AJS

Date when the U-17 NDTP team has been announced the past two years. You would think we'd be hearing sooner than later on next years team. '17-18 - April 24th '16-17 - April 8th

To the best of my knowledge both Schuldt and Tufte are still on the fence deciding if they'll turn pro. Taking into consideration other early departures / graduation losses for both teams, which player leaving would be more detrimental to their respective teams?

The '16 defense was very good obviously, you'd get no argument that the Top 4 that year will most likely be better than the Top 4 next year. I think if you dig into the '16 D-core a little more you have a clear Top 3 (Stecher, LaDue, Poolman), then you have a tier with Ausmus / Thompson and finally Wolanin and Shaw. Stecher was so good that he elevated Ausmus' game to a level that made that pairing very good. When I said 7-man unit, I still think it's possible and probably likely that a Bast, Shaw, Peski & Kierstad (4-7) are stronger than an Ausmus, Thompson, Wolanin & Shaw (4-7) in '16. The Top 3 in '16 probably tip the scales overall. It should be a fun group to watch. What I like so much about Tychonick and JBD is they aren't projects in the sense where they are highly ranked because of size, it's pure skill. Tychonick might be the best skater on the team next year.

This will be as strong of a 7-man unit as I can remember. Poolman (L) - JBD (R) Tychonick (L) - Bast (R) Shaw / Peski / Kierstad

Cole Shepard commits to Harvard

Recent article on JBD, does mention he's coming to UND this fall. http://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl-scouts-impressed-with-okotoks-oilers-blueliner-jacob-bernard-docker

One is a right and one is a left handed shot, I'm just not sure who is which. I listened to a JBD interview a while back and one of the questions they asked him was about being on a D-pair with Tychonick and how that might continue and UND since ones a R shot and ones a L shot.

Final Central Scouting Rankings (North American Skaters) 33. JBD 36. Tychonick 104. Hain Based purely on draft rankings, JBD and Tychonick would be the 2nd and 3rd ranked incoming D-man in next years class.

Pretty much this, the way he's sky rocketed up the rankings (regardless if he's a first, second or third), there's no way he plays juniors next year (or should he). What a good problem to have for Berry and Company, a strong D-core as is, plus adding two (at worst) third round picks.

Each early departure can have such a big change in the dynamic of the team. Both UMD and SCSU will be good next year, but a Tufte or Schuldt loss would both be considerable blows. Any word on Allison from WMU? Talk about a team that will be dangerous if everyone returns.

Per Jeff Cox: Antonio Stranges (who signed NTDP contract last week) signed with the London Knights, which will open another spot at Forward for next years U-17 team. Weird situation, tough break for Michigan.

One of the UMD recruits (Forward), did turn it down, so there's one additional spot. You'd think we'd be hearing something on the team sooner than later.Youth Hockey Hub reported almost a week ago that three of the Minnesota kids accepted, one declined and one hadn't made up their mind.

Some players are better than expected, some are worse, but in general, you can feel pretty good about ranking the recruiting classes as a whole. The Sophomore class on paper was probably the least heralded class I can remember. You had Jost, but outside of that, the numbers weren't good (Hoff's were ok), it was concerning at that time. I think it's safe to say defensively, they've been a pleasant surprise, but offensively, they've been pretty much what they are. I just don't know what people expect out of players (see Bowen, Yon) that can't score at the junior level. Now, when healthy I do like Bowen on the 4th line and Hoff has showed he can be a player, basically, the weight of the class is on Hoff offensively. He needs to produce.

Tychonick's interview from the Pipeline Show. Extremely impressive guy. https://soundcloud.com/pipeline-show/jonny-tychonick-apr6

It's getting pretty hard to temper the excitement that JT & JBD will bring to an already solid D-core. They will both be true freshman, but will have two years of juniors under their belts and have had as impressive of a draft year as they possibly could. Read an article recently that talked about both of them at (blanking on the name) the tournament where they were D-partners. Very complementary to both, said they were outstanding together. The D-core is going to be so good and so deep next year.

