COMMITTED UND Recruits

[scpa0305]

One positive with this program is the play of Zellers and Laurila. Sam is a stud…and it appears we may have a pretty good one in Zellers. I love the players that are smart with their development. Slow and steady. Seems to be working with these two.

[tnt]

Will Zellers with almost .25 more points per game than the next closest in the USHL, with 8 goals, 2 assists in his last 3 games.

 

[tnt]

9 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

One positive with this program is the play of Zellers and Laurila. Sam is a stud…and it appears we may have a pretty good one in Zellers. I love the players that are smart with their development. Slow and steady. Seems to be working with these two.

Yeah, with Laurila taking a back seat to some of the talent on the NDTP program, I was super impressed when I saw his poise and smarts in the prospects game.  Think that extra year will pay huge dividends going forward.

[brianvf]

Zellers and Laurila could be instant contributors.
The bones are there for a decent team next year...D will be a year older and improved with Laurila (+ maybe Zmolek?) adding to the current group.
Zellers and Sacha are both pure goal scorers.  Swanson and Perron should be able to pile up some assists.

Who knows on goalies, if Hobie stays.
Still need a couple forward recruits/CHL/portal, etc.
Who knows on coaching staff too. 

[brianvf]

Kid is killing it.

 

[hockeytherapy13]

17 hours ago, brianvf said:

Zellers and Laurila could be instant contributors.
The bones are there for a decent team next year...D will be a year older and improved with Laurila (+ maybe Zmolek?) adding to the current group.
Zellers and Sacha are both pure goal scorers.  Swanson and Perron should be able to pile up some assists.

Who knows on goalies, if Hobie stays.
Still need a couple forward recruits/CHL/portal, etc.
Who knows on coaching staff too. 

I’m concerned Zellers and Schultz may decommit if things keep spiraling here.

[brianvf]

Updated as of 1/20

• Zellers on fire...only 4pts off USHL scoring lead but has played 9-11 games less than the four players in front of him
• Zellers now leads the lead in goals with 26 and pts/gm

USHL (Forwards)

• Klee (Muskegon) - '05: 34gp - 13g/15a
• Pilgrim (Tri-City) - '06: 33gp - 4g/14a
• Schultz (Chicago) - '06: 31gp - 10g/13a
• Zellers (Green Bay) - '06: 26gp - 26g/14a
• O'Neill (NTDP U18) - '07: 36gp - 4g/7a
• Sanderson (Muskegon) - '07: 25gp - 3g/3a
• Bumgarner (Fargo) - '08: 35gp - 5g/4a

USHL (Defensemen)

• Laurila (Fargo) - '06: 31gp - 4g/22a
• Lindberg (NTDP U18) - '07: 31gp - 0g/5a

USHL (Goalies)

• Heil (Madison) - '06: 16gp - .884 / 3.13 (10-5-1)

Other

• Simpson - MN HS - '07: 19gp - 25g/18a
• Jundt - SF Power 16U - '08: 29gp - 18g/19a
• McKamey - BCHL - '09: 33gp - 5g/10a

[brianvf]

Quote

Eli McKamey #11 (F, R, 5’10”, 174, Penticton Vees, 01/19/2009) – McKamey is an elite talent. As he becomes more comfortable at this level (which won’t take long), he will begin to jump off the page. That being said, he can do things that only high-end players can do. He is quick, with very good top-end speed, although he didn’t use it much on the attack, as he seemed to prefer distributing the puck. His puck skills are excellent, and his superior vision makes him very dangerous five-on-five, but even more so on the power play, where he is on the top unit. He is constantly scanning the ice, both before he receives the puck and while he has it. His playmaking ability all over the ice is excellent, and he is more than willing to make plays in very tight quarters as well. Grade: B+

McKamey and Zellers on the same line could be really fun to watch. 
McKamey is still so young...just turned 16...but he accelerated in school so he could come to campus in 26/27.

