Road to development continues this week

Last week, two defensemen with Lumberjacks ties familiarized themselves with the National Hockey League teams that drafted them. This week, it's the forwards' turn to attend midsummer development camps and get their first taste of NHL culture.

Adam Gilmour fits in nicely on the line chart at Wild
Development Camp. (Photo: Minnesota Wild)

Incoming Lumberjacks forward Adam Gilmour (Minnesota Wild) and outgoing Muskegon veteran Matt DeBlouw (Calgary Flames) are both in the midst of learning about their new parent organizations firsthand. This comes after Rasmus Bengtsson (Florida Panthers) and Jaycob Megna (Anaheim Ducks) got their initiations in sunny locales over the Fourth of July holiday. (Click here for Bengtsson's perspective on his camp experience.)

We will hear from Gilmour soon as he is blogging from Minnesota, a.k.a. "The State of Hockey," this week. The center from Massachusetts is skating alongside fellow 2012 Wild draftee Louis Nanne and Brown University's Bobby Farnham. In addition to staying abreast of Gilmour's doings, I'll be in touch with DeBlouw to get his first impression of the Flames organization.

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Astute Lumberjacks fans may have noticed an unfamiliar name in last week's roster announcement. Defenseman Patrick Koudys wasn't at Tryout Camp last month at L.C. Walker Arena, but Muskegon's coaching staff didn't hesitate to add him to the mix when he became available.

Ontario-born defenseman Patrick Koudys joins
the Lumberjacks after two years at RPI. (Photo: NHL) 

A fifth-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 2011, the 6-foot-3 Koudys departs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) after two years on the campus near Albany, N.Y. His desire to better prepare for the professional game has brought him to the Lumberjacks.

"Patrick is excited to come to us and the USHL," Assistant Coach Dave Noel-Bernier said. "He is a big strong guy who will play a 'shut-down' role for us. He will be great in penalty-killing situations for us and he'll be an asset at both ends of the ice."

Koudys is fired up to further his development in Muskegon this fall, but this week he is attending Capitals orientation camp for the second time. Look for a more extensive profile of the Jacks' surprise addition on MuskegonLumberjacks.com soon.