2022-23 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[brianvf]

I would guess that James is higher up in the line chart.

I wonder if Hellsten and DeRidder will split time to start or if one will be "the guy" from the onset.

[hockeytherapy13]

1 hour ago, siouxczech29 said:

I know there’s a lot of recruitment discussion happening right now. I’m more interested in the coming season and line combinations. I have no idea how that’ll snake out but I’ve been doing a lot of speculation.

Gaber McLaughlin Caulfield 

Costantini Schmaltz Blake

Hain Jamernik Senden

James Ness Portz

Kunz

 

Kleven Frisch 

Jandric Farmer

Moore Johnson

 

Hellsten

DeRidder

I have been running this through my brain too and our ideas are very similar with only a few tweaks.

Gaber Schmaltz Blake

James McLaughlin Costantini 

Hain Jammer Caulfield

Senden Ness Portz

extra Kunz

I’m wondering if they will have an elite playmaker like Blake play with Gaber. However my top line doesn’t have a ton of size or grit on it which may pose a problem. 
 

McLaughlin and James played on a line in juniors together so I wonder if they try to maintain that chemistry with either Costantini on his off wing or maybe Caulfield on that right wing for some added size.

the other idea I had for top 6 could  be 

James Schmaltz Gaber 

Costantini McLaughlin Blake

then no one plays on their off wing in the top 6 but we all know Gaber can play the left side really well so that may be a moot point.

I’m not so sure Caulfield should be top line with the scoring skill we having coming in. He’s got great size and maybe ends up on the power play again for net front but he can’t keep pace with the type of speed Gaber needs.  

I agree 100% with your D pairings. Unless they decide to swap Moore and Jandric to balance stay-at-home guys with an offensive defenseman. And I think DeRidder will be the number one guy since he has so much experience as well as a great save % on a crummy team last year 

Also, we can’t have Jandric on the power play anymore. He doesn’t have the puck moving skills required in the NCHC. Power play D should be Moore, Johnson, and Frisch. Then maybe we have a power play unit with 4F and 1D. Love Kleven and his rocket of a shot but I think we need faster puck movers on the PP this year 

[tnt]

I keep Senden, Hain and Jamernik together only because they were a huge force when they were all together, not so much when one or two of the parts were missing. 

[scpa0305]

12 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

I have been running this through my brain too and our ideas are very similar with only a few tweaks.

Gaber Schmaltz Blake

James McLaughlin Costantini 

Hain Jammer Caulfield

Senden Ness Portz

extra Kunz

I’m wondering if they will have an elite playmaker like Blake play with Gaber. However my top line doesn’t have a ton of size or grit on it which may pose a problem. 
 

McLaughlin and James played on a line in juniors together so I wonder if they try to maintain that chemistry with either Costantini on his off wing or maybe Caulfield on that right wing for some added size.

the other idea I had for top 6 could  be 

James Schmaltz Gaber 

Costantini McLaughlin Blake

then no one plays on their off wing in the top 6 but we all know Gaber can play the left side really well so that may be a moot point.

I’m not so sure Caulfield should be top line with the scoring skill we having coming in. He’s got great size and maybe ends up on the power play again for net front but he can’t keep pace with the type of speed Gaber needs.  

I agree 100% with your D pairings. Unless they decide to swap Moore and Jandric to balance stay-at-home guys with an offensive defenseman. And I think DeRidder will be the number one guy since he has so much experience as well as a great save % on a crummy team last year 

Also, we can’t have Jandric on the power play anymore. He doesn’t have the puck moving skills required in the NCHC. Power play D should be Moore, Johnson, and Frisch. Then maybe we have a power play unit with 4F and 1D. Love Kleven and his rocket of a shot but I think we need faster puck movers on the PP this year 

This occurs every year, so that’s no fault of yours. But freshman are a bit too far up your lineup chart. I’m guessing Berry makes several of them earn it. Guessing James starts the highest…blake/McLaughlin may get some pp time.

Also, i really do hope Kunz isn’t an “extra”. 4th rounder in year 2? I doubt he wins the Hobey but hopefully he’s continued to work on his footspeed because if he has he’s probably a top 6/top pp kid.

Hopefully Johnson has taken several steps and can run a pp…I have always liked Moore’s O game as well. Berry seems to lean heavy on those older guys so I’m sure Frisch starts on the Pp and kleven will get a look too considering that’s the area he needs to develop the most by coming back, his O game. The only thing that has really shocked me with Frisch and Kleven, is their assist totals. Brutal considering their ice time, especially Frisch getting pp time.

