Kyle Rau said he would forego an NHL contract, return to play out his senior season and lead what should have been the Gophers' triumphant avenging of last season's national championship loss. He was almost right. He got them as far as Manchester, N.H., a tantalizing yet ultimately unattainable 54 miles from Boston's TD Garden, where the Midwest's only representative in the Frozen Four will be (gasp) North Dakota.
Rau signed a pro contract with the Florida Panthers over the weekend, joining the same organization that brought fellow Minnesota standout Nick Bjugstad to the big time. Rau starts this week in the uniform of the AHL's San Antonio Rampage.
After last season's disappointing end, Rau and a number of other leaders in the Gophers' locker room swore that this year would be different. Indeed, everything seemed to be in place to make a serious run to the Frozen Four. What he experienced wasn't the ride he expected. A blazing start, with the team a consensus No. 1 in the national polls, led to a head-scratching plummet out of the top 20 rankings at mid-season.
That was followed by a dizzying return to glory over the final weeks of the season, wins in 13 of 14 games and a third straight conference championship. With everyone healthy, a return to the Frozen Four seemed a cinch for the Gophers.
What happened was a dismal 4-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth at the NCAA Northeast Regional. It was the fourth time in four games that the Bulldogs had throttled their Maroon-and-Gold rivals. It was the last straw for Rau. He and the rest of a senior class that was one of the most anointed in recent history will leave their college careers behind in a cloud of what-ifs.
Rau joins classmate Seth Ambroz, who signed an amateur tryout contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday, in the pro ranks. It's a good bet that others will follow.
Who will be the next high-impact Gopher to go pro? Look for it to be Mike Reilly. The talented two-way junior defenseman has "NHL" written all over him and he's ready for his shot. Fellow blueliner Brady Skjei will sign with an NHL team, too, and Hudson Fasching is also a good bet.
What about Adam Wilcox? Once considered a blue-chip prospect, Wilcox struggled at the wrong times this season and his star may have dimmed a bit. His undoubted skills carried Minnesota through many a rough spot and head coach Don Lucia would love to have him return for a final season. My bet is that he will. There will be big trouble if he doesn't. Wilcox stepped right in at the start of his freshman season, seized the starting goaltender's job and has played nearly every game since. There isn't much game experience behind him, which makes a refreshed Adam Wilcox in net a major determining factor in how well the Gophers do next season.
DOUG McLEOD is the original Voice of Golden Gopher hockey. He began calling Minnesota games on radio in 1978 and moved to TV in 1987. He also spent 16 seasons in the National Hockey League, as voice of the Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes.
