2025-26 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[beastandco]

40 minutes ago, tnt said:

I’m guessing no.  Being 17, he will have a huge learning curve.  Besides, you have two guys that have an offensive leaning.  Guessing they might put Zmolek with one of them to let them use their abilities with him being a super solid defender.  Could have both of them on the power play I would think.

Verhoeff will be given every opportunity to play significant minutes on this team. There will be lots of attention on him given that he could potentially go 2nd overall in the draft next year. The coaching staff also wouldn’t want a guy like that on their 3rd pair. My guess is that they play him with Wiebe or Livanavage. Two veteran defenseman that could cover up some of the mistakes that he will make early on.

 

[beastandco]

40 minutes ago, tnt said:

I’m guessing no.  Being 17, he will have a huge learning curve.  Besides, you have two guys that have an offensive leaning.  Guessing they might put Zmolek with one of them to let them use their abilities with him being a super solid defender.  Could have both of them on the power play I would think.

Verhoeff will be given every opportunity to play significant minutes on this team. There will be lots of attention on him given that he could potentially go 2nd overall in the draft next year. The coaching staff also wouldn’t want a guy like that on their 3rd pair. My guess is that they play him with Wiebe or Livanavage. Two veteran defenseman that could cover up some of the mistakes that he will make early on.

 

[nascar99]

17 hours ago, tnt said:

You know when we make significant progress because you will again see the hate for the coach by our rivals.  Didn’t see that much with Berry.  Already see some expressing displeasure that they have to watch UND playing with a bunch of Canadians.  What will they say if Saskatchewan and Alberta join the U.S.

Seriously, they can’t make up their mind if they hate the overage teams more or those with Canadians.  Now they are whining about  17 and 18 year old Canadians?  
I would say their delusion means they are concerned we will be a force in college hockey again.  Come on Chyzyk, bring in Carter Bear to drive them closer to the edge.

There's an idealistic view in the state of Minnesota amongst some, especially in the Goofers fanbase, that NCAA Hockey should be as young as possible & as Minnesotan as possible. I think they have their head in the sand, not wanting to acknowledge that junior allows for better development for guys coming out of minor/prep/HS before they get to the NCAA. The product would suck if you rushed every 18 and 19 year old player straight into the NCAA without junior experience.

These people also either don't realize how good the talent is outside of Minnesota, or have some sort of odd simultaneous superiority/inferiority complex with Canada and how good its talent base is. I would also guess that many of these types know deep down that their programs don't have the recruiting connections in Canada throughout the minor/junior hockey world to take advantage of CHLers now being NCAA eligible.

[ChadR]

I need an updated line chart with our new recruits

[Kevin G]

Here are the defensemen sorted by handedness, listed oldest to youngest:

RHD: Zmolek ('02), Emery ('06), Verhoeff ('08)

LHD: Jubenvill ('03), Wiebe ('03), Livanavage ('04), Strathmann ('05), Laurila ('06)

 

Lots of question marks around the RHD: Can Zmolek stay healthy? Can Emery contribute offensively? How will Verhoeff handle college hockey at just 17 years old? 

 

[fightingsioux4life]

Like our other programs with new head coaches (FB and WBB), this team will have some early growing pains and will encounter some bumps in the road.

But like those other programs, this team will get better as the season goes on. It will be fun to watch.

[hockeytherapy13]

5 hours ago, beastandco said:

Verhoeff will be given every opportunity to play significant minutes on this team. There will be lots of attention on him given that he could potentially go 2nd overall in the draft next year. The coaching staff also wouldn’t want a guy like that on their 3rd pair. My guess is that they play him with Wiebe or Livanavage. Two veteran defenseman that could cover up some of the mistakes that he will make early on.

 

I’m guessing he starts out 3rd pair for a while and will get elevated once he’s figured out how fast and heavy NCAA and NCHC can be. If he were a 17-year old forward that would be a different animal because he could into top 6 very quickly. But being a young defenseman in the NCHC is rough and even though he’s got the size for it he will need some adjustment time. 

