The fourth annual "Checking in With" series gets underway with freshman defenseman Brandon Burlon. The rookie blueliner is following in the footsteps of Andrew Cogliano and Louie Caporusso, who each played junior hockey for the St. Michaels Buzzers in Toronto. Burlon actually skated with Caporusso at St. Mikes in 2006-07.

Burlon, who measures up at 6-0, 190 pounds, is a strong two-way defender who grew up idolizing Bobby Orr and his dashes up ice for the Boston Bruins.

On living in the dorms with fellow freshman Greg Pateryn "Its a lot different than living at home. You dont get your laundry done every night, you dont get home cooked meals every night, and you have to clean up after yourself. Youre pretty much fending for yourself. He doesnt like to make his bed and I keep mine pretty neat. I like keeping the living space nice and tidy so you dont have to be looking for stuff last minute."

On how he got started playing hockey "My dad played hockey and he was a big Bobby Orr fan and we would watch videos like highlights and best-ofs, that kind of thing. I was watching the video one time and everyone was talking to Orr telling him he was considered the best player ever and how he influenced the sport of hockey and soon I was asking for a stick and pucks and before I knew it I was a full-fledged hockey player and I was being looked at by colleges."

On being a defenseman "I was always a defenseman and after watching those videos on Bobby Orr I wanted to be just like him, the position he played and what he did, and from that moment on I was always a defenseman. I never really played forward, but thats kind of how I got my offensive slant."

On what other sports he played while growing up "I was a typical kid; I played soccer when I was younger. I got into lacrosse when I was a little bit older. But the hockey was always there; it was always part of my life. I stuck with that and thats what got me here."

On choosing to play college hockey "I was put ahead a year, I skipped grade six. During the OHL draft most guys are grade 10 and they have two years of high school left so the thing with the OHL is typically you have two or three years of high school. When I was drafted I only had one year left but I was the same age. I thought I owed it to my parents for all the time, money and effort they put into me playing hockey, so I stayed for my senior year and graduated. I had to choose if I wanted to play college or go into the OHL. Around Christmas time I decided I wanted to go to college so from there it was the whole process of visiting schools and narrowing it down from there. I chose Michigan just because of the history of it. They have a great hockey program and also great academics. There is life after hockey, whether you want to play professional or not. It prepares you for the next level if you want to go that far. Michigan is close to home and its just a great place to be."

On what he did school-wise last year "I graduated in 2007 and I was at the University of Toronto taking a couple of classes. I got a couple credits ahead."

On knowing U-M players before this season "I was in grade 10 when Andrew [Cogliano] got a scholarship to the University of Michigan. I was watching on the sideline and everyone was congratulating him and I didnt really have any clue who he was. I asked my buddy who is this guy because I had never really heard of him because he was older and hanging with guys two years older than me and so they explained who he was and I thought it was great. He went on and played for the Buzzers. I knew Louie [Caporusso] got a scholarship and I saw how that went for him. It kind of felt right coming to Michigan; its kind of a tradition. Its a great school and Im happy to be here."

On his pregame routine "Its a scheduling thing with me. Ill get up and eat something and there is usually a pregame skate in the morning. I always have a banana, peanut butter and honey sandwich afterward, thats a must for me. Ill go back to the dorms and take a nap. I usually eat whatever is healthy for me; I dont eat strictly one thing before a game. I like to have a cold shower after my nap and then I get ready and head to the rink. In juniors,I was always the last person to get to the rink. A lot of guys do the isolating thing, theyll put themselves in a stall or a corner and put headphones on and not want to deal with anybody. Im more open, I want to go around and talk to guys and loosen up. I like the attitude to be positive in the room and for everybody to not be so uptight. I get changed and get my stick and then sit around and talk to somebody. I do little things before the game like punching your gloves so they dont get crusty, fixing the strap on your helmet, baby powder on the knob of my stick, taping a certain way. I dont know if those things make you play better but it sharpens your focus and gets you back into that zone so youre ready to play the game."

On his strengths as a player... "I think my strengths are the way I see the game unfolding and the way I see things happening. My strengths are my passing, my positioning, coverage in my own zone, I pride myself on that. I am really good in transition and my offensive slant. I can get the puck up ice quickly so we can have some odd-man rushes. I just want to be able to contribute when and wherever I can."

On things hed like to improve on "I guess the biggest thing after talking to some of the guys about their freshman years is I just want to get up to the speed of things in college. You can be a great player coming out of juniors and there are a select few who can come in as a freshman and blend right in. Speed especially -- you are playing against guys who are a lot older than you. Some guys are six or seven years older. So its a big difference from playing juniors where guys are only three or four years older. There youre playing against boys but here youre playing against men. The strength might be a little bit of a challenge for me, but as long as I use my head and think the game and play with a little bit of confidence, I should be alright."

On getting drafted by the New Jersey Devils "It was an exciting time for anyone that was there to have the privilege of being drafted. Some guys get drafted to the OHL like I did and thats a stepping stone. Some guys get scholarships and thats another stepping stone. Getting drafted to the NHL is a stepping stone as well. It is what you make of it.Some guys get drafted in the first round and nobody ever hears from them again. I see it as basically the team saying, well, you are our property now go prove why you should be able to play for us'."

On his first game at Michigan "I am really excited. I mean you cant get too high with the highs and too low with the lows. It is going to be exciting whatever way you look at it, stepping out on the for the first time in front of thousands of people. I have never played in front of a crowd that big before. Its going to be exhilarating but at the same time I am going to have to focus on the reason Im here and thats to play hockey, not to just look good in warm ups and look good for pictures and that sort of thing. I am really looking forward to it, and Im going to do my best to show why I should be out there."

On his favorite NHL team and players "My favorite team before the Devils drafted me was always the Boston Bruins. My dad was always a Bruins fan and I always just took after him especially with Bobby Orr playing for them. Modern day players I really like the way Tomas Kaberle (of the Toronto Maple Leafs) plays. When I do go to the Canada Center to watch a game, I dont even watch it. I just watch him. The way he plays, hes so smart, he doesnt get hit, always gets his pass off, hes really calm with the puck. He quarterbacks the power play and hes the modern day player I model my game after."

On why he chose to wear number six "I showed up to the first day of camp at St. Mikes and coach handed me a paper that said number assignment. There was a big paragraph on there about not complaining about ice time and if you have a problem go talk to the coach not your parents. I had to sign it and my number assignment was already on it and I just stuck with it. I didnt ask for a new number. I liked the way it looked. Mel [Pearson] called me this summer and asked me if I had a preference for number. I knew that Matt Hunwick had left the year before and no one was wearing six. So instead of having to tell everyone hey my new number is I just stuck with same old number six."

Favorite reality show -- Intervention
People say I look like-- Macaulay Culkin
Favorite Will Ferrell movie-- Step Brothers
Favorite TV character-- Bob Barker
_______ should be on a Wheaties box-- Jared from subway
Person you'd love to be interviewed by-- Wolf Blitzer

"Checking In With ..." Schedule
Sept. 23 -- defenseman Brandon Burlon
Sept. 24 -- forward Robbie Czarnik
Sept. 25 -- forward Luke Glendening
Sept. 26 -- defenseman Greg Pateryn
Sept. 27 -- forward David Wohlberg

Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423