Don't look for Wisconsin to announce any signings during the early signing period that begins Wednesday. The Badgers won't be sending out any National Letters of Intent because of a Big Ten Conference rule.

That rule says a school must show a recruit what scholarship money is available when offering a letter of intent. Without knowing how many players will forgo remaining eligibility to sign pro contracts after this season, that's impossible to know precisely.

Badgers coach Mike Eaves said the team would sign all of its recruits for next season during the spring signing period. The coaching staff contacted everyone that has given the team a verbal commitment for coming seasons to let them know -- and make sure no one got the wrong idea of what was going on.

"When you stepped back and looked at the whole ramifications, that was clearly the path to take in this case," Eaves said.

Meanwhile, here's the link for the stats update for those known to have committed to the Badgers.

Here's the link for the alumni stats report, and here are a few notes:

** Steve Reinprecht was named the NHL's No. 2 star for last week, when he scored four goals and seven points in three games for Phoenix.

** Detroit's Brian Rafalski and Ottawa's Dany Heatley are on the ballot for the NHL All-Star Game, which is scheduled for Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

** Robbie Earl of the AHL's Toronto Marlies was plus-5 in two games last weekend. He scored a goal and an assist against Grand Rapids and had a goal and two assists in a first-star effort against Lake Erie.