[atxsioux]

5 hours ago, nascar99 said:

There's an idealistic view in the state of Minnesota amongst some, especially in the Goofers fanbase, that NCAA Hockey should be as young as possible & as Minnesotan as possible. I think they have their head in the sand, not wanting to acknowledge that junior allows for better development for guys coming out of minor/prep/HS before they get to the NCAA. The product would suck if you rushed every 18 and 19 year old player straight into the NCAA without junior experience.

These people also either don't realize how good the talent is outside of Minnesota, or have some sort odd simultaneous superiority/inferiority complex with Canada and how good its talent base is. I would also guess that many of these types know deep down that their programs don't have the recruiting connections in Canada throughout the minor/junior hockey world to take advantage of CHLers now being NCAA eligible.

As a comparison - I think people forget that a !@#$ ton of freshmen don’t even play in CFB their first year - they either play sparingly or redshirt. And the freshman that do play a lot are freak athletes (really college hockey is a similar story once you look at it)

[atxsioux]

5 hours ago, Kevin G said:

Here are the defensemen sorted by handedness, listed oldest to youngest:

RHD: Zmolek ('02), Emery ('06), Verhoeff ('08)

LHD: Jubenvill ('03), Wiebe ('03), Livanavage ('04), Strathmann ('05), Laurila ('06)

 

Lots of question marks around the RHD: Can Zmolek stay healthy? Can Emery contribute offensively? How will Verhoeff handle college hockey at just 17 years old? 

 

Might be just me but I don't think the team will depend too much on EJ for offense and shouldn't need to  (any added offense will be a bonus definitely) . As long as he can maintain and keep improving his stopping on the defensive end he'll be playing his role to a T. Excited to see him keep taking steps. Him and Zmolek have the potential to be the shut down anchors on the pairs they are on.

[brianvf]

On 5/30/2025 at 9:49 PM, nascar99 said:

Livanavage-Verhoeff top pair most likely?

I think we see something like this:

Livanavage - Wiebe
Zmolek - Verhoeff
Emery - Strathmann/Jubenvill/Laurila

Yes, 1st round draft pick on the 3rd pairing.  Yowzers.
Zmolek with Verhoeff to let him get up to NCHC game speed and give him freedom, which means he'll make some rookie dman mistakes and Zmolek can cover.
Going to be a battle for that 6th dman spot every weekend.  I hope that Strath/Jub/Laurila don't get discouraged having to earn their ice time and still stick with the team for the 26/27 season, because I could see Liv/Wiebe/Emery (and maybe Zmolek) all depart after this upcoming season.

[siouxforce19]

1 hour ago, brianvf said:

I think we see something like this:

Livanavage - Wiebe
Zmolek - Verhoeff
Emery - Strathmann/Jubenvill/Laurila

Yes, 1st round draft pick on the 3rd pairing.  Yowzers.
Zmolek with Verhoeff to let him get up to NCHC game speed and give him freedom, which means he'll make some rookie dman mistakes and Zmolek can cover.
Going to be a battle for that 6th dman spot every weekend.  I hope that Strath/Jub/Laurila don't get discouraged having to earn their ice time and still stick with the team for the 26/27 season, because I could see Liv/Wiebe/Emery (and maybe Zmolek) all depart after this upcoming season.

Zmolek and Verhoeff are both right shot D so I think it’s unlikely they’ll be paired. 

[brianvf]

2 minutes ago, siouxforce19 said:

Zmolek and Verhoeff are both right shot D so I think it’s unlikely they’ll be paired. 

Ah good call.

Maybe swap Wiebe and Zmolek.

[NoDak Hockey Nation]

21 hours ago, Kevin G said:

Here are the defensemen sorted by handedness, listed oldest to youngest:

RHD: Zmolek ('02), Emery ('06), Verhoeff ('08)

LHD: Jubenvill ('03), Wiebe ('03), Livanavage ('04), Strathmann ('05), Laurila ('06)

 

Lots of question marks around the RHD: Can Zmolek stay healthy? Can Emery contribute offensively? How will Verhoeff handle college hockey at just 17 years old? 

