July 27, 2010
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Birkholz, Leddy Leave Gophers
CHN Staff Report
Minnesota forward Josh Birkholz has decided to leave school to play in the Major Junior WHL for Everett.
According to a brief news release put out by the University, Birkholz was facing a suspension for undisclosed violation of team rules.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the team also lost Nick Leddy, its top returning defenseman, who decided to leave for a pro deal with Chicago after having a good rookie camp there.
Birkholz was a third-round pick of Florida in the 2009 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 19-year old had five goals and one assist in 36 games last season as a freshman for the Gophers. A Minnesota native, He came to the Gophers from Fargo of the USHL, where he had 21 goals and 15 assists in 55 games.
"I talked to his agent at the NHL draft just to ask how (Birkholz) was doing," Everett GM Doug Soetaert told the Everett Daily Herald. "He said, 'Don't get too excited, but there could be a chance he'll come and play for you.' I was surprised when the agent said that because we hadn't really had any contact for quite some time.
"[H]e's a very upbeat young man. We brought him and his parents down and educated them about the WHL, and they understand. There's a lot of fallacies about the WHL going around in college hockey, but they came here and saw for themselves and were able to make an educated decision."
