COMMITTED UND Recruits

[nascar99]

2 minutes ago, siouxweet said:

Is there a difference between a 16 year old in 2019 and a 16 year old in 2025?

Penner is a 2008, heading into his 17 year old season

[tnt]

3 hours ago, siouxweet said:

Can't get too excited about all these 16 year old verbal commitments until a LOI is signed and they step foot on campus.   Cole Spicer or Jaksen Panzer ring any bells.

But in the same token, some people worry about no verbals, so it is depending on how positive or negative you want to be.  Remember, the verbals for other teams have the same issue.  

[tnt]

1 hour ago, gfhockey said:

I trust the staff, but do you remember when the previous person local kits and how that work out.  I’m all for local kids, but

Maybe if Spicer or his advisors had some common sense, things might have been different.

[burd]

14 minutes ago, tnt said:

Maybe if Spicer or his advisors had some common sense, things might have been different.

Yeas, but the woulda coulda shoulda crowd was pretty critical of staff when he jumped. 

[scpa0305]

4 hours ago, brianvf said:

Another local kid.

Super smart move. This kid can play. At the very worst he’s a 5-6 Dman that can defend and will play 3-4 years. Can’t miss the local guys.

[scpa0305]

2 hours ago, gfhockey said:

I trust the staff, but do you remember when the previous person local kits and how that work out.  I’m all for local kids, but

Have you ever seen this kid play?

[scpa0305]

32 minutes ago, burd said:

Yeas, but the woulda coulda shoulda crowd was pretty critical of staff when he jumped. 

His downfall had zero to do with his game. 

[brianvf]

12 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

Super smart move. This kid can play. At the very worst he’s a 5-6 Dman that can defend and will play 3-4 years. Can’t miss the local guys.

Agreed.  
Sprinkle some chippahs in with these really good 3-4 year guys and you have the makings of some great rosters for the next few upcoming seasons.

[SpudsSioux]

 

32 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

Super smart move. This kid can play. At the very worst he’s a 5-6 Dman that can defend and will play 3-4 years. Can’t miss the local guys.

Agreed. He was on the top pairing for the US team that just won Gold at H-G.   He was getting plenty of interest from other schools. Glad UND locked him down as a nice 4 year guy to blend with some of the blue chippers they are after. 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

1 hour ago, burd said:

Yeas, but the woulda coulda shoulda crowd was pretty critical of staff when he jumped. 

And the rational crowd said he's making a mistake.

[scpa0305]

48 minutes ago, SpudsSioux said:

 

Agreed. He was on the top pairing for the US team that just won Gold at H-G.   He was getting plenty of interest from other schools. Glad UND locked him down as a nice 4 year guy to blend with some of the blue chippers they are after. 

yep…I’ve seen him play. He’s good.

[hockeytherapy13]

1 hour ago, SpudsSioux said:

 

Agreed. He was on the top pairing for the US team that just won Gold at H-G.   He was getting plenty of interest from other schools. Glad UND locked him down as a nice 4 year guy to blend with some of the blue chippers they are after. 

Anyone have any inside info regarding what other schools were pursuing him? 

[Sioux90]

14 hours ago, siouxweet said:

Can't get too excited about all these 16 year old verbal commitments until a LOI is signed and they step foot on campus.   Cole Spicer or Jaksen Panzer ring any bells.

I think talent is a factor here.

[PasswordIsTacoHockey]

Didn't Spicer, Panzer and Ausmus commit before the rule change at the age of roughly 13-14.  I think there is a big difference between the commitments and age/development and a lot of other factors as well.  TRUST THE PROCESS AND JAX.  

[siouxweet]

42 minutes ago, PasswordIsTacoHockey said:

Didn't Spicer, Panzer and Ausmus commit before the rule change at the age of roughly 13-14.  I think there is a big difference between the commitments and age/development and a lot of other factors as well.  TRUST THE PROCESS AND JAX.  

My comment was never directed at Jax it is more directed at the world of collegiate recruiting and 16 year olds making commitments that have a 50/50 chance of actually coming to fruition.   Guess I am very old school and yearn for the days where verbals and handshakes actually meant something. 

[Rory]

Let’s go 

[fightingsioux4life]

1 hour ago, siouxweet said:

My comment was never directed at Jax it is more directed at the world of collegiate recruiting and 16 year olds making commitments that have a 50/50 chance of actually coming to fruition.   Guess I am very old school and yearn for the days where verbals and handshakes actually meant something. 

