Cichy still a commit

Mike Cichy's family advisor, Eddie Ward, said Monday that the 2008 recruit is still a UND commit and there have been no new developments with Canadian major juniors.

Ever since Cichy left the U.S. Under-17 team a couple of weeks ago and returned to the Boston Junior Bruins (EJHL), there have been rumors and speculation that Cichy would decide against college and sign with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Halifax drafted Cichy high last summer and tried to get him to play with the team this season. The New Hartford, Conn., native declined, however, and kept his commitment to play with the U.S. Under-17 team.

Upon departing that team in late January, Cichy's family has been bombarded with calls wondering what his future holds. They have opted to let Ward speak for them.

"We've been getting a lot of calls," Ward said. "There are a lot of rumors and there is a lot of speculation out there. None of it is true. (Cichy) committed to North Dakota. He hasn't talked to anybody. He really hasn't given it any thought. He's just focused on playing right now."

It is too late for Cichy to sign with Halifax this season. But certainly, Halifax will put heavy pressure on Cichy this summer. The 1990-born forward is considered one of the best in the country for his age. Halifax personnel have compared him to Claude Giroux, who was a first-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers last summer.

If he doesn't sign with Halifax over the summer, Sioux fans can feel comfortable that he will wind up in Grand Forks in the fall of 2008. Until then, it could be a battle reminiscent of the one between UND and Tri-City (Western Hockey League) for Jonathan Toews.

Posted by: Schlossman on Tuesday, February 13 at 12:31 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink