David Toews

Islanders prospects Blake Kessel and David Toews look to make own mark
by Elliot Olshansky, NY Daily News, January 23, 2009

David Toews is a forward from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who's followed his older brother's skate tracks to prep hockey powerhouse Shattuck-St. Mary's and now the University of North Dakota.

Blake Kessel is a defenseman from Madison, Wisconsin, who took a different path than his older brother, playing junior hockey in the United States Hockey League before heading halfway across the country to the University of New Hampshire.

Despite their differences, the two college freshmen share a future. When the time comes, both Kessel and Toews will seek their professional fortunes with the Islanders, and both will look to find success in their own right, independent of their older brothers.

Of course, given that Phil Kessel is one of the catalysts behind the Bruins' breakout season and a former Masterton Trophy winner, while Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews is the youngest captain in the NHL and a starter for the Western Conference in this weekend's All-Star Game, their shadows may well prove hard to escape.

"That's one of the reasons I got out of the Midwest," said Kessel, whose brother starred at the University of Minnesota before signing with the Bruins. "I've dealt with that for a while. We're very different players."

When it comes to stars' younger brothers, the Islanders have had bad luck in the past - Brett Lindros was forced into early retirement by concussion problems even worse than those suffered by older brother Eric. For now, though, the young prospects' careers are in the hands of head coaches Dick Umile at UNH and Dave Hakstol at North Dakota, who are doing their best to let Kessel (a sixth round pick in 2007) and Toews (a third-round pick in 2008) succeed on their own terms.

"He comes in with a big name," Umile said, "but he's Blake, not Phil."

The fact that the younger Kessel is a defenseman rather than a forward is helpful in allowing him to be judged on his own merits.

"Defensively, he's as good as we have here," Umile said. "The thing that surprised me about him is how good he is defending one-on-one. For a freshman, he picked that up pretty quick."

The task is a bit different for Hakstol at North Dakota, where the elder Toews helped lead the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four in 2006 and 2007, but in Grand Forks, chasing championships comes with the territory, and David Toews' desire to get to this year's Frozen Four in Washington has nothing to do with anything his brother did.

"Our goal is always to get to the national championship," Toews said. "We work toward that every year. We're not going to settle for just getting to the Frozen Four. We want to go all the way."

That focus earns high marks from Hakstol, who's guided North Dakota to the Frozen Four in each of his four seasons as head coach.

"It's never easy," Hakstol said, "the proverbial following in the footsteps, but David's doing a great job of just being David Toews. He's got a different personality and he's a different player than his brother. He's close with his brother and proud of what he's doing, but he's carving out his own path here."

Not that that path hasn't been influenced by big brother.

"He's always there giving me advice," Toews said. "How to adapt to the game, how to adapt to the lifestyle. I try to give him advice sometimes, but I'm not sure if he takes me seriously."

While the younger Kessel chose not to follow Phil to the University of Minnesota, going to UNH keeps him close to the Bruins star, what with all the road games at Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern that come with playing in Hockey East.

"I see him every couple of weeks," the younger Kessel said. "He comes up whenever he can. Whenever he can spend the time, we like to hang out together."

As loquacious as his older brother is reserved, Blake Kessel has been able to develop without the astronomical expectations that were placed on Phil, who was heralded as the greatest American-born player since Mike Modano before he turned 18.

"I was a late bloomer," Kessel said. "The best path for me was slower, to try to to work my way up in the USHL, which I was able to do."

As for Toews, while he plays the same position as his older brother, and has attended the same schools, he has a slightly different outloook on hockey.

"David's more laidback," Hakstol said. "It's a different start, but they seem to meet up at 'competitive.' David's an extremely competitive young man and an extremely prideful young man, and he wants to be a part of success."

For now, that success, above all else, means a national championship, which has eluded North Dakota in four straight Frozen Four appearances, and New Hampshire for that program's entire history. In time, though, it could mean the two younger brothers working together to help the Islanders return to the upper echelon of the NHL.

That may seem a tall order, but between the Bruins and the Blackhawks, both Kessel and Toews have watched their older brothers lead similar revivals, and that's one thing they don't mind talking about

"It's not a touchy subject," Toews said of the elder siblings' success. "We hope to be in the same situation as them one day."

AROUND THE BOARDS: Islanders prospect Shea Guthrie is this week's ECAC Hockey Player of the Week. The Clarkson forward scored two goals in a win at Yale, then assisted on two more, including the game-winner, at Brown the next night. ... Devils prospect Mike Hoeffel is the WCHA Offensive Player of the week. The Minnesota forward had three goals and an assist in the Gophers' sweep of St. Cloud. Teammate Aaron Ness, an Islanders prospect, had four assists in the two games and was named WCHA Rookie of the week. ... North Bellmore product Matt Gilroy, a defenseman at Boston University, is the Hockey East Defensive player of the Week. Gilroy was a +1 in wins over Merrimack and Boston College last weekend, and tallied three points, including the game-winner against Merrimack. ... Islip product Kyle Rank is the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week, after making 35 saves to lead Bentley to a 3-1 upset win at Maine.