Wow, talk about jumping up the draft boards! I know this is only one website, but it's looking more and more like he'll be at worst a third round pick, mostly likely a 2nd with a chance to be in the 1st. The coaching staff must be working on a contingency plan right now, there's no way he plays another year of juniors. So, what happens? My best guess is a Gornall, Chantrand, Wilkie type situation for one player (my guess is Johnson moves to forward full time).

One mans opinion, but it's weird that he'd rank Kunz that high and he wouldn't get an invite (out of camp). I didn't have much luck trying to look up this information, but does anyone know (1) What percentage of offers get turned down (2) How long does it usually take to announce the roster. I realize it's a huge decision, but you would think the players / parents would have some sort of idea going into the camp if they'd accept if offered at the end of it.

Schlossman had an update blog this morning, based on that it looks like: Offer: Kleven Sanderson No Offer: Kunz Like he mentioned, there are always players who decline the offer, so we'll see how it shakes out.

NDTP Evaluation Camp is going on currently, UND has 3 recruits participating (Kleven, Kunz, Sanderson): Here's a couple articles from Neutral Zone: https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/2018/03/25/ntdp-evaluation-camp-day-1-notes/ No. 1’s Played Like It Our #1 rated forward Antonio Stranges and No. 1 rated defenseman Tyler Kleven played like it and were a step ahead of the competition. Stranges opened the scoring with a beautiful deke goal on Drew Comesso on a breakaway and was the most dynamic playmaker in the camp. Klevens brings the size, the skating ability, the heavy shot, the physicality and the athleticism making him a force at both ends of the ice. https://www.neutralzone.net/mens/2018/03/26/ntdp-evaluation-camp-day-2-notes/ This camp features an impressive six players who played this past season in Canada from Quebec to Alberta and while they all showed well on Day #1, the group as a whole took a step forward on Day #2. From Western Canada Jake Sanderson and Anthony Kehrer have been among the best defenders here and up front Quebec Midget AAA standout Edit: NZ posted the Line Charts for the Final Day, there are 4 less forwards and 4 less D than there has been the other days (Kleven and Kunz missing today). It's safe to say, they've seen enough of those 8 players to make their decision on if they should get an invite or not.

Gaudette (Northeastern) signs with Vancouver, leaving after his Junior year. *Northeastern lost their entire top line, which combined for 156 points this past year.

Yep, Minnesota isn't just losing a 30 point guy this year, he would have been an All-American next year if he would have stayed.

When it comes to early signings, the Mittelstadt / Jost one and done is the most painful situation for their respective fan bases. What I mean by that is they are elite hockey players obviously, but not at the same level as lets say Eichel. Mittelstadt / Jost finished with modest point totals and were very good players, but you know that they would have completely dominated had they come back for another year.

Duluth last year.

All eyes need to be on the forwards coming into the year, UND will have a very good D-core and two solid goaltenders. Top 4: Gardner (SR), Jones (SR), Mismash (So), Kawaguchi (So): The Jones line was very good the stretch and will reunite, Mismash and Kawaguchi just being Freshman, could see big jumps in production. It was a good line this year, should take that next step. Gardner as a Senior is just a solid Center, hopefully will add to his offensive game, but is so valuable. Next group: The improvement of players in this group or the instant impact of freshman will make or break this team offensively. The way I look at it you're going to need one freshman (either Weatherby or Hain) and one returning player (either JJ or Adams) to be ready to play in the top 6. Two of these four will play with Gardner, the other two should play on the 3rd line with Hoff as Center. What I like about this team: Best two classes will be Seniors and Sophomores, good leadership group with the Seniors and the Sophomores (most talented class) will be fully adjusted to the college game and have the chance to really improve on their numbers.

No chance any suspensions for a regular season game, I'd be surprised if there were any for the exhibition game. I mean we're talking MIP here. I think everyone can give their line projections without fear of players missing any time because of it.