(left) Goaltender Sam Brittain from Calgary committed to DU yesterdayThe University of Denver scored another major recruiting coup, receiving a commitment yesterday from top-flight goaltender Sam Brittain. Brittain plays for the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and will enroll at DU in 2011.
Brittain is doing his part to revive the fortunes of the Eagles this season. The team is an early season playoff contender in the South Division of the AJHL. Brittain has carried the lion’s share of the goaltending load in his first full season in the league. Already 6'3 210 lbs. he has the size that NHL teams are looking for.
Brittain’s resume is impressive. He led the Calgary Buffaloes AAA Midget team to the National Championships in Selkirk, Manitoba, last spring, winning a silver medal.
He is eligible for the NHL Draft this summer in Los Angeles. His strong start at Canmore had led to an "A" grade by the NHL Central Scouting Service which usually means a strong possibility of being selected in the first two rounds.
Brittain is a Senior in high school and is described as an "A Student." Wisconsin and the University of Nebraska-Omaha were also reportedly interested in Brittian.
2010 Recruiting Class
F Jason Zucker (U.S. Under-18)
D David Makowski (Green Bay, USHL)
F Nick Shore (U.S. Under-18)
F Beau Bennett (Penticton, BCHL)
2011 Recruiting Class
D Scott Mayfield (Youngstown, USHL)
F Zac Larraza (U.S. Under-17)
G Sam Brittain (Canmore, AJHL)
2012 Recruiting Class
F Tyler Pham (Team Illinios)
18 comments:
Sam is an "A" rated NHL prospect for next year's draft. 6-3, 200 lbs and plays in the Alberta League for Canmore.
Looks like a solid pickup, and they'd bring him in early if Chevy bolts for the NHL.
Wisconsin and UNO were also in the running to land him, according to Western Hockey blog.
gee... pretty good at repeating what the article already stated there Swimmy
I posted that stuff before DG expanded the article from a single line accouncing the committment to it's current length.
Sorry guys it my fault.
I posted a one line story, then did the research an hour later and used a half dozen internet sources including Swami's posts to cobble together the posting.
With the way the timing is laying out, it looks like Brittain will come in initially as a backup for Adam Murray. In all likelihood, Chevy will be gone after this season, with Murray hopefully having had enough time under Lalonde to step up the way Chevy did last year. Give Brittain a year under Lalonde, too, and he'll be able to rock like Chevy does.
I was just checking some stuff about the draft they say the age cutoffs for the 2010 NHL Draft are 12/31/90-9/15/92. Which makes Nick Shore (9/26/92) and Sam Brittain (10/5/92) ineligible for this summer's draft. I do find it odd that they rank Brittain if he is considered ineligible. But I also found it strange that Shore wasn't ranked in any rankings anywhere.
Brittain was born on May 10, 1992, not October 5, 1992. Thus he is eligible.
Does anyone know if the staff has another forward recruit up their sleeves? We've got three coming in, but we lose Rakhshani, Ruegsegger, Gifford, Vossberg, and Glasser to graduation, and probably Colborne to the NHL.
We're bringing in Shore II, Zucker, and Bennet. We need at least one more forward recruit to join up.
Colborne is not ready for the NHL.
Any other players coming in next season will likely be recruited walk-ons as I believe there are no scholies left for next season. If Colborne left one would eb available but I don't see him leaving as he needs to continue to work on his game to make the jump to the pros.
Was he actually close to leaving in the summer or do the Bruins realize (like we all do) that he has to develop more?
Hey... that means we got SAMUAL ADAMS!
Nice work. The Beer Rotation.
"Murray has not yet proven he's a WCHA level goalie."
Why all the hate Swami? Give the poor kid a chance.
CC, making DU fans smile since 1957
Murray has been abysmal thus far. Not hating, just a fact.
At this point in his fresh. year, Chevy was just as bad. Give Murray time with this coaching staff and he'll be great.
I don't hate Murray. I would totally love to see Murray become a successful goalie at DU. But the fact remains that right now statistically, he's one of the worst goalies in all of D-I hockey, and has yet to show that he is WCHA ready.
We need an insurance policy in case Lalonde is unable to make him effective.
Post a Comment