Blaine center Nick Bjugstad said he will sign sometime this week with the Gophers. The spring signing period begins Wednesday.

"I'm considered a senior," said Bjugstad, who has taken some college classes already at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. "My transcripts have been faxed to the U. When it's official, it will be very exciting to me."

Bjugstad is playing tennis for the first time this spring and enjoying it. He and his partner are 3-0 so far.

"I played tennis when I was growing up, but never competitively," he said. "It helps me with my endurance and footwork. I really like [being on the team]. It's a different group of guys."

He said he is skating now and then, but is basically taking a little break from hockey.

Bjugstad he will start working hard again as the NHL Combine approaches. It runs from May 24-29 in Toronto and only the top 100 or so prospects for the NHL draft are invited.

He was hoping to be invited to paly for the U.S. team in the IIHF under-18 world championships going on now in Belarus but was not.

"They took some guys from the junior league," Bjugstad said. "I obviously was not the right fit. They watched me in the state tournament. I was disappointed. I would have loved to have made the team."

He said he hopes to have other opportunities to play on a U.S. team in the future.

GOALIE WEIGHING OPTIONS

Canadian goalie Joel Vienneau said he is still trying to decide between signing with Minnesota or Michigan for the 2011-12 hockey season.

He hopes to make his decision before June. He led Kingston to within one game of the OJAHL championship. The Voyageurs lost game seven of the final series 3-2 to Oakville in overtime despite Vienneau's 59 saves.

Vieanneau said he is not sure yet where he will play next season, but said he needs to improve his grades and SAT score before he can sign a Division I scholarship tender.

He visited the Gophers' campus and arena during the North Dakota series last winter. "It's an unreal school," he said. "To be part of that team would be great."

There is also a chance Vienneau will be taken in the NHL draft in June. "I'm 14th in the final [goalie] rankings," he said. "My season was great. We came up a little short and that was disappointing."

He was 9-3-1 (the 1 refers to one overtime loss) in the playoffs with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.