Category Archives: Brian Kaufman

>Aeros Sign Kaufman

>He’s the first player to ink a pro deal from Miami this season. Former RedHawk captain Brian Kaufman has signed a one-year contract with the Houston Aeros, of the American Hockey League.

The contract is good for the 2009-2010 season. Houston is the minor-league affiliate of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. You may recall that Kaufman had previously attended a development camp with Minnesota last summer.

Here is a link to an article from that developmental camp that I had previously posted.

Congratulations, Brian!

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>Awards Banquet Recap

>While I wasn’t able to attend the end of season banquet at the Shriver Center last night, I did receive several e-mails from people that did attend, so thanks for those. Here are a few notes from last night’s festivities, including which RedHawks took home which awards:

Blue Line Club Award: Gary Steffes

Rookie of the Year: Connor Knapp and Cody Reichard

Outstanding Offensive Player: Carter Camper

Outstanding Defensive Player: Kevin Roeder

Steve Cady Most Improved Player Award: Brandon Smith

Scholar Athlete Award: Michael Findorff, Bill Loupee, Alex Lacombe, Justin Mercier, Brian Kaufman, Kevin Roeder

Berry Family Outstanding Senior Award: Brian Kaufman

Jim Grant “7th Man” Award: MU Assistant Athletic Director Josh Fenton

Gary DeLonge Most Valuable Player Award: Carter Camper

– A banner raising ceremony looks to be in the works at the beginning of next season to honor the team’s accomplishments and participation in the Frozen Four.

– Former RedHawk defenseman Alec Martinez was said to be in attendance at last night’s banquet.

Thanks again to all who e-mailed with a recap!

>106

>…and another season of Miami hockey comes to a close. First and foremost, a big congratulations goes out to everyone involved with the hockey program. The coaches, equipment/training staff, media relations, off-ice officials, Cady Arena personnel, everyone…and especially…the players for being a part of something very, very special.

Going into this season, most expected and considered this a “rebuilding year.” With a great first half of the season, the team had a rough start to the second half and eventually missed a trip to post-season action at the Joe. They had the second best power-play and the best penalty kill in the CCHA. Considering the team had a young blueline, two freshman goaltenders, and a lot to replace offensively, making the NCAA tournament was a great reward for the squad and gave the younger players some great “big game” experience. The Frozen Four weekend was something very special to be a part of and although the end result was so heartbreaking, I for one am extremely proud of this team’s effort. They gave Boston a run for their money and it says a lot about where the program stands. Although the last minute of regulation will be fresh in the minds of many for quite some time, the underclassmen will build off of this experience and be even more hungry for a national title in the seasons to come.

It was hard, personally for me, to see our senior class go out the way they did. They should be proud to be a part of the winningest class in Miami hockey history, with 106 wins. This senior class was exceptional. They were the first class to be ranked number one in any sport, the first class to win an NCAA tournament game, the first to 30 wins in a season, the first to 100 total wins, the first to advance to the tournament all four years…and most importantly, the first class to ever reach the Frozen Four.

Without further adieu, here are the RedHawk seniors and their career stats:

2- Michael Findorff
Defenseman
41 Games Played
1 Goal
5 Assist
6 Points

10- Alex Lacombe
Center

64 Games Played
9 Goals
12 Assists
21 Points

15- Brian Kaufman
Forward
125 Games Played
30 Goals
54 Assists
84 Points

16- Justin Mercier
Forward

157 Games Played
52 Goals
52 Assists
104 Points

18- Ray Eichenlaub
Defenseman
145 Games Played
9 Goals
36 Assists
45 Points

24- Kevin Roeder
Defenseman

152 Games Played
5 Goals
31 Assists
36 Points

28- Bill Loupee
Forward

105 Games Played
8 Goals
14 Assists
22 Points

Thank you, seniors. Your contributions have helped pave the way to make Miami hockey one of the nation’s top programs. Some careers will continue in hockey, others, will not. Regardless, we wish you the best of luck in life. Miami will not forget your hard work and devotion to The Brotherhood.

**In a final tournament note, Kevin Roeder and Tommy Wingels were named to the All-Tournament Team.**

>Smith Named Scholar-Athlete & More

>On the heels of two Miamians being named to the CCHA All-Rookie team, another honor comes along today, as junior forward Brandon Smith was selected as Miami’s scholar athlete. Smith, who carries a grade-point average over 3.70, is now one of twelve finalists for the league award (one player is selected from each CCHA team.) The winner will be announced on March 19, as a part of the 2009 CCHA awards banquet. Congratulations to Brandon. It has certainly been a season of career firsts for the hard working Pepper Pike, Ohio native.

Also, for those out there into online chatting…seinor captain Brian Kaufman and alternate captain Kevin Roeder will take part in an online chat tomorrow morning (Thursday) at 11:00am. You can link to the chat form by clicking here.

>RedHawks Meet With Media

>Coach Blasi, Captain Brian Kaufman, and Jarod Palmer all sat down with members of the media today for a little O &A about the program.

Thanks to the Miami Athletic Department for uploading these videos.

Brian Kaufman

Enrico Blasi

Jarod Palmer

>Kaufman at Wild Development Camp

>The Official website of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild has a nice writeup on current RedHawk skater Brian Kaufman, who was an invitee to the team’s developmental camp last week. Some great quotes from Brian in the article. You can check it out here.

>RedHawks Go to Camp

>As NHL development camps continue to open and close in the next week, the rosters are being released and yes, a few RedHawks, or in some cases, former RedHakws, are included. Even if camps have already been completed, I’ll keep updating the list of names as I come across more of the rosters. Enjoy!

Chicago Blackhawks
(F) Nathan Davis-, 6’1, 193, Rocky River, Ohio (2005 Draft, 113th Overall)

Colorado Avalanche
(F) Justin Mercier- 5’11, 190, Erie, Pennsylvania (2005 Draft, 168th Overall)

Columbus Blue Jackets
(D) Will Weber- 6’4, 205, Gaylord, Michigan (2007 Draft, 53rd Overall)

Los Angeles Kings
(D) Alec Martinez- 6’0, 188, Rochester Hills, Michigan (2007 Draft, 95th Overall)
(G) Jeff Zatkoff- 6’1, 180, Chesterfield, Michigan (2006 Draft, 74th Overall)

Minnesota Wild
(F) Brian Kaufman- 6’4, 205, Shoreview, Minnesota (Invitee)

Ottawa Senators
(D) Mitch Ganzak- 5’11, 205, Redford, Michigan (Invitee)

St. Louis Blues
(G) Charlie Effinger- 6’1, 190, Belleville, Illinois (Invitee)