St. Thomas Academy forward Ryan Walters has verbally committed to Minnesota, The Scouting News confirmed after rumors starting circulating last night on the Minnesota High School Hockey message board. Walters, a sophomore, is considered by many to be one of the top recruits in the nation for the class of 2010. He briefly played in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League this fall before playing for Des Moines in the USHL. He will play there before and after this upcoming season, and then, according to a report in the Pioneer Press, will play full-time for the Buccaneers the following two seasons before enrolling at Minnesota.This past summer, after participating in the University of Minnesota's Model Camp, Walters performed well at the Select 16s in Rochester, N.Y. He finished the event with seven points in five games. After the Select 16s, the U.S. Hockey Report gave Walters an "A" rating. Fellow Gopher recruit Josh Birkholz also received an "A."
Walters, who is originally from Rosemount, followed with an impressive performance in the 2007 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic, scoring four goals and registering one assists in four games.
Here's a brief video clip of Walters playing in the Elite League from last month.
