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Nature plus nurture

By Loren Nelson, MN Hockey Hub editor, 10/13/12, 5:00PM CDT

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Team Southeast's Luc Snuggerud of Eden Prairie will take rich bloodline to UNO


Eden Prairie junior Luc Snuggerud has committed to play at Nebraska-Omaha. Photo by Katherine Matthews


Luc Snuggerud

Luc Snuggerud’s father, Bo, is one of the greatest hockey players in University of St. Thomas history.
 
Uncle Dave Snuggerud was a goal-scoring machine at the University of Minnesota who went on to play four seasons in the NHL.
 
The bloodlines are impeccable for Snuggerud, the Eden Prairie junior defenseman who clearly has the heredity end of hockey covered.
 
Snuggerud’s environment growing up wasn’t too shabby either. 
 
Holy Angels standout defenseman Frankie Mork lives just down the street from the Snuggerud, and Mork’s backyard pond was a training ground as much as a playground for current high school standouts such as Holy Family Catholic’s Shane Gersich and Dylan Woolf and Minnetonka’s Tommy Vannelli.
 
“That’s basically where I spent my whole winter,” Snuggerud said about Mork’s pond. “We always skated back there because we all lived near each other. We were always out there, just messing around. It was a lot of fun.”
 
More fun is on the way for Snuggerud, who as a member of Team Southeast has been playing with and against many of his neighborhood rink rats in the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League. He committed to play for Nebraska-Omaha last week, joining fellow junior Hunter Warner (Minnesota State) as Eden Prairie defensemen committed to Division I programs.

Team Southeast's Luc Snuggerud, an Eden Prairie junior, is the son of former University of St. Thomas star Bo Snuggerud. Photo by Katherine Matthews

“I was talking to a couple of other schools, and I visited a couple of others,” said Snuggerud, who turned down scholarship offers from St. Cloud State and Minnesota State. “But I went down to Nebraska-Omaha, and it just seemed right. The coaching staff was awesome, they are getting a new rink, which is going to be sweet. They are getting a lot of Minnesota guys down there, so that’s cool.”
 
Former Eden Prairie standout defenseman Nick Seeler is a Nebraska-Omaha freshman. Seeler will be a familiar face for Snuggerud, although the two never played together growing up (Seeler, who helped the Eagles win the 2011 state Class 2A title, is three years older than Snuggerud).
 
One of the biggest selling points for Snuggerud was Nebraska-Omaha’s reputation for developing pro-caliber defensemen.
 
“They said their D corps right now, out of the eight guys, seven of them are going to sign NHL contracts,” said the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Snuggerud. “That’s pretty big. That’s the main goal, obviously. That was the turning point for me.”
 
Snuggerud had five goals and 15 assists in 25 games for Eden Prairie last season. This fall he has a goal and eight assists in 18 Elite League games. The goal came in Team Southeast’s 6-3 victory over Great Plains on Saturday, Oct. 13.
 
Although both his dad and uncle were high-scoring forwards in their heydays, Snuggerud says he enjoys setting up plays more than finishing them.
 
“I played forward and D growing up,” Snuggerud said. “D feels right because you can kind of control the play back there. It’s a lot easier to see the rink, which I like. 
 
“I would rather get the assists then score the goals.”

Statistics, Summary

Game Recap


Tyler Sheehy

Tyler Sheehy of Burnsville scored twice and Team Southeast erupted for four third-period goals as it overpowered Great Plains 6-3 on Saturday, Oct. 13, in an Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League matchup at New Hope Ice Arena in New Hope.

A junior forward, Sheehy scored a power-play goal in the second period and added a goal and assist in a span of 50 seconds in the third as Team Southeast surged to the victory.
 
Jack Dougherty of St. Thomas Academy, Teemu Kivihalme of Burnsville and Zach Sitarz of Andover each had a goal and an assist for Team Southeast.
 
Jacob Benson of Grand Forks Red River, Austin Swingle of St. Cloud Cathedral and Nick Uglem of Moorhead scored for Great Plains.
 
David Zevnik of St. Thomas Academy made 37 saves for Team Southeast. Tucker Windels of Fargo Davies made 33 saves for Great Plains.

Three Stars

The Burnsville junior showcased blurring speed and a deadly shot while scoring twice, and he also was involved in a mesmerizing passing play that led to a goal by linemate Zach Sitarz.
 
A junior defenseman from Burnsville who has committed to play at Colorado College, Kivihalme scored a momentum-shifting shorthanded goal in the second period and also had an assist.
 
Known more as a grinder than a finesse player, the Moorhead senior forward scored a highlight-reel goal in the third period to tie the score at 3. He wheeled past two defensemen and knocked the rebound of his initial shot into the goal.

Photo Gallery

Standings

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