David Toews

FightingSoux.com Bio

Before UND: Drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round (66th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft ... A 2008 graduate of Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn. ... Spent the past two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s and led the team to back-to-back national championships ... Scored 100 points (44g, 56a) in 51 games in 2007-08, tying for the team lead in goals ... Scored 34 goals and a team-leading 47 assists for 81 points in 61 games in 2006-07.

Personal: Undecided on a major ... Son of Bryan Toews and Andree Gilbert ... Older brother, Jonathan, was a forward at UND from 2005-07 and was a first team All-American in 2007, and currently plays for the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and was named to the NHL All-Rookie team in 2007-08.

	Isles Select LW David Toews 66th Overall
	June 20, 2008:  LW David Toews Born: June 7, 1990, Winnipeg, Man. 2007-08: Shattuck (USHL) Shoots: Right CSS:  79th overall

THN: Ranking 40th

It's not that he's not a solid prospect, but Toews' status has taken a hit because of unfair comparisons to his brother, Chicago super-rookie Jonathan Toews.

Like Jonathan, David has been a star at the Shattuck-St. Mary's prep school and hockey factory and as Jonathan did, David will play at North Dakota next season.

In the mind of scouts, however, David does not possess the top-shelf talent Jonathan does, despite his stats. In fact, David is seen as more of a checking forward; see Wayne Primeau versus Keith.

"He's OK. He's just OK," one scout said. "He's not really fast and he's not really big, but he's smart."

Toews is a solid second-rounder who plays a very tenacious game.

"He doesn't have the offensive upside, but he can be a very solid two-way guy," another scout said. "He has tons of character and he's a competitive, hard-working kid."

Red Line:

David Toews is a left winger who cracked the 100-point barrier as a prolific scorer on the powerhouse Shattuck squad. While David lacks Jonathan's supreme skill level, he makes up for it with vision and playmaking ability, and a knack for finding openings in even the tightest places to fire off hard and accurate shots.

Former Sabre enjoy fate-filled draft day
by Bobby Hart, faribault.com, June 21, 2008

David Toews found a connection with the team he was drafted by. Kyle Okposo, who was a junior at SSM in 2005 when Toews was a freshman, plays for the Islanders. The Toews and Okposo families have a friendship stemming from a connection between David’s older brother, Jonathan, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, and Okposo. They played together on the SSM prep team and were both top ten picks in the 2006 draft, which had Jonathan Toews as the third pick and Okposo as the seventh.

“Knowing someone in the organization like (Okposo) will be a really big help for me to make the transition when the time comes eventually,” said David Toews, who was reached by phone Saturday in North Dakota, where he will play for the University of North Dakota next season.

Toews spent his Saturday working out with his future college roommate and teammate Ben Blood, a SSM alumnus who was the 120th pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2007.

Even though an injury cut his senior year short, Toews was ranked 79th among North American skaters in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

“I really didn’t get my hopes up for the draft at all,” said Toews, who met with Islanders officials a week before the draft in the NHL combine. “I just kind of sat back and waited to see what happened. I was really excited to get drafted by such a great organization, and I look forward to hopefully make an impact in their organization one day.”

Prepping for the pros — Four of a kind
by Marc Zarefsky, faribault.com, June 21, 2008

FARIBAULT — Tom Ward has seen plenty of good hockey players in his time as boys prep coach at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, Drew Stafford, Ryan Malone, Jonathan Toews ... the list just goes on and on of current National Hockey League players who first made their mark at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. But when it comes to talented senior classes, this year’s group might be the best Ward has ever coached. This year’s group of seniors helped the Sabres accomplish what no past SSM boys prep team was able to accomplish: repeat as USA Hockey Tier I National Champions.

“When they were here, they were as good as any (senior class) we’ve had,” Ward said. “Time will prove out, I guess, at the end of the day, if they have some staying power like some of the other teams have had as they move on down the hockey food chain.”

That next step along the hockey food chain could come today for four recent SSM graduates. David Carle, Jordy Murray, Derek Stepan and David Toews, as well as current SSM senior Alexander Fallstrom, could each be selected by professional organizations today on the second day of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. All five are rated among the Top 175 North American skaters, as determined by the NHL Central Scouting Service.

In the final chapter of a five-part series, the Daily News profiles Carle, Murray, Stepan and Toews, with a little assistance from their former coach.

David Toews:

David’s season was cut short because of injuries, but he still finished tied for the team lead in goals. He is ranked 79th among North American skaters for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, and will play at the University of North Dakota next season. His brother Jonathan was a rookie on the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007.

Player’s perspective:

“He’s got real good hands, and is real good at protecting the puck. He’s got a huge heart, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win.” — David Carle

“He’s a natural born goal scorer. He’s a leader, he’s a guy that can pick teams up and tell someone where they need to be. He’s also a guy that’s probably hard on himself a little too much. He’s so competitive, that’s just him being him.” — Derek Stepan

Coach’s perspective:

“David Toews is a wonderful player. David Toews is a boy that sometimes you just watch (from) the bench and you have fun watching him play because he is so gifted. His skills that he has and he’s developed make him a very dangerous player and a hard player to play against.” — Tom Ward

Prepping for the pros-Skating to the next step: Four SSM seniors choose to play collegiately instead of in junior ranks
by Marc Zarefsky, faribault.com, June 14, 2008

Unlike other major professional sports, where the traditional progression path for players goes from high school, to college, to the professional leagues, hockey is different. Rather than jumping straight into the National Collegiate Athletic Association from high school, hockey players have the option to first prepare in what essentially are developmental programs.

