Brim006

I'd assume they'd follow as well? Wouldnt that be something, all of the sudden girls hockey has 4 additional teams. Believe it or not, I know DL girls has gotten girls from Grafton Park River, on top of the norm from Cando, but they'd probably lose that connection if Langdon area moved to HS league.

DL and Jamestown switched places back in 2006, so it has been 20 years now surprisingly. They are a better fit in the EDC so hopefully it stays this way for a long time now. Once North launches their program that should further solidify it.

Any word on Minot splitting up this season now with a new AD at the helm? Boys and girls hockey must be the only sport that hasn't split yet?

Oh wow yeah, looks like I missed that one, and/or mixed them up. Updated below. Luc was JR year and Rylan SR. So a 3 year head start and will only be 1 year ahead at LIU. PLAYER Hometown NDHS FINAL YEAR NDHS FINAL CLASS NEXT TEAM CURRENT D1 TEAM Ben Strinden Fargo, ND 2018 SOPHMORE AAA UND Kirklan Irey Bismarck, ND 2018 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Drew Montgomery Grand Forks, ND 2019 SOPHMORE AAA AZ State Lucas Kanta Grand Forks, ND 2019 SENIOR NAHL Army Brandon Holt Grand Forks, ND 2019 SENIOR NAHL Maine Will Howard Grand Forks, ND 2020 SENIOR NAHL Augustana William Lawson-Body Grand Forks, ND 2020 SENIOR NAHL AK FAIRBANKS Zach Sandy Fargo, ND 2021 SENIOR NAHL UND Trent Wiemken Fargo, ND 2022 SENIOR NAHL Bemidji State Max Vig Bismarck, ND 2023 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Carter Sproule Grand Forks, ND 2023 SENIOR NAHL UCONN Lincoln Kuehne Fargo, ND N/A N/A USNTDP AZ State Brasen Boser Minot, ND N/A N/A NAHL AZ State Zach Nehring Minot, ND N/A N/A Shattuck Western Mich Jaksen Panzer Grand Forks, ND N/A N/A NAHL Bemidji State Bauer Berry Grand Forks, ND N/A N/A AAA St Thomas Cole Spicer Grand Forks, ND 2019 FRESHMAN AAA Western Mich Charlie Vig Bismarck, ND 2024 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Bryce Mattern West Fargo, ND 2025 JUNIOR USHL AZ State Luc Bydal Grand Forks, ND 2023 JUNIOR USHL Long Island U Rylan Bydal Grand Forks, ND 2025 SENIOR USHL Long Island U

Another former NDHSH player who played through his Senior year is going to be playing D1 hockey. Luc Bydal added to the list. PLAYER Hometown NDHS FINAL YEAR NDHS FINAL CLASS NEXT TEAM CURRENT D1 TEAM Ben Strinden Fargo, ND 2018 SOPHMORE AAA UND Kirklan Irey Bismarck, ND 2018 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Drew Montgomery Grand Forks, ND 2019 SOPHMORE AAA AZ State Lucas Kanta Grand Forks, ND 2019 SENIOR NAHL Army Brandon Holt Grand Forks, ND 2019 SENIOR NAHL Maine Will Howard Grand Forks, ND 2020 SENIOR NAHL Augustana William Lawson-Body Grand Forks, ND 2020 SENIOR NAHL AK FAIRBANKS Zach Sandy Fargo, ND 2021 SENIOR NAHL UND Trent Wiemken Fargo, ND 2022 SENIOR NAHL Bemidji State Max Vig Bismarck, ND 2023 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Carter Sproule Grand Forks, ND 2023 SENIOR NAHL UCONN Lincoln Kuehne Fargo, ND N/A N/A USNTDP AZ State Brasen Boser Minot, ND N/A N/A NAHL AZ State Zach Nehring Minot, ND N/A N/A Shattuck Western Mich Jaksen Panzer Grand Forks, ND N/A N/A NAHL Bemidji State Bauer Berry Grand Forks, ND N/A N/A AAA St Thomas Cole Spicer Grand Forks, ND 2019 FRESHMAN AAA Western Mich Charlie Vig Bismarck, ND 2024 JUNIOR NAHL Bemidji State Bryce Mattern West Fargo, ND 2025 JUNIOR USHL AZ State Luc Bydal Grand Forks, ND 2024 SENIOR USHL Long Island U

Watford City High School formally announces joining the WDA hockey starting this upcoming season. Both boys and girls. And HB girls hockey should be annoucing their joining any day now as well. Great news on both fronts.

