jk

Keep the faith. If there is a time to get your butt kicked, it's in October. For tonight, just skate in the third period and see what happens. For any recruits who happen to be attending, maybe they'll think, "I'll have no problem making this team and getting ice time," and it'll be helpful.

OK, back to the business of prospective recruits. Heisenberg's blog chimes in on Mario and discusses the Alberta Lamoureux's and a few other things. http://hockeyrecruits.blogspot.com/ "So, does that end the matriculation of Lamoureuxs to North Dakota? Not quite. Up in Drumheller Alberta, Cam Lamoureux is working through his first junior season. Cam is a '89 born power forward from Calgary. While not a progeny of Pierre, Cam's father Roger starred for the Sioux back in the mid-70s. No doubt the Sioux are keeping close tabs on the young winger."

Hrkac was 2-5-7 on Friday, then 3-5-8 on Saturday. Gino said, "that's a career for some guys." Joyce scored 6 goals on Saturday.

I think it's in somewhat poor taste speculating on what Mario's decision may have been based on. There may very well have been some issues that may in fact have been put into the past already. We should all know by now that there are many factors that go into a recruit's decision, and rarely are they made fully public. In this case, I wish Mario and Jacques well at NMU, except when they are shooting against their brother in net.

Derrick LaPoint with his first USHL goal tonight for Green Bay - unassisted shorthanded. That's an unusual scoring line for a defenseman. Congrats.

Commie Greene Zajac Parise Belfour

dagies, you saw all that on your fuzzy computer screen?! On my computer screen, I could basically see little white blobs, and little dark blobs. And sometimes the white blobs and the dark blobs would all turn towards a moving invisible object, as though they were drawn to it, although I never saw the mystery object myself. I'm not sure that's my preferred way to watch a game, but I was happy to read that the white blobs won.

From CSTV's season preview: "The Bobcats return 10 forwards, including one of the ECACHL's top lines in Bryan Leitch, Ben Nelson and Jamie Bates. Those three players accounted for 124 points a season ago and were one of the highest scoring lines in the nation. Leitch was named the 2006 ECACHL Rookie of the Year, while Bates and Nelson both finished among the league leaders in scoring." http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/stories/100206aah.html It looks like Quinnipiac likes to score goals and push the play. That should make it fun hockey to watch. However, it also means UND's defense (played by all the players, not just the defensemen) will get a test. I'm sure the UND coaches are stressing the importance of the series and the quality of the opponent, but it's just human nature that the team might not be "up" as much as they could be, especially with Wisconsin looming the following week. Also, with the Bobcats having a top line, I wonder if Hak might match someone against them. Maybe a Fabian/Kaip/Watkins line. Kaip and Watkins can both really skate, and all three have solid bodies to make life difficult for the opponent. Last year, Smaby would have been on the ice with the other team's best line; who will be UND's shutdown defensive pair this year?

Murphy - Genoway - small, skilled D Porter - Vandevelde - big winger McMahon - Zajac - feisty prairie kid Spiewak - Bishop - speed Genoway - Forney - big lanky skilled kid Just my guesses.

Danny Kristo had 2-1-3 (all in the first period) in a 5-4 loss tonight for the US team in the NAHL. Jake Marto had an unassisted goal in Omaha's Buc Bowl game today.

http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/related/C189/ A blog written by a Tampa sportswriter included this note: "Also, Matt Smaby has raised some eyebrows in camp and made a good impression and may have jumped up the depth chart, certainly ahead of Doug O

I've thought about this one too. Right now, it seems like seven is too big a number (oh, no, someone has to sit!). Unfortunately, it's very possible that we'll spend part of the season lamenting how small a number seven is, considering the inevitable injuries and the WJC. For me, the best part of the news that Genoway may prosper is what it means a few years down the road. The recent high draft picks on the blueline will be leaving early, and UND will need some high quality upperclass defenders.