Stepan, who is rated the 58th best North American skater for next weekend’s National Hockey League Entry Draft, chose to move straight on to college, opting to play at the University of Wisconsin next season. Like Stepan, David Carle, David Toews and Jordy Murray, all of whom are ranked among the Top 175 North American skaters by the Central Scouting Service, chose the direct route from Shattuck-St. Mary’s to college, rather than first playing juniors.

In the fourth of a five-part series, the Daily News examines that decision-making process of playing collegiately or at the junior level.

What are juniors?

In the United States, the top junior league is the United States Hockey League. It is an amateur league, meaning players who play in the USHL can still play collegiately. In contrast, the Canadian Hockey League (comprised of three Major Junior Hockey Leagues) provides stipends for its players, and is seen by the NCAA as a professional league, meaning players like Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux, who started their careers in Canada, lost their college eligibility.

Juniors in both the US and Canada are geared towards players aged 16-20. Since the USHL was officially recognized as the top junior league in the US in 2002, the quality of the players in the league has continued to rise. Five of the last seven NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player Award winners played in the USHL, as did three of the last five winners of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, handed out to the nation’s best collegiate hockey player.

The decision

The other major factor is the individual. College hockey is faster and more physical than the USHL, which in turn is far different than high school hockey. Carle, Murray, Stepan and Toews will all be playing next year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the strongest conference in college hockey, meaning their step up will be drastic.

But thanks to their time at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, all four players are now better prepared to make that jump.

“It takes a mature player to play at the college level,” said Toews, who will skate for the University of North Dakota. “That’s one thing that’s great about playing for Coach (Tom) Ward and at Shattuck, they help you mature as a player and a person. It’s really one attribute that’s great for players coming out of Shattuck, and I’m looking forward to using that next year at the college level.”

Prepping for the pros - First person: David and Jonathan Toews
by Marc Zarefsky, faribault.com, May 31, 2008

David Toews on getting advice from his older brother Jonathan, left, who graduated from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in 2005 and led all NHL rookies with 24 goals last season with the Chicago Blackhawks:

“It’s great for him when he gets to watch my games, and he gets to give me pointers. In the summer, after the full season, we get back together and he notices things that I’ve improved, and things that he thinks I should work on. He’s always been so important for me, and I think we’ve both been able to feed off each other and each other’s knowledge of the game.”

Jonathan, on seeing David succeed at Shattuck-St. Mary’s:

“It’s great. I had a lot of fun in the two years that I spent here. When I left, obviously I was hoping that he would have the same thing, and he did, if not more. I think the fact that he was on two national championship winning teams was huge. They had so many returning players this year and they were so strong as a team, and for him to kind of be at the center of it all is an honor for him, and I’m definitely proud as a brother to watch the way he’s done since he’s been here.”

David on his relationship with Jonathan:

“He’s always been there for me, whether it’s on the backyard rink or in the basement shooting pucks. He’s so mature for his age (Jonathan is 20), so it’s almost like having another parent around helping me, and he understands the game better than anybody I know.”

Jonathan, on his relationship with younger brother David:

“We’ve always been very close. We’re very competitive. I think growing up, we always had that nature that we work against each other. I always felt that I was supposed to have the upper hand, especially when we played hockey together. He was always right there. He could battle with me when we had one-on-one games, and I think that proves why he did so well (at Shattuck-St. Mary’s).”

Prepping for the pros — Following in their footsteps: Hockey runs in the family for these 4 seniors
by Marc Zarefsky, faribault.com, May 31, 2008

FARIBAULT — As David Toews stepped on stage to receive his diploma early Friday afternoon during Shattuck-St. Mary’s 150th graduation, he was greeted by a set of familiar eyes looking up at him. There, sitting along with his family in the front row of the audience, was David’s older brother, Jonathan, who recently completed his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Jordy Murray might have seen a different glimpse of the NHL as he walked on stage. There in the back of the audience sat his dad, Andy, head coach of the St. Louis Blues, and his brother, Brady, who made his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings last September.

Toews and Murray are not the only members of SSM’s graduating class to have a tie to the NHL. David Carle’s brother, Matt, recently completed his third season as defenseman for the San Jose Sharks after winning the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top collegiate player while at the University of Denver, and Derek Stepan’s father, Brad, was a fifth-round selection by the New York Rangers in the 1985 Draft.

Those connections will be useful for all four SSM seniors as they prepare for next month’s NHL Entry Draft. In the second of a five-part series leading up to the NHL Draft, Carle, Murray, Stepan and Toews explain how growing up in hockey families made each of them who they are today.


