UW's Smith Departs School Early for NHL

The Detroit Redwings and Wisconsin's Brendan Smith made it official Thursday - he's leaving UW one year early to play in the NHL. For many, this is something we've all been expecting. For some, this may come as a surprise. Smith led all defensemen in the nation with 15 goals and 52 points this season. He was a top-10 Hobey finalist as well.

He had 87 points in 95 career games.

This is hit to Wisconsin, but their D-corp is so deep that I don't think it's really going to matter too much. Yes, he's a great, dynamic player, but UW will move on and still contend in the WCHA next year.

Sioux Defectors?

Rumors have surfaced that two Sioux players may be defecting for the Canadian major juniors. New York Islander draftee David Toews and Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage are allegedly pondering their current situations with UND. Check out the full story at Goon's World.

Genoway to Return to UND

Defenseman Chay Genoway will return to the Fighting Sioux for a fifth year or eligibility. He was granted a medical hardship waver for the 2009-2010 season after receiving a concussion from a check-from-behind from SCSU's Aaron Marvin in a November game in Grand Forks. Since the initial injury, Genoway has experience post-concussion syndrome and has had difficulty resuming normal life. Reports out of Grand Forks were that he had trouble watching the games because of the speed at which the play moved.

This is huge for UND, assuming he can play next fall of course, as Chay is arguably the best player in all of college hockey. His defense is impeccable and he is one heck of an offensive defenseman as well.

As much as I don't really like the Sioux, I am happy the Chay will get a chance to finish out his career at UND. He has put his time in on this one folks...