Teodors Blugers interview at World Junior Hockey Championships 2012

Teodors Blugers interview at World Junior Hockey Championships 2012

Lativia’s #21 Teodors (Teddy) Blugers is a potential latter round 2012 NHL entry draft pick. The centreman  plays for Shattuck St. Mary’s, a high school in Minnesota, for which he has scored 33 points in 20 games so far this season.

The school has some obvious high-end alumni including Sidney Crosby,Zach Parise, Jack Johnson, Drew Stafford and Jonathan Toews.

He is a solid two-way player with a strong work ethic. I had the opportunity to talk with him after they lost 14-0 to Russia in round robin play at the 2012 World Junior Championship.

While he has just 1 assist in 4 games thus far at this year’s tournament, keep in mind just how difficult it is for a first year draft eligible prospect to make an impact at this level. Fellow Shattuck alumni Toews, for instance, had just 2 assists in 6 games in this first championship.

Shattuck-St. Mary’s School – Center of Hockey Excellence

Back in July of 2010, The Hockey Writers took a closer look at the hockey factory that is Shattuck-St. Mary’s:

In 1993, seeing the possibility of growing the school population through an accelerated hockey program, Director of Hockey Craig Norwich convinced the powers-that-be to leave the Minnesota High School Hockey League and strike out on its own.  All high school hockey in Minnesota is community based; if you live in Edina, you play in Edina.  The uniqueness of SSM’s program (the boarding school aspect, players from across the world, 50-70 game schedule) allows Shattuck to register with USA Hockey as the only non-community-based Minnesota team and consequently to represent the state in the USA Nationals playoffs every year.

The program looks for specific types of individuals when evaluating which hockey prospects are right for their school. This certainly speaks to the character of Teddy Blugers.

Tom Ward was named Director of Hockey four years ago. Asked what he looks for in a young prospect, Ward had some very straight advice:

“A candidate for our program must first be a person of good character; have a passion for the game; and understand that the environment here is unique.  He has to be willing to put in the effort it takes to be the best he can be.  It is a full day here.  His chemistry teacher will expect him to be fully present when he is in class and we will expect the same when he hits the ice.  Our expectations are very high.  We have high standards for a kid entering the school and once he has arrived in the program, we like to create an atmosphere here for him to grow that talent, to reach his potential as an athlete and as a member of the community.”

The well-spoken Blugers attended English schools in Latvia growing up.

Interview

Chris Ralph: What  path did you take to get to Shattuck St. Mary’s?

Teddy Blugers: I was looking for somewhere in North America and I went and toured a bunch of East Coast prep schools and also toured Shattuck. I liked Shattuck the best and so glad I made the decision to go there. I love it there. I thought it was the best fit for me to work on and develop my game. They also have some pretty good alumni!”

CR: It was a pretty tough loss tonight, but you and your team have had some impressive moments in the tournament so far, such as battling Slovakia until the very end. The local fans have also taken a liking to your team. What positives have you taken from the tournament at this point?

Blugers: It’s a great experience and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Obviously it was a disappointing performance tonight, but hopefully we can learn from our mistakes moving forward. It’s been unbelievable.  Hockey is such a huge deal here. To get be treated very well,  it’s been a great experience so far.

CR: I couldn’t help but notice your prowess in the face-off circle. (I later discovered Blugers won the award for best face-off percentage (68.75%) at the 2010-11 WJC U18s D1A tournament. For round-robin play in this WJC, Teddy finished 20th overall for best face-off percentage; definitely a strong showing for a 17 year-old.)

Blugers: No, not really. I try to work on it when I get a chance. I guess I’ve played centre all my life so I’ve naturally taken a lot of face-offs and therefore have the experience which helps.

CR: Any significance to your jersey number “21″?

Blugers: Yeah – I’ve always worn it growing up because I idolized Peter Forsberg.

CR: That answers another question. Any current NHLer you pattern your game after?

Blugers: Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings). He’s one of the best players in the NHL obviously. He’s unbelievable. His skill level and the way he plays the game is fantastic.

