2025-26 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[BIGSIOUX]

Id have Zakreski over both Mehghini and Croal.  Dude is a gamer. 

[SpudsSioux]

2 hours ago, BIGSIOUX said:

Id have Zakreski over both Mehghini and Croal.  Dude is a gamer. 

Love Zakreski but I don't think he's playing over Croal. He's a +17...gotta be top 10 in Plus/Minus in the entire conference.

[Dustin]

Has anyone come up with a catchy team nickname (Hrkac Circus) or line name (CBS) for this squad?  

[burd]

22 minutes ago, Dustin said:

Has anyone come up with a catchy team nickname (Hrkac Circus) or line name (CBS) for this squad?  

It couldn’t be about just one line.   I like Jax Attack.  

[Dustin]

4 minutes ago, burd said:

Jax Attack.  

All aboard the Dane Train!

[Sweethockey]

This is the NODAK WAGON!! It is rolling, unstoppable and possesses great chemistry! 

[hockeytherapy13]

5 hours ago, BIGSIOUX said:

Id have Zakreski over both Mehghini and Croal.  Dude is a gamer. 

In no way can Croal come out of the lineup. He is the best defensive wing we have. The guy is a champ on the PK and keeping us up when games are close. Future "C" right there, maybe even next season

[sioux rube]

 

[sioux rube]

 

[sioux rube]

 

[fightingsioux4life]

Being the only school in the conference to have two players each on the 1st and 2nd team is pretty good.

[brianvf]

Dang, glad to see Spoons got 1st team!

Also good to see Strinden and Ricky get in there too.

[farce poobah]

I'm reviewing the All-NCHC picks, and setting them next to their nominees for top awards, named earlier:

https://nchchockey.com/news/2026/3/4/mens-ice-hockey-nchc-reveals-finalists-for-2025-2026-individual-awards.aspx

Several things stand out.  

Bennett Zmolek.  He's named one of the conference's top 3 defensive defensemen.  But not named to any of the All-Conference teams.     Here's rooting for some well-deserved recognition in winning the Best Defensive Defenseman award next week.

Dylan James.  Finalist for Best Defensive Forward, but no room for him on the All-Conference teams.  Would love for him to get that award next week.

UND has six forwards with better plus minus than all of the first-team forwards. 

================================================================================

Dating back at least to the Gasparini era, the best UND forwards play both offense AND defense.  In the late 1970's and early 1980's, it gave the college kids a shot at the big show, despite the bias against college players at the time.  Now it seems firmly rooted in our DNA.

11 UND forwards have gone on to finish top-25 in Selke voting (NHL's best defensive forward), and it reads like a whos-who:  Dave Christian, Dave Tippett, Doug Smail, Greg Johnson, Jason Blake, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Johnson, TJ Oshie, Travis Zajac, Troy Murray, Zach Parise.  

 And two UND alumni won the Selke (both of whom wore #19 for the Blackhawks) Murray and Toews.   The Archetype of a UND forward.  

Based on the eye test of fan in the stands, it seems this years UND team is committed to team defense in our own zone, and working hard to retrieve pucks and send it forward to create chances.  It's been a big improvement, and fast.

 

[Speed_Kills]

15 hours ago, farce poobah said:

I'm reviewing the All-NCHC picks, and setting them next to their nominees for top awards, named earlier:

https://nchchockey.com/news/2026/3/4/mens-ice-hockey-nchc-reveals-finalists-for-2025-2026-individual-awards.aspx

Several things stand out.  

Bennett Zmolek.  He's named one of the conference's top 3 defensive defensemen.  But not named to any of the All-Conference teams.     Here's rooting for some well-deserved recognition in winning the Best Defensive Defenseman award next week.

Dylan James.  Finalist for Best Defensive Forward, but no room for him on the All-Conference teams.  Would love for him to get that award next week.

UND has six forwards with better plus minus than all of the first-team forwards. 

================================================================================

Dating back at least to the Gasparini era, the best UND forwards play both offense AND defense.  In the late 1970's and early 1980's, it gave the college kids a shot at the big show, despite the bias against college players at the time.  Now it seems firmly rooted in our DNA.

