COMMITTED UND Recruits

[brianvf]

3 hours ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

I hope the staff is transparent with some of these players about their likelihood of making it to campus. With CHL silent commits and the portal there are a few matriculations I just can't imagine happening.

That's the beauty of having Bryn.  Coaching staff doesn't have to worry about this stuff during the season.  They can concentrate on the current team while Bryn focuses on future seasons and players.  I would guess that a couple of these current commits will either be pushed back a year in juniors or seek another school out.  And I'm guessing Bryn is keeping them all in the loop.

[nascar99]

2 hours ago, brianvf said:

That's the beauty of having Bryn.  Coaching staff doesn't have to worry about this stuff during the season.  They can concentrate on the current team while Bryn focuses on future seasons and players.  I would guess that a couple of these current commits will either be pushed back a year in junior or seek another school out.  And I'm guessing Bryn is keeping them all in the loop.

Wouldn't be surprised Pilgrim or Schultz decommit and go elsewhere. They just haven't popped enough in junior to make them "must bring in" candidates before they age out.

[nodakgirl93]

19 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Wouldn't be surprised Pilgrim or Schultz decommit and go elsewhere. They just haven't popped enough in junior to make them "must bring in" candidates before they age out.

Obviously scoring is important but you can't just look at stats and think that tells everything. I hope Bryn is taking time to not only go watch potential recruits but also current ones. I would hate to see Pilgrim go to Duluth and light it up. 

[nascar99]

2 minutes ago, nodakgirl93 said:

Obviously scoring is important but you can't just look at stats and think that tells everything. I hope Bryn is taking time to not only go watch potential recruits but also current ones. I would hate to see Pilgrim go to Duluth and light it up. 

Pilgrim as of now doesn't appear to be a guy that will light it up in the NCAA

[.357]

24 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Wouldn't be surprised Pilgrim or Schultz decommit and go elsewhere. They just haven't popped enough in junior to make them "must bring in" candidates before they age out.

Provided no forwards leave early or transfer, there are 4 openings for next season. B. Schultz & Simpson being locks. Out of the remaining 2, UND will maybe bring in a high-end guy like Suvanto. If the last spot went to one of the remaining commits like A. Schultz, then the only senior on the team will be Menghini. Hard to win a title with only 1 senior. This year's team has 4 senior forwards & that leadership & experience is paying big dividends.

[Speez]

10 hours ago, Wilbur said:

Just checked Grubb at Shattuck and pushing along at a decent pace for the prep team.  If someone could talk to the Hale kid about his commitment to CC.....

Tough to commit if there is no interest or offer. 

[nodakgirl93]

34 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Pilgrim as of now doesn't appear to be a guy that will light it up in the NCAA

I have faith in Bryn and Jax. If they feel like he should go elsewhere then so be it. But I think it's telling that he's still committed. You still need those solid 3-4 year players that continue to develop. 

[tnt]

45 minutes ago, nodakgirl93 said:

Obviously scoring is important but you can't just look at stats and think that tells everything. I hope Bryn is taking time to not only go watch potential recruits but also current ones. I would hate to see Pilgrim go to Duluth and light it up. 

True, and sometimes just switching to a different environment can be huge.  Look at Brock Schultz’s production from Waterloo compared to Sioux Falls.  I think a different team could probably do the same for Ashton Schultz’s production.  Seemed like he had good production with the U.S. in the prospects games.

[tnt]

1 hour ago, nascar99 said:

Wouldn't be surprised Pilgrim or Schultz decommit and go elsewhere. They just haven't popped enough in junior to make them "must bring in" candidates before they age out.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=228574
 

Grant Slukynsky’s numbers didn’t stand out much either, and I bet Western is glad they have him. That said, they may need another guy or two that can play top six with the losses of Strinden, Rickwood and James.

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

1 hour ago, .357 said:

Provided no forwards leave early or transfer, there are 4 openings for next season. B. Schultz & Simpson being locks. Out of the remaining 2, UND will maybe bring in a high-end guy like Suvanto. If the last spot went to one of the remaining commits like A. Schultz, then the only senior on the team will be Menghini. Hard to win a title with only 1 senior. This year's team has 4 senior forwards & that leadership & experience is paying big dividends.

I won't say who, but according to a good college hockey source, one of our portal pickups was told to go elsewhere for freshman year and transfer in once he demonstrated he can hang in NCAA. We could have another situation like that as well. Less likely now given the glut of players eligible but we could (ahem....should) have some leadership already lined up for next year.

[tnt]

42 minutes ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

I won't say who, but according to a good college hockey source, one of our portal pickups was told to go elsewhere for freshman year and transfer in once he demonstrated he can hang in NCAA. We could have another situation like that as well. Less likely now given the glut of players eligible but we could (ahem....should) have some leadership already lined up for next year.

The problem with that is if they don’t have a tie to the region or UND, if they explode, a lot of teams will be offering them at that point.  I know that it isn’t meant to be anything other than a statement that they aren’t ready for this level, but it seems like an arrogant approach.  To me that’s like telling a girl, I don’t want to date you now, but if you should become more attractive in a few years, give me a call.

[beastandco]

51 minutes ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

I won't say who, but according to a good college hockey source, one of our portal pickups was told to go elsewhere for freshman year and transfer in once he demonstrated he can hang in NCAA. We could have another situation like that as well. Less likely now given the glut of players eligible but we could (ahem....should) have some leadership already lined up for next year.