CR: Do you have any particular post-game activities?

Blugers: Soccer is a good way to get worked up and to cool down before and after practices and games.

CR: What’s your plans for next year – still NCAA?

Blugers: Next year I’m heading to Minnesota State University (Mankato) in the NCAA?

CR: Any thoughts on playing in the CHL?

Blugers: No, I haven’t really thought about that at this point.

CR: You were drafted in the second round in the KHL. I consider you a sleeper for the 2012 draft? Does the NHL entry draft enter into your thoughts as all?

Blugers: Not really – I have to keep playing well. Hopefully, it all works out, but it’s really up to me on how my game develops.

One-Timers:

Dean Millard of Coming Down The Pipe dubbed Blugers a wild card for Team Latvia:

Teodor Blugers is a 17 year old centre who was born in Riga, Latvia but developed in North America. He’s currently in his 3rd season with Shattuck St. Mary’s prep school where he’s torching things up with 33 points in 20 games. Next year he’s set to join Minnesota State University (Mankato)at the 2010-11 WJC U18s D1A tournament. Blugers is also 2012 draft eligible.

Alessandro Seren Rosso of Hockey’s Future in his preview of Team Latvia noted:

Forward Teodors Blugers is having a very solid season in the USHS with Shattuck St. Mary’s as he scored 33 points in the 20 games played so far. Blugers pretty much fell behind the radar until now. It wouldn’t be much surprise if a team uses a late round pick on him in the 2012 Draft, considering his skills level and the very good season he is having this year.

Shots From The Slot:

• Teodors had 5 points (4 G, 1A) in 4 games for Latvia at the 2010-11 WJC U18s D1A tournament and was tied for most goals in the gold medal winning performance by Latvia.
• Blugers was drafted 39th overall in the 2011 KHL draft.

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Check out our World Junior Championships Viewers Guide 2012 Edition as more articles will be added highlighting team previews, players to watch, predictions and other unique and exclusive coverage. (Home Page Link)

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Follow on Twitter for plenty of updates leading up to and during the tournament: @ChrisRalphTHW

Submitted by Faribault Daily… on Mon, 01/02/2012 – 22:41

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Willie Raskob scored a hat trick as the Shattuck-St. Mary’s boys prep hockey team avenged an earlier loss to Finland to capture the inaugural gold medal at the World Sport School Challenge in Calgary, Alberta.

Just two days after losing 4-3 to the Fins, the Sabres (32-4-1) came back with a 5-3 win in the gold medal game on Saturday, their third-straight win in an elimination game. Despite going just 1-2 in pool play, the Sabres got hot at the right time and rode a wave of goal-scoring to win the first-year tournament.

“We were on the puck all week from game one to game six,” said SSM assistant coach Des Christopher, who was coaching for Tom Ward. “The guys played very, very hard and worked together as a group. We played very well offensively in this tournament.”

Finals SSM 5, Finland 3

The Sabres fell behind 1-0 in the first period before Raskob, a defenseman, scored his natural hat trick, including goals just 57 seconds apart spanning the first and second periods. All three of Raskob’s goals came on the power play.

“Willie is a very skilled player,” Christopher said. “He understands the offensive side of the game. We activate our defensemen and give them the opportunity to jump in on the rush when it’s available and he was able to do that.”

Zach Stepan put SSM up 4-1 before Finland scored two goals to pull within one with 16 minutes to play. Hunter Fejes added an empty netter in the final seconds.

“They’re a very good hockey team and it was going to be close either way,” Christopher said. “I think we got a couple of bounces and a couple of breaks. Our power play was clicking very well.”

The Fins had come into the game 4-0 in the tournament and had out-scored their opponents 36-7. The Sabres had success in mixing up their penalty kill.
“We haven’t seen that team before and we noticed they were doing some different puck movement and we decided it was better to change our rotation in the box,” Christopher said.

Semifinals SSM 7, Slovakia 5

For the second time at the WSSC the Sabres took down Slovakia. Thanks to seven different players scoring — and two other notching assists — SSM built a 7-3 lead with 20 minutes to play behind four second-period goals.

