2023-24 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[siouxfaninseattle]

31 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

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

I think we all do.

[SiouxFanSince1990]

Temper the expectations. I see a team that may struggle to start the year, but will finish strong. 

[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]

1 minute ago, 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.

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.  

[fightingsioux4life]

52 minutes ago, SiouxFanSince1990 said:

Temper the expectations. I see a team that may struggle to start the year, but will finish strong. 

Struggling early is fine if it leads to growth and improvement as the season progresses.

[SpudsSioux]

1 hour ago, 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.

This!.

I love our top end guys for this year (Emerson, Perron and the D) and the current Junior class (Boisvert, Swanson, McInnis). If we could land someone like Emery or Hensler (if he's accelerating) to that class this could turn around in a hurry. Of note, the only coach I've seen that Hensler follows is Berry.

For the Sophomores, have to hope and think we have a shot at the local kids at the NTDP (Laurila, O'Neil and Lindberg).

Edit: YHH confirmed Hensler is accelerating.  

[SiouxFanSince1990]

21 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Struggling early is fine if it leads to growth and improvement as the season progresses.

Could be a hakstol year, hopefully without an early exit….

[nodakgirl93]

1 hour ago, SpudsSioux said:

This!.

I love our top end guys for this year (Emerson, Perron and the D) and the current Junior class (Boisvert, Swanson, McInnis). If we could land someone like Emery or Hensler (if he's accelerating) to that class this could turn around in a hurry. Of note, the only coach I've seen that Hensler follows is Berry.

For the Sophomores, have to hope and think we have a shot at the local kids at the NTDP (Laurila, O'Neil and Lindberg).

Edit: YHH confirmed Hensler is accelerating.  

For Hensler, he also has an insta but it's private. I've read it's down to UND, MN, and MI. Don't know how accurate that is. 

[SiouxFanSince1990]

16 minutes ago, nodakgirl93 said:

For Hensler, he also has an insta but it's private. I've read it's down to UND, MN, and MI. Don't know how accurate that is. 

You’d think he’d be following Motzko or any Michigan/Goofer accounts. Maybe it’s gonna happen for UND.

[The Sicatoka]

The projected roster has three goalies and fifteen forwards but only six for sure defense. 

Today'd be a good day to get clarity on the last two defense slots. 

[siouxhockey5]

20 hours ago, SiouxFanSince1990 said:

Temper the expectations. I see a team that may struggle to start the year, but will finish strong. 

As long as the struggles don't put us to far down in the pairwise......................

[SiouxFanSince1990]

1 hour ago, siouxhockey5 said:

As long as the struggles don't put us to far down in the pairwise......................

Win more non conference than you lose. Finish top three in the NCHC. That should be enough.

[The Sicatoka]

The more I ponder it the more I think this is a "balance now / balance later" dilemma.

Balance Later: Take two more one-year portals. A year from now you have a junior, four sophs, and three freshmen. That's not very balanced but it is what it is
Balance Now: Find juniors or sophs to flatten the distribution today, but what'll you have for space in a year for (assume Strathmann and Jubenvill and McInnis). 

And does Bubs get to make this decision or is it made for him (meaning who's willing to come in from where and when). 

 

[siouxforce19]

19 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

The more I ponder it the more I think this is a "balance now / balance later" dilemma.

Balance Later: Take two more one-year portals. A year from now you have a junior, four sophs, and three freshmen. That's not very balanced but it is what it is
Balance Now: Find juniors or sophs to flatten the distribution today, but what'll you have for space in a year for (assume Strathmann and Jubenvill and McInnis). 

And does Bubs get to make this decision or is it made for him (meaning who's willing to come in from where and when). 

 

McInnis is one I wouldn’t be super confident about being here in a year. He’s hardly played any games this year, so he may need more time.  Obviously a lot can happen in a year but worth keeping an eye on. 

[The Sicatoka]

Monster get.

 

[cowboys5xsbs]

Doesn't this cut into the freshmen class for dmen next year 

[mattim]

Somebody with a better memory and knowledge please give us an update of numbers at each position and number of years remaining on their contract?

[The Sicatoka]

22 minutes ago, cowboys5xsbs said:

Doesn't this cut into the freshmen class for dmen next year 

Pehrson only has one season left. He fills a need very, very well (RH, defensive, experienced, used to playing with younger guys who'll make coverage errors). 

A year from now Pyke and Pehrson will both be done. 

[SiouxFanSince1990]

Just now, cowboys5xsbs said:

Doesn't this cut into the freshmen class for dmen next year 

Pyke and Pehrson are every nighters for sure. Probably play our top two freshys with them, and then work the former Mankato man back into the lineup. The older freshy will probably have to fight for a spot on a nightly basis. Competition is important, and the young guys will learn from these Super seniors.

[N of GF]

Michigan top-pair defenseman Keaton Pehrson to transfer to UND - Grand Forks Herald | Grand Forks, East Grand Forks news, weather & sports

"It's awesome," Pehrson said. "When you think of college hockey, some of the most historic programs are North Dakota and Michigan. To be able to experience that is pretty exciting. I have a couple of buddies on the (UND) team, too. It's such an awesome, historic program.

"I talked to coach (Brad) Berry. With everything he talked to me about, it seemed like a no-brainer. When you add in the facilities, it was an easy decision for me."

 

There are plenty of people on these boards that are convinced that Berry can't recruit and has killed this program. I understand that some of you may miss this stuff because you don't want to pay for the joke of a newspaper we call the GF Herald, but I can assure you that these are the same type of comments that come out of the mouths of every recruit Berry picks up. We've had some down years, but I believe Berry is more capable of turning it around than many of you give credit for.

[The Sicatoka]

I wonder who Pehrson knows already. 

[siouxforce19]

1 minute ago, The Sicatoka said:

I wonder who Pehrson knows already. 

Griffin Ness and Hunter Johannes for sure. 

[stoneySIOUX]

1 minute ago, The Sicatoka said:

I wonder who Pehrson knows already. 

He's from Lakeville, so probably Blake for sure.

[stoneySIOUX]

I know there's still some nerves around the future pipeline, development, etc. (I, for one, love our pipeline, but as GF says, when have I ever not loved it? LOL), but my goodness, this team came into shape pretty dang well. Big props to Bubs and crew.

This looks like a playoff team on paper, without a doubt. OF COURSE, we all said that last year, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be optimistic. 

[The Sicatoka]

One more D is mandatory to get to 8D and 26-man roster (right now guessing it's not Strathmann and he plays one more USHL year). 

Now the question: If they run 27-man roster is it 16F or 9D?