ROOKIES TIME TO SHINE

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA- Fresh sheet of ice at the Herb Brooks Olympia this week, as the Minnesota Norsemen invite twenty of their top prospects to Rookie Camp.
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Many of these players will participate in the club's Prospect Camp in July, the main Training Camp in September and be fighting for starting positions on Opening Night.
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"We're excited to get things going again," said general manager Blake Wendt. "So much of our future will be together here this week. Some have been playing in Duluth and some are fresh out of college and we get a real thorough look at where they are in their development in becoming CCHL players."
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The camp will begin on Monday and go through next Sunday. It will be run by Norsemen assistant coaches Dean McAmmond and Phil Housley and Leifs assistant coaches Mike Ramsey and Dmitri Yushkevich and goaltending coach Felix Potvin. Norsemen head coach Craig Hartsburg, Leifs head coach Mike Yeo and Wendt will evaluate out of sight from high above in the club's suite.

DRAKKAR REPORT: The Future Is Near

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA- It was a memorable time in the inaugural season of the Minnesota Norsemen Hockey Club--a memory some would rather forget as the team finished at the bottom-five of the CCHL and a record of 24-49-9.
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"In a rebuild, it's a bitter pill to swallow to watch your on-ice performance and your record is tough to look at," said general manager Blake Wendt. "With the passion we have in our fan base, we also have dialed-in, keen fans who know what we were actually accomplishing in what on the surface was a dismal season."
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What was being accomplished was top-notch players were being traded for a plethora of young, elite hockey players in mass quantity.
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Some of that youth will start arriving as full-time pros in the 2014-15 CCHL season.
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Nick Bjugstad. Star power forward honed his craft at the University of Minnesota for three years. Last season the 6'6", 220 pound giant played big minutes for the Duluth Leifs and got his seat at the adult table at the end of the Norsemen season. He is expected to center the second line behind Antoine Vermette.
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Valeri Nichushkin. Drafted 2nd overall in last year's draft by the Norsemen, Nichushkin is a budding star from Russia that played top-line minutes in the KHL as an 18 year old. The young Russian came over to North America after being drafted and participated in the Norsemen Training Camp before ultimately adjusting to the professional game in Duluth. Nichushkin will likely play on top-6 minutes, presumably on the second line.
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Nino Niederreiter. Picked up in a trade with Victoria in August, the Swiss forward plays anything but a neutral game. At 6'2" 210 pounds, there is some room to grow, and the Norsemen are hopeful that El Nino's rough and tumble game, combined with explosive speed and crafty hands will shore up their overall depth for years to come.
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Brock Nelson. Another big-bodied, homegrown power forward. The Warroad, MN-native was acquired last month from Halifax with another Minnesotan, Justin Faulk. The Norsemen love the potential of his game that looks pro-ready for next season
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Beyond the connections to the state, a lot of these upcoming players have previous connections as teammates with each other and current established Norsemen.
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Along with Bjugstad, his linemate at Minnesota, Erik Haula could make this team out of Training Camp. Both played with defenseman, Aaron Ness who might also play spot games next season. Add Keith Ballard and it looks like a Norsemen factory over in Minneapolis.
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Matt Niskanen and Justin Faulk were both stud blueliners at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (although not at the same time). Some of Faulk's teammates from their National Championship team, Justin Fontaine and JT Brown have legitimate shots at making the Opening Night roster.
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Brock Nelson joins Matt Greene as North Dakota alum
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Ian Cole looks like he might finally have an opening in the D-pairings for a full-time shot in the CCHL. The former Notre Dame captain might be joined by another Irish captain, Anders Lee this season.
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All of this and we still haven't talked about the other youngsters on the club. Tomas Tatar, Marcus Kruger, Jonas Brodin and Semyon Varlamov. Or the younger Anthony Mantha, Nic Kerdiles, Hudson Fasching, Tom Wilson and Justin Sefton.
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"We expect bumps next season," said Wendt. "With this amount of youth coming in at once, you cannot avoid it. But we feel we have surrounded these players with enough experience and talent to bring success now and continue to build on year after year. We are very excited about the future in Minnesota."

