2025-2026 ND High School Hockey Thread

[Wilbur]

1 hour ago, Johnny Five said:

I will add: if Legacy hadn't started when it did, Century very well would've competed for a State Championship or 2.  Most of those Legacy kids (year 2 WDA champions lost to Davies in OT first game of state), would've been at CHS along with the Vig boys and some very good CHS players....2 good teams would've made for one really, really good team.

Completely agree with your points here.  In Bismarck you've got to compete with football (All teams in AAA playoffs), wrestling (BHS dynasty for years), Basketball (Century and BHS very good teams of the past).  Good friends in Bismarck and they all say the same thing about the push to get these kids at young age.  Easy to watch the Century boys basketball team have loads of success and want to be a part of that, much like the banners that hang in Purper and Eagles Arena in Grand Forks.  

I think @sioux rube can point out the fact that one Carson Wentz was a pretty good Century athlete that was pulled away from hockey as he was a good football and baseball player, and ended up winning a state championship in basketball with the Century boys because Mattern saw him in the weight room and figured he'd see if he could get another quality athlete on his basketball squad.      

[Wilbur]

5 hours ago, gfhockey said:

All I saw was a discussion which happens all the time I didn’t see the player yap at the ref? 
 

I think the west Fargo and Minot parents need to get together and spend a lot more money on hockey camps and checkbook hockey to get to the status of the Grand Forks kids

 

preferably send them to camps in grand forks ran by und hockey pkayas

Player skated behind the reffs and said something to which the official turned right away.  

[gfhockey]

2 hours ago, Wilbur said:

Player skated behind the reffs and said something to which the official turned right away.  

Best part about it is the refs were there boyz

[JakeLove]

GFC already up 1-0 at Davies, scored first shift first rush up the ice 

[sioux rube]

Huge win by the Jays over Legacy tonight. Kept their first line in check with only 1 goal. Another Nenow kid with the game winner for the Jays. Better team won 

 

 

 

[Brim006]

7 hours ago, Johnny Five said:

I will add: if Legacy hadn't started when it did, Century very well would've competed for a State Championship or 2.  Most of those Legacy kids (year 2 WDA champions lost to Davies in OT first game of state), would've been at CHS along with the Vig boys and some very good CHS players....2 good teams would've made for one really, really good team.

And they did compete for a state championship. In 2018 they were arguably the best team in the state. They outplayed and outshot GFC in the state championship that year but just couldn’t bury it. Lost 4-2 but they were clearly better than GFC and everyone else that year. People forget about that team and that season.
 

2019 they got 3rd place but easily could’ve won it all again as I thought they had the most balanced team but they had a few bad bounces in the semis. Century was on a trajectory to continue that success year after year until the 3rd varsity team got added. Don’t get me wrong, it was the right choice, but century was going to continue producing top 3 teams and win a ship ever few years at the rate they were going. 

[Ndamukong_sioux]

29 minutes ago, Brim006 said:

And they did compete for a state championship. In 2018 they were arguably the best team in the state. They outplayed and outshot GFC in the state championship that year but just couldn’t bury it. Lost 4-2 but they were clearly better than GFC and everyone else that year. People forget about that team and that season.
 

2019 they got 3rd place but easily could’ve won it all again as I thought they had the most balanced team but they had a few bad bounces in the semis. Century was on a trajectory to continue that success year after year until the 3rd varsity team got added. Don’t get me wrong, it was the right choice, but century was going to continue producing top 3 teams and win a ship ever few years at the rate they were going. 

GFC was 2-0 vs them that year. And clearly better? Maybe everywhere but between the pipes. Kaleb Johnson was outstanding all year and in that game. 

[Brim006]

8 hours ago, Ndamukong_sioux said:

GFC was 2-0 vs them that year. And clearly better? Maybe everywhere but between the pipes. Kaleb Johnson was outstanding all year and in that game. 

The goalie is apart of the team after all so I shouldn’t forget that, but yes they were better everywhere other than goaltender,  out shooting them both times. Johnson was the difference maker for central.
 

I’m not sure what the scoring chances were in the ship that year but they had to be 3 to 1 if not 4 to 1 century. 
 

Anyway, my main point was that century already developed into a championship contender program before the split but that often gets forgotten for some reason. 

[gfhockey]

11 hours ago, Brim006 said:

And they did compete for a state championship. In 2018 they were arguably the best team in the state. They outplayed and outshot GFC in the state championship that year but just couldn’t bury it. Lost 4-2 but they were clearly better than GFC and everyone else that year. People forget about that team and that season.
 

2019 they got 3rd place but easily could’ve won it all again as I thought they had the most balanced team but they had a few bad bounces in the semis. Century was on a trajectory to continue that success year after year until the 3rd varsity team got added. Don’t get me wrong, it was the right choice, but century was going to continue producing top 3 teams and win a ship ever few years at the rate they were going. 

