2024 Early Departures and Transfer Portal

[tnt]

20 minutes ago, .357 said:

Snuggerud: drafted 1st round, #23 overall; 6'2" 190ish, physically able for pro game now, opts for 3rd yr with Gophers.

Blake: drafted 4th round, #109 overall; a generous 5'11"  & about 170, goes pro after 2nd year.

Would be interesting to know how much NIL, or lack therof, impacted the above 2 players' decisions.

So you’re saying UND is developing players better than Minnesota?   Snuggerud seemed like he wasn’t nearly as dynamic without Cooley and Nies (which is expected to some degree), but Blake was the driver of UND’s offense, finishing quite a bit ahead of everyone else.

[.357]

9 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Snuggerud was drafted in 2022 compared to Blake in 2021 though, so odds are that the Blues didn't put the full court press on Jimmy to sign compared to what Carolina more than likely did for Jackson. 
 

Blake could have waited until after his 3rd season & Carolina still would have retained his rights & could have signed him then (up to August '25, I think). I know they're fielding a minor team next season & need extra cogs, but they still could have given him another year to develop at this level; both physically & emotionally, instead of throwing him in the deep end & risk "josting" him.

 

19 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Snuggy was coming back came from UMN's NIL collective group, so he obviously got something.  So it would for sure be interesting to hear what he might have gotten...and if Blake was even offered anything from the new UND NIL collective to possibly stick around.

Are NIL dollar amounts received by athletes available to the public? I'm wondering what ballpark figures these hockey players are receiving. 20k, 30k, more?

And did Ralph leave a little extra in the piggy bank for the team to use for contingencies like this?

[petey23]

12 hours ago, Frozen4sioux said:

CAR wasn't guaranteed to lose him, they'd have still had his rights till next August correct?

He could have got the same deal or better from CAR next spring.

Basically the ONLY way I see a win here for Blake is if he gets a game in the final week in the National.

Still haven't heard anyone say anything about the knee yet either....

Speculation could say that's maybe what the CAR staff was evaluating?

Maybe the thought is get what money he can now and let the pro club outline the rehab ( if thats a concern) into next season in the American or the coast.

I would be surprised if he got a game this year. They are still jostling for their playoff position. If he is healthy though he may get time with team as their Black Aces practice team during the playoffs depending on what those rules are with regard to games played and contract. 

According to cap friendly, his contract is more than reported. He doesn't have any playing/performance  bonuses built in though.

Jackson Blake Contract, Cap Hit, Salary and Stats - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps 

As far as NIL I think the number to keep a guy who isn't quite NHL ready would be around 80k to convince a player to stay another year as that would be equivalent to AHL salary....minus the signing bonus

[brianvf]

33 minutes ago, .357 said:

Blake could have waited until after his 3rd season & Carolina still would have retained his rights & could have signed him then (up to August '25, I think). I know they're fielding a minor team next season & need extra cogs, but they still could have given him another year to develop at this level; both physically & emotionally, instead of throwing him in the deep end & risk "josting" him.

Are NIL dollar amounts received by athletes available to the public? I'm wondering what ballpark figures these hockey players are receiving. 20k, 30k, more?

And did Ralph leave a little extra in the piggy bank for the team to use for contingencies like this?

Agreed on giving him another year to develop.  Talent-wise, he is better than the vast majority of NCAA players, so will probably be just fine at the next level.  I'd be more worried about how easily he got knocked off the puck sometimes this year (especially noticeable early on in the last Michigan game).  Physically...I agree with you that he certainly would have benefited from another year to prepare for the NHL grind.

I don't think NIL amounts are available to the public, just rumors. 
Supposedly Eiserman was offered $100k+ to decommit from UMN and go to BU instead.  I've seen similar numbers thrown around for all of the BC super freshmen.

[.357]

16 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Supposedly Eiserman was offered $100k+ to decommit from UMN and go to BU instead.  I've seen similar numbers thrown around for all of the BC super freshmen.

Amazing, & in my naivete I thought those BC freshmen were there solely because a good chunk of them were from Mass. & they liked the HC. I'm assuming UND better have a competitive NIL in place in future years to contend with some of these bigger schools; because it sounds like the REA alone as a selling point might not be enough.

