From THE ANN ARBOR NEWS [May 10]
ICERS OUTCLASS NATION?
U-M's recruiting class considered blue chip
Scouts: Nobody did a better job than Michigan, which has edge on
everybody.
by Dan Gretzner II
 
  The Michigan basketball Wolverines aren't the only team that had
a fabulous recruiting season.  The U-M hockey team landed the best
freshmen class in the country, two recruiting experts say.
  "Nobody did a better job than Michigan," said Roy Henderson,
president of Global Sports Scouting Service, which will sponsor a
tournament for NHL draft-eligible players in June.  "It's
impossible."
  John Wilkie, founder of Access Sports Limited, which invites the
top 800 players to college evaluation camps, agrees.  "I think
Michigan got the edge on everybody," said Wilkie, adding that
Boston College, Lake Superior and Harvard also had good recruiting
seasons.
  Both men said U-M's recruiting class is better than last year's
nine-member freshman corp.  Last season, U-M had four players named
to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie team, and
Brendan Morrison was named the Freshman of the Year.
  The prize catch is Robbie Gordon, a 6-1, 185-pound center who is
projected by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau as the eighth-rated
pick of the second round (34th overall) in this summer's NHL draft.
  Gordon scored 69 goals and had 89 assists in 60 games with the
Powell River Paperkings in the British Columbia Junior League.  He
averaged 2.63 points per game.
  "To get Robbie Gordon was just a tremendous coup," Henderson
said.  "He's probably the best player with college eligibility.
Gordon can beat you so many ways.  He sees the ice so well and he's
tough."
  "Brendan (who also played in the BCJHL) can beat you with his
skill and his speed.  Gordon can do that and beat the guy up.
There's a meanness to him that you seldom see with skilled
players."
  U-M also signed forwards Matt Herr and Bill Muckalt, defenseman
Chris Fox and goalie Marty Turco.
  Gordon ranked 24th on the Red Line Report's list for March of
players eligible for the NHL draft.  Herr was 48th; Fox was 99th.
The RLP is an independent scouting review.
  Herr, a 6-2, 190-pound center who played at Hotchkiss Prep School
in Lakeville, Conn., is the fifth in a recent history of standout
recruits from the East for U-M.  The others are Jeff Norton, David
Roberts, Rick Willis and Jason Botterill.
  "Matt is one of those kids who has the unique package of size,
speed and excellent skill wrapped up in a centerman," U-M coach Red
Berenson said.  "With that package, he brings to Michigan something
that we haven't had in a long time, and we expect him to be an
impact player."
  Muckalt, a 6-1, 185-pound right winger, is a goal scorer.  He had
34 goals and 24 assists in his first 22 games (2.64 ppg) with the
Merritt Centennials in the BCJHL.
  Henderson said Muckalt might not be as fast a skater as graduated
David Oliver (a BCJHL veteran), but he is a sniper like the former
U-M right wing.
  Fox, a 6-1, 180-pound defenseman, is an offensive-minded
blueliner who will compete with eight others for playing time.
  But the most watched recruit might be Turco, especially with the
graduation of goaltenders Steve Shields and Chris Gordon.  Turco
will vie for playing time with senior Al Loges.
  Turco (5-10, 165-pounds) went 19-10-3 with the Cambridge
Winterhawks in the Ontario Midwestern Junior B League.  He finished
with a 3.47 goals-against average.
  These kids didn't just approach Berenson with a pen in hand,
ready to sign a national letter of intent.  Beginning in July, U-M
assistant coaches Billy Powers and Mel Pearson were laying the
ground work.  Powers was the driving force behind bringing in
Gordon and Muckalt.
  "You get a kid like Brendan (out of the BCJHL) and all of a
sudden, you get a pretty good stronghold," Powers said.  "Brendan's
such a recognizable name.  It kind of starts a snowball thing."
  Both Henderson and Wilkie agreed that Powers and Pearson possess
an incredible work ethic.
  "(The class) just didn't come by luck, and it just didn't come by
the fact (Michigan) has a nice facility or Red Berenson is the
hockey coach, although I'm sure it all had a bearing," Henderson
said.  "Billy Powers and Mel really work hard."
 
  ------------------------
 
From THE HOCKEY NEWS [May 20]
Final ranking of 1994 draft-eligible players by the NHL Central
Scouting Bureau:
 
  16  [1st round] Jason Botterill [LW] Michigan sophomore
  27  [2] Matthew Herr [C]
  34  [2] Rob Gordon [C]
 130  [5] Chris Fox [D]
 191  [8] Bill Muckalt [C]
 
Marty Turco is rated 9th among goaltenders.
 
 
  John H
  U Mich [0-0-0]