From THE HOCKEY NEWS, Oct. 1:
COLLEGIAN BOLTS TO DETROIT (OHL)
by Jim Cressman
Goalie wars broke out between the Ontario Hockey League's Detroit Jr. Red
Wings and the Bowling Green State University Falcons.
Bowling Green goalie Aaron Ellis has defected to the Jr. Wings and it has
left Falcons' coach Jerry York seeing red.
York was upset Jr. Wings' general manager Jim Rutherford didn't inform him
he was conducting talks with the Falcons' No. 1 goalie.
But Rutherford fired back that U.S. colleges never inform junior teams
when they're talking with players the OHL has already drafted.
In the end, Ellis is a Jr. Wing and will be the team's last line of
defense in its battles in the Emms Division.
Ellis, 19, from New Palestine, Ind., was set to begin his sophomore year
at Bowling Green when he contacted the Jr. Wings.
"I figured this was the best decision for me," said Ellis, the Central
Collegiate Hockey Association's freshman goalie of the year in 1992-93. He
had a 14-10-2 record and 3.70 goals-against average. "There will be more
games for me to play and I felt this would be a step forward in my hockey
career."
Ellis was the Quebec Nordiques' 11th-round draft pick out of high school
in 1992.
"I first talked to Detroit in the spring, but I wasn't real interested in
the OHL at that point," he said. "I talked to them again (in late August)
and then I ran everything by Quebec and they thought it was a good
decision."
Ellis, invited to the U.S. national junior team summer camp, was also
disappointed that despite being Bowling Green's top goalie, he was only on a
partial scholarship.
Another concern was the fact Bowling Green went out in the summer and
recruited another goalie. York said that was done because Ellis had become
academically ineligible.
Ellis attended summer school to improve his grade point average and regain
his athletic eligibility for the start of this school year.
"We couldn't wait until July to see what was going to happen (with Ellis's
grade)," York said. "But he was still our No. 1 goalie...I just don't think
Aaron seemed interested in school."
Rutherford has never seen Ellis play, but said he comes highly recommended
by Quebec.
"Everyone I spoke to said he'll make a good OHL goalie," Rutherford said.
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(For what it's worth, I agree with the decisions made by York *and* by
Ellis.)
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Also from THN, picks for minor league FABULOUS FROSH included:
Greg Johnson, Adirondack (AHL)...North Dakota
Jim Montgomery, Peoria (IHL)...Maine
Chris Tamer, Cleveland (IHL)...Michigan
Tim Sullivan, Nashville (ECHL)...Plattsburg State
John Young, Greensboro (ECHL)...Michigan Tech
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Lastly from THN, LA King Luc Robitaille on Rob Blake (BGSU) replacing Marty
McSorley as the team's player representative to the NHL Players'
Association:
"Rob is responsible and he went to college. He's a bright guy."
(Obviously brighter than Luc, although not as wealthy...yet. :-)
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John Haeussler...Univ of Michigan
P.S. I'm testing a new message system, so apologies if this post doesn't
look right..it's definitely a gamble.
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