11 UND forwards have gone on to finish top-25 in Selke voting (NHL's best defensive forward), and it reads like a whos-who:  Dave Christian, Dave Tippett, Doug Smail, Greg Johnson, Jason Blake, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Johnson, TJ Oshie, Travis Zajac, Troy Murray, Zach Parise.  

 And two UND alumni won the Selke (both of whom wore #19 for the Blackhawks) Murray and Toews.   The Archetype of a UND forward.  

Based on the eye test of fan in the stands, it seems this years UND team is committed to team defense in our own zone, and working hard to retrieve pucks and send it forward to create chances.  It's been a big improvement, and fast.

 

This was a couple of years ago now and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I saw a statistic at one point that the Best Defensive Forward winners in the NCHC have played more collective NHL games than the league MVPs. A lot more room on an NHL roster for guys who win faceoffs, block shots, play PK, etc. 

[fightingsioux4life]

12 minutes ago, Speed_Kills said:

This was a couple of years ago now and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I saw a statistic at one point that the Best Defensive Forward winners in the NCHC have played more collective NHL games than the league MVPs. A lot more room on an NHL roster for guys who win faceoffs, block shots, play PK, etc. 

Having two-way forwards also makes it easier to match up with opposing teams.

[TwamleyShuffle]

Spoons wins NCHC goalie of the year 🧱 

[Big Green]

Unless Clarkson or St Thomas wins their conference tournament, UND will not have played any NCAA tournament teams in Non-conference.  Is this the worse non-conference schedule ever for UND?  

[Wilbur]

8 minutes ago, Big Green said:

Unless Clarkson or St Thomas wins their conference tournament, UND will not have played any NCAA tournament teams in Non-conference.  Is this the worse non-conference schedule ever for UND?  

St. Thomas.....NPI at 16.

Minnesota.....NPI at 39

Clarkson....NPI at 38

Mercyhurst.....NPI at 63

Not great.  Reminded me of the 2002-2003 group (Parise freshman year) when you had the likes of Canisius 3 times, Niagara, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Bemidji State.  The term cupcake was used a lot that year.   

[gfhockey]

It’s jacks new scheduling philosohy

 

who cares

 

just win bay bay

[Upper Deck]

2 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

It’s jacks new scheduling philosohy

 

who cares

 

just win bay bay

Actually, this is a Brad Berry non-conference schedule. Same as for next year.

[tnt]

1 hour ago, Big Green said:

Unless Clarkson or St Thomas wins their conference tournament, UND will not have played any NCAA tournament teams in Non-conference.  Is this the worse non-conference schedule ever for UND?  

So we shouldn’t schedule Minnesota, BU, or BC again then. You can’t predict future success of teams when you initially schedule them.  Everybody appears not to be wanting to play higher ranked teams in the NCAA tourney either, as they are clamoring for Holy Cross.

[Dustin]

12 minutes ago, tnt said:

Everybody appears not to be wanting to play higher ranked teams in the NCAA tourney either

This was kind of the point I was trying to make earlier in one of the threads.  As a fan, I would rather play a tougher first-round opponent in Sioux Falls than be sent Worcester to play the worst team in the tournament.  I hope the team would want that too.

[Big Green]

6 minutes ago, tnt said:

So we shouldn’t schedule Minnesota, BU, or BC again then. You can’t predict future success of teams when you initially schedule them.  Everybody appears not to be wanting to play higher ranked teams in the NCAA tourney either, as they are clamoring for Holy Cross.

Not what I'm saying at all, just pointing out the facts.  Looking at our schedule before the season it actually looks about right, it just turned out that a lot of the teams we played are having down years.  The schedule has 2 home and home with teams within easy driving distance, a cupcake coming back from Winter break, a decent ECHC Team, and a long time rival.  Turns out not much room for Error when this happens.  Currently losing at home to a bad MN team is costing us the #1 overall seed.

 

[atxsioux]

51 minutes ago, Dustin said:

This was kind of the point I was trying to make earlier in one of the threads.  As a fan, I would rather play a tougher first-round opponent in Sioux Falls than be sent Worcester to play the worst team in the tournament.  I hope the team would want that too.

As a transplant down south I (selfishly) wouldn't be opposed to them getting placed in Worcester. Much cheaper to fly direct to Boston then take a train to Worcester compared to flying to sioux falls hahah.

[sioux rube]