Brotherly bond

The dream to one day grow up and be a professional athlete is one shared by children all over the globe, but only a select few know what it takes to achieve that goal. Growing up as up-and-coming hockey players, David Carle and David Toews only had to look to their brothers to find some answers (See First Person at right).

“On the ice he’s shown me what it takes to continue to move up the food chain,” David Carle said about his older brother. “He’s obviously put a line of footsteps in front of me to follow.”

Matt and David Carle grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where they were exposed to hockey at a young age. Matt was interested in attending Shattuck-St. Mary’s, but his plans changed after being invited to join the United States National Team Development Program. He left his family for hockey when David Carle was 10 years old.

“We kind of grew apart the first couple of years when he was away,” David Carle said. “I started to mature a bit and we’d see each other over the summers, and now we’ve become pretty good friends.”

It was Matt’s interest in SSM that first exposed his brother to the school. Before his sophomore year, David Carle made the move from Alaska to Faribault. Now, with the SSM chapter of his hockey career complete, David Carle will follow his brother’s footsteps to the University of Denver, the next step on the Carle family path to the NHL.

Like David Carle, David Toews will follow his older brother’s path onto the ice for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. This past season Jonathan Toews led all NHL rookies in goals with 24, and his younger brother was watching and learning every step of the way.

“Just seeing him fulfill his dreams is just so much more motivating for me as well, just to know that it is possible to do what I’ve always wanted to do, and I can taste it a little bit more now,” David Toews said. “To see how much success he’s had and the life he’s living right now just makes me want to have that so much more.”

When Jonathan was a senior at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in 2005, the boys prep team won its third Tier 1 Boys U18 National Championship in five years. This past season, David Toews helped the Sabres defend last season’s national title and become the first team in the program’s history to repeat as national champions. Tom Ward coached both brothers while at SSM.

“They’re unique, which is great, but they play the game very similar,” Ward said. “They’re more similar on the ice in the way they play than they are off the ice as people. Jonathan is a very cerebral, serious, focused, organized guy, and David is more of a free-wheeling, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. They both get to the same point eventually, but they go about it in different ways.”


All in the family

Five years before Derek Stepan was born, Brad Stepan was drafted 91st overall by the New York Rangers. The elder Stepan went on to play three years in the Ontario and International Hockey League. Knowing his father’s hockey past helped Derek appreciate the advice he had for him on the ice.

“Hockey-wise he taught me everything, from hard work to little skills to just competing and playing for the love of the game,” Derek said. “Playing in the professional leagues for the couple years that he did and (with me) growing up, always being my coach, he was a big influence in my life.”

Next year Derek will take what he learned from his father and from Shattuck-St. Mary’s to the University of Wisconsin, where he will skate along with current teammate Jordy Murray. Murray has known for a while that he has large skates to fill. And multiple pairs at that.

Not only are there the expectations of living up to the legacy of his brother, Brady, but there are also the footsteps of his older sister, Sarah, who recently won a Division I NCAA Championship with the University of Minnesota Duluth. Then there is the fact that his dad used to be the head coach at SSM and is currently an NHL head coach.

“I think I have more pressure than a regular kid would have, just because everyone is expecting me to be good because my dad is who he is, and my brother’s done what he’s done, and my sister’s pretty good in her own right,” Jordy said. “I try not to listen to any of it.”

Andy Murray built the foundation of Jordy’s love for hockey when he first strapped skates onto the then 2-year-old’s feet, but these days, it’s Brady Murray that is helping Jordy out the most. The two train together over the summer, with Brady pushing Jordy as hard as he can on the ice and in the weight room.

“Right now he’s probably my biggest influence on my hockey because we’re always together,” Jordy said.

Still, it’s still a learning experience for the Wisconsin-bound player to talk with and watch his dad. On several occasions this past season, Jordy and David Toews sat in front of the same television in their dorm’s basement as the Blackhawks and Blues faced off, Toews watching his brother, Murray watching his dad.

“That really helps those kids,” Ward said. “It doesn’t help them day-to-day in practice, obviously, because they can’t play for them, but I really do think it’s good for them so they know what it takes. It gives them a little bit extra of an edge over some of the boys that maybe wonder what they should do or how they should do it. It gets them to that spot quicker because they have someone they can go to.”

Prepping for the pros — First person: Derek Stepan and David Toews break down the Stanley Cup Finals
faribault.com, May 24, 2008

Derek Stepan: So Dave, who do you think is going to win the Stanley Cup?

David Toews: I think Detroit’s going to have the edge. They’re a lot more experienced with the older guys they have and they know what they’re doing. They’re almost over-the-hill as a team, but they still have it, as they’ve shown. Pittsburgh’s been great all the way up to now, I just think they’re too young, yet they’ll as a team what it takes. I think it’s going to be a great series that will come right down to the wire. I think Detroit’s going to pull it out in Game Seven. What about you Derek? What do you think?

DS: I also agree that Detroit’s going to pull it off because of experience, and because of (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk — they are ridiculous. They make things look so easy. But, I want Pittsburgh to win it so bad because I’m sick of Detroit winning. I want Pittsburgh to pull it out. I think it’s going to be a great series, like you said. I agree with the Game Seven, Game Six, maybe. But I do think Detroit’s going to pull it out, and I think it will be one of those series where home games, the home team wins, and then towards the end Detroit’s going to fiddle one out because they’re old and experienced, and they know what’s going on.

