Minnesota Wild defenseman Mike Reilly was not heavily recruited out of high school.
He was smaller then, and only three schools showed an interest: the University of Minnesota, Colorado College and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Without much of a competition to retain his services, Reilly chose to stay close to his Chanhassen, Minn., home and went to play at the University of Minnesota.
"I know I was really small and hit a growth spurt right around my junior year [of high school], I grew about five or six inches," Reilly said last week at the NHL Players' Association Rookie Showcase.