2025-26 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

1 hour ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

 

Swanson-Rickwood-Zellers

James-Reschny-Strinden

Menghini-Littler-Kernan

Zakreski-Josephson-Croal 

 

Andrew-Klee-Young

 

Hard to argue with anything you have here for the forwards. Zellers might have a learning curve but everything out of Boston about him was promising. Really hoping he and Swanson can click.

[stoneySIOUX]

2 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

Question for the insiders like @stoneySIOUX. Who are you hearing is looking really good in practice? Which freshmen are surprising the group and/or which guys seem like they are looking as if they will take a big step compared to last year? 

It's Reschny... 

For guys taking a step, James. 

[brianvf]

2 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

Question for the insiders like @stoneySIOUX. Who are you hearing is looking really good in practice? Which freshmen are surprising the group and/or which guys seem like they are looking as if they will take a big step compared to last year? 

I'm surprised we haven't heard any snippets from Schloss on this...I know he's mentioned players that look to be performing well in early practices in the past.
They haven't done a podcast in quite a long time...I'm hoping the next one covers some of the early practices and who is standing out.

[brianvf]

Just now, stoneySIOUX said:

It's Reschny... 

For guys taking a step, James. 

James took a nice step (especially in his finishing) last year.
Would love to see him take another step for his SR year and really help get that offense rolling.

[stoneySIOUX]

2 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

 

Let’s get this started. I want to see what other people think lines could look like early on. Here’s my uneducated guess 

based off of stats, what we’ve heard about these guys, age, college experience, etc. 
 

Swanson-Rickwood-Zellers

James-Reschny-Strinden

Menghini-Littler-Kernan

Zakreski-Josephson-Croal 

 

Andrew-Klee-Young

 

Livanavage-Zmolek

Wiebe-Verhoeff 

Strathmann-Emery

Laurila(Extra skater)-Jubenvill

Engel

 

Homer

Spunar

Sandy

 

*Guessing Young, Klee, and Zakreski will battle it out for the 12th forward spot but I have a feeling Zakreski will rise due to higher potential for offense and apparently he’s well-conditioned based off his Iron Man results. Even though Klee is a draft pick, he might be fighting to get in this season as he gets acclimated to the college game as a huge guy. 

 

*Zmolek may get eased in due to not having played in a year but he’ll ramp up quick. Maybe Emery plays top pair with Livanavage to start the year. Extra skater will probably always be D so we can get weekly reps for Verhoeff and Laurila as well as keeping Strathmann and Jubenvil rolling. 

Flip Strinden and Menghini and I'm 100% in on all of this. 

[Oldguy]

10 hours ago, brianvf said:

I'm surprised we haven't heard any snippets from Schloss on this...I know he's mentioned players that look to be performing well in early practices in the past.
They haven't done a podcast in quite a long time...I'm hoping the next one covers some of the early practices and who is standing out.

I'm actually unhappy about the lack of coverage lately.  I'm paying for the site purely for UND hockey news, but Schloss has been AWOL lately.

[Sodbuster]

L noticed the Herald has him writing some football stories..........

[sioux rube]

 

[scpa0305]

13 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

 

Let’s get this started. I want to see what other people think lines could look like early on. Here’s my uneducated guess 

based off of stats, what we’ve heard about these guys, age, college experience, etc. 
 

Swanson-Rickwood-Zellers

James-Reschny-Strinden

Menghini-Littler-Kernan

Zakreski-Josephson-Croal 

 

Andrew-Klee-Young

 

Livanavage-Zmolek

Wiebe-Verhoeff 

Strathmann-Emery

Laurila(Extra skater)-Jubenvill

Engel

 

Homer

Spunar

Sandy

 

*Guessing Young, Klee, and Zakreski will battle it out for the 12th forward spot but I have a feeling Zakreski will rise due to higher potential for offense and apparently he’s well-conditioned based off his Iron Man results. Even though Klee is a draft pick, he might be fighting to get in this season as he gets acclimated to the college game as a huge guy. 

 

*Zmolek may get eased in due to not having played in a year but he’ll ramp up quick. Maybe Emery plays top pair with Livanavage to start the year. Extra skater will probably always be D so we can get weekly reps for Verhoeff and Laurila as well as keeping Strathmann and Jubenvil rolling. 

Agree on all fronts. At least to begin the season. Only slight change would be to add some grit to that top line. Maybe flip flop Zellers and Strinden (or Mengini)

[hockeytherapy13]

4 hours ago, Oldguy said:

I'm actually unhappy about the lack of coverage lately.  I'm paying for the site purely for UND hockey news, but Schloss has been AWOL lately.

Keep in mind that the Herald comes out with that massive pre-season special every year that will have about a dozen different articles in it. I'm guessing schloss is working on all of that. Simma donna 

[hockeytherapy13]

15 hours ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Flip Strinden and Menghini and I'm 100% in on all of this. 