I'm just providing a public service for that portion of the public that happens to be a blue-chip recruit trying to choose between UND and other schools. When you've narrowed it down to the last few schools, obviously there are just good choices left, and it comes down to priorities and preferences. If your priority is to become a professional hockey player, you should choose the school that best prepares players for the next level. How better to prepare to be a professional than to be treated like one in college? UND is consistently noted for being run the most like a professional organization, with players held accountable for their preparation and performance. You earn it, you get it. Just like in the real world. At UND, it's been known as "skate or sit." If you're a forward and you like to attack and score, look at the parade of elite forwards that have skated into Grand Forks, filled the scoresheet, and advenced to the pros. In just the last few years: - Brandon Bochenski was a Hobey finalist and is skating with the Chicago Blackhawks. - Zach Parise was a Hobey finalist, WJC gold medalist, and is with the NJ Devils. - Brady Murray was the WCHA ROY, WJC gold medalist, and earned a professional job in Switzerland. - Drew Stafford was a WJC gold medalist, and is with the Buffalo Sabres. - Travis Zajac was on the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and is with the NJ Devils. - T.J. Oshie was a freshman scoring sensation who will be with the St. Louis Blues soon (too soon for Sioux fans, but right on track for his career). - Jon Toews was also a freshman revelation and WJC gold medalist who will be with the Chicago Blackhawks next year. The fun part is that these guys all thrived as freshmen. Because they earned it, they were able to play with the team's best players. Here are UND's leading freshman scorers in each of the last five years: Bochenski 32 Parise 61 Murray 46 Zajac 39 Oshie 45 How'd the top-scoring freshmen do at another top school (say, Wisconsin, for instance)? Leavitt 24 MacMurchy 24 Earl 27 Pavelski 45 Skille 21 I know where I'd go if I wanted to play up-tempo hockey and score goals, even as a freshman. If your priority is winning (well, first of all, UND wants you), then you'd be hard pressed to find a better place to consistently be among the nation's top teams. The most consistent winners over the last ten years have been UND, Michigan, BC and Minnesota. Other teams like Denver, Wisconsin, St. Cloud and Duluth have risen up for a few years to achieve success, then some have faded back to the pack. How much staying power Denver and Wisconsin will have at the top remains to be seen. To be honest and fair to the players, most of them came to UND with vast potential, and most of the credit for becoming great players goes to them. They did the work. To achieve their goals, they also chose to develop at a place with the training facilities that would help them become the best players they could be. The REA's lovely features in the stands and concourse attract the attention of the press and fans, but it's the access to the inside of the rink that makes all the difference to the players. I'll stop there, with professional aspirations, scoring, winning and development. Anyone else who wants to further aid the public is welcome to help.

http://www.chicagoblackhawks.com/player/?f...edia/blackhawks In fact Bucks had his nose broken Tuesday night. In the interview above (click on the Bochenski link on the right), he has yet to have it set and it looks rather ... bent.

I don't think the powers-that-be want their targets and likelihood of success to be public knowledge, or they already would be. We'll just have to take our little tidbits and hints, develop theories and toss names around, and wait for decisions to be made. I think most of the names have made an appearance here, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few we haven't talked about.

I'm sorry but I cannot let this go without comment. Ziggy, Lammy and Sedevie may have been better in the USHL (can't say as I never saw them), but players develop over time and in 2004-06 Parise was the better goalie. Numbers aren't everything, but in this case they're pretty convincing. Parise was spectacular down the stretch in 2005 and pretty much all year in 2005-06. As far as playing behind a great team, I don't know if you watched but for much of last year the young defense was an adventure and Parise (with Smaby's help) bailed them out time after time. To say that you could have put anyone in the net and made a winner out of him in fact DOES take something away from Parise. It suggests the team carried him, when in fact for much of the year it was the other way around. More than us, Hakstol wants to win. If he thought Lammy would have given the team the best chance last year, he would have played him. All that said, I'm looking forward to Phil stepping up and having a great year this year.

This thread is a tradition, and although it's a little early, we may as well kick it off. As in the past, we'll try to keep this one limited to information about future Sioux players, those that have committed to play for the Sioux. Information about prospective recruits should continue to be posted in the active thread for that topic. So far, these players have committed to play at UND: Derrick LaPoint - Will kick off his season with Green Bay in the USHL at the Buc Bowl on 9/28/06. Should take some time to adjust to the pace of the junior game, but should use the year to add strength and experience. The USHL website is great for following game information. Jake Marto - Will also start at the Buc Bowl on 9/28/06, with Omaha in the USHL. As one of the oldest players on his team and having played there last year, he should be one of the key players on his team. Evan Trupp - His BCHL team, Penticton, has started its season, but Trupp is reportedly a few weeks away from being fully recovered from his shoulder injury. Can perhaps use this season to add strength and polish the skills needed to become another classic undersized, overskilled Sioux speedster. Danny Kristo - Will play for the USNDP Under-17 team, which plays in the NAHL. His season begins 9/22/06. I haven't spent much time on the NAHL website, but it looks like it should work well for following his progress. ** Shea Hamilton - A transfer from UAA, he'll be in school at UND this year (but not eligible to play hockey until 2007-08), so there won't be any games to follow. We'll hope to add a few more names in the near future.