Like I said, I trust this coaching regime way more than the previous regime.

[ChadR]

is Grubb a lock to make the Prep team at SSM? Or Will he be U16?

When are tryouts at SSM?

[scpa0305]

8 minutes ago, ChadR said:

is Grubb a lock to make the Prep team at SSM? Or Will he be U16?

When are tryouts at SSM?

I believe the tryouts are underway. Either spot is solid, however I would be extremely shocked if he were not on the Prep team.

[brianvf]

https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-draft-dethroning-gavin-mckenna-first-overall-pick-lawrence-lin-roobroeck-stenberg-verhoeff

Quote

Verhoeff is the top choice to go No. 2 according to most scouts, with some thinking he has a legitimate shot at No. 1. He had a 21-goal, 45-point rookie season with the Victoria Royals last year, and was one of the top defenders at both the U-17 World Challenge and the U-18 World Championship. Verhoeff struggled at times at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but it’s hard to take a performance there too seriously, given it’s in the middle of the summer and nobody is at full force. Verhoeff is set to go to North Dakota this year, where most expect him to have little trouble adjusting to older competition as a 6-foot-4 defender. He’s unique in that he has size, skill and mobility, potentially giving him an edge over Matthew Schaefer, who was taken first overall in 2025. I wouldn’t write Verhoeff’s name down at No. 2 with a Sharpie, but he’s the pre-season favorite, for sure.

 

[brianvf]

Article on Verheoff that goes over some of the nitpicks & criticisms (along with the strengths) of his game:

https://newwavehockey.com/f/2026-early-scouting-report-keaton-verhoeff

Quote

Verhoeff will unavoidably be ruthlessly compared to previous draft year NCAA defensemen like Zeev Buium and Artyom Levshunov as well as the 2025 first overall selection, Matthew Schaefer. Context always matters when examining these cases and it will certainly matter when looking at Verhoeff's. Though I personally believe that all 3 defensemen I previously mentioned were more polished going into their draft year season, Keaton Verhoeff has the most to offer in his toolset without a doubt. He absolutely has the potential to look like the best of the 4 come June but I believe he will have a similar season to Levshunov.

 

[nascar99]

33 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Article on Verheoff that goes over some of the nitpicks & criticisms (along with the strengths) of his game:

https://newwavehockey.com/f/2026-early-scouting-report-keaton-verhoeff

 

He's better than Levshunov, Verhoeff was much better as a 16 year old in the Dub than Levshunov was as a 16 year old in Belarus. Levshunov's 17 year old season was good, but not elite in the USHL, Verhoeff's 17 year old season in the NCAA will be very intriguing to follow

[.357]

12 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

He's better than Levshunov, Verhoeff was much better as a 16 year old in the Dub than Levshunov was as a 16 year old in Belarus. Levshunov's 17 year old season was good, but not elite in the USHL, Verhoeff's 17 year old season in the NCAA will be very intriguing to follow

Based on the comps in the article:

------------------------------

Buium was 17 yrs, 10 mos when he started his first collegiate game at DU.

Levshunov was about 17 yrs, 11 mos when he first started for MSU.

Verhoeff will be less than 17 yrs, 4 mos when he first hits the ice for UND.

------------------------------

Buium & Levshunov were both notably older than Verhoeff during their DYs, which translates to having had more experience & maturity when entering their freshman seasons.

[brianvf]

31 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Verhoeff's 17 year old season in the NCAA will be very intriguing to follow

Agreed!
You know a lot of eyes are gonna be on him. 
Wouldn't be surprised to see him take some lumps as he adjusts to the NCAA level but hopefully he's flying by the end of the season and helps lead UND back to the F4.

[nascar99]

1 hour ago, .357 said:

Based on the comps in the article:

------------------------------

Buium was 17 yrs, 10 mos when he started his first collegiate game at DU.

Levshunov was about 17 yrs, 11 mos when he first started for MSU.

Verhoeff will be less than 17 yrs, 4 mos when he first hits the ice for UND.

------------------------------

Buium & Levshunov were both notably older than Verhoeff during their DYs, which translates to having had more experience & maturity when entering their freshman seasons.

Buium took off faster in the NCAA than Levshunov, but I think Verhoeff was better than both of them as 16 year olds. Their 18 year old season was their freshman year in the NCAA (both late bdays), Verhoeff is playing his 17 year old season (he accelerated to graduate HS early) in the NCAA. I think he'll take lumps but still be extremely impressive.