Hi, My Name Is ... Louie Caporusso

Hi, My Name is ... appears weekly on NHL FanHouse. We will spotlight future NHL prospects currently making a name for themselves in college hockey. Where applicable, the players' draft rights will be listed. Check back each Tuesday at 8AM ET. Please post in the comments section if you have a nomination, or if you feel the author really blew it this week.

Having the satellite dish is a wonderful thing.

On an otherwise lonely Friday night, there is a ridiculous amount of hockey available for viewing.

Not only do I have my choice of NHL games on Center Ice, but I can also get a glimpse of the future of the NHL. Various Fox Sports channels (mainly Fox Sports Detroit, Fox Sports North, Fox Sports Wisconsin, and Fox Sports Rocky Mountain) carry college hockey games at least every so often, plus I can get coverage from ESPNU and the Big Ten Network.

On November 28, I had a chance to see Michigan for the first time, as they took on Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase.

I came away very impressed by the play of sophomore forward Louie Caporusso (NHL rights: Ottawa). He may have only factored in on one Wolverine goal, but you could see why the Senators drafted him. Dude has some serious wheels.

Last weekend, Caporusso was a big part of the Wolverines' home-and-home sweep of struggling rival Michigan State. He assisted on three goals in Michigan's 6-1 home win Friday, then scored the game-winner with 1:36 left Saturday as the Wolverines won 5-3 in East Lansing. It was his 14th goal of the season, leaving him tied with Brock Bradford of Boston College for the Division I lead.

Because I've only seen Michigan play one whole game and part of another (one of their early-season games with St. Lawrence was on the NHL Network), I figured it would make sense to ask someone who sees Michigan a bit more often about Caporusso. I called on Tim from The Blog That Yost Built:

Caporusso could very well be my favorite player on the Wolverines. I'm a big fan of guys that play the game with passion, and he definitely fits that criteria. You can tell he loves the game-but that he also respects it. I heard an interview a few weeks ago where they asked him during the second intermission about how Michigan was able to not let their opponent get back into the game (as they had the night before), and even though Michigan had a 4 or 5 goal lead, Caporusso was quick to point out to the interviewer that there was still another period left to play and their job wasn't done yet. I love hearing answers like that. He's always an entertaining interview.

It was pretty clear to me that Louie was primed for a breakout season as a sophomore. As a freshman, he had a knack for scoring big goals (the OT winner against BC in the opener, the GWG to knock off Notre Dame in a classic game at Yost). He had 12 goals on just 55 shots as a freshman-and without his tendency to either get robbed or shoot it off the post he could've had 20 easily. I wasn't expecting him to challenge for the national lead in goals, but Michigan lost something like 460 shots on goal with Porter, Kolarik, and Pacioretty leaving, so it was only natural that a lot of those opportunities fall to Louie. And he's been making them count. He's also been showing a lot of effort on the defensive end. He's had a few big-time plays in our zone, spoiling a great scoring chance with his backchecking.

The sky really is the limit for that kid. He's already proven to be quite the scorer, and now they've got him playing with one of the best passers in the game in Aaron Palushaj. I don't think it's a fluke that he's putting up the numbers that he has in the first half this year. He realized he needs to shoot the puck more, and our offense is benefitting because of it. And he's still got a knack for big goals late in games. He popped in the game winner against MSU Saturday night with just a couple minutes left in regulation.

Here's some info from Caporusso's profile on Hockey's Future:

Caporusso's most obvious weakness is his severe lack of size. At just 5'9 (Michigan lists him at five-ten), 185, he is easily knocked around and overpowered. His skill and speed are what fuels his offensive game. Caporusso has extremely soft hands and speed to burn. He is a shifty player and transitions the puck well. To make up for his lack of size, Caporusso is extremely slick and elusive. He has an uncanny ability to sneak in and out of corners unscathed. Despite his lack of size, Caporusso does not shy away from traffic areas and is a pesky forechecker. He possesses a quick accurate shot and excellent vision. He excels at finding passing lanes on the power play.

The "new NHL" does allow for more of the "smallish" forwards, because there is more space on the ice for them to make plays. Caporusso may never be a classic power forward-type player, but his speed, hands, shot, and attitude are going to carry him a long way. Surely, he is going to get a chance to develop his game at the college level, though if the Senators continue to struggle to score goals outside of their top line, they may have to look for more scorers to stock their secondary lines.

Other players to watch

Also from Michigan's big weekend: Aaron Palushaj (St. Louis) picked up a goal and three assists, and Travis Turnbull (undrafted) had a hat trick in Saturday's game.

The goalies were the stars of Nebraska-Omaha's home series with Alaska. The teams tied 0-0 Friday, as Chad Johnson (Pittsburgh) of Alaska stopped 28 shots and Jeremie Dupont (undrafted) of Nebraska-Omaha had 31 saves. Saturday, the teams traded third-period goals, but ended in a 1-1 tie. Johnson made 22 more saves, while UNO goalie Jerad Kaufmann (undrafted) had 25. The CCHA uses a shootout to decide regular-season conference games, and even those ended up pretty even. Omaha won the Friday shootout 2-1, and Alaska took Saturday's, 2-1.

It was a huge weekend for North Dakota, as the Fighting Sioux swept Harvard by a combined 14-4 (10-1 on Friday). Ryan Martens (undrafted) had six points on two goals and four assists, and freshman David Toews (N.Y. Islanders) - Jonathan's brother - scored his first two collegiate goals. Speaking of that, North Dakota has some very impressive bloodlines, including freshman Brett Hextall (Phoenix), whose father Ron happened to be a pretty good goalie back in the day.

Minnesota-Duluth is on the rise in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are 3-0-2 in their last five games, including a 1-1 tie Friday and a 7-4 win Saturday at fifth-ranked Colorado College. The Bulldogs had scored all of one goal in their last 13 periods against CC goalie Richard Bachman (Dallas) before erupting for five on 14 shots in the second period Saturday to chase Bachman from the game. Junior Jordan Fulton (Calgary) scored twice in the win.

Miami's Carter Camper (undrafted) had a hat trick Sunday as the RedHawks won 7-3 at Western Michigan to complete a two-game sweep.

Boston University freshman goalie Kieran Millan (undrafted) stopped 39 of 41 shots over the weekend as the Terriers tied defending national champ Boston College 1-1 Friday and beat the Eagles 3-1 Saturday.

Finally (yes, I know we're going long this week), 13 college players were selected to the U.S. roster for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Ottawa. The tournament runs December 26-January 5. The college players selected are forward Colin Wilson (Nashville) and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (Colorado) of Boston University; forward Jimmy Hayes (Toronto) of Boston College; forward James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia) and defenseman Blake Kessel (N.Y. Islanders) from New Hampshire; forwards Palushaj and Matt Rust (Florida) of Michigan; defensemen Ian Cole (St. Louis) and Teddy Ruth (Columbus) of Notre Dame; defenseman Ryan McDonagh (Montreal) of Wisconsin; forwards Jordan Schroeder (2009 draft-eligible) and Mike Hoeffel (New Jersey) and defenseman Cade Fairchild (St. Louis) from Minnesota.