While not many natives of Capistrano Beach, Calif. pick up a hockey stick and fewer still advance to the ranks of Junior hockey, Dakota Raabe has done all of that and now looks forward to taking his game to the storied program at the University of Michigan.
Raabe, the veteran Wenatchee Wild forward, committed to the Wolverines this week. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound playmaker has eight goals and nine assists in 16 games so far this season. In his first BCHL campaign last season, he notched 21 goals and 19 assists in 57 contests.
At Michigan, Raabe will join a team that has produced NHLers Marty Turco, Brendan Morrison, Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, Mike Cammalleri, Carl Hagelin, Jack Johnson, Max Pacioretty, and Kyle Connor.
Former BCHL players on the current team are Nolan De Jong, Dexter Dancs and Kevin Lohan.
The Wolverines play in the NCAA’s recently created Big 10 hockey conference. Other members of the conference are Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.
