Nov. 16, 2006
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame hockey coach Jeff Jackson today announced that seven players have signed National Letters-of-Intent to attend the University, beginning in the fall of 2007.
Joining the Irish next fall will be goaltender Brad Phillips (Farmington Hills, Mich.), defensemen Ian Cole (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) and forwards Robin Bergman (Stockholm, Sweden), Billy Maday (Burr Ridge, Ill.), Calle Ridderwall (Stockholm, Sweden) and Ben Ryan (Brighton, Mich.). Bergman and Ridderwall become the first two natives of Sweden to play hockey at Notre Dame.
In making the announcement, Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson said, “We’re really excited about this group of players since it’s the first full class that our staff has brought in. Much of the credit has to go Andy (Slaggert) and Paul (Pooley) for the hard work and great job they did in bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in Irish hockey history. I’m really proud of the level of talent, skill, character and grittiness that this group brings to our program. They will play a huge role in where we want to take this program. This group of players gives us one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.”
All seven of Notre Dame’s recruits for the 2007-08 season have been listed in the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings. Central Scouting ranks players in two categories – A as “must see” as a potential top three round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft and B – as a “player to note” as a potential late round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft. Phillips, Ruth and Ryan were A selections while Bergman, Cole, Maday and Ridderwall were B selections.
Brad Phillips is a 6-2, 163-pound goaltender who is one of three members of the 2007-08 recruiting class to join the Irish from USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. A talented, technically sound goaltender, Phillips is in his second season with the national program after playing last year with the Under-17 team. In eight appearances this year, the big goaltender owns a 6-2-0 record with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage and one shutout. In two games against CCHA teams season, Phillips has made 36 saves in a 5-3 win at Alaska, taking first star honors and then made 36 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss at Michigan. In 2005-06, Phillips played in 38 games for the Under-17 team, playing 2,124:44 minutes with a 21-14-3 mark and one shutout. He turned in a 2.39 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Phillips earned a spot with the national program after a strong Select 16 Festival in the summer of 2005 when he had a 1.67 goals-against mark and a .933 save percentage. The Farmington Hills, Mich., native has ties to Notre Dame as he is the nephew of former Irish quarterback Terry Andrysiak (1984-87).
Jackson on Phillips: “Brad is a technically sound goaltender who covers a lot of the net. He has the ability to stay cool and calm under fire. He reminds me a great deal of Ryan Miller. He’s built like him and has the same attributes as Ryan. He will need to get bigger and stronger but he has the skills to be a top collegiate goaltender.”
Ian Cole is a 6-1, 210-pound left-handed defenseman who has played the last two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Developmental Program. A big, skilled defenseman with good hands and excellent hockey sense he’s played in 16 games this season with two goals and five assists for seven points and 26 minutes in penalties. Last season, as a member of the national program’s Under-17 Team, Cole had four goals and 12 assists in 70 games and collected 103 penalty minutes. Cole is a product of the Detroit Victory Honda Midget AAA program. In his final season of midget major hockey he had 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points.
Jackson on Cole: “Ian is a solid defenseman who has good vision on the ice and will give us a great presence because of the way he plays the game. He’s a big, gritty kid who is strong in the corners and in front of the net. He’s a solid two-way defenseman who puts an emphasis on the physical aspect of the game. He will be a top collegiate defenseman for us in the years to come.”
Teddy Ruth is the third member of the U.S. National Team Development Program to join the Notre Dame roster for the 2007-08 campaign. A 6-0, 190-pound right shot defenseman, Ruth is a strong puckhandler and smooth skater who moves the puck well in the defensive zone. A tough, hard-nosed defender he doesn’t shy away from the physical play and is a strong one-on-one defender. In 16 games this season, Ruth has shown a flair for the offensive side with five goals and eight assists for 13 points and 46 penalty minutes with the Under-18 team to rank fifth in scoring. Last year with the Under-17 team, he had three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 66 games and was named the most outstanding defenseman at the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament. Ruth is a product of the Chicago Mission midget major hockey program (2004-05) where he had eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 46 games his final season.
Jackson on Ruth: “Teddy Ruth is a blood and guts kind of defenseman. He’s a character kid who comes to compete every shift. He’s a prototypical defenseman who plays a tough, physical style. He has the ability to develop into a top college defenseman and hopefully beyond.”
Robin Bergman is a 6-0, 191-pound left-handed shooting left wing who hails from Stockholm, Sweden and is playing his first season in North America. An offensive-minded forward, Bergman has good size and excellent offensive skills with a nice touch around the net. He is currently playing in the United States Hockey League with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders after making that team out of its tryout camp this past summer. In eight games this season, he has four goals and four assists for eight points. Three of his four goals have come on the power play. He was selected to participate in USA Hockey’s Junior Jamboree in Blaine, Minn., (Nov. 13-15) where he had a goal and an assist in two games. Last season while playing in Sweden for Hammarby J-20 (same level as the USHL), Bergman had 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in 37 games.