[tnt]

46 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

This occurs every year, so that’s no fault of yours. But freshman are a bit too far up your lineup chart. I’m guessing Berry makes several of them earn it. Guessing James starts the highest…blake/McLaughlin may get some pp time.

Also, i really do hope Kunz isn’t an “extra”. 4th rounder in year 2? I doubt he wins the Hobey but hopefully he’s continued to work on his footspeed because if he has he’s probably a top 6/top pp kid.

Hopefully Johnson has taken several steps and can run a pp…I have always liked Moore’s O game as well. Berry seems to lean heavy on those older guys so I’m sure Frisch starts on the Pp and kleven will get a look too considering that’s the area he needs to develop the most by coming back, his O game. The only thing that has really shocked me with Frisch and Kleven, is their assist totals. Brutal considering their ice time, especially Frisch getting pp time.

If Kunz brings the effort, he certainly has the skill to be a difference maker at some point.  I think you will see some freshmen on the the top lines, but I also think that there may be a lot of experimenting and we might be surprised on who is and isn't in the lineup on a night to night basis.  I think we will see a lot of players early in the year as things play out, and the lineup might be constructed based on our opponent.  I am interested to see if Strinden can be a presence being a bit older, but that is what is so exciting, is that until they make the leap to college, you never know how they will transition.  

[hockeytherapy13]

4 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

This occurs every year, so that’s no fault of yours. But freshman are a bit too far up your lineup chart. I’m guessing Berry makes several of them earn it. Guessing James starts the highest…blake/McLaughlin may get some pp time.

Also, i really do hope Kunz isn’t an “extra”. 4th rounder in year 2? I doubt he wins the Hobey but hopefully he’s continued to work on his footspeed because if he has he’s probably a top 6/top pp kid.

Hopefully Johnson has taken several steps and can run a pp…I have always liked Moore’s O game as well. Berry seems to lean heavy on those older guys so I’m sure Frisch starts on the Pp and kleven will get a look too considering that’s the area he needs to develop the most by coming back, his O game. The only thing that has really shocked me with Frisch and Kleven, is their assist totals. Brutal considering their ice time, especially Frisch getting pp time.

The reason their assist totals were so low is because we didn’t have enough pure goal scorers last year to help drive the bus for them. Which is one of the reasons why I have offensive freshman ending up higher on the chart especially by mid-season).

Our goals dried up in the frozen faceoff and regionals because we didn’t have a line that could really generate offense when needed because once they could shut down Gaber they were in the clear. Especially without Sanderson on the back end to help get it started from our Own zone.

I agree on Kunz, I’m hoping he gets higher on the chart because he had great ability to retrieve pucks and is a great physical presence who maneuvers his size well. But draft status doesn’t always carry over to success. Although I know want teams to trust us with their draft picks. 

[BusinessSoot]

Frisch and Kleven's assist numbers were brutal, regardless of what up front help perception was. For as much pp time for Frisch and to only have 6 helpers is puzzling. He is a solid defender (hopefully he never gets walked like he did vs ND again), but his ability to run a pp and move the puck quickly not in his wheelhouse. 

The d core improvement rests with the ability for each player to mature. (can't have a guy spear an opponent after a goal as a selfish example), and all have to commit to playing d first/offense second. Going to be really interesting to see whom the third pair is and how they accept their roles. Moore and Johnson don't strike me as d first guys, and could be the third pair this upcoming year. Bast more a of a d first guy for a third pair.

My opinion is  keep Kleven (+16) and Jandric (+10)  together. Played well together.

'21-22' Dmen assist totals:

Sanderson 18, Jandric 14,  Moore 7, Frisch 6, Ferner 4, Bast 4, Kleven 3, Johnson 1 

Also, Albrecht has to be in line up every night. Need the energy and grit.

[Green Banner]

Is it October yet?

[Oxbow6]

Judd is bottom 6 to start the year.

I'd be shocked if Blake and James are not impactful right away. 

I'd like to see Senden centering 4th line with Albrecht and Portz.

[tnt]

21 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

Judd is bottom 6 to start the year.

I'd be shocked if Blake and James are not impactful right away. 

I'd like to see Senden centering 4th line with Albrecht and Portz.

I would be quite surprised if Judd is bottom six.  Transition includes defensive responsibility as well as offensive, so I think the coaches are more apt to go with the experience unless the freshmen transition fast on both ends of the ice.

[siouxforce19]

2 minutes ago, tnt said:

I would be quite surprised if Judd is bottom six.  Transition includes defensive responsibility as well as offensive, so I think the coaches are more apt to go with the experience unless the freshmen transition fast on both ends of the ice.

