Nielsen and Lundholm Commit for 2009-10
April 6, 2009 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Mahoning Valley Phantoms News Release
BOARDMAN, OH (Monday, April 6th, 2009) - Two Mahoning Valley Phantoms defensemen have made their college plans for next hockey season as Carl Nielsen has committed to play for Michigan Technological University and Cullen Lundholm signed on with Robert Morris University, both for the 2009-2010 season.
Nielsen, an assistant captain on the Phantoms' blue line, will head to Michigan Tech-located in Houghton, MI-following a five-goal, 14-assist campaign that saw him among the NAHL's top 15 defensemen in plus/minus with a +17 rating in 48 regular season games.
"It's exciting to know I'll be moving on to the next level," says Nielsen, a Lorain, OH, native. "I've been playing junior hockey for three years and it's been a hope of mine that I would commit.
"It's nice because now I'll be able to focus solely on the playoffs without having to worry about what next year holds for me."
The Huskies play in the storied Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the conference that has produced four of the last seven NCAA Division I national champions and is home to hockey powers North Dakota, Denver, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Nielsen says MTU came to him with an offer he couldn't refuse.
"They told me that I'd step in and be able to play and contribute right away," he says. "I wasn't looking to go somewhere and ride the bench for a year. [Huskies head] Coach [Jamie] Russell and his staff were very sincere about me stepping in next year and being a real part of the program."
Fellow defenseman Lundholm's commitment to nearby Robert Morris, located in Moon Township, PA, outside of Pittsburgh, comes on the heels of a prolific offensive season that put him among the top-scoring defensemen in the NAHL.
Lundholm, who racked up 33 points on eight goals and 25 assists-the third-highest total league-wide amongst defensemen-says his future as a Colonial is a very recent development.
"Everything happened pretty quickly," explains the Plymouth, MA, native, "[RMU] came to me with a great offer and Coach [Derek] Schooley's staff has a great track record of developing and advancing players from the college ranks into the pros, so it's a great situation."
The decision was not something Lundholm took lightly after leaving Mercyhurst College's team during the 2007-2008 season, citing a bad fit within both the program and the school.
"Robert Morris has a great business program, which is something that I want to pursue after college," notes the defenseman, "while Mercyhurst is a school that is more oriented toward pre-med. RMU is definitely a better fit for me. I'm very excited."
He is the second current Phantom to sign with the Colonials for '09-'10, joining forward Stefan Salituro.
In addition to Salituro and Lundholm, the 2009-10 roster for RMU will also boast former Phantoms Nathan Longpre, J.C. Velasquez and Denny Urban.
The Colonials are a member of College Hockey America along with Niagara, Alabama-Huntsville and 2009 Frozen Four national semifinalist Bemidji State.
Nielsen and Lundholm were both members of the North Division team at the 2009 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament, making them the fifteenth and sixteenth Top Prospects players to secure Division I college scholarships.
They are the eighth and ninth Phantoms to commit this season, as well, joining Salituro, Jordy Trottier (Bentley), Nick Kenney (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Cole Schneider (Connecticut), Alex Lippincott (Ohio State), Brad Smith (Ohio State) and Michael Gunn (Michigan State).
Nielsen, Lundholm and the rest of the Phantoms resume postseason play on Thursday in Traverse City, MI, against the Traverse City North Stars in Game Three of their North Division Semifinal series at 7:05 PM.
The best-of-five series is currently tied at 1-1.
The game will be broadcast locally on ESPN Radio 1240, WBBW-AM, and worldwide at MVPPhantoms.com via B2 Networks. The pregame show will begin at 6:50 PM.
In six seasons of operation, the Phantoms have sent over sixty players on to play Division I collegiate hockey, one of the highest per-season averages in the NAHL.
North American Hockey League Stories from April 6, 2009
- U.S. National Under-18 Team Defeats Sweden - U.S. National Team
- Thunder Tender Players - Albert Lea Thunder
- Nielsen and Lundholm Commit for 2009-10 - Mahoning Valley Phantoms
- Wildcats come home down 0-2 - Wichita Falls Wildcats
- Auction Items To Help Injured Player - NAHL
- Historic Run Needed to Save Outlaws' Postseason - North Iowa Outlaws
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
