AJS

How Did UND Grade Out In The Portal? - UND Football 360 I know this has already been posted in the Transfer Portal topic, but my response is more appropriate for here. Very good read. My main reason for optimism after last Fall was the low turnover on the lines. To reiterate, you lose from Fall to Spring D-Line: Seguin (Starter) Lickfeldt Hudson (True Freshman) O-Line: Ghadaksaz (Starter) Waletzko (Starter) Langstaff That's not nothing of course, but replacing 6 total is relatively low.

Hopefully most of them are since zero were ready this year, which is absurd.

I am with @forksandspoons, not only a net positive, but probably not that close. Trying to be objective. Looking at some bullet points. It's important to note that the returning roster at each positional group plays into the overall impact as well. Sizable Positive Impact. Offensive Line: 3 in vs 0 out. The O-Line will be considerably better and deeper than they would have been, because of the portal. Safety: 1 in vs 0 out. Buckner seems to be a player. Legitimate 2-Deep guy. Small Positive Impact. OLB: 1 in vs 1 out. For one season, I think you take Cooper as a Grad Transfer over Urwiler as a Sophomore. Small Negative Impact. D-Line: 1 in vs 1 out. I'm taking Seguin over Ogbu. Running Back. 1 In vs 1 Out. Talent wise, you're just not replacing Otis. Other factors at play there as well which downplays the negative impact to that position group. Medium Negative Impact. Tight End: 1 Out vs 0 In. Riviere was the best blocking TE on the team last year. They don't lose a lot at that position, but when you're talking blocking TE, it's tough to gauge. Sizable Negative Impact. Cornerback: 2 Out vs 1 In. You lose your # 2 / # 3 guys. It went from a position of strength to one that you worry about / an unknown. No Impact: Wide Receiver: 3 Out vs 0 In.

Also really did well in the portal and have a really high end forward coming in their freshman class. As weird of a year as it was for SCSU last year and I still think talent wise, they take a step back next year, they'll still be pretty good. They'll end up in much better shape next year then I thought they would when the season originally ended (think Western next year compared to this past year). I also think Duluth will be better than I anticipated next year. Step back, yes, but still solid. I know that sounds odd as Duluth has been one of the gold standard teams, but they brought back so much this past year. The portal is definitely changing things as there really is not ever really going to be a "reset" year for the "haves" of college hockey.

Revisiting this a month later. Minnesota was the clear cut # 1 a few weeks ago, but they definitely took a hit last week. I would put them even with UND going next year. Both still very firmly in the Top 5. Can someone give me a break down of Denver / Mankato? Denver loses their Top 2 scorers. Chrona is coming back. They have picked up the Top 2 Forwards in the portal. There still seems to be a lot of moving pieces. Guttman / Stapley? I guess it's wait and see. I would say right now though, Denver would be my #1. How about Mankato? Did they have a lot of 5th year guys? Losing McKay / Smith is huge, but do they lose anyone else? Such a weird program, it feels like they never lose a huge chunk of guys.

Grand Forks Herald

Just found out per Schlossman's article that he's only a Junior as well, so he wouldn't even be eligible to come in next year.

Maybe not he logic, but @rochsioux is correct.

This I agree with. I have my foot in a few different camps. Like almost everyone else, he would have been my 5th choice to come in this Fall from the incoming Freshman class. At the same time, if I was constructing a 15/16 person forward group for next year, he would have been on it. It's a nice pick up for Duluth, don't get me wrong, but I am surprised with how "sought after" he seemed to be.

At this point in the offseason that shouldn't matter. You would think you'd have your returners / incoming Freshman pretty much locked in. I can understand one (i.e. Duluth for Spicer), but making room for two seems crazy to me.

Coming off the Spicer to Duluth and Denver receiving commitments from the top 2 portal forwards, but how do these teams have roster spots available late April / May? More of a question for Denver then Duluth. Two seems like a lot of space to have.

Denver has at least two very high end incoming freshman forwards so you would think that you’ll see more leave.

DeRidder has played in 70 NCAA games.

This team should be one of the #1 seeds in next years tournament.

2022 roster appears to be set. Per Schlossman's Daily Skate article,

Is anybody on this team getting scholarship money? 18 scholarships 27 players. I still think very few are getting full 100%. From last years team I guess we have Budy and Ness that were getting nothing. I would imagine Feeney / Johnson were limited. Montgomery? Albrecht? Portz? I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't buy that Ness isn't getting any scholarship money.

Would love @DAR to expand a little bit on the rumor. How solid he thinks it is. @as15 you're right, unless there wasn't a spot for him this Fall, then it wouldn't make sense. Sometimes it's a feeling or momentum, but everything with this Forward logjam situation has been really slow, clunky. It's been really frustrating to watch it play out. Even Schlossman's article yesterday, it was James being up in the air for next Fall. I don't get it. How has that been a question for months?

Well that's not what you want to see.

Good point. I would also say on the hockey budget. The scholarship is pretty minimal compared to all the other expenses a player incurs.

I would be equally surprised if anybody else left as I would be if there weren't 4 Freshman forwards. It looks like 17F / 8D / 4G for the 2022/23 season. What this offseason has really shined light on and now other situations have made more sense to me is the scholarship situation and performance. It's always been clear that your performance will most likely dictate your % the next year to some degree. The last piece of the puzzle for me though is the realization that as long as a player is ok with low scholarship (lets say they started with a higher % based on Junior pedigree) and potentially low ice time, then they have a spot on the team. Long way of saying you'll never see someone told that they aren't cutting it and they should look elsewhere.

I look at the portal overall as a somewhat significant net positive. Why? Offensive Line: 3 Additions / 0 Subtractions. There's a good chance both starters at Guard will be portal additions. One of the most important positional groups (if not the most important) is better because of the portal. OLB: 1 Addition / 1 Subtraction. Just looking at next year only, I think it's a net positive Cooper for Urwiller. Safety: 1 Addition / 0 Subtraction. Newest addition this morning, but Buckner appears to be a surefire 2-Deep guy that helps tremendously to the depth If you break down some of the portal exits (Weah, Riviere, Seguin). Of course the team won't be better because they left, but also those were in positions where there was minimal movement. Still a lot of experience. The only positional group that I think really got hit hard was CB. Still, when looking at the portal as a whole, I would say they are in much better shape heading into the Fall then they would have been otherwise.

Looks like Buckner had Youngstown and WIU offers from the MVFC. Appears to be a really nice commitment.

Denver was a team that was so well balanced between classes. Out Eligibility: (2) Wright / Barrow Signed: (2) Brink / Savoie There is still a lot of talent on the roster. Any word on Guttman and Stapley? Both Seniors last year, 3rd / 4th on the team in points. Could be back with their Covid year. Benning had a big year on the blue line for them. As it stands now, I would still say they are the favorites in the NCHC next year. Will need to take at least another two of their big guns to sign for that to change.

Good questions. No, I don't know how Berry has handled the scholarship dollars. I keep hearing non-scholarship players, I think we're making assumptions on that part. I don't want to get into this where it turns into player by player comparison as this conversation is already negative. My question would be, why is Motzko and other schools pushing so many low (or non-scholarship) players to the portal? Edit: One more thing. Part of my frustration as it sits on 04/18, is I'm watching what Motzko is doing at Minnesota. Five or Six guys in the portal, to me, he took all available from 5th year to eligible recruits and he is piecing together his perfect roster. Not bloated. Personal opinion is Berry seems to be spinning his wheels at the Forward group after hitting home runs at Goalie / Defense. I want to point out the as it sits on 04/18. We've already been down the path of what I hope happens.