COMMITTED UND Recruits

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

4 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

If we hadn't made the coaching change last year, I think we'd be fighting to stay out of ninth place in the NCHC right now.

I think fighting for home ice, even in BB bad years they were fighting for that 

[nascar99]

From a few weeks ago, but just wanted to share how impressive this is from Simpson

 

[tnt]

On 2/8/2026 at 3:33 PM, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

I think fighting for home ice, even in BB bad years they were fighting for that 

Yes, and when Berry had a bad year, his team usually rebounded and won the league title the next.  It’s like some teams got complacent because they won the league title the year before and didn’t put in the work to bring it to the next level.

We have yet to see how Jackson’s teams respond from one year to the next, but I would think Jackson will set the expectation for each player over the summer regardless of what happens from here on out.

[brianvf]

Updated Commit Stats as of Feb 10:

• Simpson 2nd in USHL points, 3rd in goals, and 4th in assists
• Heil has really stepped it up...is now 3rd in USHL GAA and 9th in Save%...and has .945 save % in last 5 games

Forwards

• B. Schultz (USHL Sioux Falls) - '05: 42gp - 19g/17a
• Pilgrim (USHL Tri-City) - '06: 36gp - 12g/18a
• A. Schultz (USHL Chicago) - '06: 32gp - 9g/13a
• O'Neill (WHL Edmonton) - '07: 50gp - 19g/19a
• Sanderson (USHL Muskegon) - '07: 37gp - 11g/14a
• Simpson (USHL Youngstown) - '07: 44gp - 26g/32a
• Jundt (WHL Calgary) - '08: 44gp - 8g/9a
• Williams (WHL Saskatoon) - '08: 50gp - 18g/25a
• DeMars (WHL Penticton) - '09: 40gp - 6g/7a
• Grubb (SSM 18U Prep) - '09: 42gp - 9g/22a
• McKamey (WHL Victoria) - '09: 36gp - 4g/7a

Defensemen

• MacKenzie (WHL Edmonton) - '06: 42gp - 17g/30a
• Klimpke (WHL Saskatoon) - '07: 52gp - 3g/30a
• Lindberg (USHL Fargo) - '07: 37gp - 4g/12a
• Penner (USHL Fargo) - '08: 21gp - 0g/0a
• Thoreson (U17 NTDP) - '09: 10gp - 0g/3a - injured

Goalies

• Heil (USHL Madison) - '06: 26gp - 2.21 / .906 (18-5-3)

[nascar99]

8 hours ago, brianvf said:

Updated Commit Stats as of Feb 10:

• Simpson 2nd in USHL points, 3rd in goals, and 4th in assists
• Heil has really stepped it up...is now 3rd in USHL GAA and 9th in Save%...and has .945 save % in last 5 games

Forwards

• B. Schultz (USHL Sioux Falls) - '05: 42gp - 19g/17a
• Pilgrim (USHL Tri-City) - '06: 36gp - 12g/18a
• A. Schultz (USHL Chicago) - '06: 32gp - 9g/13a
• O'Neill (WHL Edmonton) - '07: 50gp - 19g/19a
• Sanderson (USHL Muskegon) - '07: 37gp - 11g/14a
• Simpson (USHL Youngstown) - '07: 44gp - 26g/32a
• Jundt (WHL Calgary) - '08: 44gp - 8g/9a
• Williams (WHL Saskatoon) - '08: 50gp - 18g/25a
• DeMars (WHL Penticton) - '09: 40gp - 6g/7a
• Grubb (SSM 18U Prep) - '09: 42gp - 9g/22a
• McKamey (WHL Victoria) - '09: 36gp - 4g/7a

Defensemen

• MacKenzie (WHL Edmonton) - '06: 42gp - 17g/30a
• Klimpke (WHL Saskatoon) - '07: 52gp - 3g/30a
• Lindberg (USHL Fargo) - '07: 37gp - 4g/12a
• Penner (USHL Fargo) - '08: 21gp - 0g/0a
• Thoreson (U17 NTDP) - '09: 10gp - 0g/3a - injured

Goalies

• Heil (USHL Madison) - '06: 26gp - 2.21 / .906 (18-5-3)

Wonder what the approach will be with Williams, probably talented enough to come in as an 18 year old, but certainly could use another year of junior in the Dub to really dominate.

