beastandco

Unlike Sacha, Perron, and OMac, most of Minnesota’s core has local ties to their program. I would be really surprised if one of their core players hit the portal unless Bob is canned (he won’t be). The grass would not be greener for them, imo. Blue bloods generally do not lose players to the portal unless it’s off-ice issues or coaches being fired. Sacha probably stays if Berry is still here. With the other two, there probably was more to the story than the public is aware of.

They will have to either load up in the portal or get a couple of CHL guys this offseason. Their projected freshman class next year is not very good. Their LJ Mooney hype was hilarious. This was supposed to be year 2 of Logan Cooley according to many gopher fans. Maybe Bob should have spent more time in Canada this offseason instead of cruising around Lake Minnetonka.

Cody Croal’s hustle to the net/corner on Ollie’s goal is textbook. Coaches are going to absolutely love that in the film room. Seeing stuff like that tonight was so refreshing.

This team plays so much better in front of Spoon. It’s his net for the foreseeable future. I thought nearly everyone was good tonight. I cannot wait to watch these freshmen grow.

Yeah Ollie is really good. Really, really like his game.

That guy is a clown. He said something about UND always bringing in more players than they need. Are they supposed to run 2 lines like a peewee team? Ollie will likely be a top 6 center for UND in the future. Is he playing as much as he would in Red Deer? No. Everyone, including Ollie, knew he would be playing in the middle 6 when he committed. That “scout” is a major !@#$%!.

A split seems likely. UND’s key to winning both nights will be to shut down their top line. Easier said than done. If they do that, they’ll be fine.

Fitzhenry and Schnieder are must gets for Minnesota. At this point, I think they both go to Michigan. UND could potentially get in on Fitzhenry. There is not a ton of information out there about him but his instagram following is Michigan and Minnesota.

Brayden Willis is a name to keep an eye on. He’s been one of the more productive players on the UTDP U17 squad this season. He is from the Phoenix area so getting him away from ASU might be tough.

That report was definitely true but in Bob’s defense, the ones that have to reach out are probably not that good. I’m sure they kicked tires on a few top guys but were shut down pretty quick. If Bob didn’t even kick tires, that’s a fireable offense in itself the way this team looks so far.

Levi Harper is the only guy I would make an effort to steer away from gophers. Everyone else is either local or not very good. I wouldn’t say the locals are that great either.

Minnesota is in deep, deep trouble if the vision for their program does not change. Adapt to the CHL opening up, or die. There is no excuse for the product that is on the ice right now for them.

Given how fast they ruled him out for months, getting him back at some point this year would be a win. It sounds like a broken leg/ankle. I’m far from a doctor so I don’t know how long that recovery would be. He is a good young player. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

I completely agree. Why leave before you have to if you aren’t not dominating the level that you are at? I feel like some of these guys drastically underestimated the level of play of college hockey. College hockey is the best it has ever been and it’s only getting better. It will be interesting to see how programs approach bringing in their commits in the coming years if they are not a top prospect.

I have seen Shaugabay play in high school quite a few times. Him and the Slukynskys were almost unstoppable. You have to think Brad Berry is still employed if he doesn’t whiff on those three. Were any of them recruited by UND? Being Oshie’s cousin, Shaugabay seems like he would have had UND written all over him.

They definitely could play together. I think it being DuPont’s draft year makes it interesting. He’ll want to join a program that he’ll be able to get those top powerplay minutes/points. We could run a two defensemen top unit or have him on the second unit but I doubt either will be attractive for him. All things considered, only a few programs really have a shot at these top uncommitted defensemen, UND being one of them. I would be somewhat surprised if UND isn’t able to land a blue chip defenseman for next year. In my opinion, Carels, Rudolph, Lin, etc. seem like a better fit for the player if Verhoeff is still around.

Both of his parents follow UND hockey as well. His mom only follows UND hockey and Harvard. His dad is private so I can only see that he follows UND through their page.

It would not surprise me if he committed shortly after the CHL season this year. The fit is great for both sides.

Carson Carels has UND written all over him. It would be a miss if he doesn’t end up at UND. He’s somewhat local, his sister plays at Jamestown, and he seems to have some interest in coming. I would love to see next year’s freshman class include him and Preston. Hopefully Verhoeff has high praise for UND. I’m sure he is pretty close with a lot of these guys.

That’s definitely possible. I just think it is much more likely for him to end up at UND if Verhoeff turns pro.

Coexist may have been the wrong way to put it. I imagine when DuPont makes his decision, he will ultimately go to a place that gives him the best opportunity to play in every situation. In all honesty, UND is probably the only team that he wouldn't be the top guy from the jump. UND's chances with DuPont varies drastically based on if Verhoeff stays or leaves.

Verhoeff is likely to be here next year, imo. He needs to grow into his body some more and work on his skating a little bit. Schaefer is an elite skater and that is why he was able to transition to the NHL this year. We will likely lose a player or two up front to the portal as well as a player on the back end. I predict they add a senior forward in the portal and two CHL freshmen for next year. Menghini will be the only senior up front on next year's roster. So far through the first month of the season, only a couple of guys are showing they are ready to make the jump next season. I hope Schultz, O'Neill, or McKamey really pop the rest of the season to make the decision easy. With so many players available for next season, I would be surprised if most of these guys are not pushed back until they really dominate the level of play they are at. It will be really interesting to see how the new staff handles the current committed list this offseason if/when high end CHL players show interest in coming next year.

A top priority for next year should be getting a right shot top 6 winger. It’s an obvious hole for this team, even on the power play. McKamey could be that but he might not be ready next year. I do not think Verhoeff and DuPont could coexist but I hope that I’m wrong. If Verhoeff leaves, replacing him with DuPont would be diabolical. I am thinking they add one forward and one defenseman from the CHL before next season. The committed list will certainly be shaken up a bit with Bryn getting “his guys.”

I was just thinking about this today. Cooper Williams, Cooper Simpson, and Brock Schultz will come for sure. After those three, it is up in the air. Most of these guys are not Bryn’s recruits. It would not surprise me to see a couple of commitment changes. I also anticipate Bryn dipping into the uncommitted CHL pool for a guy or two for next year.

Spunar’s net?