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Boston Bruins second-year sensation Blake Wheeler left his mark on high school and college hockey in the state of Minnesota. The six-foot-five inch right wing led the Breck School team to a state championship in 2004 with an 89-point season in just 27 games played. He then finished among the University of Minnesota’s scoring leaders for three years before making a jump directly to the professional ranks.
Wheeler, a Robbinsdale, Minn., native, has been a consistent contributor for the Bruins, who made him the fifth overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Wheeler’s draft class was headlined by 1-2 picks Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. Wheeler made his presence known in the league with a four-goal outburst in the YoungStars game during last year’s NHL All-Star Weekend.
The lesser-known wing on Wheeler’s high school line — current University of Maine junior Robby Dee — was just as dangerous for the private school team based in the Minneapolis suburbs. Dee, from Plymouth, Minn., was a Mr. Hockey Minnesota finalist in 2005 after a second consecutive 87-point season, along with NHL players Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis) and Matt Niskanen (Dallas). Dee was a third round pick (86th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2005 Draft and is the highest drafted UMaine player.
“I’m confident that Robby will play pro hockey, because of his determination and his talent,” UMaine coach Tim Whitehead said. “He’s a gifted athlete, and he’s got a great work ethic.”
Dee recalled growing up as a rival of Wheeler, and then teaming up for two memorable seasons. Dee said he and Wheeler were nearly neighbors before Wheeler’s family relocated.
“It was pretty fun to play with him,” Dee said. “We were hard to stop. We’d go into every game and do really well.”
The state championship game was played at the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild franchise. Dee emphasized the magnitude of high school hockey in Minnesota.
“Every year playing high school hockey, that’s your goal, to make it to the state tournament, because it’s such a big deal,” Dee said.
Dee said he still keeps in touch with Wheeler and catches Bruins games on T.V. whenever he can. He is not surprised by Wheeler’s success as a pro.
“He’s been doing really well,” Dee said. “I’m sure they really like him down there. It’s great to see that he’s being successful.”
At 6-foot-2-inches and 195 pounds, Dee is the Black Bears’ second tallest forward, and a similar player to Wheeler in that both thrive on finesse with the puck and strong skating ability. Dee feels that combination allowed Wheeler to make a successful transition to the professional level.
“Most would probably say a guy like that would be a power forward, but I think he’s more like a power forward/finesse player that gets the puck to the net and can score,” Dee said. “He’s got good hands.”
Dee drew a blank when asked to recall an embarrassing story about Wheeler, but said the two became good friends during high school.
“He’s a great kid,” Dee said. “He’s down to Earth, great personality.”
Dee has enjoyed a breakout first half of the season for UMaine, matching his 11-point season-high point total in just 14 games. He has 16 points on eight goals and eight assists in 18 games played, including five goals in his last five games played.
“It’s nice to get the ice time to be able to do a little bit more of getting the opportunity to score goals, and playing on the power play,” Dee said. “I’m just trying to work hard every day and help our team win.”
Before injuring his shoulder in a Dec. 4 game against Providence College, Dee had dressed for 41 consecutive games, the longest streak of the Black Bears’ junior class. He returned for UMaine’s annual trip to the Florida College Classic during the holiday break.
“Rob’s a great athlete. He’s in very good physical condition,” Whitehead said. “He’s going to bounce back quicker than your normal player would from a serious injury.”
After playing wing at all levels before coming to UMaine, Whitehead elected to try Dee at center this fall after the Black Bears lost veteran Chris Hahn to graduation. Whitehead felt the position would put the puck on Dee’s stick more often and allow him to develop into a more complete player. Dee’s defensive ability was questioned out of high school and junior hockey.
“For a big man, he’s very mobile,” Whitehead said. “He’s got a great release on his shot. He’s got a legitimate wrist shot and snap shot, which every elite offensive player needs. He’s got very good hockey sense and vision with the puck, and his skill is very high. Now that he’s become stronger and more confident defensively, he’s become a very complete player.”
“I like it,” Dee said. “It kind of gets you in the game right away. You have defensive responsibilities.”
Dee is a catalyst for UMaine’s power play unit, which leads the nation while scoring on 28.8 percent of their opportunities. With four power play goals, he is a formidable presence at the net-front with the ability to clean up rebounded shots and earn deflection goals.
“I think we just move it around a lot,” Dee said. “That’s what makes us successful. We get the puck to the net, try to keep things simple.”
Dee has stepped into a leadership role for the Black Bears, who are bouncing back from a pair of disappointing 13-win seasons and a 1-5-0 start. As a “silent” leader, Dee lets his hockey skills do most of the talking.
“He’s certainly well respected off the ice, in the community,” Whitehead said. “I’ve been really pleased to see Robby stepping up and leading by example.”
“It’s good to have that pressure to lead the team and be a good example,” Dee said.
UMaine has had a successful history of competing and recruiting in Minnesota. Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mike Lundin starred for the Black Bears from 2003-07 after coming from Burnsville, Minn. UMaine’s most haunting memory of the state is their 4-3 overtime loss to the Golden Gophers in the 2002 National Championship Game at the Xcel Energy Center. Whitehead feels the Black Bears were fortunate to attract Dee ahead of the Gophers.
“Because the hockey is so strong in that state, there’s no way that the University of Minnesota can take them all,” Whitehead said. “In this case we were fortunate to get one of the very best in Robby Dee, and he’s really emerging for us as an elite player.”
Bangor Daily News