Nielsen, Lundholm make college picks

BOARDMAN — Two Mahoning Valley Phantoms players have signed with colleges for the 2009-10 season.

Carl Nielsen committed to Michigan Tech and Cullen Lundholm signed with Robert Morris. Both are defensemen.

Nielsen, an assistant captain, scored five goals and 14 assists for the Phantoms this season. He was ranked among the top 15 defensemen in the North American Hockey League with a plus-17 rating.

“It’s exciting to know I’ll be moving on to the next level,” said Nielsen, a Lorain native. “I’ve been playing junior hockey for three years and it’s been a hope of mine that I would commit.

“It’s nice because now I’ll be able to focus solely on the playoffs without having to worry about what next year holds for me.”

Michigan Tech, located in Houghton, is a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which has produced four of the last seven NCAA Division I national champions.

“They told me that I’d step in and be able to play and contribute right away,” said Nielson. “I wasn’t looking to go somewhere and ride the bench for a year.”

Lundholm scored eight goals and 25 assists this season, ranking him third in the NAHL for defensemen.

“Everything happened pretty quickly,” said Lundholm, of Plymouth, Mass. “[RMU] came to me with a great offer and Coach [Derek] Schooley’s staff has a great track record of developing and advancing players from the college ranks into the pros, so it’s a great situation.”

Lundholm will join Phantoms teammate Stefan Salituro at Robert Morris. Former Phantoms Nathan Longpre, J.C. Velasquez and Denny Urban were on the RMU roster this season.

Robert Morris is a member of College Hockey America along with Niagara, Alabama-Huntsville and 2009 Frozen Four national semifinalist Bemidji State.