A.J. Thelen Class: Senior Hometown: Savage, Minn. Height / Weight: 6-3 / 210 Position: Defense Birthdate: 03/11/1986 Experience: 1L Previous Team: U.S. National Under-18 Team

2004-05: Played in 33 games, recording 11 assists • Five of his 11 helpers came via the power play • First point of the season came vs. New Hampshire (Oct. 17) • Picked up second assist of the season on State's lone goal at Northern Michigan (Oct. 23) • Equaled career best with three assists vs. Nebraska-Omaha (Oct. 29) • Posted assists in back-to-back games vs. Cornell (Nov. 12-14) • Recorded first point in eight games with an assist on State's first goal in 4-1 win over Notre Dame (Dec. 11) • Two assists and a +5 rating vs. Lake Superior State (Jan. 21).

2003-04: Appeared in 41 games with 11-18--29 totals to rank fourth on MSU in scoring • Earned JOFA All-America Second-Team distinction • Was the lone freshman selected to the All-America squad • Earned All-CCHA First-Team distinction to become the first Spartan rookie to be selected to the all-league first team • Also earned CCHA All-Rookie honors to become just the second MSU player, joining Ryan Miller in 2000 (CCHA All-Rookie and All-CCHA Second Team), to earn both all-rookie and all-league honors in the same season • Selected as the CCHA Best Offensive Defenseman, joining John-Michael Liles (2002 and 2003) and Jason Woolley (1991) as the other Spartans to receive the honor • His 29 points was second among CCHA blueliners and ranked tied for 11th in the nation in points per game among defensemen (0.71) • Five of his 11 goals were power-play markers • His 11 goals placed him tied for ninth on MSU's single-season list for goals by a defenseman • Tallied first collegiate goal vs. Minnesota-Duluth (Oct. 11) on the power play • Career-best four-point night (one goal, three assists) vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 24). Most points by a Spartan blueliner since Andrew Hutchinson registered four assists vs. Northern Michigan (Nov. 10, 2000) • Tallied goal and assist in 3-1 win over Notre Dame (Nov. 7) • Had a pair of assists vs. Wayne State (Nov. 21) • Scored MSU's fourth goal on the power play vs. Michigan Tech (Dec. 27) • Recorded power-play tallies each night vs. Northern Michigan (Jan. 2-3) • Four-point weekend in two-game sweep at Ohio State (Jan. 23-24), including season-best two goals in 3-0 win (Jan. 24) • Scored MSU's first goal in 2-1 win over LSSU (Feb. 7) • Scored game-tying goal and added two assists at Alaska Fairbanks (Feb. 13) • Tallied MSU's third goal in 4-4 overtime tie vs. Michigan (March 5) • Listed 11th in the NHL's Central Scouting Final Rankings for North American skaters for the 2004 NHL Draft • Was the highest-rated CCHA player and second among draft-eligible collegians (Drew Stafford-North Dakota) • Was the second youngest player in NCAA-I hockey during the year • Attended the 2005 U.S. Junior National Evaluation Camp in August.

PRIOR TO MSU: Appeared in 61 games for the U.S. National Under-17 Team in 2002-03, where he posted six goals and eight assists for 14 points and 80 penalty minutes • Three of his six goals were scored on the power play • Member of the U.S. Under-17 Gold Medal Four Nations Cup team in Ann Arbor in Dec. 2002 • Spent the 2001-02 season with Shattuck St. Mary's Midget AA team • Posted 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists) in 40 games • Traveled with the U.S. Under-17 Team to Slovakia for the Four Nations Tournament in February 2001 • Rated as the top defenseman at USA Hockey's Select 16 Festival • Spent the 2000-01 season with Shattuck St. Mary's Bantam AA team where he added 20 goals and 33 assists in 62 games • Named MVP of the Tretiak Friendship Cup in Moscow in November 2000 • Played for Team Minnesota at USA Hockey's Select 15 Festival in 2001.

PERSONAL: Born March 11, 1986 • A human resources major • Enjoys fishing and golf • Graduated from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School • Graduated from high school in three years to come to MSU • Full name is Anthony James Thelen • Favorite NHL team: Minnesota Wild • Favorite NHL player: Chris Pronger • Admires the New York Fire Department for dedicating their lives on 9/11 to help others • Son of Mark and Sue Thelen • Says his dad is his biggest hockey influence because "he always pushes me to do my best" • Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the first round (No. 12 overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Career Statistics
YEAR	GP	G	A	PTS	PPG	SHG	GWG	+/-	PEN-MIN
2003-04	41	11	18	29	5	0	1	+16	25-50
2004-05	33	0	11	11	0	0	0	-5	24-48
TOTALS	44	11	29	40	5	0	1	+11	49-98