Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Andy Welinski is leaning toward returning for his senior season, but has yet to make a final decision on whether he will forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility.
“It’s still in the process, but right now it’s looking like I will be back here,” Welinski said Wednesday. “It’s tough to say definitively at this point. It’s so quick how we finished.
“I love Duluth. … I’m in no hurry to relieve my eligibility here to move on.”
Welinski, who played at Duluth East High School, was drafted in the third round, No. 83 overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Anaheim Ducks. If he returns, he is the top candidate to replace departing senior Adam Krause as captain. Welinski was an alternate captain this season with the Bulldogs.
In his three years at UMD, Welinski has increased his offensive output each season, going from four goals and 15 assists as a freshman to five goals and 14 assists as a sophomore to nine goals and 12 assists this year as a junior.
Welinski said he plans to make a decision in the next week or two on his future.
“They can offer what they want to and try to play all different kinds of strategies and games,” Welinski said about the Ducks. “They’ve been pretty honest about what they want and what they feel. That’s a good thing to have. It will come down to what I want to do, what I’m capable of doing.
“They’re being very respectful about everything and not pushing me one way or another. It’s my decision either way.”
UMD coach Scott Sandelin said he isn’t expecting any underclassmen to leave school early, but added, “things can change fast," during his season-ending press conference on Wednesday.
