Okposo to leave U hockey program

Gophers men's hockey coach Don Lucia knew forwards Kyle Okposo, Ryan Flynn and Mike Carman and defender Cade Fairchild would be absent from Minnesota's next four games while playing in the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic.

But Wednesday he learned that Okposo will be not be returning.

The sophomore forward from St. Paul told the team that he plans to sign a professional contract with the New York Islanders.

"While I'm disappointed Kyle is leaving at this point of the season, his dream has been to play pro hockey," Lucia said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that the Islanders put him in a very difficult position. I think our team has made strides the last few weeks and I'm looking forward to the second half of the season."

Okposo was tied for third on the Gophers in scoring with 11 points behind Blake Wheeler (15) and Ben Gordon (14). Minnesota has struggled offensively this season without injured forwards Ryan Stoa and Justin Bostrom and Carman because of academic ineligibility.

Minnesota is 9-8-1 and seventh in the WCHA in scoring.

A University spokesman said Lucia and his staff became aware of Okposo's possible departure earlier this week and that Lucia would offer no further comment.

It is common for hockey players to leave college early -- Okposo is the eighth men's hockey player to do so since the end of the 2005-06 season. But departing in mid-season is rare.

"I think it's really, really odd," said Lou Nanne, a former Gophers All-America and player, coach and general manager of the Minnesota North Stars.

"The Islanders should have taken [Okposo] at the beginning of the year; they should not be taking players during the season. The NHL is going to get a lot of bad publicity about this and there's going to be some ramifications with college coaches being very upset."

Jeff Sauer coached WCHA hockey from 1971-2002 with Colorado College and Wisconsin. In those seasons, he said he had one player leave mid-season for the pros.

"There's no reason to take him now when they can have him in three months," Sauer said. "This is a terrible blow for Minnesota. This could disrupt things, or the kids could pull up the bootstraps and go to work. You never know."

Sauer is headed to the World Junior tournament as a broadcast analyst for the Internet. He said Okposo has potential, but has flaws in his game.

"He's a talented hockey player," Sauer said. "But he likes to hang onto the puck and make the perfect play.

"He has a future in the [NHL], whether it's next week or two years from now."

Nanne said he sees Okposo going to the Islanders soon given Chris Simon's 30-game suspension, announced Wednesday as well.

"Last summer they told [Okposo] he'd go to juniors," Nanne said. "Now he can come right up to the team. There's no doubt there's going to be a spot for him."

Okposo and Team USA were on a plane bound for Europe when the announcement was made. Calls and a text message to Okposo's cell phone were not returned.

The Islanders official web site reported Wednesday that Okposo is negotiating an entry-level deal with the team.

A person familiar with Okposo's situation confirmed the news. It is clear that the Islanders have high expectations for Okposo.

Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said on the team's web site, "He's a great talent, one of the most exciting prospects in the game. Kyle has the dedication and character we want for our franchise."

Okposo, 19, was the first-round pick for the Islanders, seventh overall, in the 2006 NHL entry draft.