Fratt Mattin

Yeah I’m just assuming other improvements as well. Guessing Larson trims the fat and adds 1-2 more portal d-men. I also think we see them get 1-2 big CHL names. The checkbook will be open after this year’s disaster of a season

Holy cow. Well you can pencil UMTC back in for the playoffs next year. That's basically Cloud's 4 best players (other than Gross who turned pro)

Could be on his end. He's from out east, so not exactly a traditional recruit for them. Bob leaving might have made him reevaluate and look at some options closer to home

Yep. Gonna be very hard to figure out what to do there. I wonder if putting Ollie at 4th line center is the best option? I don't think you can break up that 3rd line after what they did in the regional, but Ollie is probably too good not to play. So to me swapping him in for Littler might make the most sense. No easy answers here though

That would be a deadly duo for the Pios. They will score plenty of goals next year if they get Preston too

He has also said he tries to model his game after Jonathan Toews. Let’s hope that includes going to the same school

Yeah, totally agree. Even if we could afford it, as I've explained in other comments, I think the money would be better spent elsewhere (not a knock on him, great player obviously)

If the number is actually 7 figures, then I would guess we are comfortably out of the running

Oh man that gets me excited. Command, Carels, and an older forward out of the portal would be a perfect haul in my opinion

Command would be very interesting, as it looks like he has played his whole career in Sweden thus far. I can’t remember the last time we brought in a freshman who had no previous experience in North America. He’s a great player though, so I hope they can make it happen.

It’s funny because he also was scratched for all the important games at 4 Nations and the Olympics (rightfully so imo). Maybe he just doesn’t play well when he puts on the stars and stripes lol

I think when people say “regret” they generally mean that another year at UND is probably better than any pro option short of playing full time in the NHL. So, when a guy leaves early just to be a full time AHLer or lower, it does make you wonder if they wouldn’t have been better off sticking around here. This is an even more valid argument now that guys can get paid to play here

I’m no expert, but my uneducated opinion is that his chances are slim. The NHL doesn’t like sub-6 foot defensemen at all. Stretcher has made it work, but his physicality and compete were both a clear level above Livanavage’s. No hate to Jake. I think he’s a great player and would love to have him back. Just my amateur analysis and I’d love it if he proved me wrong

Never say never, but I highly doubt it

This is where I’m at. Obviously you don’t say no to a player like DuPont, but with the commits we have lined up, you have to ask yourself if it makes sense to spend the money at that position. When you look at next year’s roster and where the holes will be, it probably makes more sense to devote resources to finding a Rickwood and/or Reschny replacement rather than go all in on someone who doesn’t play a position of need

I hope you’re right because he’d be a huge add. Also Gopher fans are convinced they’ve got him locked up, so that would make it extra sweet

OK State, Iowa State, and UNLV would all make a lot of geographic sense for the NCHC if they ever decide to make the jump. I know in the current landscape more schools are cutting than adding sports though, so it's probably just a pipe dream for now

DuPont, England, Cripps, Jacobson, and Fitzhenry should all be on our radar. Although given Jacobson's dad owns the Wheat Kings, I'm not sure he'll even play NCAA

If you're right that's really disappointing. Love his game. Hard on pucks, responsible defensively, and super physical despite his stature. All of that to go along with a high end offensive game. Still, the O'Neil and Pilgrim decommitments give me confidence that they've got some upper tier guys lined up.

This is who the rumors were about, but he has since signed a contract to play for HC Davos next year. Now with the current state of the NCAA who knows how this effects his eligibility, but that aside, I'm guessing the ship has sailed on him. We're probably not getting a Swiss kid to play for us rather than his hometown professional team.

I think that is very possible, especially if Larson can convince Henricks to come with him

Hall and Roed would be others I would watch for. MN doesn't have a ton of spots opening up, so it'll be interesting to see if Larson cuts some underclassmen loose to make room for his guys

I'm not sure that it will happen because of the profitability of March Madness, but a Division 1-AA for basketball has never made more sense

Unless you own a money printer I don't think there's much we can do to help our NIL situation

I haven't seen this anywhere and I'd be shocked if he leaves MN for anything other than the pros. Not saying it can't happen, but I've seen nothing to suggest that it might