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Keep hearing that more CHL commitments will be announced once their season ends. Curious why some CHL players like Zakreski & others, who are still playing, are committing, but others are not.

Was thinking the same thing that Komzak is leaving because the coaches told him another D was coming in. He could have left immediately when the portal opened 2+ weeks ago, but elected to wait until now.

The type of friend you want to go to a casino with. If another top-15 team picks him up, would not be surprised in the least if he wins another title. Some people's lives are more favorably scripted than others. At any rate, interesting that he played 42 games last year for Western, which means he dressed for all their games, I think. Maybe he's being shown the door, because it's rare that an everyday player from a championship team wants to transfer. He may be useful at UND as an extra skater for games or when a top-9 forward is injured or ill; he's got plenty of experience & he's a center. A true depth guy.

An advisor to a top player silently committed to another program (Michigan) informed Schlossman before it was released to the public? Usually that stuff is kept under tight wraps until the appropriate time. Sounds like Michigan's returning to the tried & true rent-a-mercenary approach since it's worked so well for them in the past.

It certainly sounds like it, but proof is in the pudding. Having connections is one thing, but being a good salesman by closing the deal & consistently landing top recruits is another. He has a ton of knowledge & a huge database, but does he have the charisma to sway a young player who may be on the fence & is receiving offers from many schools? After all, this is uncharted territory for him at this level. Patiently waiting for him to land a couple of whoppers. Once he does that, will punch my ticket & get onboard Team Chyzyk. I have faith that he can do it, but will reserve my giddiness for him until his results speak for themselves.

If McKenna bypasses UND this year like Celebrini did the year before, the idea that this program is the gold standard for Western Canadians may need to be rethought. As little as a week ago the rumors were that UND & MI were the favorites to land McKenna. Now less than a week later it appears he may be leaning more towards MI. And like I mentioned, if only UND & MI were reported to be the 2 landing spots for him, it leads me to think that money isn't the overriding factor for him in choosing a school; because if it were mostly about money, we'd also be hearing about BC, BU, WI, DU, MSU, ASU, etc, as well, but we're not. He may connect more with their coach (maybe Naurato's selling their program better), he may enjoy the urban campus environment more, or his advisors may be guiding him to the B1G because A) it's more offensive-oriented compared to the NCHC & not as physically punishing of a conference, &/or B) the perceived greater visibility that B1G hockey brings. A whole multitude of possibilities. Never mind that it's as woeful as the CCHA & AHA when it it comes to titles. But winning a title doesn't sound as important to him as getting up to speed for the next level. Because if he truly wanted to win a title, he would be giving more consideration to an NCHC team to increase his odds of doing so. Bringing in McKenna would have a domino effect in attracting other high-end players. But if he doesn't land at UND, Chyzyk needs to earn his salt by bringing in a couple of top-tier (or at least solid) CHL/portal centers to give UND a legitimate shot at going deep next year. UND won't be going far if they're weak up the middle.

If money were the sole driving factor in reeling in McKenna, UND would not have been 1 of only 2 co-finalists for him along with MI (according to an article last week that was posted here about UND & MI being the favorites). BC, BU & half the B10 would have also been listed as possible landing spots for him if it were only about the money; but they weren't mentioned. And if the MN collective can raise a boatload of money for any player, how come they weren't even in the conversation for McKenna but UND was? He may very well go to MI, but it could be for a multitude of reasons. Anyone outside his personal circle claiming to know the reason why at this juncture is engaging in pure speculation. Does anyone think a guy of this stature will even tour a campus before he commits there, or will he likely just do a video tour?

It's a big if, but if Herter were to come to UND, one would think that would have a pretty significant impact on how Western structures its game. His loss would be felt there. And not saying it's all due to Herter, but UMD still hasn't recovered yet after his departure.

Western loses 8 core players including Bump & Washe. It'll take quite an infusion of talent in the off-season to make them dominant again like this year.

Makes complete sense. A school, after all, usually foots the entire bill of an upper player's scholastic & food expenses while playing for them; plus all the time spent instructing him to elevate his game. Then a player leaves & the school is left without any recompense. A pro team gets compensated when a player leaves outside of free agency, no reason why a college team couldn't either. Almost all relationships these days are transactional. UND & the other big boys can better absorb these unexpected losses, but it's a precarious & unfair situation for the smaller schools who always have to act as feeder programs for the more established schools. If you want to make it less of an uphill battle for the smaller programs to succeed, a balancing needs to happen. The disparity between the NCHC, BIG10, HEA and the AHA & CCHA will only get wider in the coming years. Imagine how defeating it is for a team that's already struggling to have 2 of its better players in talks with other teams during the season. Cancer is defined as the uncontrolled growth & spread of abnormal cells ... I'd posit that a cancer in the locker room is the same principle, but instead of mutated cells spreading, you have a lackadaisical attitude that slowly affects your teammates around you because you're not trying as hard as you once did; thereby affecting their play, as well. Not going as hard into the corners for loose pucks, not sacrificing your body to make a play, gliding instead of skating hard, taking shifts off, backing away from the normal smack talk & scrums between whistles because you just don't care anymore ... it all adds up. Physically there but mentally checked out.