DT: I think this is going to be one of the most exciting series ever because you’ve got Zetterberg and Datsyuk on one side, and then you’ve got (Evgeni) Malkin and (Sidney) Crosby on the other. There’s just infinite potential out there. I don’t think there’s been that much star power in any Stanley Cup in a while, so it’s going to be awesome. There are going to be some battles on the third and fourth line, guys are going to be going after each other. I really want to see Gary Roberts (of Pittsburgh) win a Cup. He’s 42, he’s getting old. He needs one.

DS: Here’s another kicker question for you, you ready for it: (Marc-Andre) Fleury (of Pittsburgh) vs. (Chris) Osgood (of Detroit), who comes home with it?

DT: I never thought Osgood was very good until this series. (Dominik) Hasek gets the start at the beginning of the playoffs, doesn’t too well, Osgood gets put in and has been flawless. I think Osgood’s got it. Fleury’s good. He’s young like the other guys, they’re all young.

DS: I think it’s going to be the greatest Stanley Cup in a while. Who do you think is going to be MVP?

DT: If Pittsburgh wins, Malkin. If Detroit wins, Zetterberg.

DS: I think if Pittsburgh wins, I’ve got to go Malkin, too. If Detroit wins you’ve got to go with Zetterberg, because he’s been ridiculous all playoffs.

(Later talking about Crosby making his first Stanley Cup appearance...)

DT: Crosby’s Crosby. What does he have, four goals and 17 assists. He’s awesome. I just think Malkin’s been a bigger force on his own. He’s just a bigger presence out there. It looked like in the Philadelphia series that they were keying in a lot more on Malkin than they were on Crosby. That’s why I think I have to take Malkin over Crosby (for MVP). Both of those guys are unbelievable players, and I respect both of them a lot.

DS: I don’t think there’s a possibility you overlook Crosby, but Malkin’s been so good in the playoffs. It’s abnormal how good he’s been.

David Toews’ final prediction: Detroit in 7.

Derek Stepan’s final prediction: Detroit in 6.

Picking up the slack
by Bobby Hart, faribault.com, March 21, 2008

FARIBAULT - The Shattuck St. Mary's boys prep hockey team heads into its final series of the season this weekend against Russell Stover at home with the mindset of tuning up and staying healthy before the national tournament begins April 2.

The Sabres, 40-11-3 on the year, will work on filling two key gaps in their lineup, with seniors David Toews and Luke Greiner both out with injuries. Toews, who hurt his knee last week against Bismark, will miss the remainder of the year, while Greiner is week-to-week with mononucleosis.

Life without Toews, who leads the team in scoring (100 points, 44 goals, 56 assists), will take some getting used to.

"It's going to hurt us, absolutely," said SSM coach Tom Ward after practice Friday. "He's our leading scorer. He's missed a couple games earlier in the year because of injury, too, so it's not uncharted territory for us to play without him, which is good. It's the old cliché, it's an opportunity for someone else to step up and fill the void."

Hockey's elite
by Marc Zarefsky, faribault.com, February 22, 2008

FARIBAULT - The 2008 National Hockey League Draft is still four months away, but five Shattuck-St. Mary's hockey players are beginning to garner national attention.

David Carle, Alexander Fallstrom, Jordan Murray, Derek Stepan and David Toews were all recently named on the NHL Central Scouting Service mid-term ratings list of top North American skaters eligible for the draft. All but Fallstrom are seniors.

"We're lucky here that we attract that caliber of player, and it's unique that we have this many guys on one team that are rated in the National Hockey League Draft," boys prep coach Tom Ward said. "It's not uncommon for us to have ranked players, but it is unique to have this many."

The Central Scouting Service is an organization that scouts and evaluates potential prospects across the country, as well as internationally.

The 2008 NHL Draft will be held in Ottawa on June 24-25.

All five players were honored by their individual ranking, but said that right now there attention is solely on the Sabres and the team's quest for its fifth national championship in eight years.

The bigger thing for the team is a run at a national title in April. For the squad's seniors, the more immediate reality is that their SSM careers are quickly coming to a close. The team plays two of its final three games this weekend against the Madison Capitals. The Sabres final home game is March 25 against the Southern Minnesota Express.

Saturday's matchup with the Capitals begins at 7 p.m. Sunday's game is at noon.

"It's definitely going to be sentimental," said Toews, who will skate at the University of North Dakota in the fall. "We'll try to get the wins this weekend, and then afterwards I will be able to look back and miss all the games I played in this building.

"It's going to be a special moment for all our seniors, and we're really looking forward to it, but we also have to take care of business on the ice."

Top Prospects Come to Town
Brad Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald (January 10, 2008)

The next Toews will be playing in Grand Forks this week. 

Literally.

David Toews, the younger brother of Jonathan Toews, is one of about 250 midget hockey league players expected to be in town for the Little Caesars North American Showcase.

