Unverified Voracity: Better Late Edition

The hockey recruiting class is looking better of late. First, Trevor Lewis turned into the USHL's best player. He seems poised to make your proverbial instant impact. Then it turned out that NHL teams are hot after incoming defenseman Chris Summers, who garnered a first-round rating from the CSB and features in the top ten of Red Line Report's latest NHL mock draft:

10. Florida: Chris Summers. The Panthers surprise many by grabbing the smooth-skating Summers this early. Summers is tough mentally (a must on any Mike Keenan team) and plays a solid two-way game. The Panthers can use his versatility.

Red Line also has Mitera at #22:

22. Philadelphia: Mark Mitera. The Flyers are happy to get the huge stay-at-home banger who gives them another gritty player for the future. Should look good paired with Pitkanen in five years.

Neither of those projected draft slots mean quite as much as they would have a couple years ago, as the new CBA puts a serious brake on the Euro draft tide. You must sign all Euros/Junior players within two years of drafting or you lose their rights. On the other hand, you have four years to evaluate college players, which will artificially boost their draft stock. Still, that's not bad, especially because Lewis is widely regarded as a second-round pick and could go in the late first.

The upshot: Summers is good. Conveniently, The Wolverine's Bob Miller had a brief interview with him recently.

Fish in a barrel: Chances are if there's a picture of someone committing a crime these days, he's delighting Michigan fans everywhere with his choice of apparel:



The countdown to an MZone pictoral history of the Ohio State sweatshirt featuring Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Nixon starts now. (Via EDSBS.)

Meanwhile, Deadspin has taken up the cause of library masturbator Mike Cooper. Leitch notes his bail was set at a half-million dollars, which is both hilariously out of proportion to his crime -- the judge has given accused murderers far less -- and uselessly excessive -- I think a fifty would have been sufficiently outside the LM's means. Radley Balko says free LM!

Vijay is back and ornery, slamming the 70-some D-I teams who are fattening up on I-AA cows and making a good point: the "we couldn't find anyone to play" excuse rings hollow when a dozen teams are all playing goofball opponents on the very same day.

Do not click this link.

Etc.: TNR echoes my praise of Kenny, Charles, and Ernie; "Real Football 365" has an article on Michigan receivers, not much new but it's freakin' June; Paul Westerdawg's dug up audio that refers to Joe Paterno as a "dark invader"; Golden Tornado does the Big Ten mascot thing.

PS: ECUADOR GOAAAAL! ALLAH ALLAH ALLAH ALLAH!