Thursday, March 26, 2009

Jamie McBain: Top 10 Hobey Baker Finalist, leaving the Badgers

I'm super behind on this - so much so that I didn't even see the news over the weekend and thought I was on the ball and told the boyfriend on like Tuesday and he thought there was new news because I asked if he'd heard. Ouch.

That being said, congrats Jamie, on being named to the top 10 list.

Thanks to 60 min. No Regrets. No Alibis. for pointing out this awesome highlight video of McBain's goals, assists and hits this season.

Here's another scouting video

Jamie is the eighth Badger -and the first defenseman - named to the Hobey top ten list and he's the only WCHA player on the list this season.

Along with that good news is the sad news that McBain will be leaving Wisconsin to go pro. He signed a contract and will be heading to Albany to join the AHL River Rats, the Carolina Hurricane's top affiliate, to finish out their season.

UWBadgers.com story here on the departure.

According to this AP report, "The entry-level deal will pay McBain an average of $600,000 per year at the NHL level and $62,500 in the minors. There is also a $255,000 signing bonus for McBain, picked by Carolina in the second round of the 2006 draft."

There seems to be little doubt that Jamie will be a contributor in the majors. Carolina has to be happy with the player they're getting and his profile on their site is nothing but positive. Check it out here.
"Since he plays in college and hasn’t yet been able to attend a Hurricanes training camp, Jamie McBain tends to fly under the radar when considering the team’s brightest prospects.

That should change in an awful hurry, because McBain, who is a genuine Hobey Baker candidate for collegiate player of the year as a junior defenseman at Wisconsin, should be considered one of the best."

No comments: