Kermit

I think Kessel is at least as talented as Parise. From what I've seen so far, Kessel looks like more of a goal-scorer than a playmaker though. Parise makes his teammates better. I'm waiting to see that from Kessel (and I suspect I will).

jk is right on the money. Kessel is the most dynamic (not the most effective--yet) player in the lineup for the U.S. If he's out, it's a big loss. I'm a huge Brian Lee fan..but he looked almost paralyzed out there last night. He's capable of much more, but I don't think we'll get a chance to see it in this tournament. Suter is clearly the best of the U.S. defensemen. I like Hagemo as number 2. The rest are a little shaky. Borer is pretty steady, but I think he's steadily average. Stafford has made some great plays and two excellent shots for goals. He's one of the few U.S. players who looks to make a hit now and then. That said, he's also made some horrible plays including completely losing his man on the first Swiss goal last night and a boneheaded penalty or two. I'd like to see some more consistency.

Good stuff, dagies. Thanks!

I agree about VandeVelde. I don't know if he'll ultimately be a center or wing, but I see his "skill set" as similar to someone like Chris Porter. I do think that VandeVelde has improved tremendously in the past year, and he may have a bigger offensive upside that I thought.

I know jloos is our resident expert on the Spuds, but.. I was at the game (for 2 periods). Lee took a regular shift, but saw less ice time than normally. The game was a mismatch and I agree that Morinville was likely trying to give some other kids a chance to play a little more. For the first 2 periods, the 3rd line was generally Jordy Christian (soph) with Michael Weiss (soph) and a senior #14 whose name escapes me right now. Observations on selected players (limited by inferior competition in this game) Brian Lee (D): best player on the ice; always under control; makes smart choices with the puck. Chris VandeVelde ©: looks much improved from last year. Excellent combination of speed, size, and skill. Hat trick in this game, but I don't look for him to be a huge scorer. His first goal of the game was a highlight. He took a long pass at the blue line along the boards. A defenseman had an angle and tried to lay a big hit on the boards, the d-man made contact but just bounced off and crumpled to the ice. VandeVelde kept his feet moving, went behind the net, circled back out in front and scored. A current Sioux player with similar attributes is Chris Porter. Jon Ammerman (D): Excellent skater, puck handler. Rushes the puck a lot and tends to get himself out of position; does not seem as calm and under control as Lee. Drew Fisher ©: big and skilled. Tried to do too much as an individual. Cory Loos (W): knows how to score; not flashy. Matt Becker (W): fast, skilled, and small; didn't stand out here. Jordy Christian (F): fast and skilled; small, but aggressive. will probably remain a 3rd liner this year.

I agree with this assessment. Moorhead has quite a few kids who are potentially capable of playing D1 hockey, but Lee is the best. His physical makeup, skating, puck handling, and smooth style reminds me most of a young James Patrick. I saw a highlight of the GFC game from last night that featured a spectacular rush and assist by (I think) Marto. Wow! I think the Sioux will need highly skilled offensive d-men to compete with Minnesota. They've got a good start with Radke this year and Lee and Chorney coming in. Marto could possibly fit the bill.

Also, under the "Players to Watch" heading: Zach Jones is listed as an "A" player for the USNTDP Matt Watkins and Andrew Kozek are listed as "B" players in the BCHL. There are no "A" players in the BCHL. "A" players are considered to have the potential to be drafted in the top 4 rounds. "B" players are considered to be prospects for the late rounds.

Re this: I agree with skateshattrick on these points (of course, this team would look considerably different with Parise, Bochenski, and Murray in the lineup). The Sioux are not a very dynamic hockey team right now. If you look at upcoming recruiting classes, there is some evidence that the coaching staff may be making some adjustments. The three defensemen that have committed to UND (Brian Lee, Taylor Chorney, and Zach Jones) are all highly mobile, good puck movers. I think Kyle Radke will be very good in time. Also, the BCHL forward recruits for next year are smaller, quick players with offensive skill.

I like Becker a lot. When I saw him last year, he was the most dynamic forward in the Spuds lineup.

bump.. Congrats to Drew and "Sparky"!

It would be interesting to see Massen on a line with Zajac and Stafford (as he apparently was at the Meet the Sioux scrimmage). That could do wonders for restoration of James' confidence. On the other hand, if he doesn't succeed there..

Rookie Bochenski fits in on top line http://www.pressconnects.com/sunday/sports...04s120670.shtml

Maine is one of the top programs in the nation, and they are very tough at home. They started out last season by blitzing Minnesota at the Omaha tournament. This is an excellent matchup and anything could happen. I expect a split.

Zajac is obviously very talented and a great prospect, but.. It's never healthy to expect a freshman to be a team leader or to immediately replace the production of a 2-time Hobey Baker finalist. First, the Sioux need veterans to step up their level of play. They also need to be able to get production from more than one line in crucial situations. I'm not being critical. I like the looks of this team! Fight on Sioux!

Without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of my college days. This was a tradition that should have never died. A great college sports need atmosphere is about the bands, the students, the smells, the traditions. A band can't get a crowd revved up alone, but when you add a great band to a great game and a great college atmosphere there is nothing like it. IMHO, the people playing the stupid canned music at the REA, the Alerus, or for that matter, the FargoDome are IDIOTS!! I don't want a Fighting Sioux game to feel like the NHL (or God forbid--the NBA). College sports atmosphere at its best is at another level. http://www.UND.edu/schoolsongs/fighton.wav

Any scouting report on Miller's style of play? Similar players? Strengths and weaknesses?