 

Emery will not need to produce offensively with Livanavage, Wiebe, Strathmann

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

Well well, how the turntables have....... turned.

The number of errors suggests it was published without editing or scrutiny (Grand Forks Gazette hyperlink that literally says Herald in the url!), but the premise of expanded pay to play MJ is a sign of panic. 

https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/junior-hockey/victoria-royals-lose-two-top-players-to-ncaas-north-dakota-whats-next-for-whl

[dden3]

18 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

I’m guessing he starts out 3rd pair for a while and will get elevated once he’s figured out how fast and heavy NCAA and NCHC can be. If he were a 17-year old forward that would be a different animal because he could into top 6 very quickly. But being a young defenseman in the NCHC is rough and even though he’s got the size for it he will need some adjustment time. 

Agree. See Emery for example

[siouxforce19]

2 hours ago, dden3 said:

Agree. See Emery for example

I would say Verhoeff is more comparable to Sanderson than Emery when it comes to the level of prospect he is though. 

[hockeytherapy13]

1 hour ago, siouxforce19 said:

I would say Verhoeff is more comparable to Sanderson than Emery when it comes to the level of prospect he is though. 

That doesn’t mean he won’t require some acclimation (amount of time needed is TBD) at the next level.

[Und Princess]

13 minutes ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

That doesn’t mean he won’t require some acclimation (amount of time needed is TBD) at the next level.

Well said!!!

[nascar99]

1 hour ago, siouxforce19 said:

I would say Verhoeff is more comparable to Sanderson than Emery when it comes to the level of prospect he is though. 

To give an NHL comparable, Verhoeff seems like a 17 year old more advanced version of Alex Pietrangelo. Big right shot but more offensive skill.

[SIOUXFAN97]

verhoeff>sanderson

or 

sanderson>verhoeff

[nascar99]

4 minutes ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

verhoeff>sanderson

or 

sanderson>verhoeff

Verhoeff as a 16 year old >>>>>> Sanderson as a 16 year old

We'll see what type of development jumps Verhoeff takes. Sanderson had a very solid 17 year old season at the NTDP, but even then was seen as a bit of a reach at 5 for the Senators. Then Sanderson had two monster years at North Dakota on stacked teams and has gotten better & better since.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

33 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Verhoeff as a 16 year old >>>>>> Sanderson as a 16 year old

We'll see what type of development jumps Verhoeff takes. Sanderson had a very solid 17 year old season at the NTDP, but even then was seen as a bit of a reach at 5 for the Senators. Then Sanderson had two monster years at North Dakota on stacked teams and has gotten better & better since.

If Verhoeff is even as close to as dominant(and more importantly bought in) as Sanderson was his sophomores year at UND I will be ecstatic 

[nascar99]

7 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

If Verhoeff is even as close to as dominant(and more importantly bought in) as Sanderson was his sophomores year at UND I will be ecstatic 

I think the key is for Verhoeff to come back for his sophomore season. For example, say he goes top 5 to the Sharks, Chyzyk & Jackson need to work well with Mike Grier to make sure that Grier is on board with UND's development plan for Verhoeff for another year. Verhoeff takes off from a production and defensive maturity standpoint as a sophomore and then steps into the Sharks lineup in spring 2027 after the UND season is done. That's probably the ideal.

[brianvf]

Hopefully less prone to injuries as well. I felt we got cheated out of watching so much of Sanderson during his time at UND. He was such a fun player to watch. 

[Wilbur]

Got to remember as well that Zmolek is coming off a season long injury and we really don't know if he will be able to stay healthy.  

I think you'll see Verhoeff start out third pair and slowly build his way up to top four minutes.  

He's a first round kid, but the NCHC will be a jump.  Being 6'4 as a 17 year old helps.