2025-2026 ND High School Hockey Thread

[Johnny Five]

The ol' saying goes...dominate the level you're at before you leave town. 

[siouxweet]

3 hours ago, Johnny Five said:

The ol' saying goes...dominate the level you're at before you leave town. 

Define dominate, 10 goals and 10 assists at the AA level?

[JakeLove]

6 hours ago, Brim006 said:

It sounds like quite a few Bantam AA players are planning to leave the state rather than move on to high school hockey. I recently read an article highlighting several eastern states dealing with the same issue but several years ahead of our current state, and I’ve heard and seen similar trends across the Midwest now more recently. MI, WI, IL, OH.

Minnesota is essentially the last state where high school hockey still keeps the majority of players at home playing for their hometowns. The clock is probably ticking even there though unfortunately. 

And almost everyone leaving is a fool running a fools errand. This has been a perverse unintended consequence of establishing the Bantam AA league. 
 

Never underestimate the ego factor for parents who like to say their kid is playing “out east” for the Cleveland Barons or whatever or whatnot team. 
 

MN holds it together with their quality for sure but the open enrollment and kids moving to and fro is a big part of why their “community” hockey is still working so well. Just don’t say that to the Roseau’s, I Falls, Willmar’s Bloomington Kennedy’s, etc because it’s not working as well for them

ND can still keep our thing going if Team ND continues and if we believe in ourselves a lot more. I may be a naive Pollyanna but I do wish we felt more confident. 

[Johnny Five]

8 hours ago, siouxweet said:

Define dominate, 10 goals and 10 assists at the AA level?

Yeah...no.

Brayden Strom, FR season, 18 and 20 for 38.  I'd have liked to see him return for his SOPH season, but other than that, go ahead man...go onto Northstar.  Strom, by the way, was recently added to Penticton's affiliate list.  I don't know if that holds any water for the future or not.

 Max Vig, 16 and 31 as a D his JR season, basically controlling games.  Yessir, go on, get outta here.  

For Bantams, dominate your 8th grade year, able to play on top 2 lines and special teams for your HS, go ahead an move up as a FR.  

Something like that.  Works for some, doesn't work for others.  

 

[Johnny Five]

7 hours ago, JakeLove said:

And almost everyone leaving is a fool running a fools errand. This has been a perverse unintended consequence of establishing the Bantam AA league. 
 

Never underestimate the ego factor for parents who like to say their kid is playing “out east” for the Cleveland Barons or whatever or whatnot team. 
 

MN holds it together with their quality for sure but the open enrollment and kids moving to and fro is a big part of why their “community” hockey is still working so well. Just don’t say that to the Roseau’s, I Falls, Willmar’s Bloomington Kennedy’s, etc because it’s not working as well for them

ND can still keep our thing going if Team ND continues and if we believe in ourselves a lot more. I may be a naive Pollyanna but I do wish we felt more confident. 

I have no idea how many kids leave early from East...if kids would stay home in Bismarck and Minot things would be much better out here.  That being said, I've come to find when it comes to sports, everyone at some point has to make a selfish decision.  Whether it works or not is up to them.

[siouxweet]

58 minutes ago, Johnny Five said:

Yeah...no.

Brayden Strom, FR season, 18 and 20 for 38.  I'd have liked to see him return for his SOPH season, but other than that, go ahead man...go onto Northstar.  Strom, by the way, was recently added to Penticton's affiliate list.  I don't know if that holds any water for the future or not.

 Max Vig, 16 and 31 as a D his JR season, basically controlling games.  Yessir, go on, get outta here.  

For Bantams, dominate your 8th grade year, able to play on top 2 lines and special teams for your HS, go ahead an move up as a FR.  

Something like that.  Works for some, doesn't work for others.  

 

I was being facetious .   I know I am in the minority but this is why I think Marto should move on to juniors.   Having an 80 point season against mediocre HS comp won't do anything for his development.   He needs to be challenged. 

[Johnny Five]

My bad...it's early.  Yeah that kids got it.  Little sister has a nack for the net as well, but also small.

[Frozen4sioux]

I've been all over and stuck to my guns on "Staying home" and I think we all agree it's by far the best case for the VAST majority of the kids that leave North Dakota.

But as Johnny points out.... there's some that absolutely must leave. Max Vig was a great example for sure.

The real frustrating thing is defining the line of you maybe should go to the, what are you thinking?

So many kids have gone off to such and such AAA and just wasted generational money, then there's those kids who stayed, stuck around who were and are better hockey players than their peers but once they get through high school, they end up hearing... Yeah but you've only played ND high school" from Jr teams... they don't get respect in the jr "drafts" or camps as much as the kids with the better AAA programs and advi$or$

and some of those people are the same people that troll the "Stay Home" mantra in public.  