Klimpke still very underrated IMHO.

[I Ranger]

34 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Wonder what the approach will be with Williams, probably talented enough to come in as an 18 year old, but certainly could use another year of junior in the Dub to really dominate.

Klimpke still very underrated IMHO.

As has been mentioned, who comes in and how many forwards next year willl be interesting. Lots of tough decsions. Just a feeling but I think whether or not we land a higher profile CHL forward in the next couple months will determine where Williams plays next year along with potentially his draft status. 

[Fratt Mattin]

2 hours ago, nascar99 said:

Wonder what the approach will be with Williams, probably talented enough to come in as an 18 year old, but certainly could use another year of junior in the Dub to really dominate.

Klimpke still very underrated IMHO.

I think Schlossman has said 2027 is more likely for Williams at this point. Can’t remember where he said that though, so take it with a grain of salt

[tnt]

28 minutes ago, Fratt Mattin said:

I think Schlossman has said 2027 is more likely for Williams at this point. Can’t remember where he said that though, so take it with a grain of salt

I’ve watched Williams a lot, and he really looks to need another year.  He doesn’t really stand out when watching, but seems to find a way on to the scoresheet nonetheless.  Really needs to up his compete level, especially compared to O’Neill who stands out with his ethic. Don’t want to see someone who comes in and sits on the bench much like Collin Adams did, even though he did play one extra junior year.  Will be interesting to see where he goes in the draft.

People might not like this, but Klimpke reminds me of Neil Pionk, without the cheapness of course.  Has the same frame and skating ability.

[siouxczech29]

I think the GFH article when Klimpke committed mentioned he and Williams would play another year of junior and come to UND together in 2027.

[stoneySIOUX]

On 2/8/2026 at 3:28 PM, fightingsioux4life said:

If we hadn't made the coaching change last year, I think we'd be fighting to stay out of ninth place in the NCHC right now.

Ninth place? That feels a little.... no, honestly .... a lot dramatic. 

We are all certainly seeing immediate dividends on the change, but let's be a little realistic here lol.

[.357]

3 hours ago, I Ranger said:

As has been mentioned, who comes in and how many forwards next year willl be interesting. Lots of tough decisions... 

For sure. If no forwards leave early or transfer this off-season, there are only 4 openings for next year. One can assume with a high degree of probability that B. Schultz & Simpson are locks for next fall; leaving only 2 available spots. The decision will be quite difficult because there are these guys who could legitimately have a spot: Pilgrim, O'Neill, A. Schultz ... plus the possibility of a high-end CHL &/or senior F transfer from another NCAA team. That's 5 possibilities for only 2 openings. 

It's impossible to project with 100% certainty a player's future value to the team based on age/experience alone; but it may come down to the coaching staff deciding between an untested player at the NCAA level like Pilgrim or A. Schultz, vs a senior portal transfer like Rickwood. The benefit of bringing in seniors like Rickwood is they're already proven at the NCAA level & they bring much more maturity to the team; the downside is you risk losing young talent to another team. It's not just talent that wins titles, but talent paired with experience. The 25-26 BU team provides a cautionary tale of what having too young of a roster can do to a season. 

* Purposely omitted Williams & Sanderson from possibilities for next year because they seem like they'll be playing another year of juniors anyway. 

[beastandco]

13 minutes ago, .357 said:

For sure. If no forwards leave early or transfer this off-season, there are only 4 openings for next year. One can assume with a high degree of probability that B. Schultz & Simpson are locks for next fall; leaving only 2 available spots. The decision will be quite difficult because there are these guys who could legitimately have a spot: Pilgrim, O'Neill, A. Schultz ... plus the possibility of a high-end CHL &/or senior F transfer from another NCAA team. That's 5 possibilities for only 2 openings. 

