Prospective Recruits

[brianvf]

11 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

Family has ties to und’s hockey program too…way back.

I like what you're saying.

[scpa0305]

10 hours ago, brianvf said:

I like what you're saying.

I don’t believe we ever recruited the older brother, now a Maine commit. And I don’t believe they are overly tight with the program now from what I gather. But they are directly related to the MacKinnons that played at UND a long time ago.

[gfhockey]

10 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

Family has ties to und’s hockey program too…way back.

Kevin mckennon

[siouxforce19]

On 11/20/2025 at 8:09 AM, beastandco said:

Steiner is the only account that UND follows that is not currently committed. Typically they follow players after they officially commit. I do remember them following Ollie a day or two before he announced his commitment. I do not remember them following a player that did not commit.

Steiner is not as flashy as a Belchetz, Roobroeck, or Preston, but he still would be a great pick up for next year. 

I’m super late on this, but for what it’s worth, UND has been following Steiner for several months now. I noticed it before the season started but then nothing happened as far as a commitment announcement so I wasn’t sure if something was imminent or not. 

[beastandco]

2 hours ago, siouxforce19 said:

I’m super late on this, but for what it’s worth, UND has been following Steiner for several months now. I noticed it before the season started but then nothing happened as far as a commitment announcement so I wasn’t sure if something was imminent or not. 

Interesting, I clicked on his account a few days ago and saw that UND was a follower.

I guess time will tell. At the very least, it seems like there is some mutual interest. He is the only player that is not associated with UND in some way that they follow.

Ollie is the only player that I remember them following before an announcement and that was only a couple of days before. This is a new one for me.

[cberkas]

 

[atxsioux]

8 hours ago, beastandco said:

Interesting, I clicked on his account a few days ago and saw that UND was a follower.

I guess time will tell. At the very least, it seems like there is some mutual interest. He is the only player that is not associated with UND in some way that they follow.

Ollie is the only player that I remember them following before an announcement and that was only a couple of days before. This is a new one for me.

Looking at their roster he seems like he may be their best NHL prospect by a good margin. (Could be a case where he would rather announce it after the year. Who knows)

[beastandco]

9 hours ago, atxsioux said:

Looking at their roster he seems like he may be their best NHL prospect by a good margin. (Could be a case where he would rather announce it after the year. Who knows)

If he commits, I doubt it would happen during the season. I doubt he wants to answer questions from the media. He has nothing to gain from announcing an NCAA commitment during the season, imo. I think players are being advised to wait until after the season to commit. Lots of top prospects will come over and almost none are currently committed.

[nascar99]

Peyton Kettles off the market, as he signs his ELC with the Penguins. Not the smartest move IMHO, don't think he's going to be ready for pro at 19 or 20 years old straight out of junior. Ben Kindel making the jump was a bit surprising, but at least he had been a high end producer in the Dub, Kettles is not that. Would have benefitted from NCAA time, but oh well.

 

[tnt]

Craig Button has Verhoeff at #3, Carson Carels at #6, Cooper Williams at #19, and Mathis Preston at #25.  Carels and Preston have been talked about as potential.  Surprised Carels was above Lin and Rudolph.

[cberkas]

Mason West wasn’t offered by Minnesota and went to the first school to give him an offer. Many schools dropped that ball 

[nascar99]

2 hours ago, cberkas said:

Mason West wasn’t offered by Minnesota and went to the first school to give him an offer. Many schools dropped that ball 

Source?

[beastandco]

3 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

Source?

 

[burd]

On 11/23/2025 at 6:18 AM, scpa0305 said:

I don’t believe we ever recruited the older brother, now a Maine commit. And I don’t believe they are overly tight with the program now from what I gather. But they are directly related to the MacKinnons that played at UND a long time ago.

Teammate of Greg Johnson?

[tnt]

15 minutes ago, burd said:

Teammate of Greg Johnson?