One factor that might tend to keep Chorney in college a little longer, all other things being equal, is Edmonton's failure to line up its own AHL affiliate. Last I heard (and I don't follow it closely so it may have changed), they have their prospects scattered on a few different teams. If this continues to be the case, they don't have an obvious place to put kids they sign. Plus they seem to respect UND's development, which also helps. I'd love to see Finley here for a third season, considering how well that career path worked for guys like Greene and Smaby. However, I'm not in a position to hear any real information, so that's just my wish.

Warning: Long and Optimistic ... but things are so quiet that is seemed like a good time for it. I've been known to sandbag a bit, to save myself from disappointment, avoid jinxes and to keep expectations from getting too lofty, but I've been thinking that I should tell any friends of mine who are just peripheral Sioux fans that they should pay attention this year. Because this has the potential to be a special year. At the risk of devaluing the word, that would make this the fourth year in a row we will have the privilege of following a "special" team. Three years ago, UND was just a powerhouse. Up front, it had Parise/Bochenski/Murray at the top, excellent depth throughout the lines, and contributing freshmen like Porter and Stafford mixed in. The airtight defense had perhaps three future NHLers in front of an emerging goaltending star in Parise. The season ended with a painful loss to the eventual surprise champs, but it was still a heck of a ride. One strong memory I have is how the forward depth was revealed on the PK and 4-on-4 situations. For a while it seemed like Blais could just toss the next two guys on the bench out there, regardless of who they were. Parise/Bochenski, Murray/Lundbohm and guys like Fylling, Genoway, Porter and Stafford were all rolled out to great effect, as UND dominated 4-on-4 that year. The following year's team earned a place in the hearts of many Sioux fans by overcoming adversity. Parise, Bochenski and Blais all left in the offseason, with a lively discussion on the process and ultimate choice for head coach. The World Junior tournament, while a terrific showcase for the arena and program, was also a distraction in the middle of the season. When the Sioux started playing better in Colorado Springs and still came home with two losses, it seemed like the blow that might crush them. Down the stretch, they had to cope with the captain's DUI, "routine" injuries to Murray, Prpich and Greene, and the extraordinary event that was Robbie Bina's injury. With a bench short of forwards and defensemen, the Sioux punished, wore out and flat-out dominated their opponents on the way to the national title game, where they again failed to get any breaks against Denver. The hallmark was the ridiculously punishing defense, but I'll always remember Canady, Massen and Fabian changing the tone of the game with every shift, getting the puck into the zone and pounding the boards. It was a great way for Canady and Massen to finish their Sioux careers. Watching last year's team was like watching a long-legged colt trying figure out how everything works and with only a hint of what it could become when it gets it all figured out. With more than half the roster being freshmen (and most of them true freshmen), the team predictably had its trying moments. All along the way, though, there were suggestions of spectacular talent. If you left your seat, you risked missing something spectacular. By crunch time, the team relied on Parise in net to cover for their mistakes while they turned loose two genuinely first-line quality scoring lines. (Brian Elliott and Wisconsin allowed 5 goals in the last 29 periods of the year, if you don't count the 4 goals they allowed to UND in 3 periods in that stretch.) If it wasn't Oshie and Toews beating people in open ice, it was Zajac and Spirko beating them along the boards. Ultimately, a poor defensive game by much of the team, from the net out, against BC ended what was an exciting year, as we watched boys mature into older boys. This year is must-see hockey because we might get to see what happens when the older boys grow into men. We can't know who will step up and be the surprise contributors, and the team will be relying on many players to not only match, but improve, outstanding years last year, but at its core this team may be blessed with stars who have the potential to shine unusually brightly. Toews' second year may be reminiscent of Heatley's at Wisconsin. He was individually dominant, with NHL size and elite skills, but ultimately there was only so much he could do, as there wasn't much around him at the end of Sauer's reign. Toews looks to be similarly talented, but he's doubly blessed in that he has terrific players around him to share the puck with. I don't even know what Oshie's second year may be reminiscent of ... perhaps some force of nature. When he gets ahold of a turnover high in the defensive zone and turns it around, he seems to leave all the other participants, friends and enemies alike, in his wake as he heads to the net. To summarize, I think Toews and Oshie are capable of having Hobey-type seasons thie year. (Full disclosure requires me to disclose that I thought Travis Zajac was going to be one of the nation's best players last year even as a sophomore, and I overshot.) The combination of very top echelon stars with a good deep group of forwards, a maturing defense and solid goaltending makes this a team we may be reminiscing about for years. I'm sure they'll have their issues along the way, and they may not win it all, but it should be fun to watch.

