Prospective Recruits

[siouxforce19]

1 hour ago, beastandco said:

Cootes seems like a great fit. If we were to get a forward from the dub, I would be ecstatic with him or Kindel. Schmidt’s size concerns me a bit but he is a good player. 

I think Rickwood is our best faceoff guy so I would be surprised if we moved him to wing. I beleive he was at 57% last year. The downside of Rickwood is that he had one great year with Clarkson and that might not translate to the NCHC. Looking back at a few line charts from last year and Littler played a ton of wing and is a right shot. The staff could view him as a wing.
 

At this point, it might be in their best interest to target a center and juggle the lines around. Winning faceoffs with this young forward group concerns me a little bit but having more options would be ideal.
 

I guess based on what I saw last year I think that Littler is someone they want at center. All our other centers are freshmen and I don’t think we would roll out Rickwood and 3 freshmen centers. So if Littler is not at center they will move another non-freshman to center. Maybe Strinden? Swanson was mentioned as someone with the flexibility to play center but I just see him at wing. 

[atxsioux]

Curious there hasn’t been an announced commitment from Ryder Ritchie to BU yet. Wondering if he is maybe rethinking things?

[nascar99]

7 hours ago, atxsioux said:

Curious there hasn’t been an announced commitment from Ryder Ritchie to BU yet. Wondering if he is maybe rethinking things?

Common perception has been that Ritchie wouldn't formally announce until after McKenna formally announces where he's going. Still a chance they go somewhere together or they do their own thing. I'm guessing both are on visits right now.

[beastandco]

8 hours ago, siouxforce19 said:

I guess based on what I saw last year I think that Littler is someone they want at center. All our other centers are freshmen and I don’t think we would roll out Rickwood and 3 freshmen centers. So if Littler is not at center they will move another non-freshman to center. Maybe Strinden? Swanson was mentioned as someone with the flexibility to play center but I just see him at wing. 

Littler, Rickwood, Klee, and Kernan all have pretty big frames. I cannot speak for Littler, but I know the other three have been good in the faceoff circle before they came here. I know Boisvert played some wing early last season and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Reschny and/or another CHL guy start at wing and gradually move over to center as the season progresses.

I just think back to the 23/24 season and we had McLaughlin playing center because he was our only option. We have five centers on the roster right now but only Reschny and Rickwood can play top 6. If one of those guys is hurt or is struggling to win faceoffs, it would be nice to have a guy step in that is a legit top 6 player. 

[atxsioux]

29 minutes ago, beastandco said:

Littler, Rickwood, Klee, and Kernan all have pretty big frames. I cannot speak for Littler, but I know the other three have been good in the faceoff circle before they came here. I know Boisvert played some wing early last season and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Reschny and/or another CHL guy start at wing and gradually move over to center as the season progresses.

I just think back to the 23/24 season and we had McLaughlin playing center because he was our only option. We have five centers on the roster right now but only Reschny and Rickwood can play top 6. If one of those guys is hurt or is struggling to win faceoffs, it would be nice to have a guy step in that is a legit top 6 player. 

I'd agree with that thinking - add another high end center so we have options in the top 6. I think you can sell to Reschny and another high end WHL player (IE Cootes) that in year 1 you're going to be on the wing some. Then by year 2 you jump into playing center full time in the top 6 after you've adjusted more to the college game. 

[beastandco]

1 hour ago, atxsioux said:

I'd agree with that thinking - add another high end center so we have options in the top 6. I think you can sell to Reschny and another high end WHL player (IE Cootes) that in year 1 you're going to be on the wing some. Then by year 2 you jump into playing center full time in the top 6 after you've adjusted more to the college game. 

Reschny and Cootes both had a great u18 tournament about a month ago. I am not sure if they played on the same line during the tournament but I am sure they are familiar with each other. Schlossman said in an article last week that the Reschny and Verhoeff commitments could be a domino effect with other players from Western Canada in the future. I am sure Reschny is in communication with other Canadian players about potentially coming to North Dakota, especially when he is spending a ton of time around them at the combine last week. 

[ChadR]

https://puckpreps.com/despite-qmjhl-interest-carter-meyer-sets-sights-on-ntdp-ncaa-future/
 

mentions North Dakota as a possible destination.

[yzerman19]

On 6/10/2025 at 7:00 PM, siouxforce19 said:

I think we have recruited the Chicago area terribly. We got Strathmann but that’s pretty much it. We were in on Jack Hextall last summer but he picked Michigan State over UND, despite being a UND fan. So clearly there’s issues recruiting this area. Maybe with the new staff we can remedy this. 

State has made a huge investment in facilities and they have a great dev head coach in Nightingale.  They are definitely formidable on the recruiting trail.  RIght now, they are probably the most formidable in the Big 10 for players not just looking for sacks of cash.

