Fratt Mattin

Probably not going to happen because it would mean sacrificing ticket/concession revenue at the Ralph, but I’d love to see them scrimmage Minor State and Mary on the road every so often. Could make a whole thing out of it and do a fan fest the night before or something. I think it’d be a good way to stay connected with fans and alumni in the western part of the state who don’t get to see the team in person as often as folks who live in Fargo, GF, etc.

This is a good trade for him. Sounds like he’ll have easier access to top 6 minutes in Tri-City. I think the ship has sailed on him becoming the caliber of player we’d expected when he committed, but I’m hopeful he can stay healthy and bounce back a little this year

Ethan Sung to Wisconsin. That’s a good get for them. His size will probably hold him back in the pros, but I think he will be a very good 3-4 year college player. Great offensive toolkit.

Well said.

Tough one for us. Thought we’d be the front runner for him

I don’t think we had room given I expect Heil to be a 3-4 year guy, but I agree. Great get for the Tommies

Which makes no sense to me. Both grand forks schools have had tons of guys play d-1 hockey. I have nothing against Northstar, but what evidence is there to show that sending your kid there (or to any similar school for that matter) will be better for their development?

I don’t believe so, which is why I thought there was a chance Nash might go somewhere other than UMTC

I know there were rumblings that Thompson might commit next week, but Schlossman said on his podcast today not to expect an announcement any time soon

In an era where guys are playing 2-3 years in the ECHL or AHL and then coming back to play college, I'm surprised there isn't a way to play college even after you've signed your ELC. You'd think there'd be a way to sign, try and make the NHL roster, and then come back and play NCAA if you don't.

In all honesty I know nothing about him, but based on a quick scan of his EP profile, he would totally fit the bill.

Maybe Boston Tait? He's a lefty though, and our real need will be on the right side. Alternatively, I could see the coaching staff opting for the portal if we miss out on Cripps

I imagine Cripps will be our top priority as well. Guessing it will largely be a UND vs Denver battle. I had thought we had the inside track on England for a long time, but now I’m a little less sure. Schloss says our ‘27 forward class is full, but would we really turn away someone like England if he’s interested? I doubt it. Not sure what to make of that situation.

Yeah I don’t doubt any of that. I just meant I don’t think he has enough of a track record to really say how good of a coach he is yet. You know, as opposed to someone like Hastings or Carle who we know for certain are great strategists and talent developers. This year should tell us a lot given the incredible amount of talent he’s assembled

I second this. Seems like he's an elite recruiter for sure, but elite coach is maybe tbd. If anything MSU has maybe underperformed relative to the talent they've had since he got there. Although considering the state of the program before he arrived, it's still been a massive improvement

They should've played it on the jumbotron during Hrkac's one more shift😂

Really hope we can close the deal with Thompson. I think he's got the potential to be the best player on this list when all is said and done. Does anyone know anything about Schemenauer and if we're in the mix? I've never seen him play, but Schlossman describes him as a "big, physical defenseman with a mean streak" which sounds like a Sioux defenseman if I've ever seen one

Moorhead kid too, so we're local for him. I'll never blame a fanbase for being upset about a transfer, but this one made too much sense for him on paper

McKamey is a really interesting one. When he got exceptional status into the BCHL people talked about him like he could go #1 overall in 2027. Then he was good but not great for Penticton and struggled with some injuries before getting back on track toward the end of the year with Victoria. I have no idea what he will look like this year. I could see him playing himself right back into the first round or I could see him going undrafted

I'll be very curious to see if DeMars makes a leap this year. I have seen a few scouts talking about him having first round potential. I don't see anything in his statistical profile that really suggests he's that caliber of player, but stats never tell the full story. He's certainly played well in this tournament

Landing Reid would be worth it just for a shot at his little brother (Reid is a great player too though)

Thompson is the best player listed there who I think we have the best chance at. Hope we put on the full-court press for him. Daley will be interesting. Hopefully all the bluechip d-men coming through here recently puts us more on his radar

I think it is very rare to see a defenseman who's qualified to be one-and-done in college. Even if they make it as full-time NHLers the next year, they almost always look very overmatched. It's just the nature of the position. Levshunov is a good example of a guy that needed a lot more seasoning before he made the pro jump. I can't help but think another year, or maybe even two, at Michigan State would've been very helpful for him in terms of learning how to process the game and make better decisions

For sure. You bring any one of those three back and that 2027-2028 roster is looking scary good. I'm not holding my breath, but stranger things have happened

Sounds like the forward class for 2027 is complete now, so I would not expect a lot of news on the recruiting front for a while. What will be interesting to watch though is how the staff approaches the 2027 class on defense. Assuming we lose Emery, Carels, and Verhoeff, there will be a lot of minutes to be filled, particularly on the right side. As of now the only RHD we would have returning in 2027 would be Lindberg and the only RHD commit is Penner, who I don't think will be ready to come in. I'm hoping the staff is in contact with Levi Harper and/or Brock Cripps. Either of those guys could step in immediately and play big minutes on the right side. They are also more skilled, offensive types, which is what I think we'll be in need of