Hockey Inks Three To National Letters Of Intent
4/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
April 15, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head coach Rick Comley has inked three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2004-05 season during the late signing period. Defenseman Jeff Dunne and forwards Jim McKenzie and Chris Mueller will join the Spartan hockey program next fall.
This trio will join forward Peder Skinner (Isle-aux-Morts, Newfoundland) and defenseman Daniel Vukovic (North York, Ont.), as both players signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period in November. Both players are members of the St. Michael's Buzzers of the Ontario Provincial Junior "A" Hockey League.
"Overall, I'm very excited about this group," commented Comley. "We addressed some very specific needs. I like the talent and the mix of this freshman group.
"One of my goals was to add a couple of creative offensive centermen. We are bringing in two centermen with good creativity and a power forward, and they should help us have much better balance next season.
"We also wanted to add depth at defense and bring in players with some offensive skills."
Jeff Dunne, D, 5-11, 195, Shoots: R, Birthday: June 23, 1985; Grover, Mo./Chicago Steel (USHL)
Played for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League for two years (2002-04) ... Appeared in 54 games in 2003-04, posting 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) ... His 23 points ties him for 13th in the USHL among the defensive points leaders ... Six of his seven goals came via the power play ... Earned USHL Defensive Player of the Week honors on Jan. 12, 2004, after posting two goals, two assists and a +6 rating in three games ... Member of the 2004 U.S. Viking Cup Team, which captured a silver medal in Camrose, Alberta ... Saw action in 53 games in 2002-03, generating 3-5-8 totals ... Played organized hockey in the Detroit area for eight years, including AAA midget with Detroit Honeybaked in 2001-02 ... Tallied six goals, 27 assists and a +28 rating in 65 games ... Graduated from Stevenson High School in Buffalo Grove, Ill., with a 3.95 grade-point average in the spring of 2003 ... Plans to enroll in the Lyman Briggs School (Honors College) and major in microbiology.
Jim McKenzie, F, 6-1, 209, Shoots: R, Birthday: June 10, 1984; Woodbury, Minn./Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
Spent two seasons (2002-04) with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League ... Tied for fifth in the USHL regular-season scorers with 64 points (26 goals, 38 assists) in 59 games in 2003-04 ... Tallied eight power-play markers, two shorthanded tallies and three game winners among his 26 markers ... Had 168 penalty minutes ... Team captain ... Selected as the team MVP ... Named MVP of the 2004 USHL Prospects/All-Star Game after tallying two goals including the overtime game winner... Earned USHL Offensive Player of the Week honors on Jan. 5, 2004, after tallying 3-3-6 totals ... Listed No. 139 in the NHL's Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings for North American skaters for the 2004 NHL Draft ... Played in 45 games for Sioux Falls in 2002-03, posting 6-8-24 totals and 108 penalty minutes ... Prior to joining Sioux Falls, spent time with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) and the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... Played at Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, Minn., in 1999-2000, posting 7-10-17 totals.
Chris Mueller, F, 5-10, 180, Shoots: R; Birthday: March 6, 1986; West Seneca, N.Y./Buffalo Saints (Midget AAA)
Member of the 2003 U.S. Under-18 Select Team, which participated at the Eight Nations Tournament in Slovakia and won the gold medal for the first time in history ... Member of the 2002 U.S. Under-17 Select Team, which also captured a gold medal in the Czech Republic ... Played Midget AAA for the Buffalo Saints where he served as team captain ... Tallied four goals and 15 points in five games for the Buffalo Saints (Midget AAA) at the Fourth Annual Midget Major Autumn Invitational Tournament in Chicago en route to all-tournament team honors ... His 15 points led all players ... Posted two goals and seven points in five games to lead Buffalo in scoring at the Tier I Under-17 midget championships in Marquette, Mich. ... The Saints posted a 2-2-1 record in Marquette ... Saints were the New York State Champions ... Four-year letterwinner in hockey at Nichols School in Buffalo, N.Y. ... Appeared in 32 games in 2003-04, posting 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points ... Led team with a +41 rating ... Team captain as a senior and served as assistant captain as a junior ... Selected as team MVP as a sophomore, junior and senior ... Played in 127 career games at Nichols School, posting 113 goals and 122 assists for 235 points.
