McBain goes pro
March 26, 2009 | Men's Hockey
Fresh off an outstanding junior season, defenseman Jamie McBain has signed a professional contract and will report to the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
The WCHA Player of the Year and a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, McBain completed the 2008-09 season as Wisconsin's top scorer and currently ranks second in the nation among defensemen with 30 assists and 37 points. Just the fifth Badger blue liner to lead the team in scoring, he was the first UW defenseman and seventh Badger named WCHA Player of the Year. He is also the eighth Badger named a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist and the first defenseman.
A second-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, McBain was chosen 63rd overall by what was then the defending Stanley Cup champions.
The Faribault, Minn., native finished his Badger playing career with 111 games played, 15 goals, 64 assists and 79 points in three years. He also totaled 34 penalties, 84 penalty minutes, 10 power-play goals, a short-handed tally, a pair of game-winning goals and a game-tying goal.
A 2009 All-WCHA First-Team selection, McBain twice earned WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors this season. Named the Insidecollegehockey.com National Player of the Week on Feb. 10 after his performance in a Badger sweep at Minnesota, he was named to the 2008 Badger Hockey Showdown All-Tournament Team, the preseason All-College Hockey News First Team, an Insidecollegehockey.com Preseason Second-Team All-America and The Capital Times Preseason Media Poll All-WCHA First Team.
A 2008 All-WCHA Third-Team pick, he was a member of the 2008 NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team and Wisconsin's winner of the Dr. Joseph Coyne Most Consistent Player Award after leading the team with a plus-12. Named to the 2007 All-WCHA Rookie Team, McBain has led Badger defensemen in scoring during each of his three seasons.
In addition, McBain has skated on Team USA twice at the World Junior Championships, where he helped the squad win bronze at the 2007 event.
McBain joined the Badgers for the 2006-07 season after playing two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Mich. He skated for Shattuck-St. Mary's before joining up with the USNTDP.