SAINT PAUL . MINNESOTA : With the formalities of medical physicals and physical testing out of the way, the Minnesota Norsemen are finally all together in Saint Paul for the start of their inaugural Training Camp. Sessions at Herb Brooks Gardens will be open to the public. With the exception of a few dates over the next month.
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ROSTER
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Forwards
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7 Matt Cullen
9 Mikko Koivu (Captain)
10 Andy McDonald
11 Saku Koivu
12 Gregory Campbell
14 Taylor Pyatt
15 Dany Heatley
17 Matt Martin
18 Brent Burns
21 Matt Frattin
22 Cal Clutterbuck
23 Casey Cizikas
24 Tom Pyatt
27 Nick Bjugstad
29 Alex Chiasson
36 Anders Lee
38 Patrik Cehlin
40 Toni Rajala
42 Zach Budish
45 Vincent Trocheck
47 Travis Oleksuk
49 Nino Niederreiter
51 Valeri Nichushkin
53 Danny Kristo
56 Erik Haula
58 Miikka Salomaki
60 Justin Fontaine
62 Travis Ewanyk
64 JT Brown
66 Myles Bell
68 Rylan Schwartz
72 Valentin Zykov
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Defensemen
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2 Matt Greene
3 Douglas Murray
4 Brenden Dillon
6 John Carlson
8 Nick Leddy
25 Jonas Brodin
28 Ian Cole
37 Brandon Davidson
39 Justin Sefton
41 Aaron Ness
43 Ludvik Bystrom
44 Brooks Orpik
46 Nikita Zadorov
48 Mark Alt
50 Cade Fairchild
52 Scott Mayfield
54 Madison Bowey
55 Jeff Schultz
57 Joe Morrow
59 Frank Corrado
61 Oliver Lauridsen
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Goaltenders
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30 Tuukka Rask
31 Matt Hackett
35 Dan Ellis
70 Marc Cheverie
81 Mike Lee
95 Juho Olkinuora

*SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA-

SAINT PAUL, MN : The CCHL has officially announced the move of the Thunder Bay Timberwolves to Saint Paul to become the MINNESOTA NORSEMEN!
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The rampage begins in 2013

FARM TO STAY IN DULUTH

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DULUTH, MINNESOTA : The soon-to-be Minnesota Norsemen Hockey Club (currently still the Thunder Bay Timberwolves) have announced their commitment to keeping their top farm team in Duluth, Minnesota.
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On Saturday, Timberwolves/Norsemen Owner & General Manager, Blake Wendt made the announcement from the Leif Ericson monument along the Lake Superior boardwalk in Duluth. Fittingly the team will be re-named the Duluth Leifs in tribute to the norseman who many increasingly believe was the true founder of North America nearly 500 years prior to Christopher Columbus.
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"The proximity of Duluth to us in Thunder Bay in regards to moving players up-and-down and for us to keep close tabs on player development has been wonderful. That same proximity from Saint Paul will be equally beneficial for us starting this next season," said Wendt. "The relationship we have with the people of Duluth and our use of AmsOil Arena have been nothing short of stellar. We look forward to continuing to build on this and grow into a powerhouse in the CCHL through Duluth, Minnesota."
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Team jersey's have not yet been unveiled. Leifs merchandise is available from the team kiosk at AmsOil Arena and their store at Miller Hill Mall.
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The Norsemen are not expected to unveil their jerseys until the Entry Draft this summer.

NORSEMEN HOCKEY BEGINS IN 2013

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA : On January 22, 2013 it was announced that the CCHL's (Corfield Canosa Hockey League) Thunder Bay Timberwolves would be moving south in the summer of 2013 to Saint Paul, Minnesota to play in the Xcel Energy Center.
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The hockey club will be renamed the MINNESOTA NORSEMEN.
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Minnesota was one of the locations that Owner/General Manager, Blake Wendt scouted out five years ago when he ended up moving what was then the Hoboken (NJ) Bashers to Thunder Bay, Ontario.
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"Minnesota is my home," said Wendt. "I was born and raised in Duluth and it was a tough decision to not come back five years ago. The arena deal package presented to us from the City of Thunder Bay was just too good to pass up at the time." An arena deal that has since fallen through. Playing five seasons in the 1951-built Fort William Gardens (3,371 capacity), and no immediate plans to build the promised 15,000 seat, harbor-view arena was too much for Wendt and his club to endure.
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"The fans in Thunder Bay have been wonderful. We hope that some of them make the drive down Highway 61 and I-35 to Saint Paul and continue to support the players that they've grown to love."
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Officially, the Minnesota Norsemen will not become "real" until after the 2013 CCHL Draft. Wendt has said though, that the yet-to-be introduced new uniforms will be unveiled when they make those picks this summer.