UND99

I'd have to guess he'll play another year in Sioux City and arrive in Grand Forks in 2014. Edit: I see this was already answered above.

I just asked a couple of Duluthians what kind of player he is, said he is a big kid that likes to play along the walls, has a decent shot and can move the puck. Apparently had a knee injury last year that may have scared some teams off but has remained fully healthy this season. Once he was traded to Sioux City he started getting more PP time and has turned into a point per game player.

Trevor Olson (F-1993) of Sioux City (USHL) has committed to UND. https://twitter.com/trevor12olson/status/322005029231935488 http://ushl2011.stats.pointstreak.com/playerpage.html?playerid=5498338&seasonid=9358

I like that idea. Potentially have Grimaldi play center with Tambellini (6' 4" sniper) on the left and Murphy (tenacious playmaker) on the right? I can't wait, only 181 more days until the exhibition game!

Four of this past season's top six goal scorers (based on goals/game) return for next season (see below). Incoming forward Adam Tambellini is a pure goal scorer, and if Postmaster General Rocco has 1/2 of his post shots ring post & in next season, he could score 25 times. I'm pretty optimistic about next season... 1 - Kristo - 0.65 2 - Knight - 0.39 3 - Grimaldi - 0.33 4 - Ma. MacMillan - 0.31 5 - Parks - 0.28 6 - Mi. MacMillan - 0.25

Thought I'd share this NDSU blog post, it made me chuckle. According to some of the commenters, UND is the evil force behind Montana State pulling out of its game with NDSU! http://bisonmedia.areavoices.com/2013/04/06/spring-football-after-one-week-mixed-bag/

Both LaDue and Thompson posses the ability to be effective PK players next season. Might not be the physical presence that Mac was (not many could...), but they are certainly not afraid to body up with the opposition. LaDue is going to surprise a lot of people with how good he turns out to be, IMO.

Yeah, Loney could certainly get a FA deal. LaLeggia (EDM) and Brittain (FLA) could probably sign if they wanted to and Q. Shore (2013 Eligible) had already been rumored to be flirting with the WHL. Things could get REALLY ugly in Denver.

I bet Nick Shore will be next, & Makowski may also get a free agent deal. This Gwoz situation could have severe, long-lasting impacts on that program.

I agree in full, and Panzarella is also a solid option on the backend. I am not really all that concerned about our D-corps next season.

Here is who I believe is coming in. Barring any surprises between now and August, I feel it's pretty accurate: Paul LaDue - D Keaton Thompson - D Troy Stecher - D Wade Murphy - F Adam Tambellini - F Luke Johnson - F Goaltender to be determined

UND has done a much better job recently of developing forwards than defensemen. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been doing a tremendous job of churning out quality NHL defenders lately.

Simpson showed this year he can be a significant contributor offensively, and Schmaltz really started to display his offensive instincts during the latter portion of the season. LaDue, in my opinion, will be an instant contributor next season, similar to the boost Nolan Zajac was for Denver. Stecher and Thompson also have nice offensive sides to their games, as does Mattson. I'm very excited for LaDue and Thompson next season - I've heard nothing but glowing things about those two during conversations with people in the USHL/scouting world.

My money is on the General to be a two-time captain.

Excerpt from the article linked to below: In keeping with Bergevin's theme of building with youth, the big news he generated Wednesday was signing Danny Kristo to a two-year entry-level contract. The Hobey Baker Award finalist from the University of North Dakota will report to the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. "He had a very good season in college and he has some offensive talent," Bergevin said. "It's not easy to find talent like that. He has some things he needs to work on a lot before making it to the next level, but he's ready to start." Asked if Kristo could be seen in Montreal this season, Bergevin replied, "That's going to be up to him." http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=664040

I believe Thompson comes in regardless of Forbort's decision.

My stab at what the lines could look like for 2013-14, based on who I think will be coming in and who will return: LW - C - RW 1) Caggiula - Grimaldi - Parks 2) Tambellini - Ma. MacMillan - Murphy 3) O' Donnell - Johnson - St. Clair 4) Senkbeil - Pattyn - Gaarder Chyzyk, Rodwell, Mi. MacMillan, Sanderson LD - RD 1) Simpson - LaDue 2) Mattson - Schmaltz 3) Thompson - Stecher Panzarella G 1) Gothberg 2) Saunders 3) ?

Kristo will be a top 6 player in the NHL someday, mark it down. His development at UND has been outstanding and he possesses a number of NHL-caliber tools. I wouldn't be all that surprised to see him get a sniff from Montreal for the stretch run, a la Chris Kreider last season.

Nice little article featuring Adam Tambellini and his older brother Jeff, the former Michigan star. http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Tambellini+temporary+turncoat+cheering+brother/8144264/story.html

Making the trip to St. Paul solo this year, hoping to make some new friends amongst my fellow Sioux fans!

Is your single Final Five ticket package still available?

Well, if you are into superstition, etc., Nathan Noel was kind enough to give the @SiouxTradition Twitter stream a follow. The last recruiting target to give a follow was Troy Stecher, and he committed to UND about a day later. So, here's to good omens!

Got a chance to watch Noel at the World U-17 Challenge, fairly unnoticeable there (unlike fellow 1997 Connor McDavid, who looked fantastic playing up one age group). But of course that was in limited viewing and he's drawn plenty of rave reviews. Those top-end Canadian kids always seem like a pipe dream, but who knows, maybe he'll follow the Toews Developmental Path and attend UND despite being a #1 overall CHL draft pick (assuming he does indeed go #1, of course...).

No DirecTV Friday night.

Tickets are spoken for.