.357

Herald didn't mention Fitzhenry's timeline to be on campus. EP & Valley News Live listed him as 28-29.

Good point. Was basing my assessment in part of how well Carels & MacKenzie did against the best U20 players in the world at the WJC this year. Would put Verhoeff in the category of Emery in that it may take a little time for the game to come to him. But once it does, watch out; he could be dominant next year. Very good ambassador for the program, oozes character; & would guess that he played a part in selling UND to Carels because the two are pretty tight. Would put Carels in the category of Laurila in that they both have ice running through their veins & don't get flustered as easily in high-pressure situations. If the freshmen D next year can be as ready-to-go as Laurila was last year, the learning curve should be small. Having talent is one thing, what you do with it is another: Simpson has a big task in getting them up-to-speed as quickly as possible. And like others have noted, MacKenzie should be a beast next year, the kid's a specimen & has a lot of swagger.

In the extended combine interview with various media outlets, he gave no indication of turning pro; all signs pointed towards him being at UND next year. But in this day & age, nothing should surprise the serious college hockey fan. Expect the unexpected. He has remarkable poise & maturity for a 17 yo and only needs a little tweaking before going to the Show. Listen to him talk & he exudes a calmness that you rarely see in people that young. The report on him is that he doesn't particularly pop at any certain part of the game, but that he does almost everything very well. Regarding Verhoeff, can see his game much improved next year. A) Being under the microscope of NHL scouts for a whole year in his DY has to be stressful. With that out of the way, would expect him to be more relaxed & confident in his game. Big load off his back. B) He will have had another year of growing into his big frame & I imagine his skating will be improved. C) Plus being paired with Carels, who (currently) processes the game a little quicker than him, should elevate his game, as well. There's good synergy between the two. Of all the stacked teams next year, & there are many, would put UND with the best D; top 3 in goaltending; top 5 in F.

So the 5-yr clock starts at 19 yo & 19 yo only, not at 17 or 18 when a kid may graduate hs as was planned last month?

From your quote: "The commissioners have countered with a proposal that would start the clock at the time of college enrollment, no later than age 19." So does that new proposal mean that no players would be allowed to start their college hockey careers after the age of 19, or that the players will have a year deducted from their 5 years of eligibility for each year after their 19th year when they start?

Would be nice to have a separate governing body that is more attuned to the needs & ways of college hockey; instead of just one organization that oversees everything from women's golf to men's fb. The current age issue highlights the ineptness of the NCAA trying to implement a one-size-fits-all rule for different sports with different development paths. If college hockey did break away, it would likely be the lead domino & other sports would follow suit. Having a twelve-member board comprised of two representatives from each of the six college hockey conferences would be one possibility. Having an autonomous board would expedite any changes that need to be made, reduce any unnecessary politics that naturally accompany a bloated national bureaucracy, & would better serve the sport & its unique needs. Biggest obstacle to that would likely be the university presidents, who are gatekeepers for the status quo & don't like to rock the boat.

Davis was a +20 & had only 23 PIM in 59 games this year. Never seen him play, but these numbers suggest that he's a disciplined player.

Correct. Davis is considered a replacement for one of the graduating senior forwards (Strinden, James, Rickwood or Young); meaning Chyzyk very likely had plans for another player as he's probably been mapping the replacements for these 4 players since last year. Something probably happened recently with a plan A or B, & then when Scott became available, the coaching staff started pursuing him. Sounds like the kid can fly, is gritty & has a tremendous work ethic. Could be an unheralded diamond in the rough and a possible 3-4 year player.

Interesting how a Quebec kid like him wound up in the WHL (Brandon Wheat Kings) instead of the QMJHL.

The fact that Strathmann entered the portal right when it opened tells me that UND has a couple of solid (if not elite) d-men already lined up. Don't think Jackson would allow Strathmann to leave so easily if he didn't already know there was someone equal or better than him coming in.

Would be interesting to know if a player can commit simply over a video-call, or if NCAA rules require that one must visit the campus first before committing.

Mildly surprising & somewhat hard to believe that a major school like UND wouldn't already have a marquee CHL name or two lined up by now, effectively leaving UND with just hoping they get a biggie at a later date... With all those talented CHLers/internationals crossing over to the NCAA, figure UND has to be a lock for at least one of them, F &/or D.* Doesn’t make sense to leave it all to chance until after the CHL playoffs. Unless the coaching staff is satisfied for the most part with the talent that is already committed. Like @AJSsaid, it seems like UND is missing one elite forward scorer, especially to make them competitive with a strong B1G Conference next year. *Basing this opinion on the smoke during the WJC that Carels was coming in. Plus that WHL prospects game (or whatever that was) a couple months ago that had the UND logo next to Carel's name on the roster. Hard to believe that was a mistake.

The first sentence in Wodon's tweet.

If a star player is portalling out, a coach would be wise to step back & do his due diligence before pursuing him; because said star player may have been a factor in why his old team didn't do very well (ie, not very teachable, lacks motivation, entitled, etc). Pandolfo said something to the effect that he couldn't connect with his players last year; and if a coach unknowingly brings in a player who doesn't mesh well with the new staff or players, that's the equivalent of throwing a grenade in the locker room. Just because a player is uber-talented doesn't mean he'll be a valuable piece to his new team.

Crack open the checkbooks, teams will be tripping over each other to get to him. If Carels is already slated for UND, UND won't bother putting in an offer for him.