It's impossible to project with 100% certainty a player's future value to the team based on age/experience alone; but it may come down to the coaching staff deciding between an untested player at the NCAA level like Pilgrim or A. Schultz, vs a senior portal transfer like Rickwood. The benefit of bringing in seniors like Rickwood is they're already proven at the NCAA level & they bring much more maturity to the team; the downside is you risk losing young talent to another team. It's not just talent that wins titles, but talent paired with experience. The 25-26 BU team provides a cautionary tale of what having too young of a roster can do to a season. 

* Purposely omitted Williams & Sanderson from possibilities for next year because they seem like they'll be playing another year of juniors anyway. 

To your point, Brock Schultz and Cooper Simpson are definitely locks. Between O’Niell, Ashton Schultz, and Pilgrim, O’Niell will very likely be the chosen because of his size, skating, and compete level. He’s a guy that you can plug and play in the bottom 6 next season and potentially play PK as well. There is a risk of losing the other two but other programs might want them back in juniors as well. Pilgrim probably will play college next year, here or elsewhere.

I would guess if nobody leaves early, they will make room to get another open spot. Adding a player from the CHL and one experienced player from the portal would be ideal. I see them adding at least one player that can play up in the lineup next year.

 

[fightingsioux4life]

56 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Ninth place? That feels a little.... no, honestly .... a lot dramatic. 

We are all certainly seeing immediate dividends on the change, but let's be a little realistic here lol.

I think we would have lost more players early (portal and/or NHL), we wouldn't have landed the CHL talent we have now and we would have kept playing the outdated style Berry insisted on playing. This year's team would definitely finish in the lower half of the league if the coaching change hadn't been made. The 8th or 9th place finish is the worst case scenario, but even if that didn't happen, it would be one of our worst seasons in decades. Thank God Chaves made the move he did.

[siouxkid12]

1 hour ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Ninth place? That feels a little.... no, honestly .... a lot dramatic. 

We are all certainly seeing immediate dividends on the change, but let's be a little realistic here lol.

That's not being dramatic, that's being realistic. Berry had gotten really lazy in coaching/discipline the last few years and it showed. There were a lot more player contemplating leaving if Berry stayed on as coach. Had he stayed on, we would've been getting bottom of the barrel players because the allure of playing for UND was lost.

[tnt]

1 hour ago, beastandco said:

To your point, Brock Schultz and Cooper Simpson are definitely locks. Between O’Niell, Ashton Schultz, and Pilgrim, O’Niell will very likely be the chosen because of his size, skating, and compete level. He’s a guy that you can plug and play in the bottom 6 next season and potentially play PK as well. There is a risk of losing the other two but other programs might want them back in juniors as well. Pilgrim probably will play college next year, here or elsewhere.

I would guess if nobody leaves early, they will make room to get another open spot. Adding a player from the CHL and one experienced player from the portal would be ideal. I see them adding at least one player that can play up in the lineup next year.

 

Agree about O’Neill, but we may be looking for another top 6 type forward, as we have guys like Josephson, Croal, Littler, Klee, Zakreski, Menghini, Andrew, and probably Brock Schultz for bottom six type roles.  Of course some may be able to make that transition upward, but it is possible they look for a high end guy to fulfill that spot.  Like I said before though, would hate to lose O’Neill.

[tnt]

51 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I think we would have lost more players early (portal and/or NHL), we wouldn't have landed the CHL talent we have now and we would have kept playing the outdated style Berry insisted on playing. This year's team would definitely finish in the lower half of the league if the coaching change hadn't been made. The 8th or 9th place finish is the worst case scenario, but even if that didn't happen, it would be one of our worst seasons in decades. Thank God Chaves made the move he did.

I’m not going to dwell on hypotheticals because those work both ways.  People talked about what if with the offsides against BU and the COVID year team as possible championships, but who knows. Berry did have turnaround years after years in which he missed home ice, even when he turned over his whole defensive unit.
 I imagine he would also have felt the pressure that another missed year of home ice could mean his job, as I’m sure if Chaves hadn’t made the move, he would have at least sat down with Berry about expectations going forward.

[tnt]

Schlossman saying Ashton Schultz traded to Sioux City.  Be interesting to see if a new team helps him offensively like it did for Brock Schultz.  Chicago doesn’t seem to put up much offense.

Considering the guy they traded him for put up same ppg, and they got 3 more draft picks to boot, it shows how much they wanted him.