The Sabres scored twice in the opening five minutes, then after Slovakia tied it at 2-2 the Sabres scored five straight times. Hunter Fejes had a goal and two assists and Noah Henry, Tyler Vesel and Stepan each had a goal and an assist. Anthony Brodeur made 21 saves as SSM out-shot Slovakia 68-26.

Quarterfinals SSM 12, POE 0

There wasn’t much excellence from the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy as Shattuck peppered the net with 71 shots and 12 goals, including a hat trick from Fejes.

SSM scored four times in the first period, five in the second and three in the third. They scored eight times on 10 power plays. Noah Henry had two goals and an assist and Carter Lukenda had three assists. Brodeur had an 18-save shutout.

Pool play

The Sabres opened pool play on Dec. 26 with a tough 7-5 loss to Okanagan Hockey Academy. After SSM jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Okanagan tied it up with three second-period goals. Fejes tied the game at 5-5 with 2:54 to play, but Okanagan’s Joseph Hicketts scored the game winner with 1:36 to play.

“We probably played one of our best games in the first game,” Christopher said. “We just didn’t get the outcome. It was a really fluky game. It was odd.”
Hayton finished with 28 saves and Raskob, Vesel, Fejes, Truman Reed and Sabastian Lemm all scored.

The next day, SSM beat Slovakia 9-3 behind Stepan’s four goals. The Sabres led 6-2 after a second period that saw the two teams combine for seven goals. Brodeur finished with 25 saves.

In their final pool play game, the Sabres lost a lead to Finland and fell to 1-2.

Up 2-0, SSM led Finland score three straight goals before Jake Montgomery tied it in the second period. But Finland scored short-handed with eight minutes to go. Hayton had 17 saves and Fejes and Stepan scored.

The Sabres are off until they travel to Chicago for an HPHL Showcase on Jan. 13.

— Sports editor Brendan Burnett-Kurie may be reached at 333-3129.

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Brianna Decker knows time is running short, so the junior center for the University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team is trying to make every nanosecond count.

Decker only has another eight weeks or so to alternately observe and pick the fertile brain of Meghan Duggan before the 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award winner graduates from UW in December with a degree in biology.

Duggan, the all-time leading scorer in program history who led the Badgers to the NCAA title last season, intends to return to the Boston area where she grew up and where she’ll continue to train toward another berth on the U.S. Olympic Team for 2014.

Between now and then, Duggan is a fixture at UW practices, attacking every drill and conditioning session. Decker is never very far away.

“I’ve taken so much from her already and she’s continuously helping me,” Decker said of her former linemate. “I’m trying to soak up everything as quick as possible here the next couple months.”

Decker, from Dousman, has a world-class skill set that could reunite her with Duggan on Team USA for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

In 70 career games, Decker has 54 goals, 60 assists and 114 points. She’s coming off a sophomore season in which she totaled 80 points (34 goals, 46 assists) and teamed with Duggan and current senior winger, captain and Olympian Hilary Knight to guide the Badgers to their fourth national title in six years.

Decker became a protégé of sorts for Duggan. Whatever drill Duggan did, Decker wanted to see if she could do it better. Whenever Duggan stayed after practice to work on her game, Decker was right there, too.

But this goes beyond the game. Duggan was an exceptional captain. Teammates respectfully referred to her as “Alpha.” When Decker picks her brain, the subjects aren’t limited to on-ice tactics.

“I ask her little things about leadership and how to control certain situations on the team,” said Decker, one of three assistant captains along with senior wingers Brooke Ammerman and Carolyn Prevost. “And I know she studies her butt off all the time. I want to pick up on those things, too.

“I want to be an all-around good person and that’s what she is. She’s a great example for every one of us in that (dressing) room.”

The top-ranked Badgers are about to get a good measure of their collective character. They open a daunting month of matchups at 2 p.m. Saturday when they host North Dakota in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at the Kohl Center.

