Kermit

Frankly, I'm not sure they are. UND and NDSU will always recruit the best North Dakota players (although they may sometimes disagree on who those players are) even if those kids are being recruited by big-time D-IA programs. The same is true to some extent of "regional" kids. That isn't likely to change. Where a difference exists, it will be seen mostly in kids from outside the immediate area who want to play at the highest level of competition possible.

I'm not upset with Lee's performance and I think your summary of his performance is exaggerated. I think Jack Johnson and Erik Johnson were the USA's top two defensemen, but I think Lee was a solid #3. Sure, he made a few mistakes--but I think he made fewer than most of the other guys. I think he was actually on the ice for fewer goals against and had a better plus/minus than the Johnsons. Lee needs to get stronger and a lot more assertive on the ice. By that I mean not only more physical, but more confident and definitive in his actions on both ends of the rink. Sometimes he appears to think too much and play under too much control. That said, he's an 18-year-old who has only 1/2 season of post-high school competition and is a top-4 defenseman for the USA WJC team. He also has a knack for stopping a rush, blocking shots, stealing the puck and making a short, accurate outlet pass--usually without any violent physical contact. I think some fans just don't like defensemen who aren't "big hitters" and Lee may never fit that mold. He's a great kid who works very, very hard and I'm extremely confident that he will continue to improve.

VandeVelde scored a goal in the USA's 6-2 win over the Swiss for the bronze medal at the Viking Cup. He finished the tournament with 3 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. I think his performance was encouraging.

Yes, both are required for players under 18. Brian Lee wore both last year.

There was some great hockey this week at the Schwan Cup. Jay Barriball of Holy Angels was easily the top player. Barriball's linemate, Taylor Matson is an outstanding junior center. He has good size, good hands, and excellent speed. He is certainly one of the top 11th grade forwards in Minnesota. Moorhead did very well with their inexperienced team losing to AHA 3-2 in the Gold Division title game. Jordy Christian had a nice tournament including scoring late game winning goals against both Roseville and White Bear Lake. Carl Sneep's Brainerd team made some waves in the Silver Division by beating Elk River and Apple Valley before losing to Hill Murray in the final. Fargo South routed Rochester Century and Hastings in the Rochester tourny (two quality wins over good programs). Erik Galt had a hat trick in the second game. Galt is smaller, skilled offensive defenseman probably somewhat in the mold of Jake Marto.

VandeVelde had another goal yesterday in a win over Switzerland. Apparently there was a complementary article about in the Edmonton newspaper a couple of days ago, but it seems to be subscription only site. Guy Flaming is one of the broadcasters for the tournament and he is providing some analysis for the Hockey's Future board. Maybe this tournament will spark Vandy to a better second half in the USHL. The kid has plenty of talent. He got off to a very hot start in the preseason and early season play. Unfortunately, it sounds like has been a bit of an underachiever.

I agree, and I think Hak does as well. Sure, the Sioux were missing some guys. I could accept a great effort that came up short because of lack of talent--that's not what happened. The Sioux created very few scoring chances for 50 minutes, then they completely dominated but couldn't capitalize. Stafford and Spirko were the only forwards who made anything happen. Fabian tries hard, but he is limited. Zajac and Porter were invisible until very late in the game. Zajac has not been the same offensive force so far this season that he was last year. I've picked on some of the upper classmen, but some young guys need to step up as well. This game was an opportunity for Kozek, Watkins, Radke and others to raise their level of play. I also agree that the Sioux often have trouble with the trap. Harvard always had at least 3-4 guys back and the Sioux had a miserable time getting through the neutral zone. When they actually got set up in the offensive zone, they looked OK. The Sioux need some guys to score some ugly goals. Former players like Bochenski, Goren, and Bayda had a knack for finding those rebounds. The positives: Phil was very good again in goal. He certainly gave the team a chance to win. The defense was solid. Finley stepped up and played a good game despite his injury. I'm becoming a Zach Jones fan. He plays with the same kind of grit and jam that Oshie has. Smaby and Finley made some bone crushing hits. Alexander and Marvin didn't make any big mistakes. Very good puck movement on the PP late (even though they didn't score). Spirko and Zajac did a nice job on the points.

I've been wondering about that. Would Toews and Oshie be even more effective together with Toews in the middle and Oshie on a wing?

Matt MacInnis, a Hockey's Future staffer, had some nice things to say about Lee and Chorney after watching Team USA practice: He also has comments about many of the other players.

That list does look pretty long (9), and none of them will be in their final year of eligibility! Eight defensemen on the roster sounds about right. The list could conceivably be shortened in several different ways. I don't think it is a sure bet that Bina will be able to play again. Marto and/or Genoway could defer for another year. Genoway could be moved back to forward. Any combination of Lee, Chorney, or Finley could decide to turn pro (none are ready IMHO). If Sneep has made two visits as reported by Minnesota Hockey Journal, there must be some mutual interest. He has a combination of size and skill that is uncommon. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

I'm glad to hear this news. After Gryba committed to BU, I thought Sneep might be an alternative. I expect UND will still have a potential problem with '06 vs. '07. Sneep might benefit from a year of junior hockey(??), but I bet that there will be suitors with money for '06.

