Wolverine Ice Hockey Signs Nine for 2001-02 Season
11/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey program has signed nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2001-02 season.
Goaltender Jason Bacashihua (St. Charles, Ill.); forwards Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.), Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.), Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.), Jason Ryznar (Anchorage, Alaska) and Michael Woodford (Westford, Mass.); and defensemen Reilly Olson (Vernon, B.C.), Brandon Rogers (Rochester, N.H.) and Eric Werner (Sioux Falls, S.D.) have all committed to play for the Wolverines beginning in the fall of 2001.
"We're very excited about the class," said head coach Red Berenson. "It's nice to have all nine kids signed now. It isn't often we can talk about the entire freshman class this early. That's a testament to the job (associate head coach) Mel (Pearson) and (assistant coach) Billy (Powers) have done. This a good class with lots of intangibles. They're all good kids."
Bacashihua, a 6-0, 170-pound goaltender, joins Michigan from the Chicago Freeze of the North American Hockey League. Regarded as the top collegiate goaltending prospect in the nation, he has a 3.29 goals-against average, a .901 save percentage and a record of 9-5-0 with one shutout in 14 games played this season. After stopping 69 of 75 shots in a pair of games in late October, Bacashihua was named the NAH Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Oct. 22.
Gajic, a 6-0, 180-pound forward, hails from the British Columbia Hockey League. The high-scoring forward already has 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in just 22 games for the Burnaby Bulldogs this season. With 45 points, he leads the next highest scorer in the BUSHEL by eight points.
Helminen, a 5-10, 185-pound forward, is one of three recruits from the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 team based in Ann Arbor, Mich. A native of nearby Brighton, Mich., he is the eldest of seven children in his family. After posting five points at the Five Nations Cup last week, he stands third on the team in scoring with five goals and 16 assists for 21 points. He has netted three power-play goals and one game-winning goal this season.
Nystrom, a 6-1, 195-pound forward, also plays for the U.S. NTDP Under-18 team. The son of Bob Nystrom, who won four Stanley Cup championships with the New York Islanders, he is eighth on the team in scoring with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 19 games. He has two game-winning goals and 46 penalty minutes this season.
Olson, a 6-0, 180-pound defenseman, provides an offensive threat from the blue line. Originally recruited as a member of the 2000-01 freshman class, Olson stayed with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL for a second season. Last season, he recorded 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 57 games. So far this year, he has one goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 21 games.
Ryznar, a 6-4, 205-pound forward, joins the Wolverines from the U.S. NTDP Under-18 team. He is fifth on the squad in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 18 games. He has collected one power-play goal and one game-winning goal in addition to 15 penalty minutes.
Werner, a 5-10, 185-pound defenseman, returns to Michigan from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League. A native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., he is second in the league in defensive scoring with one goal and 12 assists for 13 points in 13 games this season. Werner's 12 assists tie him for second in the USHL.
Joining Michigan next season from the high school ranks are Rogers, a 6-1, 180-pound defenseman from Hotchkiss Prep School in New Hampshire, and Woodford, a 6-0, 180-pound forward from Cushing Academy in Massachusetts.
Michigan, 7-2-2 overall and 5-2-0 in the CCHA, is ranked fifth in the nation entering this weekend's games against Alaska Fairbanks on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 17-18).
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Birthdate | Hometown |
| Jason Bacashihua | G | 6-0 | 170 | 9-20-1982 | Dearborn Heights, Mich. |
| Milan Gajic | F | 6-0 | 180 | 6-1-1981 | Burnaby, B.C. |
| Dwight Helminen | F | 5-10 | 185 | 6-22-1983 | Brighton, Mich. |
| Eric Nystrom | F | 6-1 | 195 | 2-14-1983 | Syosset, N.Y. |
| Reilly Olson | D | 6-0 | 180 | 6-28-1981 | Grand Prairie, Alberta |
| Brandon Rogers | D | 6-1 | 180 | 2-27-1982 | Rochester, N.H. |
| Jason Ryznar | F | 6-4 | 205 | 2-19-1983 | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Eric Werner | D | 5-10 | 185 | 1-26-1983 | Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. |
| Michael Woodford | F | 6-0 | 180 | 10-4-1981 | Westford, Mass. |
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
