Hi, My Name Is ... Brett Hextall

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 every 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.

Ron Hextall was a legendary NHL goaltender, widely credited for starting the trend of puck-playing netminders. He also played with an edge not often seen from goaltenders. It wasn't surprising to learn that Ron Hextall had a son who turned into a pretty good young player. What was a bit of a surprise was that his son isn't a goaltender. Instead, he tries to beat them.

Brett Hextall (NHL rights: Phoenix) is a freshman forward at the University of North Dakota. His great uncle, Dennis, played at North Dakota in the 1960s. Brett Hextall is one of eight current North Dakota players that have relatives who played for the Fighting Sioux previously.

Hextall is gradually improving, and may have had his best weekend of the season this past Saturday and Sunday. The Fighting Sioux are, um, fighting for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season championship, and they took a big step in the right direction by getting three points out of a series against Colorado College.

Hextall scored twice in a 4-4 tie Saturday afternoon, then chipped in a goal and an assist in North Dakota's 4-3 overtime win Sunday. He now has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 35 games. Hextall also leads the Sioux with 79 penalty minutes, proving that he did learn a thing or two from his old man.



Some may scoff at a guy who takes a lot of penalties, but Hextall's competitiveness - another trait inherited from his father - could be what advances him in the sport.

At 5-feet-10, 176 pounds, Brett Hextall is five inches shorter than his father and may lack the speed of many of the forwards drafted ahead of him.

But his fiery competitiveness attracted the attention of (Phoenix GM Don) Maloney, a former New York Ranger who had his share of battles with the Flyers during the 1970s and 1980s.

Maloney had seen Brett Hextall play against his son when both played in prep schools.

"He was one of those guys you just hated," Maloney told NHL.com. "He always had that Flyer mentality from the '70s; he'd spear a guy or hack a guy in the back of the leg."

Yes, that is a compliment, I guess. Personally, I find a guy like Brett Hextall to be the perfect teammate. He'll do anything to help his guys win, and if you play for the other team, you hate his guts.

The Fighting Sioux travel to Wisconsin this weekend, needing to split the series to win the WCHA regular-season title, known as the MacNaughton Cup. They could also win the league title if Denver loses their regular-season finale to Colorado College Saturday.

Other players to watch

Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Notre Dame radio announcer Mike Lockert, who died suddenly Friday at the age of 43. I never got to meet Lockert, but I did hear his work when he called a game between Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth at the Shillelagh Tournament in January. He called a fun, enthusiastic game, and he was clearly behind Notre Dame. USCHO.com's Dave Starman wrote a nice tribute. Also, Chris Dilks of Western College Hockey unearthed a piece Lockert wrote detailing how he got involved with college hockey.

Hextall isn't the only freshman making an impact in the WCHA. Minnesota's Jordan Schroeder (2009 draft-eligible) has been doing it all season. As the Gophers took three points at home against rival Minnesota-Duluth, Schroeder showed that he doesn't have any business playing college hockey. He was - by far - the best player on the ice in a series featuring two NCAA Tournament contenders with solid upperclassmen. He scored a ridiculous breakaway goal, beating top WCHA goaltender Alex Stalock (San Jose) to tie Friday's game at 2-2, then picked up two assists in Minnesota's 5-3 win Saturday. He might not have the hype of Tavares or Hedman, but Schroeder is going to be a nice consolation prize for someone in the upper part of the first round this summer.

Junior Alex Petizian (undrafted) backstopped St. Lawrence to a first-round bye in the ECACHL playoffs. The Saints beat Union and RPI by matching 2-0 scores over the weekend, with Petizian stopping all 62 shots he faced. Junior forward Mike McKenzie (undrafted), who scored in the Saturday win over RPI, is the son of TSN hockey analyst Bob McKenzie.

Staying in the ECACHL, junior Mark Arcobello (undrafted) scored once and assisted on three goals in Yale's 4-2 win Friday over Cornell. The win clinched the regular-season title for Yale. They will have a first-round bye for the league tournament, which starts this weekend. Cornell and Princeton join St. Lawrence with the other byes into the quarterfinal series.

The CCHA also wrapped up regular season play. Champion Notre Dame swept Michigan State in a home-and-home series, thanks to three goals from senior Erik Condra (Ottawa). The other three first-round byes for the league tournament go to Michigan, Miami, and Alaska. The Nanooks, who were swept in a non-conference series against rival Alaska-Anchorage, held on to the fourth seed by one point when Ohio State lost their season finale to Miami on Saturday.

Senior Jason Lawrence (undrafted) had a natural hat trick, while senior Matt Gilroy (undrafted) scored twice and had two assists, as top-ranked Boston University rallied from 3-0 down to beat Massachusetts 6-3 Friday. Sophomore Nick Bonino (San Jose) scored twice in Saturday's 7-2 romp that completed the series sweep for BU.