Men's Hockey Signs Three During Early Signing
November 24, 2004 | Men's Hockey
Head men's hockey coach Mike Eaves has announced that three student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Forward Jack Skille (Madison, Wis.), defenseman Garrett Suter (Madison, Wis.) and goaltender Shane Connelly (Cheldenham, Pa.) will all attend the University of Wisconsin beginning with the 2005-06 school year.
Skille, 6-1 and 200 pounds, will join the Badgers from the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP), where he currently plays for the U-18 team. Through 20 games, he shares the team lead with 11 goals and leads the team with 14 assists and 25 points. He recently helped lead the U-18 team to a gold medal in the Four Nations Cup played in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Madison, Wis., native led all players in the tournament with seven points and two game-winning goals in four contests. Back in April, he claimed a silver medal along with the U-18 team at the World U-18 Championships in Belarus. Jack follows his father, Lee, who won a letter with the Badger hockey team in 1975-76.
Skille will join four current Badgers - sophomores Jake Dowell, Robbie Earl and Jeff Likens and freshman Matt Auffrey - who all came to Madison from the NTDP.
Eaves on Skille: 'Jack will provide us the presence of a power forward. He's an excellent skater, with good physical presence and a good skill set.'
Suter, 6-0 and 195 pounds, currently plays for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Through 17 games, he has notched one goal and five assists for six points, leading all Gambler defensemen in both assists and points, and the entire team with 35 penalty minutes. Prior to Green Bay, Suter skated with the Madison Capitols AAA team. Recently mentioned in NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary Rankings as a USHL 'B' player, he will be the fifth Suter to play hockey at Wisconsin, following his father (Bob), his uncles (Gary and John), and his brother (Ryan).
Four current Badgers - juniors Adam Burish and A.J. Degenhardt and freshmen Josh Engel and Kyle Klubertanz - also played for the Green Bay Gamblers before they came to Wisconsin. UW assistant coach Mark Osiecki was the head coach and general manager for Green Bay from 1997-2004.
Eaves on Suter: 'Garrett comes from a long line of Badger greats. He will bring a great intensity and an ability with the puck to our blue line. '
Connelly, 5-9 and 170 pounds, will come to the Badgers from the Chicago Steel of the USHL. He currently has a record of 2-5 while posting a 2.99 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Last season he led the Steel to the East Division regular season title with a record of 20-13 and one overtime loss. He ranked fifth in the league with a .917 save percentage during the regular season and paced all USHL goalies with a .952 save percentage during the playoffs. Connelly also helped the United States Under-17 Seclect Team to a gold medal at the 2003 Five Nations Tournament held in Slovakia.
Connelly will be the second player in UW history to join the program from the Chicago Steel, following current junior Tom Gilbert.
Eaves on Connelly: 'Shane's strengths in goal are his skating ability, his quickness and his understanding of the position.'