[Fratt Mattin]

2 hours ago, ChadR said:

https://puckpreps.com/despite-qmjhl-interest-carter-meyer-sets-sights-on-ntdp-ncaa-future/
 

mentions North Dakota as a possible destination.

Would love to have him, but he’s from Massachusetts so I’m not holding my breath

[siouxforce19]

1 hour ago, yzerman19 said:

State has made a huge investment in facilities and they have a great dev head coach in Nightingale.  They are definitely formidable on the recruiting trail.  RIght now, they are probably the most formidable in the Big 10 for players not just looking for sacks of cash.

Schlossman had mentioned on a podcast a while back that a lot of our recent recruiting battles right now have been with Michigan State. We are getting recruits that picked us over them and vice versa. 

[TwamleyShuffle]

Sad that we aren’t in the mix but surprising to see ASU and Harvard there

[TwamleyShuffle]

Update: he picked penn state as of an hr ago

[nascar99]

8 minutes ago, TwamleyShuffle said:

Sad that we aren’t in the mix but surprising to see ASU and Harvard there

I think that's a fake IG post and you got Fronk'd

[TwamleyShuffle]

1 minute ago, nascar99 said:

I think that's a fake IG post and you got Fronk'd

He deleted it, check his IG he picked Penn State

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

2 minutes ago, TwamleyShuffle said:

He deleted it, check his IG he picked Penn State

Nothing. You've been Fronk'd.

[atxsioux]

Ya that’s a fake post lol. 

 

Don’t think there’s much movement still. I’m assuming he’s still in the visit process the next 2 weeks. 

[TwamleyShuffle]

My apologies. I saw a few twitter posts saying he committed also but to different teams

[atxsioux]

Ya all good, happens to all of us. There's gona be alot of troll accounts for the next few weeks, watch out hahah.

 

From what I've heard from Cam Robinson (he spoke directly with McKenna's agent). There won't be a decision until after the draft very likely. Which is why I'm skeptical that he has any true "favorite" teams at the moment, I don't think he's even gotten to that point in the decision process.

[1972]

27 minutes ago, TwamleyShuffle said:

Sad that we aren’t in the mix but surprising to see ASU and Harvard there

i get that it is a fake post, but why would you be surprised at ASU being there?  been prettygood lately, have a decent coach, play in a great conference and play in an absolute great weather enviroment.  plus it sounds like there is a very nice population of co-eds that are enrolled there..what more could a kid want?

[atxsioux]

The main reason by far for him leaving the CHL is to best prepare for the NHL (get stronger + develop). Maybe not fair because ASU is a new program, but they have very little history in showing players they've developed. Compared to your blue bloods of UND, BU, BC, Michigan, MSU it's not even close. (this is why i think alot of people are skeptical about Penn State allegedly being the "favorite"). 10 years from now, maybe ASU may have some more ground to stand on in a recruiting battle.

[nascar99]

7 minutes ago, 1972 said:

i get that it is a fake post, but why would you be surprised at ASU being there?  been prettygood lately, have a decent coach, play in a great conference and play in an absolute great weather enviroment.  plus it sounds like there is a very nice population of co-eds that are enrolled there..what more could a kid want?

Until a high end elite tier Canadian chooses Arizona State, I'll be skeptical. Once the first domino falls, then we can expect it.

Arizona State didn't land an elite recruit until Cullen Potter committed last summer. They're still in the infancy stages of being massive players in elite recruiting & getting in battles with North Dakota, Denver, Michigan, etc.

[brianvf]

21 minutes ago, 1972 said:

i get that it is a fake post, but why would you be surprised at ASU being there?  been prettygood lately, have a decent coach, play in a great conference and play in an absolute great weather enviroment.  plus it sounds like there is a very nice population of co-eds that are enrolled there..what more could a kid want?

As someone that lives in Phoenix (for now), one of the main reasons that my family and I are leaving in the next couple years is due to the weather.
I'd take a Grand Forks winter over a Phoenix summer any day.

[beastandco]

Ryder Ritchie officially commits to BU. No surprise there

[RhettRingers]

31 minutes ago, atxsioux said:

Ya all good, happens to all of us. There's gona be alot of troll accounts for the next few weeks, watch out hahah.

 

From what I've heard from Cam Robinson (he spoke directly with McKenna's agent). There won't be a decision until after the draft very likely. Which is why I'm skeptical that he has any true "favorite" teams at the moment, I don't think he's even gotten to that point in the decision process.

He isn't even draft eligible this year so what would the draft have anything to do with him making his decision?

[atxsioux]

Pod linked - below. McKenna talk is at around the 44:00 mark with what Cam Robinson heard from talking with his agent. No clue why they are slow playing the decision but thats apparently what him and his camp are doing.