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.