beastandco

The O’Neill spot will either go to him, Ashton Schultz, or Carter Sanderson. Carter Sanderson has had the best year out of the three and is potentially playing himself onto next year’s team. Hopefully we do not lose Reschny because next year’s forward group could be elite.

If he commits, I doubt it would happen during the season. I doubt he wants to answer questions from the media. He has nothing to gain from announcing an NCAA commitment during the season, imo. I think players are being advised to wait until after the season to commit. Lots of top prospects will come over and almost none are currently committed.

Interesting, I clicked on his account a few days ago and saw that UND was a follower. I guess time will tell. At the very least, it seems like there is some mutual interest. He is the only player that is not associated with UND in some way that they follow. Ollie is the only player that I remember them following before an announcement and that was only a couple of days before. This is a new one for me.

To be fair, I believe he was the youngest player in that league’s history. He was solid playing against players a few years older than him. Tyson Jost was under a point per game in that league when he was a year older than Eli. The start of this season is very concerning. Hopefully he is just getting healthy because there are a lot of players his age that are passing him at the moment.

Does anyone know what is going on with Eli McKamey? Zero points in his first 7 WHL games this year and a minus 5. Looking at their line charts, it looks like he is playing bottom 6. Has he been struggling quite a bit?

It would be problematic if this player gets cleared. The only reasonable point the player could make is if he signed his ELC before college hockey opened up to the CHL. If a team is able to pick up a player like Tij Iginla, that would be crazy. What is also worth noting is that he pretty much stated that every team, including UND, could add players at the end of the semester. Roster caps seemingly mean nothing if you have players on the roster that were recruited prior to opting into the house settlement.

He was essentially saying that if UND loses a lot of defensemen this offseason, these guys would be the first calls for Bryn. At the very least, UND has contacted a lot of these guys. Like you said, most elite programs are doing the same. There are too many good players available for UND to be left empty handed, but that’s just my opinion.

He did the same thing with Roger McQueen. Somehow this is even broader.

Steiner is the only account that UND follows that is not currently committed. Typically they follow players after they officially commit. I do remember them following Ollie a day or two before he announced his commitment. I do not remember them following a player that did not commit. Steiner is not as flashy as a Belchetz, Roobroeck, or Preston, but he still would be a great pick up for next year.

The official UND hockey account has followed Lars Steiner on instagram. He is a projected mid-late first round pick in 2026. He is a winger in the QMJHL. Something to definitely watch…

There is also a short list of uncommitted CHL players that would take ice time from Strathmann or Laurila next season. They were both really good players in the USHL and 2-3 years older than the draft eligible CHL guys. That’s not even mentioning taking ice time from Ethan MacKenzie, who has been one of the best defensemen in the CHL this year.

Every single defenseman has eligibility left on the roster. Will all of them come back? Definitely not. The number of departures has to be 4 in order to stay house settlement compliant, assuming this is the only year that they can have more than 26 roster spots. If they have the opening, I would be surprised if they weren’t able to land one of those 5. Luckily they will know the pro and portal departures before the CHL season ends. They probably already have a good idea right now.

Schloss mentions Ryan Lin, Carson Carels, Landon DuPont, Daxon Rudolph, and Peyton Kettles as potential adds for next year in today’s podcast depending on who signs this offseason. He also stated that Brock Schultz is the only recruit that has to come next year. Lots of flexibility moving forward.

In one of Brad’s articles, it states that he picked UND over Michigan State and a couple of others.

When did Strinden get nasty

Looking ahead at this upcoming August 1 cycle, their top targets should include Beck Thoreson and Brayden Willis. Both have a lot of UND ties. Thoreseon is a huge defenseman that has been productive as a sophomore for the NTDP. Willis’ production speaks for itself so far this year.

I did not know Pilgrim had more juniors eligibility. Simpson and Brock Schultz are locks for next year. Williams and Ashton Schultz are likely. If the number of incoming freshmen is 5, I would expect the rest to be pushed back and the last spot stays open. Worst case scenario is that O’Niell or Pilgrim come next year. A lot can also change between now and then.

I agree. I would be a little surprised if UND lost a forward other than Andrew to the portal. I would be even more surprised if they brought in a transfer forward to replace one of the openings unless the guy is high end. The number of freshman coming in next year up front will likely be 5. I wouldn’t mind pushing a couple of guys back to 27/28, even if you risk losing them.

This is why I have been a little critical of the Brock Schultz commitment. In order for him to make it to campus next year, they’ll have to push back a player that has been more productive. I’m sure the decision will be a lot easier once they know how many players are actually gone. UND will definitely be after a CHL defenseman this spring. Hopefully they are able to have the flexibility to add a forward as well.

Minnesota has a roster slot available as well. That could have been the case with BC and Carbonneau. Regarding Andrew, UND will lose 4 senior forwards and probably a transfer or two. I doubt they cut him unless they feel like he would be a massive liability out there. It’s tough to find guys that are okay with sitting in the stands.

UND opted in and carries 27 players. I know players on the roster prior to opting on are grandfathered in. The roster limit confuses me but I know there at least was a way around it when UND picked up Engel.

BC or BU if he goes to NCAA

Schloss had stated in a podcast a couple of months ago that Wyatt had some interest in UND and even toured, but flipping Brooks from Michigan State is what made it difficult. Maybe Wyatt still goes to Minnesota if Brooks is not a factor. There was interest for at least Wyatt to come to North Dakota.

Potential UND target Brayden Willis had quite the U17 tournament. He’s going to go very high in the 2028 NHL draft if he adds a couple of inches. He has been the most productive player for the UTDP this year. Steering him away from ASU would be massive.

What is the Potulny deal?