Jackson on Bergman: “Robin brings a lot to the table. He’s a scoring left wing with a great shot. He’s highly skilled and will give us a strong threat on the left side, something we haven’t had here. That’s why we moved Josh Sciba from center to the left side this season. He skates well and is a smart kid who competes hard. We can always use that type of player. We were fortunate that he had played with Calle (Ridderwall) in Sweden and we got a chance to see him play this summer.”
Billy Maday is a 5-11, 175-pound right-handed shooting center who is playing in his first season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Waterloo Black Hawks. A talented, playmaking forward, Maday has played in 11 games this season, notching three goals and two assists for five points. Two of his goals have come on the power play and he is +2 on the year. He was selected to play in the USA Hockey Junior Jamboree held in Blaine, Minn., Maday was the second pick of the USHL Draft last summer after completing his Midget AAA career with the Chicago Chill. He led that team and the Mid-America Hockey League (MAHL) in scoring with 38 goals and 87 assists for 125 points. The Burr Ridge, Ill., native was a teammate of incoming Irish freshman Calle Ridderwall with Chicago. The duo helped lead the Chill to a runner-up finish at the 2005-06 USA Midget AAA national championships.
Jackson on Maday: “Billy Maday is a highly skilled, strong-skating center with great vision. He’s a talented playmaker who can score. He’s got great hockey instincts and is a player who makes those around him better. Billy will need to develop physically but he’ll be an impact player for us in every game.”
Calle Ridderwall is a 5-11, 175-pound left-handed shooting forward who joins Bergman as the first two players from Sweden to play hockey at Notre Dame. A highly skilled scorer, Ridderwall was selected in the second round, 19th overall by the Tri-City Storm in the 2006 USHL Draft by the Tri-City Storm. With the Storm this season, he is their leading scorer with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points and is tied for seventh in the league scoring race. He also participated in the USA Hockey Junior Jamboree (Nov. 13-15) where he had one assist in the two games. A teammate of incoming freshman Billy Maday with the Chicago Chill last season, Ridderwall was second in scoring on the team and in the MAHL with 52 goals and 66 assists for 118 points. The Chill finished second at the `05-’06 USA Midget AA national championships.
Jackson on Ridderwall: “Calle may be the most skilled player among the seven recruits. He’s got great hands and an excellent shot. He’s a gifted skater with a good mind for the game. He makes plays with and without the puck. The thing about him that sticks out to me is that he just loves to play hockey. He’s always got a smile on his face.”
Ben Ryan is a 6-0, 195-pound right-handed shooting center who is in his second season with the Des Moines Buccaneers, the defending USHL regular season and Clark Cup champions. This season, he is second in scoring for Des Moines and tied for fifth in the USHL with four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 12 games as the Buccaneers lead the Western Division with a 9-3-0 record. He also participated in the USA Hockey Junior Jamboree (Nov. 13-15) in Blaine, Minn. Last season in his rookie year at Des Moines, Ryan finished fifth on the team in scoring with 14 goals and 23 assists for 37 points in 60 games and scored the winning goal in the Clark Cup championship game. He was a second-round pick of the Bucs in the 2005 USHL Draft. He was also a member of the USA Under-18 Select Team that played in the Junior World Cup in August of `05. Ryan was a teammate of incoming freshman Ian Cole while playing Midget Hockey for Detroit Victory Honda in 2004-05 where he had 31 goals and 36 assists for 67 points in 65 games.
Jackson on Ryan: “Ben Ryan is a gritty, talented player with a great deal of potential. He plays a style similiar to Ryan Thang. He’s strong; he takes the body and plays the game hard. I really like his smarts on the ice and the way he competes. Ben’s got a great deal of potential as a playmaker and scorer.”
Class of 2007-08
Player Pos. Birthdate Ht. Wt. S/C Hometown/2006-07 TeamRobin Bergman F 7/12/88 6-0 191 L Stockholm, Sweden/Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)Ian Cole D 2/21/89 6-1 210 L Ann Arbor, Mich./U.S. Under-18 TeamBilly Maday F 2/25/88 5-11 175 R Burr Ridge, Ill./Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)Brad Phillips G 4/22/89 6-2 163 L Farmington Hills, Mich./USA Under-18 TeamCalle Ridderwall F 5/28/88 5-11 175 L Stockholm, Sweden/Tri-City Storm (USHL)Teddy Ruth D 2/14/89 6-0 190 R Naperville, Ill./USA Under-18 TeamBen Ryan F 10/18/88 6-0 195 R Brighton, Mich./Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)