They have the next 2 games starting at the exact same time?! That ESPN thursday afternoon and evening lineup must've been too full of big time events to be able to spread these out lol.

Yeah Williston and Dickinson have gotten the shaft, pretty much completely. Can you imagine the whining from Fargoians if they had to make the trek to Williston for a state tournament for once. Hell, they whine about having to go to GF or Bis even lol.

They havent had a single one since like 2017 if I recall. It makes zero sense.

Agreed. Or at least have the B rotate between Bismarck and Minot. Then A rotate between GF and Fargo. And if we are going to continue rotating hockey between GF and Fargo then football should rotate between GF and Fargo too. Maybe even Wrestling should rotate between GF and Fargo someday too (maybe wrestling is a stretch since GF is not currently able to support it?) But it makes ZERO sense for golf, soccer, softball or class B anything to ever go to Fargo at this point given their location in the state and due to the fact they permanently own so many other state tournaments and host a swath of regionals as well. I'm not meaning to come off as anti-Fargo, but I would like to see NDHSAA at least ATTEMPT to spread things out a little more, as many of these other cities could use the boost whereas Fargo doesn't.

I was just looking at that the other day and realized Grand Forks hasn't hosted any of the state basketball tournaments for like 7-8 years somehow. They're rotating between Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown and Fargo now. Why or how did Grand Forks allow themselves to get cut out of the rotation? Especially given the fact that there are 6 basketball tournaments now instead of 4. Worse yet, GF didn't even get to host any regional bball tournaments this year. Fargo of course did. I fully understand that Fargo is by far the largest city, but many of these other cities have the facilities to support more of these events and offer a far better central location in most cases. Is the entire NDHSAA board NDSU alum or how did we get to this point of allowing the rich to get richer and not even attempting to spread the wealth around a little? FARGO/WF = 9 events BISMARCK = 4 events JAMESTOWN = 4 events MINOT = 2 events GRAND FORKS = 2 events SOUTH HEART = 1 event Girls A Golf - Fargo Girls B Golf - South Heart Boys Tennis - Grand Forks Girls Tennis - Grand Forks Cross Country - Jamestown Girls Swimming - West Fargo Class AA boys bball - Bismarck Class AA girls bball - Bismarck Boys Wrestling - Fargo Girls Wrestling - Fargo Track - Bismarck Boys Soccer - Bismarck Girls Soccer - Fargo Boys Hockey - Fargo Girls Hockey - Fargo Class A boys bball - Fargo Class B boys bball - Minot Class A girls bball - Fargo Class B girls - Minot Class A baseball - Jamestown Class B baseball - Jamestown Class A softball - Fargo Class B softball - Jamestown

Yep that all seems very reasonable and understandable. NDHS hockey would be completely different right now if all parents followed the guidance you just laid out.

Yeah, there are certainly a few NDHS kids at the end of every season who any unbiased fan or follower can clearly see wouldn’t gain much from coming back for another year. But as we know, the number who actually leave far exceeds that short list. I’d say roughly 4–6 players truly fit the bill, yet more like 30–45 leave every year. That’s quite the discrepancy. It really boils down to parents having some sort of contagious delusion that spending money to send their kids away early is going to get them to the next level. Or they enjoy being able to tell people their kid is off playing hockey somewhere else, indicating they were too good for the local hockey. As we’ve seen and will continue to see, that very rarely pays off (if ever) for kids who aren’t already in that rare, special category. However, maybe I’m misunderstanding their final goals. If the goal is to play club hockey at Idaho State, D3, Junior Bs, or for a team like the Lake Region Royals, then maybe more of them consider the move + money spent a success than I realize. I think all the programs should hire a statistician to present to these parents every year to help them understand the reality of the situation. With the continued growth of USA Hockey participation, and now the influx of more Canadian players (WHL, etc.) into NCAA D1 while the number of teams stays pretty flat, I don’t think most people realize that even the ultimate goal of playing D1 is going to continue becoming more and more rare. And honestly after the statistician presents, a psychiatrist wouldn’t hurt either, just to help them recognize that if their motivation is stronger than their kid’s motivation, it's not worth altering their lives over the pursuit. You can’t purchase more motivation, and you can't purchase your kid's way into each next level, no matter what any academy rep tells you.

