tnt

No, you’re right, we’re getting at least 2, and way better than decent!

If this indeed comes to fruition, I really like the blend of our lineup next year with the veterans, the transfer players and the incoming recruits. If Jackson can get the guys playing the brand of hockey he wants, it could be a lot better year than people expected. Hopefully there are still some surprises to come.

It's one thing to say I don't think UND will land any high end CHL talent, it is another to say matter-of-factly it isn't happening. Obviously I am glad the coaches aren't so defeatist.

Smugness absolutely deserves a little crow!

The Wild obviously thought he had some talent. Not everyone gets drafted.

You no doubt would have a problem telling Wes Rydell his house would need to be sacrificed. By the time the water came, and we saw what it was really going to do, it was too late. Remember, the forecasts were completely wrong on how high it would get. You can only depend on the information you are getting at the time, but of course Mr. Hindsight has the answer to everything -- after the fact.

To that point, could that be the very reason we got Will Zellers? I know he decommitted after BU recruited another top draft pick candidate.

If you look at the box score, J. Christ finished the hat trick with the overtime winner for Muskegon. Too bad we didn’t recruit him, as if he can walk on water, no doubt he would be great skating on it!

Yeah, and for the longest time schools bit the costs of traveling to Alaska just to keep them viable. In the age of NIL and big money, I don't see NCHC schools wanting to spend extra money on expensive travel for a team that could be a drain on the league in more than one way.

Heard Jax won him over by telling him when Alberta becomes part of the United States he will be eligible for NIL money!

Those looked horrible. Thought they were going to be the wave of the future when Phil Housley's South Saint Paul team wore them, but I guess common sense prevailed.

If it is Cooper Williams, they might as well get Cooper Simpson's teammate last year, Cooper Siegert, and create a Super Duper Cooper line!

No idea what his assets or liabilities are, but I wonder if guys that need to develop the offensive side of their game would be good candidates for the CHL, and guys that need to round out their two way game could benefit by playing against older players in the USHL. Will be interesting to see where college coaches prefer their recruits to play.

You can’t have volunteer coaches anymore. I suppose until Smaby is hired they wouldn’t be in the wrong.

Jackson’s comments at a UND outing at Suite Shots from Fighting Hawks.com — Head Coach Dane Jackson was the first coach introduced. Talking about the recruiting process in college hockey and his goals for the program this upcoming season. "I think we're really kind of getting back to our roots of, you," explained Jackson. "I've talked a lot with Gino Gasparini and Dean Blake and Dave Hakstol. Dave been in our building a lot, been talking to us to kind of helping us." Glad to see he is utilizing all the resources he can to foster a change to a renewed culture. Let’s hope that sets us back on the right path.

He must have meant he left Vancouver, BC after he signed his contract!

I think a lot of the really high end guys will make the jump fine, much like some of the 1st round talent that comes in from the NTDP, but after that your 2nd round talent and below will probably be hit and miss as to who can make an impact right away, if at all. If they stay long enough like Dylan James, they should progress gradually, but the thing with CHL guys is they be more apt to bolt if they aren't seeing ice time or their stats aren't what they are used to playing in the wide open CHL. Most guys are probably career oriented, but maybe guys from the CHL might be a little less interested in the schooling that goes along with it, as they could merely be using it as a stepping stone.

Wish he would have been on our side the last 15 years.

A lot of people think that a team Schlossman picked to finish 7th in the league in Western Michigan would be a few years before they could make a run. Same with Penn State. If Jackson can get guys to buy in, he is already ahead of the game. I mean how many times did we win the hardest conference in college hockey and didn't make a run.

I will be very interested to see what recruits we can get in August this year. Some may do their due diligence and make their decisions later, but I imagine there will be some that commit shortly after August 1. Work your magic Chyzyk.

Will be interesting to see if Howard will actually come back to college or not.

He sure made the right move changing directions, because at Wisconsin he hadn't grown into the impact player he did at Portland. Of course, we know that those first two years of college hockey can be a huge learning curve, and maybe he just started to catch on and the confidence from the move down a level accelerated his ascent.

So you're guaranteeing that we don't get a CHL guy?

Interesting. I believe Paul Pooley applied for UND’s head coaching job when Blais was hired. If I recall correctly, many UND fans preferred Pooley over Blais.

I don't know, focusing exclusively on sports seems to have worked out well for gfhockey!