Lol win it all? Your killing me

[Wilbur]

5 hours ago, Brim006 said:

The goalie is apart of the team after all so I shouldn’t forget that, but yes they were better everywhere other than goaltender,  out shooting them both times. Johnson was the difference maker for central.
 

I’m not sure what the scoring chances were in the ship that year but they had to be 3 to 1 if not 4 to 1 century. 
 

Anyway, my main point was that century already developed into a championship contender program before the split but that often gets forgotten for some reason. 

I don't think the Demons were slouches either.  Winning in 2014 and having a few top 4 and championship game appearances after that. 

Peluso very much got out at the right time.  

[Frozen4sioux]

On 1/17/2026 at 7:20 AM, Brim006 said:

Anyway, my main point was that century already developed into a championship contender program before the split but that often gets forgotten for some reason. 

This is very accurate, the trajectory was going to end up with many more shots at a banner.  It's going to take a loooooooooooong time for that to ever be something even remotely possible again.  Most likely would require the contraction back to two teams. But hopefully youth numbers rebound on the south side enough to eventually compete 

On 1/17/2026 at 1:00 PM, Wilbur said:

Peluso very much got out at the right time.  

He knew exactly what what coming.

[Frozen4sioux]

On 1/16/2026 at 8:27 AM, Brim006 said:

What's the good word in the youth hockey world around the state? 

It looks like West Fargo and Bismarck have booming numbers. Bismarck has 750+ kids and WF with around 600? Bismarck's will get split into 3 varsity and WF only 2 though, but both appear to have very strong numbers coming through the pipeline...far surpassing previous years, especially the younger ages (yes I understand the numbers tapper off each year but they are starting off with far more than past years).

Mandan youth hockey seems to be growing at a strong pace. 

Grafton communicated strong bounce back youth numbers last year when they announced their new rink and facility being built soon. They've been a corner stone of ND hockey for a long time so that's encouraging to see. 

Devils Lake and Jamestown seem to just be steady eddy. Does VC still contribute some players? Devils Lake continues to get 1-2 Cando kids every year and they actually have a New Rockford kid right now. 

Bott+Rugby numbers always seem to surprise me so they must be doing something right with their youth programs. 

How is HB doing? Do they have a future? Their high school program has been hanging by a thread for 5-6 years now. We went up there for mite hockey a few weeks ago and the rink was busy with lots of young hockey players around but I'm not sure how their participation looks now vs years past. 

Grand Forks looks like they have about the same amount of youth hockey teams as they have always had. So no major growth there but still punching above their weight class as always. And I think GF somehow always has the quality over quantity. It's that red river drinking water source. 

Minot sounds like a political mess up top so I just assume the same at the other levels, so I havent taken interest in looking into their situation haha. 

For many years I was hopeful Williston and Dickinson would gain momentum and utilize their larger populations to make some waves in the ND hockey world, which would give the west the boost it needs, but hockey just never seems to fully catch on out there. In fact, Williston who for many years in the early 2000s was consistently a top 4 team in the west, has clearly taken several steps back. I wonder what their youth program numbers are looking like today? 

It ALL comes down to how long ND hockey can keep North Dakota Hockey players ... playing in ND. 

NDHSAA will need a major reversal of attitude before NDAHA can work on tuning things even more to do what can be done.

The coming massive changes to "tier 1" nationwide will have a massive effect as well.  The developing USA Hockey tier 1 league will leave vacancies in the old guard of Tier 1 programs....    Lots of ND families will be hell bent to rip those checks off to help backfill the voids. 

I don't have the answers and frankly just too exhausted to give a rats patoot about it all anymore but its going to be a complete roller coaster.  

[Oxbow6]

GFC travels to take on the Spuds on Tuesday. Joey has been out for a while, but Moorhead keeps rolling.

[Johnny Five]

1 hour ago, Oxbow6 said:

GFC travels to take on the Spuds on Tuesday. Joey has been out for a while, but Moorhead keeps rolling.

What happened to Cullen.

[JakeLove]

On 1/17/2026 at 1:00 PM, Wilbur said:

I don't think the Demons were slouches either.  Winning in 2014 and having a few top 4 and championship game appearances after that. 

Peluso very much got out at the right time.  

Did he? or did he quit because actually coaching a team that needs improvement was too much work?? I don’t understand why he is canonized. 
 

 

 

[UNDMOORHEAD]

5 hours ago, Johnny Five said:

What happened to Cullen.

Broken wrist 

[Wilbur]

10 hours ago, JakeLove said:

Did he? or did he quit because actually coaching a team that needs improvement was too much work?? I don’t understand why he is canonized. 
 

 

 

Well, thats the quiet part out loud. 😅

When he and his staff resigned he mentioned something along the lines of parent over reach, etc.  I think everyone in the state knows he got out because of what the Demons were going to look like talent wise after the Legacy hockey team became a reality.