The tournament, which begins tonight in Ralph Engelstad and Purpur Arena, features 12 teams -- three of which are ranked in the top seven nationally.

The most notable is Shattuck-St. Mary's, the top-ranked program that has produced Sioux players Ryan Duncan, Taylor Chorney, Chay Genoway and Brad Miller. Other Shattuck graduates who played at UND include current NHLers Zach Parise, Drew Stafford and Jonathan Toews.

The younger Toews, Shattuck coach Tom Ward says, is special, too. He's ranked as the No. 71 North American skater prospect by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, but many draft experts project the Winnipeg native to be a late first-round pick in next summer's draft.

"We've had first-rounders here before," Ward says, "and (David's) progression is real similar to those guys."

Toews, a 5-foot-10, 180 pound forward, is setting himself apart on a Minnesota-based Shattuck team that has several future Division I players. He's the leading scorer with 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points in 26 games. No teammate is within 15 points of Toews.

"He's real similar to Jonathan," Ward said. "Dave is a stockier kid, he's not as tall. But their thought process and their games are real similar. They are both hard on the puck, have good hockey sense. They are nifty around the net, they're good teammates and good two-way players. There are more similarities than differences."

Another similarity is their college choice. David Toews verbally committed to UND during the summer. He is expected to join the Sioux in the fall.

Sioux coaches will be watching Toews and other prospects during the four-day tournament.

"What a great opportunity it is to see some of the top midget programs in North America," UND coach Dave Hakstol said. "Individually, a lot of these players you are going to hear a lot from at the college level, in the WCHA and here at UND. And as history would show with this tournament, you'll see players who are going to go on to play in the National Hockey League."

UND men’s hockey team announces signees
fightingsioux.com, November 28, 2007

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol announced today that five players have signed national letters of intent to attend UND during the NLI early signing period, which ran from Nov. 14 through Nov. 21.
 
UND’s new signees include forward Mike Cichy (New Hartford, Conn.), defenseman Corey Fienhage (Apple Valley, Minn.), defenseman Joe Gleason (Edina, Minn.), forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) and forward David Toews (Winnipeg, Manitoba).

The new signees bring UND’s total number of current signees to 10. Previous student-athletes signing with UND include forwards Brett Bruneteau (Omaha, Neb.), Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) and goalie Bradley Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta).

David Toews
Forward (shoots right), 5-10, 180, Winnipeg, Manitoba, (Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School, Faribault, Minn.), Current Team: Shattuck-St. Mary’s
 
Toews is playing this season for Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School in Faribault, Minn. Through Shattuck’s first 22 games this season, Toews had a team-high 49 points (22g, 27a). Toews has helped Shattuck post an 18-4-0 record to start the season.

U.S. to play for fifth place
faribault.com, August 18, 2007

The United States will play the co-host Czech Republic - in a game that counts this time - for fifth place today after the Americans finished with a 1-2 record in pool play at the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament this week. 

Sabres senior David Toews and his Canadian teammates will play for a bronze medal in the eight-team tournament today. Canada beat the Czechs 4-1 Thursday and suffered only a shootout loss in the tournament.

Toews assisted on Phillipe Cornet's goal that tied the score 2-2 in the loss to Sweden to open the tourney Tuesday. Another former Shattuck player, Kelsey Tessier assisted on Canada's first goal and was stopped on a try during the shootout. Tessier was named a Canadian alternate captain out of the team's tryout camp in Calgary.

Toews drew a minor penalty in a 3-2 win over Switzerland on Wednesday and another in Thursday's win over the Czechs.

Toews makes it three
by Sean LaFavor, faribault.com, August 9, 2007

FARIBAULT - A trio of Shattuck-St. Mary's linemates who helped spark the Sabres boys prep team to a national championship in March will all be playing in next week's Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament - all for different countries.

David Toews learned Wednesday morning that he had made the cut at the end of Hockey Canada's tryout camp this week, and will join fellow Sabres seniors-to-be Jordy Murray, who will play for the United States, and Stepan Novotny, who will represent the co-host Czech Republic.

The Americans play in Group B with Russia, Finland and Slovakia, with all games played in Piestany, Slovakia. Group A will play in Hodonin, Czech Republic, and consists of Canada, the Czechs, Sweden and Switzerland.

Novotny is the only one who's ever played in an international tournament before, though both Murray and Toews have older brothers who have - and won gold medals. Brady Murray played on the American team, along with former Shattuck and University of North Dakota teammate Zach Parisé, that won the first and only U.S. gold medal in a World Junior Championships tournament, in Finland in 2003. Jonathan Toews, also a former Sabre, helped Canada to gold in the WJC tournament in Sweden last January.

"Just having the opportunity to represent my country is an unbelievable feeling," said David Toews. "... (Jonathan) told me he's proud of me, and proud that I'm taking another step in my career and he gave me a few little pointers. He just told me to go and have fun, play my game and try not to think about things too much. It's good to have Jon around for things like that."

Toews makes good on Shattuck mulligan
by Sean LaFavor, faribault.com, July 27, 2007

FARIBAULT - Not everybody gets the second chance David Toews got this year, and so far he has taken full advantage of it.

