jk

Gleason was electric, but to be fair he is a senior and as an elite prospect he should dominate. He was very dynamic with the puck and easily faster than everyone else. As for the negatives, he might have been playing defense but you wouldn't know it for how many times he was the first Hornet in the offensive zone. In addition, I'm not sure how much work he's going to get in the defensive zone this year on this Edina team that is going to be in the other end for most of their games. Obviously the coaches know best, but I wouldn't be bothered if he played a year in the USHL to learn how to play defense against other great offensive players. I'm guessing the pro scouts will find his skating irresistible. As with, "you can't teach size", you also can't teach world class skating, which he appears to have.

I'm guessing Miami and Michigan are better than most here think. I also think the Sioux schedule seemed tough at the time, especially because they gave the Sioux such a tough time, but in hindsight perhaps it wasn't so hard. For example, MTU skated well, but since splitting with UND they are 1-4-1 and haven't won in a month. Wisconsin, since splitting with the Sioux, is 0-3-1.

Nick Mattson scored his first goal of the year for the U17 team, and added an assist. He's been off to a bit of a slow start, as this doubles his point total on the year to 4. Must have been the commitment that got him going. Also Bruneteau scored his first goal for his new team.

This pretty much guarantees that the Sioux will score 1 or 2 goals tomorrow. The only question is whether they can hold Duluth to 0 or 1.

That is really terrific news. I had heard he was leaning heavily to the Sioux this Summer, but then when he didn't commit at that time I figured UND had lost him to MN. I guess "Double T's" won't work for Danny Mattson's nickname at UND.

I agree that there are certain matchups where Radke's presence in the lineup would be welcomed, for the reasons stated. Let's leave Archie out of it though; he scored 37 goals as a senior and was one heck of a well-rounded hockey player.

Canada West beat Canada East 4-1 for the title. Eidsness stopped 22 of 23, and Hextall added two assists. UMD recruit Connolly was named MVP.

CC is really good up front and is going to win a lot of games this year. Walski can really fly and I could see him ending up on an all-league team; UAA must be PO'd that he left. CC has had a lot of odd-man rushes, especially in the first, and the Sioux goalie has been the biggest difference in the game.

All it takes to see the Frozen Four is a two-game winning streak. Miami's probably a lot better than most here think. I'll just worry about the Sioux and let the rest happen.

I think the hype machine got a bit overheated, especially after the Michigan State game. Right now the Sioux seem to be about equal to the good teams in the major conferences, but they're not dominant by any means. That's just fine, as Hak builds his teams throughout the season, and we know they'll be a lot better in the spring than the fall. It sounds like they're getting rolling a bit here in the third, though.

First goal wins?

I've never bashed Lee and don't intend to here, but you need to revisit last year's PP experience. Bina replaced Lee on the top PP unit in the second half of the year, and the PP never looked back. It was as dominant a Sioux PP as I've ever seen, and Lee never got back onto the top unit.

Not sure who would be in the four forward spots on the PP not occupied by Oshie and Duncan. Ended up being Vandy, then Watkins, Miller and Martens. I thought we might see Trupp or Frattin somewhere on the PP. I thought Trupp, Frattin and Malone all looked pretty decent. Disappointed to not see Forney, as he was the headline recruit last year.

I said the first time I saw Toews play for the Sioux that he had a chance to be the best pro skater ever to lace them up for UND. This was after I saw him in person, where you can really appreciate how smooth he is. To have the best pro career he has to top Belfour, which is a high hurdle.

Looking forward to 4-on-4 shifts this year. Oshie, Duncan, Chorney and someone else -- LaPoint, Bina, Genoway? There will be more open ice than on the PP, and the opponent won't be playing a collapse around the goaltender D like they would on the PK. I can see shifts where Oshie and Duncan occupy a few opposing defensemen and then feed it to Chorney sneaking in from the point for the tip in.

I have no specific comment on Mario, because I've seen him play as much as I've seen Trupp, Cichy, Toews, Kristo, etc. play, which is to say, not at all. I also totally appreciate that an ideal hockey team has a mix of different types of players, and guys who might be a little short of skill but are hard to play against play a role. However, it is hard to see how the numbers add up in the fall of 2008. UND loses Kaip, Radke, Oshie and Duncan up front, and Bina, Chorney and Finley on the blueline (assuming likely early departures). That's 4 and 3. They have Cichy, Toews, Gregoire, Bruneteau, Hextall and now Lamoureux coming in, plus Blood and Gleason. That's 6 and 2. Of the 6, it's hard to see any of them getting pushed back to 2009. Cichy and Toews are national recruits, not the kind of guys who play an extra year of juniors. Gregoire and Bruneteau are both playing an extra year of juniors after their draft year already, and both were drafted. Hextall and now Mario are also playing their extra year of junior hockey this year. It looks like a heck of a class, but there might be an awful lot of forwards on the team that year. I should add that it seems odd to those of us who aren't privy to the plan, but I'm sure the coaching staff has next fall well considered. It'll just be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Quite a few people have bounced around the question of which Sioux player is more likely to win the Hobey, Duncan or Oshie. If they stay healthy, I think they each have a good chance at the award, but I think that if Chorney played on any other team, people would be talking him up as a potential Hobey finalist. Hakstol said earlier that he thought Chorney had a chance to have a Leopold or Carle type of impact, if he stayed in college long enough. The Edmonton people think he might be the best college defenseman in the country this year. If those folks are right, he could very well seriously contend for major awards this year. He should play about 30 minutes a game, so everyone will get a good look at him. ("Just like a Sioux fan to think the whole team should win the Hobey.")

Three 09 forwards, all from the Metro. Interesting. There's not much room left for forwards until 2010 now.

Kristo and other USNDT members did participate in the camp, but USA Hockey chooses to assemble the team that will play internationally out of non-USNDT players. Not sure of the motivation, but it may be to give other players a chance to play internationally, since the USNDT players get plenty of that during the season.

There will likely need to be several more defensemen recruited for 2008. Jones, Genoway, LaPoint, Marto. That leaves a need for three or four more defensemen. Blood is one. Gleason may be another if he is ready. I'm sure the coaches have a few kids in mind.

STL's development camp runs from July 9-13.

There is no way a healthy Matt Watkins will sit. Except for the part about not being a one-man wrecking crew, he will step into Chris Porter's spot as the heart and soul of the team. Not a big scorer, but on the ice in a ton of crucial situations. I think the coaches will rely heavily on him over the next two years.

I think if that particular poster hints that Walters may commit soon, he might be hoping that he commits to SCSU, his team.

He's from Calgary. Interesting. Have any good college players ever come from Calgary?

Strictly my opinion, but I think JT will in fact move on this year, and if so Sioux fans should thank him for the extra year, which was filled with terrific moments, and rejoice in the players that are returning. That said, if there is a line next year with Duncan and Oshie on it, it should simply be called the Hobey Line, for the one award in the bank and the one that several linemates may contend for.