YHH caught up to Phillips Thursday to discuss his choice of schools. When asked why Minnesota over the other schools (North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Notre Dame were schools he considered). "I really liked the atmosphere and size of the campus at the U. They have a strong hockey tradition, and it is a great school academically. It has everything I wanted all rolled into one." said Phillips. He went onto say how he knew it was time to choose the home state power. "I had a short list of schools I was hoping to play for someday. The U was on that list and after visiting, it just felt right. Plus growing up in Minnesota, it's easy to be a Gopher fan."

Phillips will join youth teammates Walker and '17 Minnesota recruit Scott Reedy in Dinkytown. They played for the '99 Machine for their offseason AAA training each Summer and now they will be reunited playing at home in front of their home fans. YHH asked Phillips if playing with Walker and Reedy was an incentive to choosing the Gophers. "It is always nice to have friends on the team such as Reedy, Sammy, Ryan (Zuhlsdorf) and Garret (Wait)...but in the end it was more about the U being a good fit with regard to the coaches, the atmosphere and the overall collegiate experience."

YHH has followed Clayton since his days as a Squirt - he has always been one of the top players his age. His second year of PeeWees, Phillips' team won the state title and he was named a finalist for the Wiz Wyatt Player of the Year. The University is getting both a great athlete and great kid. He was very thankful to his family and his coaches in Edina. "I want to thank my family, because none of this would be possible without them. I would also like to thank Coach (Curt) Giles and (Dave) Langevin for believing in me and giving me a chance to play for the Edina Varsity last year...it was a blast."

It has been a blast to watch Clayton grow into a great player and young man. Good luck this year and in the future.