So it's a double-edged sword, so the grey area of stay-at-home vs go and have an opportunity, is greyer than ever.

The leeches who try to do nothing but profit from that grey area are thicker than ever......  and the exceptions to both sides are few and far between IMHO.

 

But even fewer are the stories of the kids who actually parley either into a D1 option

 

 

[Brim006]

Yeah, there are certainly a few NDHS kids at the end of every season who any unbiased fan or follower can clearly see wouldn’t gain much from coming back for another year. But as we know, the number who actually leave far exceeds that short list. I’d say roughly 4–6 players truly fit the bill, yet more like 30–45 leave every year. That’s quite the discrepancy. It really boils down to parents having some sort of contagious delusion that spending money to send their kids away early is going to get them to the next level. Or they enjoy being able to tell people their kid is off playing hockey somewhere else, indicating they were too good for the local hockey.

As we’ve seen and will continue to see, that very rarely pays off (if ever) for kids who aren’t already in that rare, special category. However, maybe I’m misunderstanding their final goals. If the goal is to play club hockey at Idaho State, D3, Junior Bs, or for a team like the Lake Region Royals, then maybe more of them consider the move + money spent a success than I realize.

I think all the programs should hire a statistician to present to these parents every year to help them understand the reality of the situation. With the continued growth of USA Hockey participation, and now the influx of more Canadian players (WHL, etc.) into NCAA D1 while the number of teams stays pretty flat, I don’t think most people realize that even the ultimate goal of playing D1 is going to continue becoming more and more rare. And honestly after the statistician presents, a psychiatrist wouldn’t hurt either, just to help them recognize that if their motivation is stronger than their kid’s motivation, it's not worth altering their lives over the pursuit. You can’t purchase more motivation, and you can't purchase your kid's way into each next level, no matter what any academy rep tells you.

[yzerman19]

delusional parents are delusional.  Like honestly, if you are not highly drafted in WHL or USHL or at the NTDP 40-man camp, you are chasing something that probably isn't there.

[fightingsioux4life]

33 minutes ago, yzerman19 said:

delusional parents are delusional.  Like honestly, if you are not highly drafted in WHL or USHL or at the NTDP 40-man camp, you are chasing something that probably isn't there.

Living vicariously through your kids should be classified as child abuse.

[yzerman19]

7 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Living vicariously through your kids should be classified as child abuse.

agreed

[JakeLove]

7 hours ago, yzerman19 said:

delusional parents are delusional.  Like honestly, if you are not highly drafted in WHL or USHL or at the NTDP 40-man camp, you are chasing something that probably isn't there.

If your goal is NC$$ D1 on scholarship at a top team that sounds spot-on. 
 

there are hopefully still NCAA D3 (maybe low end D1 under fortuitous circumstances) and ACHA of various available for players not on the blue chip level you describe. Even this is harder now with CHL eligible in NC$$. 
 

Just an opinion - those kids on that blue chip level should leave ND HS for sure. 
 

kids not on that blue chip level with an 18u, 19u, 20u eligibility after HS graduation should in my opinion stay home.

a kid with only a 19u and 20u eligibility after graduation leaving as a HS junior if they can meaningfully play at NAHL or USHL or CHL are a more delicate decision. 
 

These are only opinions from an old guy.  I don’t claim to be a hockey insider on these topics. 

[Frozen4sioux]

10 hours ago, JakeLove said:

Just an opinion - those kids on that blue chip level should leave ND HS for sure. 

kids not on that blue chip level with an 18u, 19u, 20u eligibility after HS graduation should in my opinion stay home.

a kid with only a 19u and 20u eligibility after graduation leaving as a HS junior if they can meaningfully play at NAHL or USHL or CHL are a more delicate decision. 
 

I would say that's probably a sane logical way to look at it.

[Brim006]

Yep that all seems very reasonable and understandable. NDHS hockey would be completely different right now if all parents followed the guidance you just laid out. 

[The Sicatoka]

27 minutes ago, Frozen4sioux said:

I would say that's probably a sane logical way to look at it.

Like an infatuated delusional parent would do that. 

Little Johnny gonna be the next C-McD!

[Ndamukong_sioux]

If your kid doesn’t have any of the big representations going after you for free at age 14, it’s gonna be a long road. So many parents fall pray and pay “advisors” thousands of dollars thinking it’s the best for them and they’re going somewhere. 

[MoSiouxFan]

On 3/5/2026 at 8:21 AM, Frozen4sioux said:

I've been all over and stuck to my guns on "Staying home" and I think we all agree it's by far the best case for the VAST majority of the kids that leave North Dakota.

