2023-24 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[Kevin G]

  On 4/11/2023 at 4:24 PM, The Sicatoka said:

Pyke wore 7 at Alaska.
Will he just slide into 7 with us like the last Alaska defenseman transfer? 

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It could be a thing: #7 is just reserved for the current Alaska portal transfer. 

[The Sicatoka]

  On 4/11/2023 at 4:39 PM, Kevin G said:

It could be a thing: #7 is just reserved for the current Alaska portal transfer. 

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So "current", it'll just keep proliferating. 

Oooh. That'll melt some keyboards.  

[burd]

  On 4/11/2023 at 4:43 PM, The Sicatoka said:

So "current", it'll just keep proliferating.   

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Those 4+ syllable words make me want to kick the dog.   Thing is, I believe you know this to be true, so it's all on you if the County gets involved.  

[The Sicatoka]

  On 4/11/2023 at 6:41 PM, burd said:

Those 4+ syllable words ... 

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My motto: Eschew sesquipedalian obfuscation. 

  

[The Sicatoka]

  On 4/11/2023 at 6:41 PM, burd said:

... make me want to kick the dog.   ... if the County gets involved.  

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Aren't you somewhere in hinterlands Wisconsin?

Out in those parts I thought as long as you're not serving the dog for dinner or < ahem > "something else" the dog you're good. 

Need a @MafiaManruling on this. 

[AJS]

  On 4/11/2023 at 3:22 PM, The Sicatoka said:

Seems this is what we get today ... 

 

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Anyone else find it odd that they are releasing these now? I just would have thought they would have waited until they were finished with the portal to announce them. 

[The Sicatoka]

Like I said, they'll keep bringing these out so we forget we still need defensemen. 

 

[The Sicatoka]

  On 4/11/2023 at 7:33 PM, AJS said:

Anyone else find it odd that they are releasing these now? I just would have thought they would have waited until they were finished with the portal to announce them. 

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It could be a signal to other schools an NLI has been signed so quit calling these guys. 

[siouxforce19]

  On 4/11/2023 at 7:33 PM, AJS said:

Anyone else find it odd that they are releasing these now? I just would have thought they would have waited until they were finished with the portal to announce them. 

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They used to do it within days of the commitment on each of the transfers in years past.
 

If they wait too long, school will be out and UND hockey media relations goes pretty MIA then. 

[dustnyou]

  On 4/11/2023 at 7:33 PM, AJS said:

Anyone else find it odd that they are releasing these now? I just would have thought they would have waited until they were finished with the portal to announce them. 

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They announce them asap to put pressure on the other portal transfer/prospects they are recruiting to make a decision. “We only have so many spots available. We just filled one, etc.”

[burd]

The whole plan is to put pressure on Wilbur.   And he just puts his poker face on and waits.  My guess is he’s waiting to dive his NIL value up a little more.   Nice guy but a greedy bastid.  

[farce poobah]

  On 4/9/2023 at 10:01 PM, brianvf said:

Looks like Cameron Berg is leading UND in goals next season and leading us to the title.   

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Somewhere, Luke Strand is going "yeah baby!"

[brianvf]

Expected Roster as of 4/11/23 -

Going by a somewhat typical 26-man roster (15 F / 8 D / 3 G):

Forwards (15)
Fr - Emerson / Perron
So - Blake / James / McLaughlin / Strinden / Montgomery (RS)
Jr - Schmaltz / Kunz / Berg
Sr - Gaber / Jamernik / Ness
Gr - Albrecht / Johannes

Defense (7)
Fr - Benoit / Komzak / Wiebe / Livanavage / Strathmann
So - Zmolek
Gr - Pyke

Goalies (3)
Fr - Hedquist
So - Johnson
Sr - Persson

Portal and/or Recruit
D - Need one or two (depending on Strathmann decision)
F - Maybe one more (been hinted that we might carry 16F again this year)

[AJS]

Zmolek is a monster get. Hip surgery in November, started skating in February. Hopefully he's on track to be 100% by Fall. I'm starting to feel some breathing room with the defensive situation. Other remaining portal guys are still important, but I really feel that this latest addition pushed them up into a playoff team. 

[Oxbow6]

I renewed my tickets last night for the 23-24 season. I just hope there isn't a test matching the player's name to jersey number prior to releasing the tickets into my digital account.