The Sioux are loaded with talent and seem primed for a breakthrough season. That series is followed by two more against rivals Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth before Boston University comes to Madison for a rematch of March’s NCAA title game.

“We’re playing solid teams this month,” Decker said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but we need to focus on ourselves.”

In the midst of carrying 17 credits this semester, Duggan kept close tabs on Decker. Duggan likes what she sees.

“She has developed into probably, I’d say, one of the best players in the world,” Duggan said. “Just in the last year the strides that she’s made in her game are unbelievable. I think everyone has noticed them.

“I’m really excited to see where she’s going to go this year. Her eagerness to learn and get better every single day I think is what’s made her into an elite player. She’s only going to get better because of that.”

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Jordy Murray wearing #28 playing in the Swiss National League A for Rapperwil Lakers.

UND captain Chay Genoway has signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Wild, but won’t report until next season.

Genoway, a two-time All-American defenseman for the Sioux, will finish up his degree in business management before starting his professional career near home.

Genoway bounced back strong from a concussion that sidelined him for the final five months of the 2009-10 season to finish his career with 37 points in 36 games. He’s the first point-per game defenseman for the Sioux since Travis Roche, who also signed a free agent contract with the Wild.

Genoway earned first-team all-WCHA honors and first-team All-American honors. He is the third senior to sign an NHL contract. Previously, Matt Frattin signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Brad Malone signed with the Colorado Avalanche.

April 10, 2011

By Carl Chimenti
Special to USAHockey.com

It was a dominating performance from start to finish for Shattuck-St. Mary’s. The end result was a 4-2 win over Little Caesars that gave Shattuck the USA Hockey 19-Under Tier I National Championship on Sunday in Rochester, Mich.

Shattuck played a strong defensive game and chalked up several blocked shots to lend a hand to goaltender Erin Krichiver.

“We spend a lot of time thinking about and working on our defensive zone coverage,” Shattuck coach Gordie Stafford said after the game. “You can always play good defense even when you’re not scoring, and chances are good things will happen.”

Little Caesars coach Matt Berger tipped his hat to Shattuck.

“They did a good job of taking away what they gave us,” Berger said. “Also, I don’t think we played our best game.”

There were a couple of would-be turning points in the second period. Trailing 2-0, Little Caesars managed to score at the 4:25 mark to slice the lead in half on a goal by Nicole Renault, who deposited an assist from Alyssa West. But Shattuck scored what turned out to be the game-winner only 35 seconds later. Little Caesars later came up short on a breakaway.

“It’s a game of emotion and you have to try to get it when you don’t have it,” Berger said. “They have a pretty strong defensive core.”

Stafford felt Little Caesars make a charge in the second period.

“I thought they were really coming on, but we were to blame as well,” Stafford said. “We had a couple of bad line changes and a couple of dropped passes that were uncharacteristic of us.”

Krichiver got just enough of the shot on the breakaway to send it awry.

“Erin got a piece of that shot,” Stafford said. “She has been fantastic for us all year and she came up big for us at the right time.”

Shattuck scored twice within 25 seconds in the first period as Kayla Sullivan deposited the puck into the net from in front at 9:46 on an unassisted goal. Kathleen Turnbull made it 2-0 as she found herself parked at the side of netminder Taylor Fairchild to score the goal. Kimberly Drake and Brook Garzone had the assists.

Shattuck increased its lead to 4-1 in the third period on a pretty passing play. Courtney Burke dished out a perfect pass to Ellen Williams for a tap-in and a 4-1 lead. Little Caesars matched that in the waning seconds of the game on a goal by Caitlyn Post, with an assist from Casey Dockus during a 5-on-3 advantage.

Stafford says his team, which has nine seniors off to play Division I college hockey next season, peaked at the right time.

“We really came together at the end of the year,” Stafford said. “The core group of this team won the U-16 National title last year and the seniors bought into the system and they know how to win.”

Krichiver gave credit to her teammates following the post game hoopla.

“They have been amazing at blocking shots all year,” Krichiver said. “I think as a whole we have been solid all the way around. We have been scoring but at the same time we have been shutting down teams as well.”