Chicago Mission Pipeline To Madison Continues With Christian Dvorak

Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves and his assistants Bill Butters and Gary Shuchuk continue to swing for the fences on the recruiting trail, and they continue to connect.

The Badgers hit another home run this week as they landed elite scorer Christian Dvorak from the Chicago Mission youth program. The commitment was first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal on Friday afternoon.

Dvorak, a six foot forward who can play both center and wing, is the fourth player from the Mission U16 team that's based out of Chicago to commit to Wisconsin in the past year. Defensemen Jake Linhart and Peter Tischke are committed for 2014, and forwards Seamus Malone and Dvorak are on board for 2015.

Last season for the Mission U16 club, Dvorak led his team in scoring with 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 29 league games in the High Performance Hockey League. Dvorak finished fourth in the league in total points, and second in goals scored.

In addition to two unofficial visits to Wisconsin, Dvorak also visited Michigan State, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, New Hampshire, Notre Dame and Ohio State. Dvorak told Bucky's 5th Quarter in early June that he had narrowed his final list to Notre Dame, Nebraska-Omaha, and New Hampshire in addition to Wisconsin.

A source with knowledge of the situation told Bucky's 5th Quarter that Dvorak always felt a loyalty to Wisconsin, as they were one of the first schools to start recruiting him.

The forward from New Lenox, Ill. does have other options outside of the college route. Dvorak was selected by the London Knights in the 8th round of the OHL Priority Selection this spring. The Knights are considered one of the most aggressive teams in the OHL in pursuing American talent.

That said, it would be surprising if Dvorak didn't stick with his commitment to Wisconsin. The Chicago Steel selected Dvorak in the USHL Futures Draft with the 6th overall selection in the first round in early May. He'll spend next season with the Mission U18 team before joining the Steel in the USHL for the 2013-14 season.

After selecting Dvorak in the USHL Futures Draft, Chicago Director of Player Personnel Max Giese (ed. note: Giese has recently been hired as a scout by the NHL's Winnipeg Jets) was very complimentary of the future Badger.

"Christian is a highly skilled, offensive forward who can score and make plays equally well. He has dynamic hands and great offensive instincts both with and without the puck. We liked Christian as a bantam and this past summer at the Select Festival and USHL Combine when he was seen as an undersized player. He has grown 3 inches this year and he is willing to play in the dirty areas, attack the net, and push the pace. He’s an adaptable player who has been productive this year with any set of linemates and in any setting, and he makes those around him better with his heady play. He has also shown the ability to elevate his play in big games. Gino Cavallini and the Chicago Mission coaching staff have done a great job of preparing him for the next level, and Christian is the type of character kid from a great family who we are excited to add to our organization."

I personally got a chance to watch Dvorak play a few months ago at the Central District Tryouts in Fond du Lac. Here was my scouting report:

Another first round USHL futures pick (Chicago). First shift left me disappointed, but in the blink of an eye he changed my opinion. Picked the puck up and showed incredible burst to blow down the wing past a d-man and finished the play with a beautiful deake. Was awesome the rest of the game. Incredible patience, fast, total package. 5'11, 150 and a top 4 forward in the 96 class at this event. Absolute stud who is an elite college hockey recruit. 8th round OHL pick of the London Knights.

The Dvorak File

• Player: Christian Dvorak
  
• Team: Chicago Mission U18
• USHL Draft Rights: Chicago Steel (1st round Futures selection)
• Hometown: New Lenox, Ill.
  
• Position: Forward
  
• Size: 6'0, 155
  
• Handed: Left
• Expected Arrival: 2014 or 2015
  
• Twitter Account: @10_cd
• 2012 Stats: 29 games, 21 goals, 24 assists, 45 points

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