It sounds like quite a few Bantam AA players are planning to leave the state rather than move on to high school hockey. I recently read an article highlighting several eastern states dealing with the same issue but several years ahead of our current state, and I’ve heard and seen similar trends across the Midwest now more recently. MI, WI, IL, OH. Minnesota is essentially the last state where high school hockey still keeps the majority of players at home playing for their hometowns. The clock is probably ticking even there though unfortunately.

He stood out in the game against century in Bismarck that I watched. Surprised to learn he’s so young because he looked poised and mature out there.

2025-26 BOYS ALL-STATE TEAM ANNOUNCED Below is the North Dakota Boys All-State Team as selected by the Head Coaches in the state for the 2025-26 Season. Forwards Bennet Benson Jr. West Fargo Sheyenne Cooper Deziel Sr. Grand Forks Central Heath Frykman Sr. Bismarck Century Griffen Haagenson Sr. Grand Forks Red River Harrison Johnson Sr. Bismarck Legacy Nolan Marto So. Grand Forks Central Easton Richardson Jr. Bismarck High Weston Stromme Jr. Devils Lake Oliver Thompson Sr. Minot United Caden Ulmer Jr. Grand Forks Red River Defense Logan Bina So. Grand Forks Central Braxton Burkett Jr. Jamestown Brekkin Hultberg Sr. Grand Forks Red River Beau Raschke So. Bismarck Legacy Cullen Rost Sr. Grand Forks Red River Landon Siemens Sr. Bottineau/Rugby Charlie Ysteboe Sr. West Fargo Sheyenne Goalies Cooper Anderson Sr. Mandan Cruz Fitzpatrick So. West Fargo Sheyenne Westin Nielsen Sr. Grand Forks Central Luke Richeson So. Minot United

Probably safe to assume Minot and the Bismarck teams will all lose their norm of 3-5 players early. It will be interesting to see how Morelli does compared to everyone else who left early.

HB is joining according to HB parents. 10 straight years with solid numbers and no competition other than WC some of the time.

Yeah, I don’t know the full backstory, but the way it’s been described to me is that when Panzer got run out of town for allegedly running some shady business practices for years, he made it his mission to destroy DL hockey after that...and he has been pretty successful. He’s managed to convince four different strong hockey families to move to EGF over the past few years, adding up to nine kids by my count. From what I can tell this year, that’s two now for EGF High School, two in bantams, and five in peewees. It’s a pretty strange ordeal. Panzer has never really come across as especially sharp or personable to me, yet he somehow talked respectable families who I always thought were smart, loyal hockey people into uprooting their lives for their kids to play a slightly different schedule of teams in youth hockey. A few even sold or walked away from successful family businesses. The whole thing is just bizarre.

Wow you weren't kidding. Century lost 6, Legacy lost 6 and even BHS lost 6 although it looks like maybe 2 of the BHS 6 just quit. Either way that is 18 kids just in Bismarck alone. No wonder they can't be competitive.

He's easily good enough for a NAHL team. Better than all these clowns leaving early and paying to play AAA living with random strangers.

NINE?! Holy crap that is insane.

No way Jamestown hockey is that old.

hahaha so the answer is none. Striden is the only one, just like I pointed out. Thank you, well done. This NSA cope is getting uncomfortable for me now. But if you really have to ask despite me just laying out the list for you to see, there are actually just as many if not more if you count Maine as a blue blood. Sandy at UND, and Holt at Maine.

I picked Legacy to beat Shanley too...