I saw the first two periods (when I wasn't preoccopied with the two seven-year-olds under my charge). This was an exhibition game for the Jets. I got the feeling that Shattuck was approaching the game that way too. Everybody played a lot and I think all six defensemen had nearly equal ice time. Chorney didn't have a great game. He was average--at best--in his own end. Nonetheless, his skills and potential were evident. He is a great skater. He jumped up into the play a couple of times with great explosiveness. He is very smooth. His style of play is similar to Brian Lee (another future Sioux from Moorhead High). He also looks to have grown a bit. He's done well at the National Select and international levels. I think he'll be an outstanding college player. Other Shattuck players I noticed: C-Jonathan Toews has spectacular skill with the puck. He is still young, and he seemed to be a bit of a target for rough stuff from some of the Jets. He handled it well. W-Kyle Okposo is a man among boys. Very strong, physical, AND great skills. Apparently, a major recruiting target of the Gophers. Played on a line with Chay Genoway. Also played on the point on the powerplay--and ran into Chorney in their own end a couple of times. W-Michael Gergen played on a line with Toews. Good speed and skills. I don't think he's a superstar, but he can definitely play. C-Angelo Esposito. I think he's a younger kid, but I'm not sure. Played on a third line with Tyler Ruegsegger (sp?). They were the most effective combination for SSM early in the game. Esposito is tall, rangy, and very dangerous with the puck. W-Chay Genoway. I'd heard he was "better than (brother) Colby" at the same age. I'm not convinced. D-Tyson Dowzek. Big and mobile. I'd like to see more of him.

I've seen Lee play quite a bit. Two years ago, he was probably the second best defenseman in his class at Moorhead. Last year, I thought he had clearly passed Jon Ammerman (although Ammerman is a good prospect too..). Lee's combination of size, skating, and puck moving ability are truly impressive. He's young, but he is a great prospect with a very high top end. The Sioux are shaping up to have a very skilled set of defensemen when Lee, Taylor Chorney, Zach Jones, Kyle Radke, et al. are in the lineup together in a couple of years.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=7536 Eades was a right wing. His freshman year with the Sioux (78-79) was Gino Gasparini's first year as coach. Eades played on a line with Kevin Maxwell (freshman) and Mark Taylor (junior) that became known as the "BC Connection." They were featured on Hockey Night in Canada one night! Maxwell was small, very fast, highly skilled, and a little chippy. He left after one year and played for Canada in the 1980 Olympics. Taylor was the national player of the year the next year (pre-Hobey Baker award). Eades was an awkward skater, but he had good hands and he was tough, mean, and extremely strong in front of the net on the powerplay. I have vivid memories of a game when he was planted in front of the net on the PP. Every time the ref turned his back Eades would shove the goalie right into his own net! This went on and on for a whole shift..

USHR.com reports that Zach Jones (Matt's brother) is being recruited hard by BU, but is "likely heading towards North Dakota." They also raved about Zach's performance in the World U-18 tournament in April. If the Sioux pull off adding Jones to a recruiting class that already includes Taylor Chorney and Brian Lee on the blueline..

Massen and Canady have some positive attributes, for sure. I hope they have big years. If either or both are mediocre early in the season, I'd expect them to sit in the pressbox the second half. The Sioux will lose a lot of players after this season. I think if all else is equal (or even close), playing time will go to younger guys who have a future with the program.

I think Schneider regressed last year. After his first two years, I thought he would be an All-American last year. His defensive play was pretty solid, but his offense and powerplay production took a huge nosedive. The Sioux need him to step up. Reports on Radke indicate that he has great speed, a big shot, and good offensive instincts. If he adjusts quickly, he may be the best offensive-defenseman on the roster. Jones is improving on the PP. He does have skills. I don't like Greene on the PP at all. Fuher is a much better PP option.

I wouldn't call McMahon a great player, but I do think he would be adequate on a big line if the team needed him. The team will probably be stronger overall if guys like Genoway and Zajac are highly productive and Rory can play a role similar to last year.

I don't think we should count on Spirko being ready for duty on a top line right out of the gate. If you put him on the ice with Bo and Murray, he will be lining up against the opponent's top guns. Tri-City listed him at 5'9" 175 lb. last year, so you can bet he's smaller than that. The kid has the offensive skills, but his defensive game may need time to develop.

Forwards: 1. Murray-Genoway-Bochenski Can Colby do the job as the first-line center? 2. Porter-Zajac-Stafford A lot of size, strength, speed and 2 first-round draft picks. Porter is an excellent complementary player who will do the dirty work. 3. Prpich-McMahon-Fylling Strengths are experience and defensive ability. Could be used as a checking line. Prpich needs to avoid dumb penalties. McMahon is capable of a big senior year. 4. Fabian/Massen/Canady-Kaip-Spirko Inexperience mixed with question marks. Several seniors are at-risk of sitting unless they clearly win places in the lineup. Defense: 1. Jones-Greene Don't mess with this pairing! 2. Schneider-Radke A possible pairing on the #1 powerplay. 3. Smaby-Fuher Smaby improved greatly during last season. Fuher is under-rated and helps the powerplay. 4. Bina-Marvin. It won't be easy to keep Bina out of the lineup. Marvin's versatility is a big asset. He could also play forward.