Re: "The Lake Show" - LSSU Laker Hockey
Lakers tap into Traverse City pipeline
By PETER PIETRANGELO/sports@sooeveningnews.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Call it Lake Superior State's feeder program.
The Traverse City North Stars of the NAHL, who recently advanced to next week's Robertson Cup, the league's championship tournament in Wenatchee, Wash., have four future Lakers on the team, two of which will be suiting up for the Lakers next year.
Dan Radke and Kyle Jean will be playing for the Lakers next season, while Kellin Ainsworth is slated to join the Lakers for the 2011-12 season. Goalie Tyler Marble has also committed to LSSU, though he is still "two or three years away" from joining the Lakers, TC coach/general manager Anthony Palumbo said.
The North Stars swept the Marquette Rangers in the first round of the playoffs and then swept the Motor City Metal Jackets in the North Division finals.
"Dan and Kyle are a huge part of our team and our success," said Palumbo, who played for the Lakers from 1985-89 and was a teammate of LSSU coach Jim Roque. "Those two guys provide us with high-end talent, and they are two of the high-end players in our end. They bring offense, but they're also elite penalty killers."
Jean, a Sault native, was scheduled to join the Lakers this season, but he had offseason shoulder surgery and joined the North Stats two months into the season. He also missed six weeks recovering from mono. In 40 games this season, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward has 17 goals and 14 assists.
"Kyle's going to be a big presence," Palumbo said about Jean. "He skates very well, he's got great ability on the puck, as good as any big man in our league. And that's going to get better as he trains at the college level. His potential in unlimited."
Palumbo said Jean's staying for an extra season helped him become better-prepared mentally for the college game.
"It may help from the standpoint of maturity," Palumbo said. "He's gone through a lot of adversity, and now he's playing his best hockey of the year."
Radke, a former Soo Indian who Roque has compared to former three-year captain Troy Schwab, was third on the team with 47 points in the regular season. He had 21 goals and 26 assists and has added four goals in the playoffs.
"Dan is one of the smartest players I've ever coached," Palumbo said. "He quarterbacks the power play, and he sees the ice better than any player we have."
Ainsworth, a scrappy forward who had 30 points (9-21) in 49 games, is a year away from being able to handle the physicality of the CCHA.
"Kellin is a kid that brings an edge to the game," Palumbo said. "He's one of those kids who you don't like to play against but you love to have on your team.
"He needs to continue to work on his strength. One more year and he should be more ready."
Palumbo still tries to make it to as many Laker games as possible when the North Stars aren't playing and tries to catch the Lakers on TV whenever he can.
"It's an honor to help my alma mater," Palumbo said. "I want to help any way I can, and if that means coaching players for Coach Roque and his team, I'm happy to do that. I hope they can go and make a big impact."
The North Stars may have four future Lakers on the team, but the real stars of the Lakers' recruiting class played for the Vaughan Vipers on the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. Forward Colin Campbell was ninth in the league in scoring with 76 points on 32 goals and 44 assists, and goalie Kevin Kapalka was second in the league with a .923 save percentage. He was 22-14-7 with a 2.84 GAA.
The pair played in the OJAHL Sr. All-Star Game, with Kapalka picking up the win.
The Lakers also signed goalie Niels-Erik Ravn from the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the Central Jr. Hockey League. A native of Aix-En Provence in France, Ravn had a 2.74 GAA and a .910 save percentage in 43 games in the regular season. His 1,329 saves were second in the CJHL.
The Lakers will also bring in two defensemen next year. Andrew Perrault was the seventh-highest scoring defenseman in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with six goals and 30 assists. He also had 105 penalty minutes and was the October Player of the Month for the league. Zach Sternberg of the Central Junior Hockey League's Nepean Raiders was the seventh-highest-scoring defenseman in the leage with four goals and 38 points.