2025-26 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

4 hours ago, I Ranger said:

Agreed there isn't much you can take away from that game other than all the newbies getting their feet wet playing in front of a REA crowd. Take two years ago when we all thought Perron was going to potentially be better than Blake after his performance only to have that be his best game in a UND jersey. 

Came here to reply this exact thing, Perron looked like a stud in that game scoring at will.  I made that exact comment he outshined Blake.  A great example that shows talent doesn't always translate across leagues.  Lighting up the scoresheet vs Manitoba is not the same as finding space to score in the NCHC.

[brianvf]

6 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Came here to reply this exact thing, Perron looked like a stud in that game scoring at will.  I made that exact comment he outshined Blake.  A great example that shows talent doesn't always translate across leagues.  Lighting up the scoresheet vs Manitoba is not the same as finding space to score in the NCHC.

It also makes me wonder how some of those USports players (that UNO and others loaded up on) will do in the NCAA/NCHC.
Granted, I don't think Manitoba has ever looked like a top USports team, but I think the majority of them are going to have a tough transition to college puck.

[hockeytherapy13]

51 minutes ago, brianvf said:

It also makes me wonder how some of those USports players (that UNO and others loaded up on) will do in the NCAA/NCHC.
Granted, I don't think Manitoba has ever looked like a top USports team, but I think the majority of them are going to have a tough transition to college puck.

I partially agree; but it’s not like Omaha is grabbing an entire team and bringing them in. They are taking the best players from those teams and many of them will be older and physically ready for the league. When we play Manitoba, those teams maybe have 1-2 solid players that could play higher leagues but they are harder to notice because they are surrounded by 18 other mediocre guys. 

[brianvf]

8 minutes ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

I partially agree; but it’s not like Omaha is grabbing an entire team and bringing them in. They are taking the best players from those teams and many of them will be older and physically ready for the league. 

Yes, for sure.  Looking at UNO's roster, I seriously recognize only like 6-7 names and the rest are mysteries.
They'll be fielding a USports All-Star team essentially with Simon still in net at least.  Just hard to predict how those players will adapt and how quickly.
They will be the most interesting NCHC team to follow this next season IMO due to that USports unknown...I could see them finishing anywhere from 4th to 8th and it wouldn't surprise me.

[Esoteric]

For Canadian university athletes, transferring to a U.S. Division I school can be a strategic career move. They hope to gain more visibility with professional teams in leagues like the AHL or NHL. If switching schools helps a player get noticed, then all the best to them.

[ND_Texan]

5 hours ago, Scratch said:

Unfortunately it cant inform if we'll be good, but it can tell you if we're going to suck, like last year

Exactly. If this team can’t score at least five goals it’s going to be a very tough start to the season. It’s an exhibition of skills (or the lack thereof) for a lot of new faces.  It’s an important first look.

[brianvf]

19 minutes ago, ND_Texan said:

Exactly. If this team can’t score at least five goals it’s going to be a very tough start to the season. 

Five goals? Easy. 
Cole and Will will combine for that themselves. 

[ND_Texan]

5 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Five goals? Easy. 
Cole and Will will combine for that themselves. 

Okay, sure…whoever they are. 

[Esoteric]

4 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Five goals? Easy. 
Cole and Will will combine for that themselves. 

I’ve been watching some of last season’s games on NCHCTV to get ready for the new season, but it looks like they've taken them down. I also haven't been able to find any upcoming UND games on their schedule, so I'm wondering if they're still building it. I emailed Sam Kuhne but haven't heard back yet.

Watching those old games has me thinking. I saw that 7-2 win over Boston University, and it baffled me. The team had so much potential, yet they struggled for most of the season. It makes you wonder what went wrong.  They had five or more goals against a talented NCAA team.  AND YET........ what happened?

[brianvf]

9 minutes ago, ND_Texan said:

Okay, sure…whoever they are. 

Two of our more anticipated freshmen forwards.
Cole Reschny, 1st rounder, probably our 1st/2nd line center.
Will Zellers, USHL goal scoring champ and PotY last year.

[fightingsioux4life]

41 minutes ago, Esoteric said:

I’ve been watching some of last season’s games on NCHCTV to get ready for the new season, but it looks like they've taken them down. I also haven't been able to find any upcoming UND games on their schedule, so I'm wondering if they're still building it. I emailed Sam Kuhne but haven't heard back yet.

Watching those old games has me thinking. I saw that 7-2 win over Boston University, and it baffled me. The team had so much potential, yet they struggled for most of the season. It makes you wonder what went wrong.  They had five or more goals against a talented NCAA team.  AND YET........ what happened?

Too much nonsense inside and outside the locker room. Also, Berry was just not capable of motivating the team.

[Sioux90]

1 hour ago, ND_Texan said:

Exactly. If this team can’t score at least five goals it’s going to be a very tough start to the season. It’s an exhibition of skills (or the lack thereof) for a lot of new faces.  It’s an important first look.

Your pessimism is based on what exactly? Western was full of transfers last year and won it all, convincingly. An exhibition game is just that, and we will see a line shakeups and a balance of minutes. Goals don’t mean crap, if you can’t get the puck out of your own end. I expect a hard forechecking Sioux hockey team. No time and space. At the end of the day, it’s how you play.

[Big A HG]

9 hours ago, burd said:

I can see why you’d say that, but how much do you ever get from the Manitoba game.  

 

Last year it was pretty evident what kind of team we had.  I think it's difficult to gauge the potential of a team from the Manitoba game, but it can certainly set off some alarm bells.  

[ND_Texan]

4 hours ago, Sioux90 said:

Your pessimism is based on what exactly? Western was full of transfers last year and won it all, convincingly. An exhibition game is just that, and we will see a line shakeups and a balance of minutes. Goals don’t mean crap, if you can’t get the puck out of your own end. I expect a hard forechecking Sioux hockey team. No time and space. At the end of the day, it’s how you play.

What makes you think I’m pessimistic? Your reading comprehension skills fail you. 

[Sioux90]

2 minutes ago, ND_Texan said:

What makes you think I’m pessimistic? Your reading comprehension skills fail you. 

Derp