Little Commits

Green Bay's Ryan Little has made a committment to the University of Wisconsin for the fall of 2008. Little appears to be very defensive minded, as he has only notched 7 points in 61 career USHL games for the Gamblers.

The Hockey in Wisconsin blog mentions Little committing, plus an article from the Wisconsin State Journal.

A 4.0 student who chose UW over Notre Dame, Little said "you can't ask for much more" than the opportunity to play for you home-state school.

"It was pretty tough to turn down," Little said.

Gamblers coach Mark Mazzoleni described Little - who could enroll at UW next season if unforeseen defections arise - as an "unbelievable skater" whose strengths are in the defensive end.

"He's hard-nosed, aggressive and assertive," Mazzoleni said.

It also appears that Little's teammate, Mike Sislo, could be on the verge of signing with the Badgers as well.

It's possible the Badgers could soon add a third state product to their class for next season. Little's teammate, center Mike Sislo of Superior, is in the process of arranging a campus visit. Winger Josh Turnbull (Hayward) and center Patrick Johnson (Madison) have already made oral commitments.

Sislo, who turns 19 next month, shows 13-5-18 in 24 games with the Gamblers and has "become a hot property" in the USHL, according to Mazzoleni.

"He's a beautiful skater with a nose for the net," Mazzoleni said, adding Sislo has the potential to emerge as one of the elite forwards in the league this season.