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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.

Nice blog, Shayla.

Because Schlossman already named the most notable player who attended, RJ Thompson. If he can list him, it shouldn't be such a top secret question to ask who the other attendees were.

Is this invite-only camp held by UND just for regional American players from MN, ND & SD? Or are there some Canadian players who also got invited?

Who's this booger guy & why do you call him that?

He had only a partial laceration & he's for the most part healed now. He would start in early October with the rest of the team.

It takes a special group of determined players to succeed in Toronto come the playoffs. Players who are both physically talented & mentally strong, because having the former without the latter isn't enough in that city. That theory played out last night. Berube is more than competent, but it would probably take the coaching genius of a Scotty Bowman type on their bench to manage all those entitled personalities like Bowman did in Montreal. Outhustled & outgritted with a defenseman & an aging journeyman forward leading the way for Florida. Can imagine Smaby next year trying to get the defensemen to play like Seth Jones did in Game 7.

How do CHL players get "kick backs" from the NHL teams who draft them, or are you talking about their education packages? I thought CHL players only received a monthly stipend of around $250. Or perhaps you're referring to USHL players.

So if it continues to play out like this -- more talented American 16 & 17 yos preferring the CHL over the USHL -- it sounds like the CHL comes out the bigger winner in the long run..although the CHL currently doesn't see it that way because they think they're getting cheated by the NCAA of their talented 18 & 19 yos. They're only looking at one side of the equation, not realizing they will likely have it pretty good in a few years with more talented 16 & 17 yos.

I guess that shoots the hole in the theory, popular amongst some here, that it'll be next to impossible to bring any OHL studs west of Lake Michigan. There are far too many talented players in both the OHL & WHL to confine them all respectively to 1 NCAA conference.

If you start creating that kind of partnership/pipeline between the CHL & NCAA, it sounds like that would push the USHL more to the fringe & make it less relevant. Plus, what are the advantages for American guys of playing in the CHL over the USHL? Speaking strictly about the advantages for developing their game, not other factors like the location may be more scenic or they can be more independent & maybe get away from mom & dad.