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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.

Why would Jackson need to wait until the GM position is filled before he adds any transfers? He already knows who's available in the portal, what's stopping him now from adding any of them himself? Or else Jackson already knows (for the most part) who's coming in next year & a few of these new players are CHLers who are waiting for their seasons to end. Because it's hard for me to imagine that he'd let many possibilities pass him by in the portal just because he's waiting for the GM to come onboard.

It sounds like he's not coming in next year, but wow, he's looking like a stud already in that league. 4g, 1a through 5 gp already in the USHL after having shredded other teams at the h.s. level. This compared to Pilgrim, who currently has 7g, 19a through 56 gp & is almost a full year older than Simpson. It's going to be tough to leave him in the USHL all next year when this team could really use some scoring punch to go alongside Zellers, which it looks like he could possibly bring. Plus, if he tears it up in the USHL next year there's always a chance that other teams may try to flip him before he ever plays a game at UND.

Agreed, but there has to be some communication between a private individual/collective & DJ before any NIL money is offered to a potential recruit. Because even though the player may be elite, DJ may not want or need him because in his research he found that the player has issues, isn't a team player, or due to roster limitations, etc.

Puts all this anxiety about NIL into perspective when at least 2 of this year's FF teams aren't paying anyone. Paying a kid 6 figures doesn't mean he'll leave it all on the ice or invest in the team concept.

He also said that he wants players who want to be at UND, not because of money or to use the program as a stepping stone. I get what he's saying, but at the same time, if you want a stud like McKenna who will give your program nationwide attention & draw many other talented players here as well, UND's going to need one of its private donors to shell out some major bucks.

It's not like Malone would be in charge of line-ups, recruiting, discipline or setting the overall tone of the program like Jackson is..simply helping the forwards elevate their games & incorporating a more puck-controlled offense.

"We will have a hard-nosed, accountable environment where everybody meets the standard," Jackson said. "We’re going to commit to a no-excuses process. Our promise is we’ll outwork, outcompete and outprepare opposition. Every practice, every workout, every meeting, we’ll pay attention to the details and commit to the work."-DJ He's also emphasizing culture a lot like the previous regime.

Then Simpson would be his asst defensive sidekick. Agree that Herter would be a big bonus, but maybe an asst who pushes a modern offense for a team stuck in dump-&-chase mode would be better suited.

Interesting to think that for the last 2 years 1 man came between a couple of loaded BC teams & back-to-back titles. In these times of high prices, Matt Davis must like living rent-free in Greg Brown's head.