2024 Early Departures and Transfer Portal

[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. 

[The Sicatoka]

Risk and Israels from UAF to Omaha. 

[cberkas]

Lane Hutson signs with the Canadians 

[SIOUXELEVENS]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Risk and Israels from UAF to Omaha. 

I thought we may have wanted Israel. 

[brianvf]

6 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Risk and Israels from UAF to Omaha. 

Two nice pickups for them.
They lost a lot, so they need some good players to fill some lineup holes.

4 hours ago, cberkas said:

Lane Hutson signs with the Canadians 

That was quick.

[cberkas]

2 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Two nice pickups for them.
They lost a lot, so they need some good players to fill some lineup holes.

That was quick.

With how bad the Canadians and Laval are I expect Fowler to get signed too.

[burd]

4 hours ago, cberkas said:

Lane Hutson signs with the Canadians 

My sources told me it was between Montreal and the portal to UND. Couldn’t have been an easy choice.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

On 4/11/2024 at 8:38 AM, 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. 

 

Really good well reasoned post.  As amazing as our facilities, tradition and staff is Grand Forks is not a bustling metropolitan area that has kids clambering to come here.  There's a reason I moved out of state as soon as I could after high school and again shortly after graduating college.  I came back because as I grew up I realized the positives but when you're a teenager or in your early 20s and focused on having the best possible college experience it's tough, for example, to compete with games at The Big House in Ann Arbor or the mountains and incredible outdoor hiking just outside Denver.  Or even the weather and co-eds at ASU. We'll get a certain type of kid(Canadian kids aren't fazed by winters) and our fair share of talent but we won't get all of them.

[tnt]

25 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Really good well reasoned post.  As amazing as our facilities, tradition and staff is Grand Forks is not a bustling metropolitan area that has kids clambering to come here.  There's a reason I moved out of state as soon as I could after high school and again shortly after graduating college.  I came back because as I grew up I realized the positives but when you're a teenager or in your early 20s and focused on having the best possible college experience it's tough, for example, to compete with games at The Big House in Ann Arbor or the mountains and incredible outdoor hiking just outside Denver.  Or even the weather and co-eds at ASU. We'll get a certain type of kid(Canadian kids aren't faced by winters) and our fair share of talent but we won't get all of them.

   Agree, and we never did get all of the players.  I would say our biggest calling card has been we have always been hard to play against and we brought it every night.  I would argue that teams like Western, St. Cloud, and Omaha have more consistent work ethics than we have with less talent.

   In this age when you might get fewer of the super skilled guys, you better have experienced junior guys coming in, and you better have less games where the coach has to repeat “we didn’t come out ready to play”.  
 

   Not hearing media or coaches talking about how hard North Dakota is to play against, in fact you don’t hear much about the program as a team to be feared at tournament time.  It doesn’t help not having any exposure during the Frozen Four, much less the National tournament.  That kills recruiting.

 

[jk]

8 minutes ago, tnt said:

   Agree, and we never did get all of the players.  I would say our biggest calling card has been we have always been hard to play against and we brought it every night.  I would argue that teams like Western, St. Cloud, and Omaha have more consistent work ethics than we have with less talent.

   In this age when you might get fewer of the super skilled guys, you better have experienced junior guys coming in, and you better have less games where the coach has to repeat “we didn’t come out ready to play”.  
 

   Not hearing media or coaches talking about how hard North Dakota is to play against, in fact you don’t hear much about the program as a team to be feared at tournament time.  

 

The edgy style is definitely gone, but it's tricky and I don't have the answer.  The college game is called very tight now, and UND was one of the least penalized teams in the country.  Considering how much special teams play determines who wins, having more PPs than the other guy is a great formula for success.  And it worked, overall, this year.  But I miss being hard to play against.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

6 minutes ago, jk said:

The edgy style is definitely gone, but it's tricky and I don't have the answer.  The college game is called very tight now, and UND was one of the least penalized teams in the country.  Considering how much special teams play determines who wins, having more PPs than the other guy is a great formula for success.  And it worked, overall, this year.  But I miss being hard to play against.

I just remember continually getting east coast refs and just getting penalty after penalty costing us games in the NCAAs.  Sure, the rough, hard-nosed playing over the edge style worked great in the WCHA but it seemed like it never translated to a title, hence our gap from 2000 to 2016.

[AJS]

11 hours ago, tnt said:

   Agree, and we never did get all of the players.  I would say our biggest calling card has been we have always been hard to play against and we brought it every night.  I would argue that teams like Western, St. Cloud, and Omaha have more consistent work ethics than we have with less talent.

   In this age when you might get fewer of the super skilled guys, you better have experienced junior guys coming in, and you better have less games where the coach has to repeat “we didn’t come out ready to play”.  
 

   Not hearing media or coaches talking about how hard North Dakota is to play against, in fact you don’t hear much about the program as a team to be feared at tournament time.  It doesn’t help not having any exposure during the Frozen Four, much less the National tournament.  That kills recruiting.

 

Recruiting imo has not been the issue.