I'm assuming Kelly Zajac is on the Sioux radar, for obvious reasons, so I was trying to figure out when he might arrive if all goes well with his development and recruitment. Here's a little Zajac family history: Travis d.o.b. 5-13-85 2002-03, 59 games 16-36-52 2003-04, 59 games, 43-69-112 Travis was about 17 years, 4 months old when he started his first year at Salmon Arm. He was about 19 years, 4 months old when he arrived at UND. Darcy d.o.b. 9-23-86 2004-05, 60 games, 12-21-33 2005-06, 57 games, 37-43-80 Darcy was 18 years old when he started at Salmon Arm, and will turn 20 to start his UND career. Kelly d.o.b. 6-6-88 Kelly will start his Salmon Arm stint age 18 years, 3 months. I read that he probably would have started at Salmon Arm last year, but Hockey Canada's new rules prevented him from playing out of province. It should be interesting to see whether he puts up numbers that more closely resemble a first-year Zajac or a second-year Zajac. If he does well, then perhaps he is a piece of the puzzle for 2007, and we might get to hear the "Zajac from Zajac" that we just missed this year. There are several interesting players on this year's Salmon Arm team, including Volpei (from SSM and headed to SCSU), Winnett (Michigan) and Mosey (SSM), so they should be fun to follow.

2007 forwards: Porter, Fabian and Foyt graduate, and Toews and Oshie are serious early departure risks. That's five. Currently, Trupp and Hamilton are scheduled to arrive. That leaves three openings. Could those three come from this group, who have all either been mentioned here or elsewhere? Nash (BCHL, brother at Cornell) Bloodoff (BCHL, from Coach Jackson's hometown)) Malone (USHL, brother played at SCSU, NHL connections) Gregoire (USHL, Winnipeg hockey connection) Lamoureux (USHL, Sioux name) Toews (scheduled in 2008 and uncommited, but those Toews boys do like to accelerate) Any other 2007 names people have heard?

I believe Hakstol was a captain of pretty much every team he was on, beginning at UND and continuing on to his pro career. That doesn't happen by accident. There has to be genuine natural leadership present. Likewise, I can't remember the source, but I think I read somewhere that Jackson was a captain five times in his professional career. That kind of compelling leadership is important when leading a team through adversity (anyone remember the Final Five, when the team seemed to lose a player every period: Murray, Bina, Prpich?) and in recruiting, when you're trying to convince a player and his family that his and your best interests follow the same path. Jackson is also relatively young and can inject youthful enthusiasm into the program (no offense to Berry, who is my age). Losing Berry was a difficult blow to the program, but it looks like they've made the best of it. Time will tell.

Potulny missed most of that season, then came back in the last few weeks of the year and made quite an impact. It burned up a year of eligibility, but that ultimately didn't matter, as he was leaving those laying around at the end anyway.

Oshie or Toews? Kozek or Duncan? Forney or Zajac? Radke or Kaip? Lee or Porter? Bina or Miller? ------------------ I'm going with: Oshie, because he's too old for the WJC by days. Kozek, on a gut feeling that he'll clean up on a scoring line. Forney, although he'll be trailing at the halfway point. Radke, on the strength of second unit PP assists, although it won't be easy as Kaip has become a scoring machine. Lee, with a big offensive year on the PP. If Porter ends up on a PP unit, he could also have a big year. Miller, surprises by contributing regularly from a lower line, while Bina pulls an Andy Schneider and focuses on defense as an upperclassman.

Not to defend the enemy, but I think the strength of that team will be on defense. When they won all those games on the way to the league title, they were a good defensive team. Subtract Harrington and Atherton, and add in NHL #1 and #20, and maybe Hagemo. Not sure about the scoring, but that never seems to be a problem for those guys. I'm thinking of this Sioux team compared to the Line of Fire year in 2001. There were five elite players on that team (Panzer, Lundbohm, Bayda, Roche, Goehring), some very solid heart-and-soul players who came in well-seasoned (Spiewak, Notes, Lundbohm), and then a group of unspectacular players who came together as a team and managed to not get scored on. This year, it looks like Oshie and Toews have a chance to be all-Americans, and together with Duncan they provide a top three that I think might surpass the Line of Fire in ability. (Of course they may not be on the same line, and for any of them to be better than Panzer as a senior will take some doing.) Heart-and-soul veterans, men, are present in Porter and Fabian. Then forwards 7-12 I think have a chance to be much more talented than in 2001. On defense, I don't know if any single defenseman will be the equal of Roche, but 1-6 they should be much better this year. Can Lammy impersonate Goehring? A big question of course. And will they collectively refuse to lose as that team did, in sometimes ridiculous fashion?