/KAOiaYyBBo

— Scott Bell (@MNCoachBell) August 31, 2017

(Side note: I'm taking delight in the fact Scott Bell seems to be the first member of the Gopher hockey coaching staff to enjoy utilizing Twitter.)

A month after Jake Ratzlaff became the first 2002-born player to verbally commit to the Gophers, Don Lucia and company are moving past that barrier. Chaz is born in 2003. Cruz is even younger, born in 2004, while playing up on the 2003 Minnesota Blades. At 13, Cruz is the third-ever to commit to a men's D1 hockey program at that age.

By committing now, the two, both forwards who have been dominant at younger levels, become two of the youngest in Minnesota history. The Gophers had two players commit before turning 15 prior to the Lucius brothers.

Currently there is only one person throughout college hockey even born in 2003 with a men's hockey verbal commitment. Red Savage did so earlier this month after he joined his two older brothers in choosing Miami.

BLOG: Commits Jake Boltmann and Mike Koster win gold at U-17 5 Nations

I quickly mentioned this tidbit in yesterday's "Welcome Back" article among several other news and notes that occurred during my month away from the blog. At the same time, it is a big enough deal to get a separate post rather than be buried near the bottom of an unrelated article. 

Last week, Minnesota commits Jake Boltmann (Edina, MN) and Mike Koster (Chaska, MN) went to Ostrava, Czech Republic for the summer's U-17 Five Nations Tournament and came back with a gold medal.

The international tournament, made up of players born in 2001, was between the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The Americans went 4-0 in the tournament, defeating the host country 5-3 in the final game Sunday en route to taking gold for the sixth time in seven years. 

Boltmann and Koster, both defensemen, helped bolster a blue line that gave up a total of five goals in four games.

Four Gopher Commits Named To Next Month's All-American Prospects Game

For a third consecutive year, the All-American Prospects Game features at least four players committed to the University of Minnesota.

Jack Jensen (Eden Prairie, MN), Blake McLaughlin (Grand Rapids MN), Jaxon Nelson (Magnolia, MN/Sioux Falls - USHL) and Colin Schmidt (Maple Griove, MN/Wayzata HS) are among the 42 named last week to next month's game in Buffalo. All four are forwards.

Jensen and McLaughlin earlier this month were members of Team USA's Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup team, finishing fifth.

The All-American Prospects Game serves as a showcase for the top Americans eligible to be drafted by NHL teams the following June. It is an opportunity for scouts to watch players normally spread across several leagues all in one place. This year's sixth annual event features players born late in 1999 and 2000.

Aaron Huglen Commits To Minnesota

When it comes to Aarons from Roseau playing men's hockey at the University of Minnesota, Mr. Broten and Mr. Ness appear to have company.

Roseau, MN junior forward Aaron Huglen is the latest player to verbally commit to the Gophers. He announced his decision Tuesday (August 29, 2017).

pic.twitter.com/IcYqxS3Gnu

— Aaron Huglen (@aaronhuglen_8) August 29, 2017

Roseau, home to Neal, Paul and Aaron Broten, along with being a 2500 person town regularly capable through the decades of contending for a Class AA state title, has not been a Gopher hotbed of late despite history. Huglen would be the first men's player from there, or Northwest Minnesota for that matter, to play for the Gophers since Aaron Ness did in 2008-2011. His uncle, Mark Huglen, played one season at Minnesota (1981-1982) before transferring to North Dakota.

Listed at 5'9", Huglen finished his sophomore season sixth on the Rams in scoring with 24 points (8G-16A) in 25 games.

From Chris Dilks of SB Nation College Hockey in May 2017:

Aaron Huglen-Roseau HS-Huglen is almost impossible to stop when he’s bringing the puck down the wing 1-on-1. He’s got very good speed and elite ability to stickhandle through defensemen while at top speed. He’s still a bit raw, but has good upside if he can add more dimensions to his game.

(Full disclosure: I've been a writer for SB Nation College Hockey).

The 2001-born Huglen was drafted in the 3rd round (43rd overall) of the 2017 USHL Phase 1 Draft by the Fargo Force. He becomes the fifth Gopher commit in his age group among the top 100 picks.

Huglen would be eligible to play for Minnesota in 2019-2020 at the earliest.

Top 10 2016-17 Articles Nate Wrote (or) Welcome Back!

Hello and welcome back!

With the season starting up in a month, The Gopher Hockey Blog is back running full steam. I decided to take off July and August to spend time working on other projects, do some travel and plan next season. It's the first break from writing about hockey I've taken in several years, but I'm glad I did even if it was difficult at times. Honestly, forcing myself to get away felt weird.

Before turning the page to 2017-18, however, and kicking off some new things, I wanted to showcase one last time some of the great features from last year.