[tnt]

  On 4/12/2023 at 1:18 PM, AJS said:

Zmolek is a monster get. Hip surgery in November, started skating in February. Hopefully he's on track to be 100% by Fall. I'm starting to feel some breathing room with the defensive situation. Other remaining portal guys are still important, but I really feel that this latest addition pushed them up into a playoff team. 

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Yeah, the last guy we got in the transfer portal that was on the WCHA all rookie team worked out pretty well in Chris Jandric.  Hopefully Zmolek, who was on the CCHA all rookie team makes the same progression as Jandric. 

[stoneySIOUX]

  On 4/12/2023 at 1:18 PM, AJS said:

Zmolek is a monster get. Hip surgery in November, started skating in February. Hopefully he's on track to be 100% by Fall. I'm starting to feel some breathing room with the defensive situation. Other remaining portal guys are still important, but I really feel that this latest addition pushed them up into a playoff team. 

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It really can't be understated. No mistake, this kid is very good. But, it's not just the talent, but the fit. He really, really fits into what we need (RHD, solid defensively) and he's got three years left. Absolutely fantastic that we got him. 

[jk]

It's the time of the year to be optimistic.  I only remember the promising moments from returning players, not the gaffes.  Incoming players, freshmen and transfers, are the sum of the glowing attributes in their scouting reports, and nothing less.  Given all that, with the program earning an A plus plus plus in the portal (see scouting reports comment above), I think this is going to be a fun bounceback year.  

[UND1981]

Berry brought in 14 new players just 2 seasons ago and had a very good season.  I like all the adds in the portal so far.

 

[jk]

In the interest of full disclosure, I was optimistic, and wrong, last summer.  My reasoning was that you were starting with a solid, if unspectacular, conference championship team, losing very little of it, and adding some much needed offensive flair. 

I think where I was mainly wrong is that the conference championship was a mirage.  It was the product of scrounging out some early season splits despite being outplayed, and then going on a run of low-scoring wins in February that was a product of tight defense, good goaltending and great coaching.  It was a heck of an accomplishment, but it wasn't built on a foundation of talent that would necessarily translate to the next year.

[fightingsioux4life]

  On 4/12/2023 at 4:08 PM, jk said:

It's the time of the year to be optimistic.  I only remember the promising moments from returning players, not the gaffes.  Incoming players, freshmen and transfers, are the sum of the glowing attributes in their scouting reports, and nothing less.  Given all that, with the program earning an A plus plus plus in the portal (see scouting reports comment above), I think this is going to be a fun bounceback year.  

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I must agree with you. I feel a lot better about this team than I did a couple of weeks ago.

[jk]

As for the narrative of the upcoming season, I think it's the dawn of a new era.  I view the last era as one that followed the 2016 title and was ultimately dominated by the Kawaguchi, Adams, Mismash class and Pinto up front.  I think the upcoming era will be highlighted and led by the Blake class and some of the talent arriving this fall.  The last two years were a bumpy transition between the two, with either a shortage of elite talent, or talent that just wasn't ready yet.  

I also continue to believe that a healthy Sanderson could have taken the team two years ago on a run.  He was already an NHL defender and was the best player in the country.  And the team was pretty scrappy.

[siouxfaninseattle]

  On 4/12/2023 at 4:39 PM, fightingsioux4life said:

I must agree with you. I feel a lot better about this team than I did a couple of weeks ago.

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I think we all do.

[Kevin G]

I commend the coaching staff for partially rebuilding the roster with what looks like excellent portal additions. Good job.

Now, please beef up the recruiting pipeline so we don't need the portal quite so badly.

[Irish]

  On 4/12/2023 at 5:36 PM, Kevin G said:

I commend the coaching staff for partially rebuilding the roster with what looks like excellent portal additions. Good job.

Now, please beef up the recruiting pipeline so we don't need the portal quite so badly.

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You are correct - They did a nice job with portal additions - but we have to straighten out our regular recruiting - both with getting some high-end talent and with balancing classes so we have an orderly roster from year to year.  No portal goalies for 3 years straight or having to replace our entire defense.  Hopefully this will be fixed quickly.  I can't believe how fast things went off the rails.  Hopefully an anomaly fueled by covid and the rise of the portal.  We can't just hit the portal every year while Blue Chippers flock to Minny, Michigan, Denver, and now probably Wisconsin.