Coming into the season,Christian Wolanin was known as a fairly well touted recruit coming off of a strong 41 point regular season and run to the Clark Cup Final with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. The Quebec native had a decent first year for the Fighting Hawks. The Ottawa Senators prospect played some forward during the season as UND had to deal with forward injuries. Wolanin did what Tucker Poolman did the year before.

Wolanin plays a two way game, and was routinely involved in the play when he was on the ice. While he did not contribute a whole lot on the score sheet, he made good plays in his own end to move the puck out while being responsibly positioned in the offensive end as well. The former Lumberjacks Captain is on track to see top four time with UND and play a key role on its penalty kill this year.

Ottawa fans, be patient. Wolanin will sign with the Senators at some point as they have his rights without competition for three more years from this August 15th. The Senators’ fifth round draft pick from this past draft showed flashes of his potential this year. Look for Wolanin to improve by a similar mark he did from his first year to his second year in the USHL. Christian scored 18 more points in year two of his USHL time. If he does something similar, he will be on track to sign with the Senators soon.

At the next level, Christian is a top four defenseman who can contribute on the power play. He is not now nor will he ever be Erik Karlsson, however with time he could grow into a Mike Green-esque quarterback of a power play unit with better defensive skills than Mike Green possesses. Wolanin will spend one or two seasons in the AHL after signing before going to the NHL squad.

Season Grade-7/10

Reference:http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=188788