I thought about that but I have this weird thing about loading up all right-handed forwards onto one line since we don't have many of them.  No matter how the lines shake out, teams are going to have a rough time matching up against our 3rd line. We may not have the most potent top 6 right away, but Heaven help those teams that have to try to match us with depth at forward and D when we have a lead. 

[skateshattrick]

4 hours ago, sioux rube said:

 

I get it that they don't put freshman on the all-conference team, but Verhoef will be 1st team defense. Reschny has a very good chance to be 1st team forward. These 2 are going to be very impactful. 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

16 hours ago, stoneySIOUX said:

It's Reschny... 

For guys taking a step, James. 

Music to everyone's ears. Glad James recognized he could use another year before going pro. Obviously we're biased and selfish (anyone have receipts of people saying Blake would never crack the Canes?) but his role at the pro level will need more production.

[hockeytherapy13]

48 minutes ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

Music to everyone's ears. Glad James recognized he could use another year before going pro. Obviously we're biased and selfish (anyone have receipts of people saying Blake would never crack the Canes?) but his role at the pro level will need more production.

I’ll provide my own receipt. I am 100% guilty of thinking he’d be chilling in the AHL. *dons dunce cap*

[UNDMOORHEAD]

6 minutes ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

I’ll provide my own receipt. I am 100% guilty of thinking he’d be chilling in the AHL. *dons dunce cap*

I thought the same about Blake as well. I really believed he needed all the time he could get to add strength to be ready for pro hockey.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Blake is so skilled and shifty he can get away with not being huge right away. Plus looks like he’s put in the work since moving up, I’m sure his dad is a good reality check for what it’ll take 

[sioux rube]

 

[The Sicatoka]

That $4,977,131 number for UND Hockey is bigger than most WBB programs and most of FCS and a lot of the non-P5 FBS. 

A good data source: https://knightnewhousedata.org/reports 

[LuvHockey]

16 days till the puck drops.....

[Siouxdaddy]

Allegedly the team will be able to wear bubble masks this season. 

[Wilbur]

8 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

That $4,977,131 number for UND Hockey is bigger than most WBB programs and most of FCS and a lot of the non-P5 FBS. 

A good data source: https://knightnewhousedata.org/reports 

This made me look at average attendance for the FCS schools.  Hopefully Schmidt is able to get our football attendance up above our average hockey attendance being that the Alerus holds around 13,000.  Love the pub for the hockey side of things obviously, but lets get the Alerus above 12K a game.  Used to love the dream triple header weekends of hockey, football, hockey as a student.  My liver doesn't miss those weekend. 

[fightingsioux4life]

Just now, Wilbur said:

This made me look at average attendance for the FCS schools.  Hopefully Schmidt is able to get our football attendance up above our average hockey attendance being that the Alerus holds around 13,000.  Love the pub for the hockey side of things obviously, but lets get the Alerus above 12K a game.  Used to love the dream triple header weekends of hockey, football, hockey as a student.  My liver doesn't miss those weekend. 

I used to love those weekends as well, but I just don't have the energy I used to have.

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

1 hour ago, Siouxdaddy said:

Allegedly the team will be able to wear bubble masks this season. 

The most important news this off-season 

[.357]

https://thehockeywriters.com/keaton-verhoeff-finds-a-home-at-north-dakota-while-chasing-nhl-dreams/

“Grand Forks reminded me a lot of Alberta, and kind of gave me that hometown feel,” Verhoeff said. “And it just felt right when I was here talking with the coaches and the staff around, and even a couple of guys that are still here. It seemed like a great fit for me.”

 ...

“Their off-ice is a one-of-a-kind building,” Verhoeff said eagerly. “It’s super, super cool to be able to go into that facility every day and get work done. The coaching staff has been amazing, super welcoming. It’s been a super smooth transition coming from Victoria to North Dakota. It’s everything I could ask for.”

...

“If he starts the season a little bit slow but shows that improvement to being a credible and impactful top-four defenseman by the end of the season, I think most scouts are going to say, ‘All right, he is who we thought he was,’ Peters said. “If he struggles and continues to struggle over the course of the season — which isn’t out of the question because this is a big level jump — then there obviously will be more questions about different things.

“But my assumption, based on what I’ve seen from the player, is that the early season will be difficult — probably the early conference games will be difficult — but by mid-season he’ll be a very impactful freshman defenseman.”

[Godsmack]

2 hours ago, Siouxdaddy said:

Allegedly the team will be able to wear bubble masks this season. 

Was the team not permitted to wear them previously? Last guy I recall wearing an iTech was Sanderson from the ‘16 title team. Don’t know why a player wouldn’t be permitted to wear one over the bird cage if that’s what he preferred.