Luverne High School's freshman forward standout Jaxon Nelson verbally committed to play college hockey for the Gophers on Thursday.
Nelson, born in 2000, is already 6-1, 180 pounds and scored 91 points (44 goals, 47 assists) in 28 games as a ninth-grader at the small high school in the southwest corner of Minnesota. As an eighth-grader, he scored 74 points while leading Luverne to its first state tournament appearance.
It'll be a while before Gophers fans see Nelson in the maroon and gold on the ice at Mariucci Arena. His first college hockey season will likely be 2018-2019. He's the first player from Luverne to earn a Division 1 hockey scholarship.
Here's a list of the Gophers' recruits courtesy of gopherhockeyhistory.com:
Verbal
Baker, Tarek
F
Bloomington Thunder (USHL)
Verbal
Edquist, Ryan
G
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Verbal
Fällström, William
F
Djurgården U18
Signed
Gates Jr., Brent
C
Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Signed
Halladay, Logan
G
Bloomington Thunder (USHL)
Verbal
Hults, Mitch
W
Madison Capitals (USHL)
Verbal
Lindgren, Ryan
D
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Verbal
Maniscalco, Josh
D
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Verbal
McManus, Brannon
F
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Verbal
Mittelstadt, Casey
F
Eden Prairie HS
Signed
Norman, Ryan
F
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Signed
Novak, Tom
F
St. Thomas Academy
Verbal
Pitlick, Rem
F
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Signed
Ramsey, Jack
W
Penticton Vees (BCHL)
Verbal
Reedy, Scott
F
Shattuck-St. Mary School
Signed
Romanko, Darian
F
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL)
Verbal
Rossini, Sam
D
Burnsville HS
Signed
Sadek, Jack
D
Lakeville North HS
Signed
Schierhorn, Eric
G
Muckegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
Signed
Sheehy, Tyler
RW
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Verbal
Wait, Garrett
F
Edina HS
Verbal
Zuhlsdorf, Ryan
D
Edina HS