Badgers in Europe

[jen]

Subtitled "jen is bored this afternoon" :)

Jeff Dessner has a tryout with HPK Hameenlinna (Eric Perrin of UVM was on the team last year).

Dan Bjornlie and Matt Murray have signed with SC Riessersee in Germany.

Shawn Carter has signed with the Augsburg Panthers.

Kelly Fairchild has signed with a team in Berlin.

Paul Stanton is with the Frankfurt Lions.

Duane Derksen is no longer with his team in Germany, but no one seems to know where he is.

Mickey Elick is with a team in Cologne.

Brad Englehart is no longer with his Dutch team - whereabouts unknown.

Doug MacDonald has signed with Belfast.

Gary Shuchuk is with Krefeld in Germany.

Chris Tancill is in Germany (and was league MVP in 2000!)

Barry Richter is playing in Sweden.

Niki Siren is playing in Switzerland.

Tray Tuomie is in Germany.

Mike Valley is in Sweden with AIK Solna.


Not Badger related, but I am sad to see Jim Hiller retired!!! He's now the assistant coach for the Tri-City Americans in the WHL. According to their site, he has a daughter named Trivia. How on Earth does one come up with that name??? He also has a son named Talon.

[jen]

Just read Derksen will be back in Peoria ECHL as a player-assistant coach. My condolences.

[Badgers1]

Holy smokes does Germany have a good deal of ex-College Players or do the Badgers just go their for the brew and brats? I had no idea a few of the guys ie Tuomie and Staton were still playing. I thought I heard last year was Tancills last year, but maybe that changed as that was before last season began i heard that.

[jen]

There are a ton of North Americans over there - one correction - Tancill is in Switzerland, not Germany (the German name threw me off). Other guys in Germany last year include Kent Fearns (CC), Derek Plante, Greg Andrusak and Rusty Fitzgerald (UMD), Pat Mikesch (MTU), Alex Hicks (UWEC - had to throw him in :)), Neil Eisenhut (UND), Wally (DU)... looking through the rosters, I'd say at least half the DEL is North American.

[Varsity]

jen, excuse me for being greviously stupid, but where and what is Daubenspeck is doing?

bigus and I came up with the conclusion that he no longer existed.

[jen]

Kirk spent last year with the Colorado Gold Kings in the WCHL (heard South Carolina - where he had been - did not offer him enough $$$$). The GKs folded after last year,and now he is back in South Carolina ECHL, where he won the Kelly Cup a few years ago.

Here's an article from when SC signed him: http://www.stingrayshockey.com/news.asp?action=detail&id=2010&name=news

[jen]

Just read that Englehart went to a team in Germany called the Ice Aliens.

Ice Aliens????? Can't find their logo, but I bet it's swell. ;)

Dessner's tryout in Finland apparently didn't work out, and he is in camp with the Avalanche. Funny how so many alums (not just UW) end up with tryouts on teams with fellow alums.... seems to happen everywhere, not just the NHL.

[Timothy A]

Jen, where in the world do you get this info? I've always wondered about this subject. Thanks.

[jen]

Timothy - too much time on my hands at work. :)

www.eurohockey.net is a good place to look for players in Europe - you can search the transfers by nationality or the country they are transferring to or from.

Google is, of course, very helpful if you know what you want to look for.

www.hockeydb.com for everyone else

Other times I read stuff on various message boards or online newspapers or league sites, or just hear stuff from people I know. I use USAToday for North American transactions - sometimes they are even right (although they miss a lot of low minors stuff).