Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
Reddit
Newsvine
Twitter
EAST LANSING - A year ago, one of the best young hockey players in Ontario - center Matt Duchene - made a verbal commitment to play college hockey at Michigan State.
Duchene, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound elite-level forward from Haliburton, Ontario, planned to enroll at MSU in the fall of 2009 or 2008 if he graduated from high school a year yearly.
On Monday, the 16-year-old Duchene said his plans have changed. He said he's not going to be a Spartan and instead will play Major Junior Hockey for the Brampton Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League.
Early last month, college and junior hockey followers questioned Duchene's commitment to MSU when he was selected by Brampton with the fifth overall pick in the OHL Priority Draft.
Duchene, who had 69 goals and 106 points in 52 games last season for the Central Ontario Wolves minor midget team, and his parents visited Brampton and Toronto's Humber College in early June, before he took part in the Battalion's minicamp.
"It was really tough. (Michigan State) is an outstanding school with a great hockey program. But they were good about it,'' Duchene said in an interview posted on the Brampton Battalion Web site.
Under NCAA rules, MSU coach Rick Comley is prohibited from commenting on recruits who have not signed scholarship letters of intent.
The Spartans thought they might have a good chance at landing Duchene because of his family background. Duchene is the nephew of former Spartan captain Newell Brown, a 1984 MSU graduate and now an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks.
But the Spartan coaching staff was well aware that whatever OHL team selected Duchene would make a major push to change his mind and follow the junior route to the NHL.
When a player signs with a Major Junior team, he immediately loses his NCAA eligibility because the leagues are considered professional.
Duchene will be eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, and if he continues to develop as expected, he'll likely be a top five pick.
The loss of Duchene reduces MSU's projected 2008 recruiting class - verbal commitments - to six:
Forwards Brett Perlini (6-2, 180, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario); Adam Henderson (6-2, 192, Whitehorse, Yukon); Trevor Nill (6-0, 173, Plymouth).
Defenseman: Austin Handley (6-0, 180, Clarkston);
Goaltenders: Drew Palmiscano (5-11, 155, Ann Arbor); Jordan Tibbett (6-1, 160, Indianapolis).