Good take. The salary range & timing of the job posting point towards Herter as clearly being the one. So if Chyzyk & Martinson were in St. Louis Saturday night, & the posting follows on Monday morning with a salary that only Herter with his level of experience would be qualified for, then all signs point toward Herter. It would no doubt be difficult for him to turn down double the salary at his alma mater. Plus more job security if Ferschweiler is a flight risk to the NHL in a year of two. I've posed the same question, but haven't gotten an answer here yet as to how that dynamic would work out between Herter & Simpson. UND could certainly use Herter, but it would seem kind of odd unless Simpson maybe took on a different role with the team.

The HEA & B10 may have more elite players overall, but the NCHC has the better coaches. Pandolfo & Co. got taken behind the woodshed tonight by Ferschweiler & Herter. And if anyone's wondering what all that weird noise coming from Boston is, it's the sound of hundreds of thousands of NIL money being flushed down the toilet on Commonwealth Ave.

From someone on X who was quoting Herb Brooks: "Not looking for the best players, looking for the right players." The right players adhering to their system trumps a team full of 1st rounders who rely more on individual players, as demonstrated yet again by Western tonight. The NCHC is the model that the HEA & B10 should be emulating, but their coaches are stuck in the mindset that a team full of mercenaries is more important than a well-structered team with the right players. And Ferschweiler & Carle know this too. Ferschweiler put on a masterclass tonight about how a coach should act in his most pressure-filled game of the year: laughing & joking with his players before the game; exuding total confidence & belief that his team would win. Cool Hand Luke he was in their biggest game of the year.

College Heavyweights in Hot Pursuit "This source would not reveal who those schools are, but another NHL source told RG that as of this weekend, all signs pointed to NCAA Hockey blueblood programs—the University of Michigan and the University of North Dakota—as the potential frontrunners for the 17-year-old McKenna." ... "As a result of North Dakota not making the dance, longtime head coach and 2016 national champion Brad Berry was fired after ten seasons and replaced by Dane Jackson. The Fighting Hawks also made Waterloo Black Hawks general manager Bryn Chyzyk the program’s assistant coach/general manager. Chyzyk became the first general manager in NCAA hockey to have coaching/recruiting capabilities. “They made that last move to dominate the portal and attack the new world with the CHL,” the source went on. “They’re not messing around, and they want to be at the front of the line if and when McKenna says he’s open for business to the NCAA.” --------------

Wonder if Homer's coming in with the expectation of being the starter; wouldn't expect a goalie of his caliber to transfer only to split duties like he did last year. But who knows. Perhaps TJ played a part in getting him here, seeing that he couldn't stop gushing about UND.

Chyzyk will be on the road more than on the bench, & what's the sense in having both Simpson & Herter?

Agreed that Herter would rival the second coming, but what would Simpson's role be then? Think it's somewhat redundant to have both when you could bring in an offensive mind keyed into today's game.

Does Chyzyk also have scouting information on players in the CHL, or is his knowledge currently limited to US h.s & USHL players? I read Schlossman's article on him & it didn't specify.

Jackson needs to be going hard after players like this. Speaking generally: a CHLer is fine, but a top-line forward who's done well in the NCHC & is already acclimated to the speed of D1 hockey is even better. Carpe Diem, Jackson! Can't afford guys like this to get away when he's already in UND's backyard.

Would be nice if Zellers could be impactful like Bump next year; asking a lot for a freshman though. Would be ideal to have at least a couple of high scorers in case of injury; when Berg went down last year for an extended time a young Boisvert had to shoulder a lot of the offense. That's great, where did you hear that?

If you know the reason, then kindly state it.

If that pans out, UND would be establishing itself as the pipeline for WMU. Am assuming that the coaching change played a part, if not the sole reason, for him transferring.

Middle-tier doesn't sound very appealing; suppose it depends on what his role would be. UND needs fast, talented players & not 3/4 of their roster filled with grinders in order to keep up with today's game.