An arduous journey that included his expulsion from Shattuck-St. Mary's last winter for cheating on an exam has culminated this summer with Toews, who will be a senior at the Faribault prep school this fall, committing to play college hockey at the University of North Dakota after graduation.

It almost didn't happen, at least not at Shattuck anyway. Toews and classmate Kelsey Tessier were kicked out of school during the same week in October of 2005, for separate cheating incidents, and both ended up playing the rest of the season with the Colorado Outlaws. Tessier went the major junior route last year with the Quebec Remparts, while Toews returned to Shattuck, though with no margin for error during his junior year.

"I was on probation the whole year, and if I'd done anything wrong - even a minor infraction, any small mistakes - I'd have been expelled again," Toews said. "Now next year, since I didn't break any rules, I'll be off probation and looked at as a normal student again."

As Toews explains it, his incident was an honest mistake and a matter of circumstances. He got his hands on an old test from another student as a guide to study for a chemistry exam last fall, which is apparently a common practice. Students were often provided with old tests as reference guides for ACT tests.

When he came to the chemistry portion of the test, he began to realize he wouldn't have time to complete it, and so he wrote down what he could remember from the old test - verbatim apparently - so as not to leave an entire section blank.

"I handed it in, and they said 'These answers are from an old test,'" he said. "I told them I didn't think I got one answer right, so a lot of good it did me. They said 'You used answers from a different test, that's cheating.' Since I was already on probation, they expelled me."

Whatever happened, Toews and Tessier ended up with the Outlaws, which play in Superior, Colo., near Boulder. There they lived with the parents of Shattuck teammate Brett Kostolansky. Toews said he and Tessier still talk nearly every day, and both will be trying out next weekend for Team Canada's 18-and-under team that will play in Slovakia and the Czech Republic later this year.

"We're very close friends. We've been through so much together, there's no way we could forget each other," Toews said.

David Toews, the brother of former Shattuck and Fighting Sioux standout Jonathan Toews, is back at his family's home in Winnipeg, Man., this summer, about 160 miles north of Grand Forks if you follow Interstate 29 until it turns into Manitoba Highway 75. He said he was a Sioux fan even before his brother decided to play there, and didn't really look seriously at going to any other college.

The North Dakota coaches told Toews if his senior season goes well and if he feels ready to, he'll play for the Sioux without a stop to play juniors first. He would join two other former Sabres players - defenseman Ben Blood and forward Brett Bruneteau - as Sioux freshmen in 2008-09.

"I'm fortunate to have people in my life who were there to help me through a tough time like I had last year," Toews said. "It's good that people will give you a second chance, and it just proves that while you can make pretty big mistakes, it's the way you go about your business afterward. People can forgive you if you make a good example of yourself. I was lucky. I was able to show I was serious about hockey and my studies."

Following in bro's footsteps
by Adam Wazny, Winnipeg Sun, July 20, 2007

David Toews is pretty sure the same line of discussion on how he compares to his older brother will surround him for the next three or four years.

The 17-year-old brother of Jonathan Toews -- the Chicago Blackhawks' third pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and Canadian World Junior hockey hero -- is ready for the inevitable measuring stick. Especially now that he's following his brother's footsteps.

David, like Jon, is attending Shattuck-St.Mary's, the prep school in Minnesota which is gaining a quick reputation as an NHL star factory. Despite a broken wrist, the younger Toews led Shattuck in scoring as a junior last season and will skate there again this winter. A few of the notables to lead Shattuck in scoring the past few years: Sidney Crosby, Jon Toews, and Zach Parise.

Following that, and again like his brother before him, David will be attending the University of North Dakota for the 2008-09 season, verbally committing to the school last week.

If he's trying to avoid the comparisons, he's doing a terrible job.

"Comparisons (to Jon) will probably come up a million times," David said the other day. "We both have similar styles but we're unique in the way we play. They're always there, you just have to look past what everyone is talking about. If it's not (being compared) to my brother, then it's being compared to someone else. That's just part of the game. It's a motivator, really, when people judge your game. I just try and go out and play, try to forget what people are saying."

Committing to UND might have been the easiest decision the 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward has made. His brother played there for two seasons and the Fighting Sioux coach, Dave Hakstol, had been pushing for the other Toews to get with the program. Hakstol had reached out to David a few months ago, but the youngster took a little extra time to consider the offer.

"I've been talking to them for a long time, so I just sat down with my parents and I told them this is what I wanted," Toews said. "I got the offer that I wanted, so there was no real need to wait. I know what North Dakota hockey is all about with Jon having been there. I knew it was the place, I've been going there to watch a few games before Jon even played there.

"The last couple years it's almost ben like one big visit I've been there so much. I'm pretty familiar with everything there. I know what I was getting myself into."

On the ice almost every day at the Winnipeg Winter Club and Dakota Community Club, Toews is preparing for the National Summer Under-18 Selection Camp in Calgary next month (Aug. 4-9). Fellow Manitobans Michael Stone, Colby Robak, Dale Hunt and Jordan Mistelbacher have also been invited to the week-long tryout.