[siouxfan512]

6 hours ago, UND1981 said:

Rodents have a nice advantage with 1st Rounder Snuggy coming back for a 3rd year.  Wish we could same the same.

I hate that its for the gophers, but I still love when big time players stick around longer than expected. Its good for the college game.

[Rick]

3 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

Huh? What first rounder should Carolina trade him for?

No, I get the impression you’re disappointed that we didn’t have a 1st rounder like some other teams did.  But we did have Jackson Blake.  Blake went in the 4th round as the 109th pick so I’m wondering if you would have rather had 1st rounder Snuggerud or some other college 1st rounder instead of Blake?  

[Benny Baker]

4 hours ago, Rick said:

No, I get the impression you’re disappointed that we didn’t have a 1st rounder like some other teams did.  But we did have Jackson Blake.  Blake went in the 4th round as the 109th pick so I’m wondering if you would have rather had 1st rounder Snuggerud or some other college 1st rounder instead of Blake?  

Brad Berry would even tell you he’s disappointed he didn’t land Cooley, Fantilli, and a number of other first round recruits.  Kind of weird you though took my post as a knock on Blake considering I had just said (see below) about him…

I guess if we’re entertaining the hypothetical of trading college players, and assuming Blake still played college hockey, I would try to trade someone else first. If you’re telling me I had to trade Blake, I’ll give you the answer 90%+ people will tell you: Celebrini or Gauthier.  Some big on leadership qualities might say McGroarty.  To the extent they return, others might try to argue for BC’s Smith, Leonard, or Perreault.

15 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

I look forward to watching how his NHL career progresses.  Hope he can become another Sioux legend in the pros.

 

[planetearth]

1 hour ago, Benny Baker said:

Brad Berry would even tell you he’s disappointed he didn’t land Cooley, Fantilli, and a number of other first round recruits.  Kind of weird you though took my post as a knock on Blake considering I had just said (see below) about him…

I guess if we’re entertaining the hypothetical of trading college players, and assuming Blake still played college hockey, I would try to trade someone else first. If you’re telling me I had to trade Blake, I’ll give you the answer 90%+ people will tell you: Celebrini or Gauthier.  Some big on leadership qualities might say McGroarty.  To the extent they return, others might try to argue for BC’s Smith, Leonard, or Perreault.

 

I’d take Lane Hutson over Blake and he’s a second rounder 

[siouxweet]

12 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

Wish we had a first round forward. Who was our last: Jost?

7 years ago.  For supposedly one if the top programs in the country that is pathetic. 

[burd]

2 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

Brad Berry would even tell you he’s disappointed he didn’t land Cooley, Fantilli, and a number of other first round recruits.  Kind of weird you though took my post as a knock on Blake considering I had just said (see below) about him…

I guess if we’re entertaining the hypothetical of trading college players, and assuming Blake still played college hockey, I would try to trade someone else first. If you’re telling me I had to trade Blake, I’ll give you the answer 90%+ people will tell you: Celebrini or Gauthier.  Some big on leadership qualities might say McGroarty.  To the extent they return, others might try to argue for BC’s Smith, Leonard, or Perreault.

 

Greg Johnson stayed all four, rare even in those days for top end talent.   But he wasn't a #1 was he?

[skateshattrick]

9 minutes ago, siouxweet said:

7 years ago.  For supposedly one if the top programs in the country that is pathetic. 

Is Denver one of the top programs in the country? How many 1st round forwards has it had since 2016? Henrik Borgstrom was the only one and last played in 2017-2018. 

[SIOUXELEVENS]

1 hour ago, siouxweet said:

7 years ago.  For supposedly one if the top programs in the country that is pathetic. 

Sanderson , oops he is a D man 

[jk]

It seems like people have forgotten the recruiting landscape, which really hasn't changed much in many significant ways over decades.  For the most part, MN has first choice on Minnesota kids.  BC and BU fight over the best in the northeast.  Michigan and MSU get their state and the national program.  UND has its own sparsely populated area and is a player in western Canada, along with Denver, which also now has the west coast.

