More Hockey

Red Line Report continues its runup to the NHL draft with a column on the top defensemen from Kyle Woodlief. As you might expect from the earlier mock draft, Woodlief is extremely high on both sophomore-to-be Mark Mitera and incoming freshman Chris Summers, ranking them fifth and third respectively. Woodlief on Summers:

Summers is vastly underrated, but there's much to like about his game. Start with excellent footwork, strong hockey smarts, and good puck moving skills, and add in a nasty streak and a penchant for big hits. Summers plays the game hard and is a team-first guy at all times.

And on Mitera:

Mark Mitera is, like Summers, frequently overlooked since he's not flashy. But he is big and physical, and plays a sound defensive game. Mitera needs to make his decisions faster in puck movement, but he's an intelligent kid who works hard on his game and has made steady incremental progress.

Less happily, Blog That Yost Built brings news that '08 recruit AJ Jenks has signed with the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL. Insert standard complaining about the OHL being pure evil in ice hockey form here. Hopefully this counts as Michigan's NCAA-mandated painful offseason departure and we'll be allowed to hold onto Johnson, Hensick, and Hunwick. (Zach MacVoy does not count as painful.)