Judd also disappears from a production standpoint for really long stretches at a time every season. I know he is valuable in other ways but for a team that has struggled scoring I don’t think he’s pencilled in for top 6 at all. Gaber is literally the only guy who played top 6 last year that should have their top 6 spot secured. The other spots should be up for grabs. 

[SiouxForever]

Did James do ok in the Canada WJ Camp? I didn’t expect him to make the team, but good experience seeing/playing with those caliber of players. 

Anyone have some twitter updates?

[brianvf]

14 minutes ago, SiouxForever said:

Did James do ok in the Canada WJ Camp? I didn’t expect him to make the team, but good experience seeing/playing with those caliber of players. 

Anyone have some twitter updates?

I was wondering that as well after seeing that he made their camp.

[siouxforce19]

18 minutes ago, SiouxForever said:

Did James do ok in the Canada WJ Camp? I didn’t expect him to make the team, but good experience seeing/playing with those caliber of players. 

Anyone have some twitter updates?

I’ve been looking but most of the write ups I’ve seen so far don’t cover all player evals. 

[Green Banner]

Caufield needs to be consistent and more aggressive, needs to use his size 

[SiouxScore]

Top line was easy for me but other than that it seemed harder than most years. Tried to balance mixing some experience with freshmen while also factoring in the type of player. Lots of options and seems like there should be solid balance 2-4. Wouldn't be surprised to see Jamernik start with a top 6 role to begin the season either.

Gaber-Schmaltz-Blake

Hain-Costantini-McLaughlin

James-Jamernik-Caulfield

Kunz-Senden-Portz

Albrecht-Ness-Montgomery-Strinden

Kleven-Frisch

Jandric-Farmer

Moore-Johnson

Bast-Sidorski

Hellsten/DeRidder

Johnson

 

[hockeytherapy13]

1 hour ago, siouxforce19 said:

Judd also disappears from a production standpoint for really long stretches at a time every season. I know he is valuable in other ways but for a team that has struggled scoring I don’t think he’s pencilled in for top 6 at all. Gaber is literally the only guy who played top 6 last year that should have their top 6 spot secured. The other spots should be up for grabs. 

Agreed. He's a very responsible player defensively and would be good on a shutdown line that could provide some threat to score. The only reason he was top 6 last year was because we lost so much from the year prior and didn't have enough skill guys for top 6 roles. Like you said, Gaber is the only true top 6 talent we had offensively, although I think Costantini was a pleasant surprise who should also end up as a top-6 guy this year. Interested to see if Costantini  sticks with wing or plays center like he was originally recruited to play. 

[hockeytherapy13]

2 hours ago, Oxbow6 said:

Judd is bottom 6 to start the year.

I'd be shocked if Blake and James are not impactful right away. 

I'd like to see Senden centering 4th line with Albrecht and Portz.

I liked Albrecht's progression a lot but I think we will see Kunz over Albrecht this year due to Kunz having a higher ceiling. Although that Portz-Ness-Albrecht line was great defensively toward the end of the season last year. Senden plays center well positionally but his faceoff numbers are brutal so I'm wondering if he end up playing wing more often?

4 hours ago, BusinessSoot said:

Frisch and Kleven's assist numbers were brutal, regardless of what up front help perception was. For as much pp time for Frisch and to only have 6 helpers is puzzling. He is a solid defender (hopefully he never gets walked like he did vs ND again), but his ability to run a pp and move the puck quickly not in his wheelhouse. 

The d core improvement rests with the ability for each player to mature. (can't have a guy spear an opponent after a goal as a selfish example), and all have to commit to playing d first/offense second. Going to be really interesting to see whom the third pair is and how they accept their roles. Moore and Johnson don't strike me as d first guys, and could be the third pair this upcoming year. Bast more a of a d first guy for a third pair.

My opinion is  keep Kleven (+16) and Jandric (+10)  together. Played well together.

'21-22' Dmen assist totals:

Sanderson 18, Jandric 14,  Moore 7, Frisch 6, Ferner 4, Bast 4, Kleven 3, Johnson 1 

Also, Albrecht has to be in line up every night. Need the energy and grit.

Kleven and Frisch are going to be a top D pairing in the NCAA next year defensively. And together neither has to play on their off-wing. I know Kleven can play the right side well like he did last year but our D pairings match up perfectly with 4 lefties and 4 righties

 

All considered, I think this UND team is going to be one of the best defensive teams in the NCHC and if the freshman contribute early on, we are looking to be a top-8 team nationally since we have an older team with proven goaltending in DeRidder. Going to be a fun season since we will have more offensive firepower coming in. 

