Wisconsin women's hockey: Badgers sign Sophia Shaver, Sam Cogan in early signing period

Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson has announced forwards Samantha (Sam) Cogan (Ottawa, Ontario) and Sophia Shaver (Wayzata, Minnesota) have signed National Letters of Intent to play at the University of Wisconsin. The duo will join the Badgers during the 2015-16 season.

"We're excited to have these two join our team," UW head coach Mark Johnson said. "They both have international exposure and experiences, and both possess good size and strength. They'll be able to come in and help us immediately."

Both players will compete for their respected countries in the upcoming 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation U18 Women's World Championship that runs Jan. 5-12 in Buffalo, New York and the duo has attended numerous national team camps and tournaments.

"I think it helps with their confidence," Johnson said. "When these players attend their national camps, they get to see first-hand how Olympians act not only on the ice, but off of it. If you get to hang around players of that caliber and watch them train, watch them eat, and watch them skate, it shows them what they need to do to get to that Olympic level.

"Both Cogan and Shaver will get a chance to play in a world championship. History tells us with our past kids that when they've gone through that, they've become better players. They're more goal-orientated, and they work to achieve those goals."

	Name	Position	Shoots	Height	Class
	Sophia Shaver	Forward	Right	5'10	2015
	Team		Hometown		DOB
	Wayzata high school		Wayzata, Minn.		4/03/1997

A native of Wayzata, Minnesota, Shaver is a 5-10 forward playing for Wayzata High School. Through 12 games of her senior year, Shaver has 16 points off 12 goals and four assists. During her junior year at Wayzata, she tallied 20 goals and 24 assists in only 27 games to earn all-state honorable mention honors and all-conference accolades. During her freshman and sophomore years at Wayzata, Shaver tallied 35 points and earned all-conference honors as a freshman.

Shaver was invited to the 2014 U.S. Women's National Team Training Camp, and skated for the U.S. U-18 team during its series against Canada this summer, where she tallied two assists. She also took part in the U.S. Four Nations Training Camp with former Badgers Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight and Alex Rigsby in November before being selected to the U.S. U-18 team that will host the IIHF U18 Women's World Championships in Buffalo, New York.

Mark Johnson on Shaver: "She is not only a good skater, but she's a fast skater. I think she's just tapping into the surface of what her potential is. So as time goes along, and she continues to do the things she's done probably the last year and a half, she's got a chance to be a real good player because of that. We like her size and her strength and her skating ability, that's a real good foundation to start with. In our sport. She goes after the puck, she tracks the puck and goes and gets it."

	Name	Position	Shoots	Height	Class
	Samantha Cogan	Forward	Left	5'8	2015
	Team		Hometown		DOB
	Nepean (PWHL)		Ottawa, Ont.		7/071997

A forward from Ottawa, Ontario, Cogan has great experience both at the prep and international levels. She currently plays her prep hockey for the Nepean Junior Wildcats in the PWHL, and has 13 goals and 21 assists in 28 games this season. Last year, she tallied 37 goals and 63 assists for 100 points in 68 games and helped the Wildcats U-19 team win its first pennant in only its fourth season.

On the international stage, she tallied two goals for Team Canada at the 2014 International Ice Hockey Federation U-18 World Championships, including one during the team's 5-1 win over the U.S. in the gold medal contest. Cogan also appeared for Team Canada in its series against the U.S. U-18 National Team, and earned an invitation to Canada's National Team Fall Festival this fall along with current Badgers Mellissa Channell, Emily Clark, Ann-Renee Desbiens, Sarah Nurse and Blayre Turnbull. In November, Cogan was named to Canada's U-18 team that will compete at next month's world championship.

Mark Johnson on Cogan: "Sam is a great scorer and has a great hockey IQ. She understands the game, she has good hockey sense, and as her skill set continues to develop, she has a chance to be a real good player. She's got good size and will be a good power forward for us."

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