It says that his dad is Corey McKinnon, not Kevin, so not sure how he is tied to UND, as Kevin is the only McKinnon I can find playing hockey at UND.  Maybe some other ties to Grand Forks or the University.

[beastandco]

On 11/24/2025 at 1:17 PM, tnt said:

Craig Button has Verhoeff at #3, Carson Carels at #6, Cooper Williams at #19, and Mathis Preston at #25.  Carels and Preston have been talked about as potential.  Surprised Carels was above Lin and Rudolph.

From what I have read about Carels, he’s super projectable. He is good, not great, on both sides of the ice. He is a complete player with decent size. The other two have noticeable flaws.

Carels would be the ideal replacement for Wiebe next year. 

[tnt]

CHL vs. NTDP on NHL network with plenty of the names mentioned as prospective recruits - Lin, Rudolph, Pantelas, Carels, and Preston.

[brianvf]

13 minutes ago, tnt said:

CHL vs. NTDP on NHL network with plenty of the names mentioned as prospective recruits - Lin, Rudolph, Pantelas, Carels, and Mathis.

If the USA team plays the same way that they did against UND, I'd imagine that the CHL team will beat them.
Wasn't overly impressed with the U18 team compared to previous years.

[ChadR]

2 hours ago, tnt said:

CHL vs. NTDP on NHL network with plenty of the names mentioned as prospective recruits - Lin, Rudolph, Pantelas, Carels, and Preston.

Hope Bryn was there.

[scpa0305]

Grest team win by NTDP tonight…Cullen and Berchild were very good. Very noticeable.

Carels was good, Preston was very very dynamic the last handful of minutes during the game. Scored a really nice goal. Chase Reid was very good.

[brianvf]

24hr bus ride?
I'd want to leave the CHL for the NCAA just for the chartered plane rides alone!    

 

[SJHovey]

12 hours ago, brianvf said:

If the USA team plays the same way that they did against UND, I'd imagine that the CHL team will beat them.
Wasn't overly impressed with the U18 team compared to previous years.

It was a fun game to watch.  Also pretty fun to see the head of the CHL during the second intermission try to convince, himself(?), that the CHL is still the premier path to the NHL.

I would have loved it if College Hockey, Inc., during that intermission, had run an ad that said, "Twenty-seven of the forty-five players you are watching tonight have already committed to playing college hockey.  More to come.  Will you be next?"

[scpa0305]

Zac Zimmerman to Mankato…makes sense. I was thinking them, BSU or SCSU.

[atxsioux]

1 hour ago, SJHovey said:

It was a fun game to watch.  Also pretty fun to see the head of the CHL during the second intermission try to convince, himself(?), that the CHL is still the premier path to the NHL.

I would have loved it if College Hockey, Inc., during that intermission, had run an ad that said, "Twenty-seven of the forty-five players you are watching tonight have already committed to playing college hockey.  More to come.  Will you be next?"

I actually thought he had back tracked a little. ( I don't think he tried to compare the CHL to the NCAA once? which is smart, you're losing that battle.)

 

He seemed to be selling the CHL vs the USHL as a development path which is what he should be doing. That's who he's truly competing against. 

[SJHovey]

35 minutes ago, atxsioux said:

I actually thought he had back tracked a little. ( I don't think he tried to compare the CHL to the NCAA once? which is smart, you're losing that battle.)

 

He seemed to be selling the CHL vs the USHL as a development path which is what he should be doing. That's who he's truly competing against. 

Sort of.  He obviously chose his words very carefully, as he has done in some other interviews.  He never specifically refers to the college path, and when comparison numbers are used, it's always against the USHL.

But then he'll add in little asides like "the CHL is still the best direct path to the NHL."

I personally think the CHL is making a huge mistake, one which I sort of think they'll be dragged kicking and screaming into changing.

They should more directly target the USHL, because the USHL is going to end up as their main competition.  They should be publicly stating that if you want to play college hockey, your best path is through the CHL, not the USHL or high school hockey.