The Ivan Hlinka Under-18 Memorial Tournament (formerly Jr. World Cup) opens Aug. 14 in the Czech Republic.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — The University of North Dakota hockey team is saying hello to David Toews, less than two months after saying goodbye to his older brother, Jonathan.

David Toews, of Winnipeg, has given UND a verbal commitment to play for the Fighting Sioux, beginning in 2008.

His decision comes less than two months after Jonathan Toews left school early to sign a professional contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

"I called coach (Dave) Hakstol and told him that this is what I want," David Toews said. "There's no reason to wait. I'm 100% committed to coming there.

"I've always loved everything about North Dakota," he said. "Jon had a great experience and I'm really excited to play there."

David Toews, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward led Shattuck-St. Mary's prep team in scoring last season as a junior, playing half of the season with a broken wrist.

"I try to be a goal scorer, but sometimes I'll rough it up in the corners," he said. "I'm sort of a power forward. My brother and I play similar styles."

Jonathan Toews was an all-American center at UND. He also scored two goals and added five assists for gold-medal winning Canada at this year's world junior hockey championships.

Younger Toews has role model when it comes to international experience
Donna Spencer, Canadian Press (June 15, 2007)

David Toews doesn't have to look far for inspiration when it comes to international hockey.

His older brother Jonathan won back-to-back gold medals at the world junior hockey championship the past two years playing for Canada.

Jonathan was a standout in his second go-around this past January in Sweden.

The 19-year-old is eligible to play for the Canadian junior team again, but was recently signed to a contract by the Chicago Blackhawks.

David Toews, a forward like his brother, is one of 40 players born in 1990 or later invited to the Canadian under-18 team's selection camp Aug. 4-9 in Calgary.

Twenty-two players - 13 forwards, seven defencemen and two goalies - will be chosen at the conclusion of the camp to represent their country at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial, formerly the Junior World Cup, Aug. 14-18 in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

If David is going to follow in his brother's footsteps, he wants to start by making the Canadian under-18 team.

"It's a tough path to follow, but I'm doing my best," David said Thursday from Winnipeg.

"He's been helping me a lot. It's great to have a role model like my brother. "

David, who played this past season for Shattuck St. Mary's High School in Minnesota, is slightly shorter than Jonathan at five foot 11, but weighs the same at 185, which makes him stockier.

"He might be a little smoother player than I am," David said.

"I try to rough it up a little more. He's a great player and I try to imitate him sometimes, but I've got to have my own style of play as well."

Forward Steve Stamkos and defenceman Yann Sauve are the headliners of the under-18 selection camp.

Stamkos was selected first overall by the Sarnia Sting at last year's Ontario Hockey League draft.

Shattuck hockey season begins tonight in earnest
by Sean LaFavor, faribault.com, September 23, 2006

Toews returns: David Toews, the younger brother of former Sabres phenom Jonathan Toews, is back at Shattuck after being expelled last year. Toews, along with classmate Kelsey Tessier, were playing with the SSM boys prep squad before both were asked to leave in October. The pair landed on their feet with the Colorado Outlaws AAA team, led by former Gophers and Colorado College head coach Brad Beutow.

Toews has returned to Shattuck and will again play with the prep squad, while Tessier has joined Angelo Esposito with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Esposito, who played with the Sabres prep in 2004-05, is expected by many so-called experts to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL draft.

SSM loses a pair to expulsion
by Sean LaFavor, faribault.com, October 18, 2005

FARIBAULT -- The Shattuck-St. Mary's boys prep hockey team took a personnel hit recently when two players left the team and the school.

Several blogs have reported that the players, David Toews and Kelsey Tessier, were expelled for cheating, but Shattuck officials would not comment on why they players had left.

Toews and Tessier, both of whom were sophomores at the school, played on the SSM Tier I Bantam team last season. Toews' older brother, Jonathan, was one of the prep team's top players last year and is now a freshman for the University of North Dakota hockey team.

Head master Nick Stoneman said the matter was "between the families and the school."

"It wouldn't be appropriate to comment on it," he said. "The rest of the world is, if you look all over the hockey blogs."

Regarless of the reason, the departures leave a void for prep team head coach Tom Ward, and when he formally filled out his roster this past weekend, a trio of newcomers found themselves with an unexpected opportunity: forwards Masa Takahashi, a senior from Kanagawa, Japan, and Stepan Novotny, a sophomore from Prague, Czech Republic, and Daniel Wood, from Sheffield, United Kingdom.

"Coming out of camp, we didn't have our rosters full, because we had a couple boys injured who couldn't participate in the regular tryout camp," Ward said. "For the team's sake, for getting chemistry on the team, getting systems in place, getting your team to be a team, you need to get your guys set and move on.

"(Toews and Tessier) are good players. They both have potential to be really good players. There's no question they are kids that are gonna someday be really good players. But you can't look at this as spilled milk. We've gotta look at it as an opportunity for some other kids to step up and grab the reigns and go. We wish (Toews and Tessier) the best of luck wherever they land. We just gotta keep cooking here."