Superman0099

I agree with Yittrum on this one... Wheeler and Oshie are two different types of players. Those of you who doubt Wheelers ability underestimate him. He looked out of place at last yeara camp IMO, but both these players are good enough to play on this level. Oshie is also a fair amount older than Mueller and though PM has a good reputation (supposedly a top 10 draft pick) Oshie is a fantastic playmaker and scorer. This invite is proof that he is ready to come straight from highschool to college, and that his immediate move to UND has less and less to do with Brardy Murray's move than many of us may have thought.

http://www.nhl.com/futures/features/prospects_buf061605.html Good article on these two here... Great comments about DRew

Well, it looks to me that they'll have a much stronger group of players at this years camp. Hopefully they can take home a medal this year. Here's my guess just for fun... Goalies: (2) Cory Schneider Jeff Frazee Defensemen: (8) Nate Hagemo Mike Brennan Jack Johnson Brian Lee Zach Jones AJ Thelan Matt Lashoff Mark Mitera Forwards: (13) Chris Borque Nate Davis Tom Fritsche Nate Gerbe Phil Kessel Brian Lerg TJ Oshie Adam Pineault Kevin Porter Robbie Schremp Jack Skille Blake Wheeler Geoff Paukovich I chose Punkobiotch over Weller and Kolarik because I think the US is gonig to need some size this year. Let that sonofabitch loose on those damn Russians for all I care.

hockey's future article: http://hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7...hreaded&order=0

I thought John Hill did a wonderful job at UAA in the few years he was there. They had become more and more competetive lately thanks to him. I wonder if being an assistant at MN and competing for national championships shows more promise to your coaching career than being a head coach at a program like UAA and struggling to even make the tournament. I wonder if they might have even offered him more money at Minny ...In any case this is a big hit to UAA's program and may be a big setback for them throughout the next few seasons.

http://www.uscho.com/news/2005/06/10_010635.php I'm sure most have seen this already but I thought it was interesting and theres not much to talk about in the summer...

Although Murray's departure is a significant one, I feel confident that this team will handle the offensive expectations. Stafford, Spirko, and Zajac will be one of the best lines in the nation next year [if all 3 are still here]. Goaltending will not be a problem, Parise and Lammy are competitors of the highest sort and will be leaders. Defensive wise... If Greene were staying and Bina were to be cleared I would say this team could be very strong in that department, however, though I believe Greene will be here, I don't see Bina playing at all next season (don't see how any doctor would clear him). This is too bad because I really like the way he is improving at UND. Smaby will need to be more consistent yes, but the big pressure is on players like Lee, Radke, and Jones as they all have good experience for their age. If those three can step up and contribute and play smart hockey I am very optimistic for this team. There is a lot of talent on the offensive end and they will be very fast. Watkins and Duncan will impress many people who don't know alot about them. Their skating ability reflects that of the early Blais teams that use to break out of the zone and in an instant have a 3 on 1. Combine that with spirko stafford and zajac's abilities and our power forwards (porter, fabian, kiap prpich) and there is a lot of depth and balance out there. I for am looking for a top 3 WCHA finish, even with the tough league.

For anyone who's interested, there's a nice little blip about Dave Toews (Jon's younger brother) here: http://hockeyscouting.ca/index.php?module=...b&tid=1&pid=955 Says he's rated 2nd for this years WHL draft, and that he's a great all around player (kinda reminds me of zajac). With Jon coming to UND maybe Dave is also looking that direction. He's definatey a prospect, hopefully he has an interest to follow in his big brothers footsteps.

I remember hearing that LA wanted Brady to pack up the season the first time his shoulder was injured, yet he came back even after a 2nd injury to it. Brady was just as devoted to the Sioux program as any of the other players, but his situation was entirely different than many of them. With the injury to his shoulder and the amount of times it was re-injured, I see this as an almost impossible offer to turn down for him. As far as earning a degree, paying for college won't be a problem after he nets a couple million from playing in the swiss elite league a few years. His NHL stock will only rise playing in a league with larger ice, and a european style of play. He is a great asset to the swiss teams because he is highly skilled and can be brought in as a non import player (I believe each team is only allowed 3 import players). Playing pro hockey doesn't just mean playing in the NHL. In fact, I don't see how making 400 thousand a year at 20 years odl, living in switzerland and doing what you love every day has any down-side to it. When looking at all these factors with some other speculations that have been posted here, I completely agree that Brady made the right decision. It's too bad that we never really got to see what he could do, but no doubt if he would have stayed here he would have been an offensive leader and a panzer-like force on the ice as a junior or senior. In any case, I'm glad he chose to UND. Good luck to him in Europe.

Suprise suprise. I thought Brady would be around for sure this season. Guess you never know. Congradulations and good luck to him, this is a big step in his hockey career. I wonder if those euro leagues suit a player of brady's type (smaller, faster, skill players) more than the WCHA recently. If this is true, I would guess that this move will be a good one for his development especially since his shoulder injuries happend. I do believe he has the skill to make an NHL'er, he can skate pass and shoot at that level no doubt, but like somone posted earlier, he'll probably have to play a fiestier game. Good luck to him in Switzerland. Hell If I were him I'd probably do it too. 400 grand, a car, apartment, and a move from north dakota to switzerland? Sounds pretty enticing to me.

