LetsGoDU

Local player jumps from high school to DU

By Mike Chambers Denver Post Staff Writer
Article from the Denver Post

Lakewood native Tyler Ruegsegger has joined Littleton's J.D. Corbin and Englewood's Geoff Paukovich as homegrown University of Denver players and NHL draft picks.

Ruegsegger is a pioneer of sorts, because unlike virtually every DU recruit signed in the past 20 years, the blue-chip forward is coming to college straight out of high school and with no junior-A or U.S. Development Program experience.

Ruegsegger, 18, signed with DU last fall at the beginning of his senior season at Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, Minn., and agreed to delay the start of his freshman season until 2007, after playing a season in junior-A. But then he erupted on the ice, leading the prestigious high school team with 38 goals and 89 points in 60 games.

DU coach George Gwozdecky has since asked Ruegsegger to join his program immediately, and the Toronto Maple Leafs devoted a sixth-round draft pick to him in last month's NHL draft.
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"Tyler played for arguably the top prep school in the country, and he plays to win," DU recruiting coordinator Steve Miller said. "The more and more we evaluated him as the season went on, it made sense to us to bring him to school.

"He has so much heart and character. He'll go out and do whatever it takes to win, so I don't see him getting frustrated at all, making that jump. He's too mentally tough."

Ruegsegger, a product of the Arvada and Littleton youth hockey organizations, said: "I'm really excited to go straight from high school to college. The coaching staff has watched me play over the past year and they think I'm ready. I think I'm ready, too. It's a big jump, but I'm just going to go in there and let 'er rip."

Ruegsegger will join DU a year early along with defenseman Keith Seabrook, who was selected in the second round by the Washington Capitals last month. Seabrook, the younger brother of Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook, replaces Matt Carle, DU's first Hobey Baker Award winner who in March gave up his senior season to sign with the San Jose Sharks.

Ruegsegger and Seabrook helped give DU a school-record 12 NHL draft picks on its roster this season. The previous record is eight (2003-04).

Ruegsegger, one of a record five Denver freshmen to be drafted last month, said his second favorite NHL team, behind the Avalanche, is Toronto, because the Leafs are his father's favorite team.

"It was a special moment," he said about being drafted by Toronto. "I feel like I've really been blessed."

Footnotes

DU's incoming freshman class is expected to grow to eight next week with the group's only recruited walk-on, whom Miller declined to reveal. Currently, the only freshman player not drafted by an NHL team is rugged 6-4 defenseman Cody Brookwell of Calgary. ... The 2007 incoming freshman class, after losing Ruegsegger and Seabrook, features goalie Marc Cheverie and forwards Jesse Martin and Kyle Ostrow. ... In addition to losing Carle and graduated forwards Gabe Gauthier and Ted O'Leary, forwards Brock McMorris of Cherry Hills and Jon James have decided to not return for their senior seasons.