[Goon]

On 1/21/2025 at 5:17 PM, brianvf said:

Updated as of 1/20

USHL (Forwards)

•  
• Schultz (Chicago) - '06: 31gp - 10g/13a

USHL (Defensemen)

• Heil (Madison) - '06: 16gp - .884 / 3.13 (10-5-1)

Other

• Simpson - MN HS - '07: 19gp - 25g/18

My brother-in-law is one of the administrators of Breakaway Hockey Acadamy and these three are products of that hockey school. He is also one of the coaches. Former UND hockey player Bryn Chyzyk actually worked for him. These three kids come highly regarded. 

[siouxkid12]

On 1/18/2025 at 10:32 PM, brianvf said:

Zellers and Laurila could be instant contributors.
The bones are there for a decent team next year...D will be a year older and improved with Laurila (+ maybe Zmolek?) adding to the current group.
Zellers and Sacha are both pure goal scorers.  Swanson and Perron should be able to pile up some assists.

Who knows on goalies, if Hobie stays.
Still need a couple forward recruits/CHL/portal, etc.
Who knows on coaching staff too. 

I've said this before but what happened to UND's ability to get some good goaltending? We never had a goaltending coach before, and we always seemed to have some of the best goalies out there. It just baffles me that we have relied so much on the portal for our goalies the last few years.

[ChetSteadman]

1 hour ago, Goon said:

My brother-in-law is one of the administrators of Breakaway Hockey Acadamy and these three are products of that hockey school. He is also one of the coaches. Former UND hockey player Bryn Chyzyk actually worked for him. These three kids come highly regarded. 

Sure, still not chippahz though.

[gfhockey]

Maybe with the new potato plant coming to the chose city we could get more chippahz 

[yzerman19]

2 hours ago, Goon said:

My brother-in-law is one of the administrators of Breakaway Hockey Acadamy and these three are products of that hockey school. He is also one of the coaches. Former UND hockey player Bryn Chyzyk actually worked for him. These three kids come highly regarded. 

B/A is a great program and community.  It is great for chippahz and it is great for kids that just want to make the next level up next season.  The community is supportive while being competitive which is actually a tough tight rope to walk.  Your bro in law must be an ex Gopher, but I'll let that slide....Andy and Dave are great humans and are in it for all the right reasons.

[fightingsioux4life]

54 minutes ago, ChetSteadman said:

Sure, still not chippahz though.

What qualifies as a "chipper"? Being picked in the first half of the first round of the NHL draft?

[scpa0305]

12 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

What qualifies as a "chipper"? Being picked in the first half of the first round of the NHL draft?

First rounder. You’re either a blue chip prospect or a blue chip (first rounder)

[yzerman19]

Yep, my definition of a chippah is a kid that has first round painted all over him and you are just waiting to see where he lands in the first round

[Goon]

1 hour ago, scpa0305 said:

First rounder. You’re either a blue chip prospect or a blue chip (first rounder)

Jackson Blake was a product of BA hockey.

[yzerman19]

15 minutes ago, Goon said:

Jackson Blake was a product of BA hockey.

Mikey Berchild and Freddie Schneider too...both look like chippahs to me...

[brianvf]

8 minutes ago, yzerman19 said:

Mikey Berchild and Freddie Schneider too...both look like chippahs to me...

That's one that I was hoping would have committed here instead of DU.
Seemed like it was rumored that he wasn't going to stay in-state for quite a long time and we seemed to be on his finalist list.

[yzerman19]

So late deciding 07s and 08s can happen any time here.  we could see an early deciding 09, but most won't commit until August.  09s will get drafted in the USHL this year.  10's in the WHL in May.  

[brianvf]

Quote

UND commit Will Zellers of the Green Bay Gamblers is the USHL's Forward of the Week.

Zellers has scored eight goals and tallied 11 points in the last three games.
He's scored 26 goals in 26 games in the USHL, a pace that's rarely seen in that league. The closest players to a goal-per-game pace in recent years: Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Coronato. Both were NHL first-rounders. Zellers is a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche. He will be at UND in the fall.