The Sioux need not concentrate on the hit on Robbie or Paukovitch in this game. They have a good shot at national championship #8 and if they let anger or other emotions get invovled they could end up back on their heels. Denver will be the most dangerous team thus far in the tournament.

Cannot say enough about this team. I knew they had the talent to get there but to see them come together and play this hard when it really counts is just flat out impressive. Even Hakstol himself claimed they would be tough in the playoffs due to their defense and goaltending, but who would think Parise would show up and dominate games the same time the Sioux offense did. Congrats....

I think we should all stop speculating and just wish Hirsch the best of luck in whatever is troubling him, and hope we see him on the ice again soon.

Greene!

I realize that they are beaten, exhausted, shorthanded, and in their third game in 48 hrs, but that isn't a reason to lay down and die. UND is the best hockey program in the country, and they are playing their biggest rival. We are all concerned about Bina and I'm sure whatever heart the team hasn't poured onto the ice already is with him, but Minnesota is a beatable team even in this situation and they have no reason to expect to lose this game. Whatever happens I am extremely proud to be a Sioux fan after their showing in these playoffs. After the way the season has gone, the heart and effort they showed these last couple weekends has been something to see. The depleted Sioux squad, even with the weak penalties, managed to take the best team the country into a tight overtime game. Good luck to them against the gophers, and if there is one team I hope to see the Sioux play in the NCAA's it is Denver.

Didnt get to see the friday game, but sounds like they played in a similar form as last night. In my opinion, the Sioux played practically flawless hockey last night. Besides the one breakaway goal from a bad pass, the Sioux gave up very few scoring chances. They won all the races to loose pucks, finished checks, hit harder, killed penalties, scored on PP's, and moved the puck very well. The Massen/Canady/Fabian line had a great night too I thought, and Jordan Parise is playing like one of the best goalies in the country... 8 goals in the last 6 games? Very impressive. If the sioux keep playing this well they could be one of the hardest teams in the country to beat...

Well, whether it's the gophers or badgers that land this kid, I'm glad that he'll end up in the WCHA. Anyone who thinks this kid will be a bust is highly mistaken. He is probably the most offensively talented player to enter the league in a long time, and his skating ability is about as good as Parise's. He will be dangerous, but there are many other great players in the WCHA that he will be competing with. Watching him and Toews in a gopher/sioux game is going to be pretty damn exciting. I am quite scared to see what Kessel, Potulney and Irmen will do together on a line though.... Those three alone could rip through the WCHA quite handily.

solid 3 pt weekend for the sioux. They needed those.

There are many players that develop well after HS, they are usually not at highly recruited, and can become very valuable players (Lee Goren comes to mind). Playing juniors is important for a players development. Not very many players (aside from the likes of Parise, Stafford, and few others) are good enough to jump right into the WCHA and compete. Scholarships are very seldom full ride, simply because the NCAA limits how much money can be awarded. And YES a player can lose a scholarship if they do not produce, as they are reevaluated each year (I believe). However most of this information is confidential. Even though many of these players are well rounded, and very talented athletes, it would be hihgly unlikely for a hockey player at UND to play another sport. Many of the players that come to UND have aspirations of playing pro hockey, and train for hockey year round. Also, the hockey coaches do not want a highly regarded player taking a chance of getting injured playing a game of softball or something (this sounds familiar ?)...There may have been some hockey players who played another sport back about 30 or 40 years, but I would not bet on finding one in modern UND hockey history.

Congrats to Karl, hopefully with Dean in the coaching ranks he'll get his shot at the NHL level and show them all that size doesn't matter. I hope Karl's mental toughness will take him a long way with the Blue Jackets.

Good to see Vande Velde at 68....

We all are at times, its sort of a part of being a die-hard fan. I just feel we need to cut this team a little slack under the circumstances and focus a little more on the things they are doing well, rather than poorly. Constructive criticism isn't constructive unless you point out the good with the bad.

It's funny how we all become hockey coaches when things aren't going well. I agree that the Sioux deserve some critisicm for the way they have been playing, but I feel that the team took a huge blow last season losing Bo and ZP (2 of the best players to ever play for the Sioux IMO) and Blaiser, one of the more successful coaches in WCHA history. Until they start to gel and get used to new things, they aren't going to be the same team that we have been lucky enough to watch these past couple of years. The team has outstanding potential we all know this, but its going to take time for them to develop that, especially the young offense.

Hadn't seen that yet. My bad. In that case...sweet!

If Toews desides to come to UND, it would be wonderful, but there is still a debate to whether or not he will show up on campus until the next LOI signing happens in the spring. Until then, its pretty much a crapshoot because verbals mean next to nothing. In fact I believe I have yet to see an official press release regarding his verbal commitment to UND, so I would be skeptical as to if this information has any truth to it at all. Rumors spread easily in the small world that is college hockey.