Setting The Bar For Sam

In my quest to locate and keep tabs on the growing list of alumni, I came upon this particular blog about Sam Muchalla. It is quite complimentary and I must say well informed describing Sam as "slightly undersized" but having the "finesse ... to overcome this."

It also talks about his work ethic and dedication to his team and to winning, something that Spruce Kings fans don't need to be reminded of. Sam continues to stay in touch with the team and follows them both on and off the ice as I hope to do for his college hockey career. The bar has already been set high for last year's captain of the Spruce Kings. A self proclaimed unofficial blog of Northern Michigan University has Muchalla stepping in to the skates of last year's points leader.

Well here, you can read it for yourself ...

Sam Muchalla

Sam Muchalla will most likely be the bandage that will fill the gap left by 2009-10 CCHA points leader Mark Olver (19-30-49 in 40 games). Muchalla comes from the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL, a Canadian Junior A team. Muchalla was able to avoid being considered ineligible for NCAA play by choosing a Junior A squad in lieu of the Semi-Professional Canadian Major Junior League, the CHL.

Muchalla is a better than a point per game contributor throughout his career (64-117-181 in 161 games) in what is possibly the highest talent league available for moving players into NCAA hockey. Muchalla has also shown a steady improvement, upgrading to a full point and a half-per-game player last season, boasting 29 goals and 58 assists in 58 games. He has limited playoff experience, totaling 9 games, but even still boasts 11 points, putting him at higher than a point per game in the post season.

At 5'8" 155 pounds, Muchalla is slightly undersized, but his finesse will be enough to overcome this against all but the best defensive teams. Look for the left-hander to be one of the best in the CCHA during his tenure at NMU. According to SelectsHockey.com, Muchalla is known around the league for his work ethic and dedication to his team and winning.