Chances are UND already has an idea who is going to enter the portal (if any) and who is going to come in through the portal (if any). As it currently stands, I don’t think they add any forwards in the portal unless there is a “no brainer” that comes available. If they do lose a guy or two in the portal, things may change. I think there is a lot of trust with this core moving forward.

[brianvf]

Flo Hockey article on Heil:

https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/15270269-lightning-prospect-caleb-heil-continues-to-develop-and-impress-in-ushl

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

11 hours ago, tnt said:

The problem with that is if they don’t have a tie to the region or UND, if they explode, a lot of teams will be offering them at that point.  I know that it isn’t meant to be anything other than a statement that they aren’t ready for this level, but it seems like an arrogant approach.  To me that’s like telling a girl, I don’t want to date you now, but if you should become more attractive in a few years, give me a call.

I paraphrased it poorly; it was more "we want you but don't have space this season" and the individual was aging out of juniors. Said player could best be described as a stop-gap once he arrived.

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

10 hours ago, beastandco said:

Chances are UND already has an idea who is going to enter the portal (if any) and who is going to come in through the portal (if any). As it currently stands, I don’t think they add any forwards in the portal unless there is a “no brainer” that comes available. If they do lose a guy or two in the portal, things may change. I think there is a lot of trust with this core moving forward.

Too busy to look them up now, but previous captains under Bryn/Smaby might be targets.

[.357]

12 hours ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

I won't say who, but according to a good college hockey source, one of our portal pickups was told to go elsewhere for freshman year and transfer in once he demonstrated he can hang in NCAA. We could have another situation like that as well. Less likely now given the glut of players eligible but we could (ahem....should) have some leadership already lined up for next year.

Assuming you meant a future portal pickup.

Is your definition of a stop-gap player like a Dalton Andrew (depth) kinda guy?

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

1 hour ago, .357 said:

Assuming you meant a future portal pickup.

Is your definition of a stop-gap player like a Dalton Andrew (depth) kinda guy?

No, this player has come and gone.  I think this tactic is more common that we know.

By stop gap I meant he filled a role during his tenure. Not a leader or particularly memorable.

[cberkas]

2 minutes ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

No, this player has come and gone.  I think this tactic is more common that we know.

By stop gap I meant he filled a role during his tenure. Not a leader or particularly memorable.

"Stop-gap" sounds like a goalie. Since it's been the mostly an open door to rentals. 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

2 minutes ago, cberkas said:

"Stop-gap" sounds like a goalie. Since it's been the mostly an open door to rentals. 

I can answer via DM, just want to respect the player's privacy online

Thinking back, this sounds like Driscoll since we did recruit him but wanted him to wait another year. It is NOT him.

[nascar99]

 

[RhettRingers]

On 1/27/2026 at 7:31 PM, nascar99 said:

Wouldn't be surprised Pilgrim or Schultz decommit and go elsewhere. They just haven't popped enough in junior to make them "must bring in" candidates before they age out.

Schultz is not going anywhere. He'll be a four year locker room guy that will do anything the coaches ask of him. There is a reason Smaby wanted him.

[nascar99]

8 minutes ago, RhettRingers said:

Schultz is not going anywhere. He'll be a four year locker room guy that will do anything the coaches ask of him. There is a reason Smaby wanted him.

Is he willing to play another year of junior next year? He might have to

[skateshattrick]

On 1/27/2026 at 7:59 PM, nascar99 said:

Pilgrim as of now doesn't appear to be a guy that will light it up in the NCAA

I really dislike posts like this for a couple of reasons. First, these kids and their families read these message boards. Second, and more importantly, you have no idea because his scoring may be based upon team philosophy, the players around him, whether he plays top 6 and specialty teams, etc.

Chris Vandevelde played 2 years in the USHL. His first season he scored 5 points in 7 games. His second year, he scored 36 points in 56 games. After a slow freshman year adapting to college, Chris put up 32 points his sophomore year, 35 points his junior year, and 41 points his senior year. He was also an assistant captain and one of the best young men I have ever met to play at UND. 

How do you know Pilgrim will not be Chris Vandevelde? How about trusting the coaching staff rather than cherry picking stats?

[nascar99]

8 minutes ago, skateshattrick said:

I really dislike posts like this for a couple of reasons. First, these kids and their families read these message boards. Second, and more importantly, you have no idea because his scoring may be based upon team philosophy, the players around him, whether he plays top 6 and specialty teams, etc.

Chris Vandevelde played 2 years in the USHL. His first season he scored 5 points in 7 games. His second year, he scored 36 points in 56 games. After a slow freshman year adapting to college, Chris put up 32 points his sophomore year, 35 points his junior year, and 41 points his senior year. He was also an assistant captain and one of the best young men I have ever met to play at UND. 

How do you know Pilgrim will not be Chris Vandevelde? How about trusting the coaching staff rather than cherry picking stats?

I'm doing my own personal statistical projection with the stats I have. I don't think that's offensive

[tnt]

32 minutes ago, RhettRingers said:

Schultz is not going anywhere. He'll be a four year locker room guy that will do anything the coaches ask of him. There is a reason Smaby wanted him.

Are you talking about Brock Schultz, or Ashton?