But as Johnny points out.... there's some that absolutely must leave. Max Vig was a great example for sure.

The real frustrating thing is defining the line of you maybe should go to the, what are you thinking?

So many kids have gone off to such and such AAA and just wasted generational money, then there's those kids who stayed, stuck around who were and are better hockey players than their peers but once they get through high school, they end up hearing... Yeah but you've only played ND high school" from Jr teams... they don't get respect in the jr "drafts" or camps as much as the kids with the better AAA programs and advi$or$

and some of those people are the same people that troll the "Stay Home" mantra in public.  

So it's a double-edged sword, so the grey area of stay-at-home vs go and have an opportunity, is greyer than ever.

The leeches who try to do nothing but profit from that grey area are thicker than ever......  and the exceptions to both sides are few and far between IMHO.

 

But even fewer are the stories of the kids who actually parley either into a D1 option

 

 

With respect to your first sentence, I'll go a step further and will probably be scorned into oblivion, but I think that all should stay home through their senior year in order to be under the authority and influence of their parents rather than staying with some unknown family who doesn't have the same love, concern and desired influence for their kid.  There are things in life that are more important than sports.  However, if God's plan for their life is to go on to the next level of hockey, then that'll happen after their senior year and he or she will do fine, and he or she will have had that extra year or two or three under the authority and influence of their family where they belong.

[yzerman19]

3 hours ago, Ndamukong_sioux said:

If your kid doesn’t have any of the big representations going after you for free at age 14, it’s gonna be a long road. So many parents fall pray and pay “advisors” thousands of dollars thinking it’s the best for them and they’re going somewhere. 

exactly right

[yzerman19]

2 hours ago, MoSiouxFan said:

With respect to your first sentence, I'll go a step further and will probably be scorned into oblivion, but I think that all should stay home through their senior year in order to be under the authority and influence of their parents rather than staying with some unknown family who doesn't have the same love, concern and desired influence for their kid.  There are things in life that are more important than sports.  However, if God's plan for their life is to go on to the next level of hockey, then that'll happen after their senior year and he or she will do fine, and he or she will have had that extra year or two or three under the authority and influence of their family where they belong.

agreed unless your kid is absolute blue chip at 16...like the 1% of the 1% of the 1%

[SIOUXpucks]

2 hours ago, MoSiouxFan said:

With respect to your first sentence, I'll go a step further and will probably be scorned into oblivion, but I think that all should stay home through their senior year in order to be under the authority and influence of their parents rather than staying with some unknown family who doesn't have the same love, concern and desired influence for their kid.  There are things in life that are more important than sports.  However, if God's plan for their life is to go on to the next level of hockey, then that'll happen after their senior year and he or she will do fine, and he or she will have had that extra year or two or three under the authority and influence of their family where they belong.

Agree with what you're saying and so many more kids should just stay put, but sometimes I wonder if billet families may be a better influence on some kids than some of the overbearing real parents that are pushing some of these kids and not being realistic.  Some parents are pretty poor role models, but I like the idea of kids staying home to play with their friends and try to have some fun.  Like you said, if it's gonna happen, there will be opportunities after high school and if those aren't there then, people are indeed delusional thinking they're going to make it big.  I would say that for some of the higher end kids, maybe a senior season away might be ok, but leaving as sophomores or juniors is silly unless they're truly showing elite skill and dominating everything.

[MoSiouxFan]

1 hour ago, yzerman19 said:

agreed unless your kid is absolute blue chip at 16...like the 1% of the 1% of the 1%

As you say, that would be the rarest of exceptions.  If that's God's plan for their life, then go for it, as He has given that person exceptional talent for a reason.

[MoSiouxFan]

45 minutes ago, SIOUXpucks said:

Agree with what you're saying and so many more kids should just stay put, but sometimes I wonder if billet families may be a better influence on some kids than some of the overbearing real parents that are pushing some of these kids and not being realistic.  Some parents are pretty poor role models, but I like the idea of kids staying home to play with their friends and try to have some fun.  Like you said, if it's gonna happen, there will be opportunities after high school and if those aren't there then, people are indeed delusional thinking they're going to make it big.  I would say that for some of the higher end kids, maybe a senior season away might be ok, but leaving as sophomores or juniors is silly unless they're truly showing elite skill and dominating everything.

You're right, unfortunately, that some billet families might be better role models than the real parents, but, hopefully, that would be rare and would be tough to know in advance.  Would still love to see players complete high school at home so that they can be under their parent's influence, unless, as yzerman19 said, in the rarest of instances a senior has exceptional talent and, as I mentioned, that it's God's plan for them to further that talent at a higher level.