[Wilbur]

People.....people.....

Hain-Jammer-Sendo

That's the Tweet.  

[siouxfaninseattle]

7 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

People.....people.....

Hain-Jammer-Sendo

That's the Tweet.  

Gotta be!

[hockeytherapy13]

https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/matteo-costantini-looks-to-apply-lessons-learned-at-sabres-development-camp-with-und/article_e5f9a982-1293-11ed-a209-632eb5520ef2.html#tracking-source=home-top-story
 

 

[UNDPUCKS]

Thanks for posting that Buffalo link.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Well, if we're doing the random guess the lines thing ... my theory is always "getter-setter-shooter", but start with centers. And when I say getter-setter-shooter no player is 100% any one of those, they all have a little of each but are better at some things than other. 

So, centers: Jamernik, Schmaltz, Costantini, McLaughlin, Ness.
Yes, I put Matteo back to his natural center. Compared to a year ago that's an embarrassment of riches at center (because Senden can play it also). 

Now start surrounding them (and what they are) with what they are not, meaning ...

• Jam with Senden and Hain (Senden gets, Jam sets, and I hear Hain likes to shoot ...) 
• Schmaltz (setter) with Gaber (shooter) and Caulfield (decent getter)
• Costantini with James and Portz <-- lots of speed in that group 
• McLaughlin with Blake and Kunz <-- not a fan of two freshmen on a line, not at start of season 
• Ness with Albrecht and Stinden/Mongomery <-- last year's third/fourth line this year's fifth?

Probably won't see those right away. True freshmen at center in October is not common. There are going to be battles for ice. 

My biggest concern: Jam and Schmaltz need to get even better at draws. 

[hockeytherapy13]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Well, if we're doing the random guess the lines thing ... my theory is always "getter-setter-shooter", but start with centers. And when I say getter-setter-shooter no player is 100% any one of those, they all have a little of each but are better at some things than other. 

So, centers: Jamernik, Schmaltz, Costantini, McLaughlin, Ness.
Yes, I put Matteo back to his natural center. Compared to a year ago that's an embarrassment of riches at center (because Senden can play it also). 

Now start surrounding them (and what they are) with what they are not, meaning ...

• Jam with Senden and Hain (Senden gets, Jam sets, and I hear Hain likes to shoot ...) 
• Schmaltz (setter) with Gaber (shooter) and Caulfield (decent getter)
• Costantini with James and Portz <-- lots of speed in that group 
• McLaughlin with Blake and Kunz <-- not a fan of two freshmen on a line, not at start of season 
• Ness with Albrecht and Stinden/Mongomery <-- last year's third/fourth line this year's fifth?

Probably won't see those right away. True freshmen at center in October is not common. There are going to be battles for ice. 

My biggest concern: Jam and Schmaltz need to get even better at draws. 

This is going to be a season where we never have to cringe or be worried about a certain line or defensive pairing on the ice. Especially once the freshmen get acclimated to the college game. Having so many new and young players last year that got plenty ice time is going to pay dividends for us this year. I know little about Sidorski but when we have a guy like bast as our 7th defenseman, and guys like Ness, albrecht, or even strinden as the  first forwards out of the lineup, things aren’t too shabby. 

[siouxczech29]

4 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Well, if we're doing the random guess the lines thing ... my theory is always "getter-setter-shooter", but start with centers. And when I say getter-setter-shooter no player is 100% any one of those, they all have a little of each but are better at some things than other. 

So, centers: Jamernik, Schmaltz, Costantini, McLaughlin, Ness.
Yes, I put Matteo back to his natural center. Compared to a year ago that's an embarrassment of riches at center (because Senden can play it also). 

Now start surrounding them (and what they are) with what they are not, meaning ...

• Jam with Senden and Hain (Senden gets, Jam sets, and I hear Hain likes to shoot ...) 
• Schmaltz (setter) with Gaber (shooter) and Caulfield (decent getter)
• Costantini with James and Portz <-- lots of speed in that group 
• McLaughlin with Blake and Kunz <-- not a fan of two freshmen on a line, not at start of season 
• Ness with Albrecht and Stinden/Mongomery <-- last year's third/fourth line this year's fifth?

Probably won't see those right away. True freshmen at center in October is not common. There are going to be battles for ice. 

My biggest concern: Jam and Schmaltz need to get even better at draws. 

Costantini w/ James and Portz is interesting. I never put this together but it could be good.