There will always be exceptions, but generally it's going to be hard to steal kids from someone else's area.  UND can pitch facilities, tradition, development, and competitiveness as well as anyone, no doubt.  But those others can just as well.  Depending on where and how they grew up, Grand Forks may not feel like a good fit for many kids.  But it will for someone from Crookston or Alberta.  Which is why UND's hit rate is higher on those players.  

Thankfully UND has hit on some non-traditional recruits like Pinto and Boisvert, but I expect that to always be a big ask.  So when people see a shiny kid go elsewhere and wonder why UND didn't get him, it's probably because he can get most everything UND offers in a place he likes better than UND. 

 

[skateshattrick]

8 minutes ago, jk said:

It seems like people have forgotten the recruiting landscape, which really hasn't changed much in many significant ways over decades.  For the most part, MN has first choice on Minnesota kids.  BC and BU fight over the best in the northeast.  Michigan and MSU get their state and the national program.  UND has its own sparsely populated area and is a player in western Canada, along with Denver, which also now has the west coast.

There will always be exceptions, but generally it's going to be hard to steal kids from someone else's area.  UND can pitch facilities, tradition, development, and competitiveness as well as anyone, no doubt.  But those others can just as well.  Depending on where and how they grew up, Grand Forks may not feel like a good fit for many kids.  But it will for someone from Crookston or Alberta.  Which is why UND's hit rate is higher on those players.  

Thankfully UND has hit on some non-traditional recruits like Pinto and Boisvert, but I expect that to always be a big ask.  So when people see a shiny kid go elsewhere and wonder why UND didn't get him, it's probably because he can get most everything UND offers in a place he likes better than UND. 

 

Agree. Despite that, North Dakota has had some high end recruits from Minnesota (Boeser, Parise, Oshie, Brock Nelson, Joe Finley, Landon Wilson, Drew Stafford) and non-traditional recruits like Pinto and Boisvert, Jake Sanderson and David Hale. 

[dustnyou]

4 hours ago, siouxweet said:

7 years ago.  For supposedly one if the top programs in the country that is pathetic. 

I think we should slide Pinto into this . First pick of 2nd round and from New York. Give the coaching staff lots of credit for landing him. That’s great recruiting . What a gem. 

[90siouxfan]

13 minutes ago, dustnyou said:

I think we should slide Pinto into this . First pick of 2nd round and from New York. Give the coaching staff lots of credit for landing him. That’s great recruiting . What a gem. 

I agree, I always thought a blue chippa would be all first rounders, and some of the second round depending on the year class.  It would be an interesting study, how many blue chippas go college route, where, how long they stay, their success...    is it october yet?

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

Apparently William Whitelaw is likely headed to Michigan with Denver as the runner up

[franchise]

21 minutes ago, SuhakiYeahYeah said:

Apparently William Whitelaw is likely headed to Michigan with Denver as the runner up

We didn't want him anyway.  His teammates don't even like him

[Benny Baker]

Not sure which thread this fits best in (do mods feel free to move), but whatever happened to Cole Spicer this Spring?

Thought Youngstown had his rights, but I can't find that he actually played for them or anywhere else, for that matter.  Curious to know where things are headed for him.

[dustnyou]

Still enrolled at UMD and will be back in the lineup next season 

[Benny Baker]

5 minutes ago, dustnyou said:

Still enrolled at UMD and will be back in the lineup next season 

Thanks!  Any reason he didn't play USHL?  Perhaps needed to stay in school to become re-eligble?  Just curious, if you know.

[fightingsioux4life]

1 hour ago, SuhakiYeahYeah said:

Apparently William Whitelaw is likely headed to Michigan with Denver as the runner up

[dustnyou]

57 minutes ago, Benny Baker said:

Thanks!  Any reason he didn't play USHL?  Perhaps needed to stay in school to become re-eligble?  Just curious, if you know.

I’m not sure on that. I would assume to stay dedicated to school and the program. 

[cberkas]

Jackson Niedermayer to BGSU. Would have thought an NCHC team needing forward depth would have took him.