nascar99

Xavier Wendt (2008, goalie, Plymouth, MN) signs in the Dub with the Tri City Americans

Hopefully the CHLers actually interested in the NCAA get a waiver to get their core classes in a bit later. Additionally, if Bear is interested in coming down here, deferring him a year while he gets healthy before he comes in in 2026-27 might be beneficial for all parties involved

That’s a big time get for the Terriers. Good to see that the Minnesota Wild aren’t rushing him to pro & understand the benefits of the NCAA route. Wonder if Ritchie is getting some solid NIL money. Additionally, this allows for BU to defer some of their meh recruits another year, send em back to junior to develop. This new world is crazy, but fun & intriguing too.

Younger skill players get more ice time across the CHL compared to the USHL. USHL teams are full of 18, 19, & 20 year olds who have come from AAA minor hockey, MN HS, or New England Prep School, many of these guys are playing extra years of junior there as their future NCAA teams are parking them there to develop/get older before bringing them in. As a result, the (non NTDP) USHL teams tend to not play their 16 and 17 year olds a ton. Chase Reid (late 2007, Chesterfield, Michigan, Michigan State commit) is the best example of going to the O instead of not getting USHL minutes. Waterloo didn't have him on their roster to start 2024-25, he was buried in the NAHL, he signs with Sault Ste Marie, and tears it up with the Greyhounds for the rest of the season.

Epperson is from Mequon Wisconsin, west of Lake Michigan. I think the David Carle Factor is likely what drew Epperson to them. Credit to the Pioneers here.

Kristian Epperson to Denver

Then NCAA and CHL coaches/GMs need to get on the phone with each other and develop partnerships with each other to create pipelines that mutually benefit one another. But I agree with you on your general point that this will take time.

Haven't delved into his film yet but 68 GP, 57 PTS in his 16 year old season in the Dub on a team without high end offensive talent is really good. Williams is projected to be 1st rounder in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Leaves Boston University*

Defensive structure is typically better in the USHL than most of the CHL, there's no question about that. The difference is the CHL generally leans younger & more skill (the USHL's young skill is unevenly distributed, as most of it is on the NTDP u17 & u18 Teams). Most non NTDP USHL teams don't play their 16 and 17 year olds a significant amount for a couple reasons: those guys aren't that skilled and/or they have an overwhelming amount of 19 year olds coming out of AAA/MN HS/New England Prep School, many of whom really aren't that good, but they're older and typically more defensively responsible. In addition, because the USHL has always been an NCAA feeder league, NCAA teams park their recruits extra years in the USHL to play another year of junior to get older/more ready for the jump to the NCAA, so this contributes to the older distribution IMHO. Maybe I'm overstating the statistical skews, but I'm not the first to observe the differences between the USHL versus the CHL (and all 3 CHL leagues are slightly different in players, quality, structure).

He missed half the season before being traded to Barrie. That's a really solid addition for State, should be an instant contributor in the middle 6, provide scoring depth.

The elite of elite CHLers (as well as those coming from the NTDP/USHL) are 1 & done. The normal good guys should be at least 2 year guys, maybe even 3. Gavin McKenna only needs one year at Michigan, Malcolm Spence likely needs 2 years there unless he has a Dylan Larkin (or better) esque freshman season. Also depends on how patient the NHL teams who hold their rights are.

Antonin Verreault to Quinnipiac, another nice pickup for them

Because the high end USHLers (not many of them) are already committed. The new player pool that has opened up is the CHL, tons more high enders & who aren't committed. The only thing is those guys might still just sign their ELC and forego the NCAA.

If you build a well rounded veteran roster, you still typically need a high end player or two to take you over the top. Those guys give you more margin for errors for the rest of the roster IMHO. It'll be interesting to see if/when high end CHLers help lead their teams to National Championships, then we gain a sample size of how these high profile high scoring guys affect the NCAA when the games matter most

If UND doesn't appeal to any of the top end Dub guys like Kindel, Reschny, Smith, Schmidt, McQueen, Cootes, Bear, Lakovic, Fiddler, Behm, then we're in trouble here. 10 names there, you almost need to get 1 IMHO. I guess more damage was done to the program over the past 8ish years than we all thought

Would be sad if UND is never in on O & Q guys

Malcolm Spence to Michigan now official

Half of Michigan's 2024-25 roster left in the portal/graduation/turn pro. They aren't bringing in all of their USHL recruits, they have plenty of space for high end CHLers.

Looks like Malcolm Spence of the Erie Otters is going to the NCAA next season, most likely to Michigan as Schloss reported

Just gotta get used to it. Happens for NCAA Baseball programs all the time with commits signing pro after the draft. Difference is, player pool is much larger in baseball and they're able to replace guys much easier.

If true that really sucks. Cole Reschny, Ben Kindel, Jackson Smith, etc would be fun in Grand Forks

I would like for another CHL commit (preferably a high end guy). Tons of top tier Dub guys that could use some NCAA time before turning pro