Great question. I don't know the answer. My guess is that the coaching staff has not committed the scholarships of any of the listed players to other players for next year. The only committed recruits are VandeVelde, Forney, Marto, and Genoway. Forney and Genoway have both said that they are uncertain if they will be at UND in '06 or '07. I've personally wondered the same about Marto. I expect that Forney will definitely be at UND if any of the forwards leave early, with Darcy Zajac being another potential recruit who could fit that bill. Again, I don't know, but I expect that at least some of the money would be used for an appropriate "late" recruit if possible, similar to the Joe Finley situation last spring.

According to TheWolverine.com, Darcy Zajac is now being wooed by Michigan and New Hampshire.

Drew Stafford: "Thanks for all the questions and I hope everyone enjoys their holiday break. Red Seal Peach "The Pralien," is in stores next winter, pick it up. GO SIOUX!!!" Classic!

Wilson played in the 2001 World Championships and the 1995 World Junior Championships.

Absolutely. Bemidji is a very competitive team. They can play with anyone. Money makes the world go around in college athletics. The WCHA is the premiere league in college hockey in large part because the level of fan support has led to big budgets, big new arenas, TV coverage, etc. Bemidji State is far, far behind St. Cloud, Duluth, and Mankato to say nothing of UND, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Denver, and CC. You can argue that Bemidji is closer to the level of Michigan Tech or UAA, but that isn't a reason to invite them to WCHA. Omaha on the other hand..

I'm impressed by Bemidji's team and the atmosphere in their arena. But there is no way they should be in the WCHA..

I'm really looking forward to seeing Marvin this season. I thought he was easily the best sophomore in Section 8 last year.

One last Moorhead related update.. Beau Christian, a high school senior and Dave's son, is doing very well in goal for an outstanding Team Illinois midget team. He is 4-0 with a 0.957 save pct. and GAA of 0.75! I personally thought he was Moorhead's best goalie last year, but he sat behind two seniors. I think he is a legitimate D-I prospect.

I've seen Moorhead play twice in person and twice on TV so far this year. Jordy Christian (junior forward) is an elite skater with good puck skills. He isn't very big and he has a slight build. He has looked good so far this season, but I still think he will need to get significantly stronger to succeed in the WCHA. I'm told his dream is to be a Sioux and I hope it works out. I think he's by far the best college prospect on this year's Moorhead team. John Lee is a junior defenseman. Last year he played almost exclusively with the JV team (the Spuds had five senior defensemen) and he was behind classmate Jeff Foss on the depth chart. This year, I think he is playing better than Foss. Lee is a pretty good skater and he has decent skills. He plays with a bit of an edge that we don't usually see from Brian. At the rate John is improving, he may ultimately be a D-I prospect, but he has a long way to go. jloos recently mentioned Devin Nitzkorski, another Moorhead junior forward. Nitzkorski has decent size and strength. He goes to the net hard and has a pretty good scoring touch. I think he is probably a kid who will have a chance to play some junior hockey and then we'll see. Pat Dietz is yet another junior forward with good skill, but not quite in Christian's class. Finally, I also like what I've seen of sophomore forward Nick Thielen. He's another little guy with great wheels and a motor that doesn't quit.

VandeVelde is a bit of an enigma. At times last year in high school, he was ever bit as dominant as Oshie. I think Steve Johnson was expecting him to be a leader and a star in Lincoln this year. He certainly hasn't been, but I don't think it is likely that a lack of ability is the problem.

I agree with your premise (the Sioux now have a more finesse-oriented d-corps than in the past) and I'm one of the posters who has expressed a hope that UND will recruit another physical defenseman, but.. I think the current group will eventually play a more physical game than they do now. Zach Jones is already quite physical (I think he has progressed very nicely since the beginning of the season). Joe Finley is supposed to be a senior in high school. The fact he is playing in the WCHA at all right now is a testament to his ability. As he gets more comfortable, I think he will be much more aggressive. I think Lee and Chorney will both eventually be considered excellent two-way defensemen (same for Goligoski and Hagemo for that matter). Remember Lee and Chorney are both 18 years old. Andy Schneider and Nick Fuher were both 2 years from appearing in a Sioux uniform at that age. Lee is almost 6'3" and he has a fairly big frame. I bet he'll be at least 200 lb. by next season. I also think that it is important to remember that the college game has changed. The officiating is much tighter than it was years ago and there are many Olympic sized rinks. Mike Commodore and Matt Greene spent a lot of time in the penalty box and many fans were often frustrated with their play. Conventional wisdom was that they were better suited for the pro game than the college game. Meanwhile, Minnesota and Denver have won national championships the past four consecutive years featuring skilled defensemen like Jordan Leopold, Paul Martin, Keith Ballard, Ryan Caldwell, Brett Skinner, and Matt Carle. The Sioux have not been able to match that skill. The Sioux almost went all the way last year by making the most of the strengths they had, including a very physical corps of defensemen, but I think the coaching staff is making a conscious and correct decision to evolve somewhat in a different direction. The question may be a matter of the proper degree of this evolution.

Hi, Hammy!

If Smaby leaves (seems likely), the Sioux will have a d-corps that is really finesse oriented. That has already showed up big time against Minnesota last week. Marto is light, Bina is a stump, and Genoway is just plain small. A big horse would be nice, if not for next year, certainly for 07.

It was Fabian and he did return for his next shift. I'm really disappointed that Finley is out. He would have received lots of ice time the next few games and I wanted to see how he would respond. This does create an opportunity for other players. I'm especially interested in seeing Alexander again. I thought he looked good in the exhibition game with Manitoba. He skates well and moves the puck.