Goodwin Joins the PSU Muskie Club

The Sioux City Musketeers announced via Twitter Saturday afternoon that center David Goodwin has committed to Penn State. His year of entry is listed as 2012 by recruiting guru Chris Heisenberg.

David Goodwin

Center
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
5'9", 187 pounds
St. Louis, MO
DOB 2/27/1992

EliteProspects.com

Season   Team                   Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
-------------------------------------------------------------
2008-09  STL Amateur Blues 18U  Mdgt   44   17   21   38   28
2009-10  STL Amateur Blues 18U  Mdgt   47   31   40   71   40
2009-10  St. Louis Bandits      NAHL    1    0    1    1    0
2010-11  Green Bay Gamblers     USHL   57    9   17   26   18
2011-12  Green Bay Gamblers     USHL   11    4    6   10    2
2011-12  Sioux City Musketeers  USHL   16    7    6   13   10

Goodwin is a second-year USHLer who made a run to the Clark Cup finals with the Green Bay Gamblers last season. His playoff contributions included four assists in 11 games, as well as the game-winning goal against on May 8th against Cedar Rapids. That victory pushed the Gamblers to the championship series, although they fell to Dubuque in four games.

He did help the Gamblers get a (very) mild measure of revenge in this season's opener when his goal with 11 seconds remaining boosted Green Bay over Dubuque. It was named one of the USHL plays of the week (26 seconds in).



Any other thoughts Goodwin had of helping the Gamblers take one more step this season ended just over a month after that, when he was moved to Sioux City as part of the package used to acquire Jordan Schmaltz in a blockbuster trade. Here's Green Bay coach Derek Lalonde on the transaction:

"The trade was made with mixed emotions. David, Andy [Ryan] and Dan [Molenaar] are great people and were valuable players to our team. But at the same time you rarely have an opportunity to acquire a player the caliber of Jordan Schmaltz. He is a projected first round NHL draft pick and will be a tremendous addition to our team."

It has to be a harsh realization when you observe that a) you're not what a team thinks it needs to win a championship and b) two teams think some other player is of equal value to you plus two others (and an affiliate lister). If you want, add "c) you now have to play for a sub-.500 team plodding along near the Western Conference basement instead of the team with the best record in the league" to that list, go right ahead.

There are positives though. For one thing, he'll have a friend at Penn State when he arrives in the form of Musketeers goalie Matt Skoff. And while he didn't play with Tommy Olczyk, a former Muskie, he should at least have something to talk about with the Icers star.

Goodwin has certainly handled it well - he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Cedar Rapids in his third game following the trade. And Sioux City isn't complaining about their new top-line center, whose combined point totals place him second on the team in scoring, behind only Bemidji State commit Brad Robbins. That's not to say that it's a competition - in fact, the two are helping each other put up numbers as linemates. Said Robbins:

"He’s definitely a solid center to play with. He moves the puck well, he’s fast and very good defensively so it makes it easier for the wingers who play with him."

Speed, defense and moving the puck well mean he'll fit in well at PSU. And Robbins isn't alone among teammates in his praise.

Talking to the players this week, it seems the offensive spark has been generated by two factors: continuity among the forward lines and the impact of the new acquisitions from Green Bay.

One player in particular, David Goodwin, has really helped spawn the offense and he’s been outstanding since being acquired...in the Jordan Schmaltz trade.

He played midget major with the St. Louis Amateur Blues, scoring 109 points in 91 games over two seasons, a run which included a one-game call-up with the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits and leading the team in scoring in 2009-2010. The Gamblers were impressed enough with that track record to make Goodwin the 25th overall pick in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft.