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There are currently two rules which would make both ineligible. 1) Players lose NCAA eligibility when they sign a pro contract. 2) A player has a maximum of 4 years of NCAA eligibility once he turns 21 yo or when he is first rostered, whichever comes first. So (I think) the oldest player one could have on a college team would be 26 yo (5 calender years to complete 4 years of play if he started at 21 yo); if he's a grad student, maybe 27 yo would be the max oldest college hockey player allowed. But who knows, maybe some 35 yo will one day sue the NCAA because he feels discriminated against due to his age. Seems very unlikely that this would ever happen, but NIL & the transfer portal also felt like an impossibility 10 years ago.

Wondering why Verhoeff is rated so much higher in his draft class than Smith was in his. Smith drafted #14 overall in '25 but Verhoeff likely projected to go #2-#3 overall in '26. Both are very mobile D, comparable in size & both had high offensive outputs when they were in the WHL. Besides Verhoeff being a RD which adds more value, not sure what other traits distinguish him from Smith to make him projected that much higher. Add the fact that the '26 class is much more loaded than '25's was, it makes Verhoeff's much higher projection even more impressive.

https://thehockeywriters.com/keaton-verhoeff-finds-a-home-at-north-dakota-while-chasing-nhl-dreams/ “Grand Forks reminded me a lot of Alberta, and kind of gave me that hometown feel,” Verhoeff said. “And it just felt right when I was here talking with the coaches and the staff around, and even a couple of guys that are still here. It seemed like a great fit for me.” ... “Their off-ice is a one-of-a-kind building,” Verhoeff said eagerly. “It’s super, super cool to be able to go into that facility every day and get work done. The coaching staff has been amazing, super welcoming. It’s been a super smooth transition coming from Victoria to North Dakota. It’s everything I could ask for.” ... “If he starts the season a little bit slow but shows that improvement to being a credible and impactful top-four defenseman by the end of the season, I think most scouts are going to say, ‘All right, he is who we thought he was,’ Peters said. “If he struggles and continues to struggle over the course of the season — which isn’t out of the question because this is a big level jump — then there obviously will be more questions about different things. “But my assumption, based on what I’ve seen from the player, is that the early season will be difficult — probably the early conference games will be difficult — but by mid-season he’ll be a very impactful freshman defenseman.”

The NCAA is amateur in name only; in reality it's become a semi-pro league. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if down the road they allow mid-season trades. Alice in Wonderland kinda stuff. And am wondering how Beck joined ASU so late; thought rosters had to be finalized when fall classes start, & it looks like ASU's fall classes started back in August.

Per BCHL_Alberta on X, McKamey out until Christmas according to the Royals GM. Lack of significant playing time this year may prevent him from coming to UND next season.

It's one thing to construct an excellent roster like he did this summer, it's another to have every player buy-in & play like champions. Time will tell if he can pull a Ferschweiler. Can't imagine it being anywhere near as dysfunctional as it was last year -- the talent is deeper & a few guys have taken their uninspiring play elsewhere -- so there's optimism.

Based on the comps in the article: ------------------------------ Buium was 17 yrs, 10 mos when he started his first collegiate game at DU. Levshunov was about 17 yrs, 11 mos when he first started for MSU. Verhoeff will be less than 17 yrs, 4 mos when he first hits the ice for UND. ------------------------------ Buium & Levshunov were both notably older than Verhoeff during their DYs, which translates to having had more experience & maturity when entering their freshman seasons.

Let's hear your theories.

This doesn't make much sense. If someone's injured or left the program, you would think that the coaching staff would simply bring in someone from the CHL as a replacement. Unless a team can carry a 27th player is the only way I understand this addition. If a team already has 15 f, 8 d & 3 g, are they allowed to bring in an extra player or are 26 players the max a team can carry?

Assuming that the final forward is a top-6 guy, would like to hear who your 13-15 forwards are who won't be playing every night.

Was a little underwhelmed when the MacKenzie news first came out, but after researching this young man he seems like a very solid get. Strong skater, high intensity, enjoys going into the tough areas, loves the small-town UND vibe. The exact kind of player you want wearing the Kelly green; as opposed to an expensive mercenary who may just be going the motions during his one & only collegiate year. Like @tnt mentioned, sounds very much like a bigger version of Stecher. Maybe a 3-4 yr player depending on his trajectory. Perhaps he flies under the UND radar without Chyzyk on staff. He didn't generate any interest from any B1G or Hockey East teams, which is unsurprising, because it seems like many traditional hockey powers fall into a trap of assigning value to a player relative to his draft status; leading to a myopic outlook which can miss out on players of MacKenzie's caliber. Appears to be another W for the coaching staff.

From the sound of things, this may be the last year for Livanavage & Wiebe; based on how close they were to leaving this spring. If that is the case & they do end up signing after the 25-26 season, that would leave 2 D spots open for 26-27. With MacKenzie & Lindberg filling these 2 openings, that doesn't leave any room next year for DuPont or Carels; unless they would go with 9 D perhaps. Edit: Unless Zmolek is a senior this year.

Last spring there was a handful of Chicken Littles on this site who claimed that UND was going to be decimated on the recruiting front by bigger schools with large NIL warchests; making it almost impossible to get high-end players. Then Reschny & Verhoeff came along shortly afterward & quietly laid their little neurotic fears to rest. Some people thrive on angst. UND hockey will continue to get the marquee players & they will continue to be a force on the national stage.

Not necessarily. Reschny & Verhoeff are two examples of very high-end players who chose UND because they thought it was the best development arc for their transition to the NHL. They say as much in their interviews about that being the reason why they're coming here. Granted, their reasons may be different than a local boy like Strinden who has NoDak in his veins, but at least they're not whoring themselves out to the highest bidder. If it were all about money, these two would have wound up at Michigan or Penn St & not even considered UND. Landon Dupont is another very high-end player who could very likely end up at UND or DU, but it won't be because these two schools are outbidding teams in the B1G & Hockey East. Heck, even Michigan St. is building a juggernaut & they have publicly stated that they won't be throwing obscene amounts at players to lure them there. A player whose first concern is how much cash he'll get for going to a school is a huge red flag for coaches who are interested in him.

More than 1 acquisition this off-season has raved about the REA. In their interviews this spring, the most frequent answers new players have given for choosing UND are the coaching staff, facilities & the track-record of getting guys to the next level.