Prospective Recruits

[brianvf]

3 minutes ago, nascar99 said:

This upcoming season is their D+1, which will be in the Dub

They'll hopefully be in the NCAA for their D+2

Ah yes brain fart on my end. 
Mathed it wrong. 

[scpa0305]

Clanko reported Belchetz’s nil deal was $200k…those Big10 team really throwing around dough 

[JakeLove]

8 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

Clanko reported Belchetz’s nil deal was $200k…those Big10 team really throwing around dough 

Their media deal alone gives them lots of dough for them to throw around. 

[nascar99]

On 6/5/2026 at 10:24 PM, JakeLove said:

Their media deal alone gives them lots of dough for them to throw around. 

They also have many super wealthy donors

[thUNDer]

Just saw a special on NHL Network of the top 32 draft prospects :
 

https://www.nhl.com/draft/prospects

[atxsioux]

Mathis Preston confirmed to be returning to the WHL next year

[atxsioux]

With that being the case think he checks a lot of boxes for UND. Likely Zellers replacement. Can reset in the WHL and round out his game a little more so he’d be a guy that can make an impact right away when he steps foot on campus.

[atxsioux]

Also per the athletic pod sounds like a lot of teams weren’t very fond of Tommy Bleyl opting to return to the Q since he already tore it up. Apparently he wants more ice time than just being on MSUs 2nd pair. (A little greedy by him IMO)

[beastandco]

1 hour ago, atxsioux said:

Also per the athletic pod sounds like a lot of teams weren’t very fond of Tommy Bleyl opting to return to the Q since he already tore it up. Apparently he wants more ice time than just being on MSUs 2nd pair. (A little greedy by him IMO)

They also noted that the Rucks had made a couple of college visits recently but are returning to Medicine Hat. No teams were mentioned but I believe UND and Penn State were among them.

Outside of DuPont, Adam Novotny seems like the only player considering making a move in the coming weeks.

[atxsioux]

1 hour ago, beastandco said:

They also noted that the Rucks had made a couple of college visits recently but are returning to Medicine Hat. No teams were mentioned but I believe UND and Penn State were among them.

Outside of DuPont, Adam Novotny seems like the only player considering making a move in the coming weeks.

Will be much more quiet than it was last year since most players are decided on going to college next year / back to JRs for the select few.

[I Ranger]

1 hour ago, atxsioux said:

Will be much more quiet than it was last year since most players are decided on going to college next year / back to JRs for the select few.

I'm curious to see if we really zone in on a target/targets like we supposedly did with Carels over a year ago? For instance the Ruck's or Preston? I just found that statement quite curious with the fact that we have a full time GM and it sure seemed like from over a year ago it was Carels or bust on the D side? DId we not even attempt to get Rudolph/Lin as well? I know we have Verhoeff and Emery on the right side but that sure didn't stop Denver. 

[cberkas]

This was interesting, I'm sure I said it before that the NTDP would be affected the most by letting the CHL players in the NCAA. 

edit: Trevor Daley Jr is leaving the NTDP for the Soo Greyhounds

[cberkas]

Sacha's brother goes 1st overall in the QMJHL draft

[Sioux90]

1 hour ago, cberkas said:

Sacha's brother goes 1st overall in the QMJHL draft

We don’t want him.

[cberkas]

Alisher Sarkenov to Western Michigan, he might be the first player from Kazakhstan in the NCAA

[atxsioux]

Schloss mentioned in his column the Ruck Twins will be a UND target to recruit to bring in 2027-2028 as most of us guessed

[brianvf]

3 hours ago, atxsioux said:

Schloss mentioned in his column the Ruck Twins will be a UND target to recruit to bring in 2027-2028 as most of us guessed

I feel like Schloss doesn't just mention players like that without a little bit of intel.  Especially with the rumors that they already visited campus.
Hopefully UND is able to snag them for next season!

[beastandco]

2 hours ago, brianvf said:

I feel like Schloss doesn't just mention players like that without a little bit of intel.  Especially with the rumors that they already visited campus.
Hopefully UND is able to snag them for next season!

I wonder what their timeline will be to commit. Given that they have already done a couple of visits, it wouldn’t surprise me if they committed to a school soon after the draft.

[southpaw]

Unlike other CHL guys leaving for NCAA, their team knows they're gone after next season so they'll be able to announce earlier. 

[tnt]

9 hours ago, southpaw said:

Unlike other CHL guys leaving for NCAA, their team knows they're gone after next season so they'll be able to announce earlier. 

Certainly would be nice to know one way or another so they either can find players to complement what they already have in place or know what they need to fill out their roster in terms of roles.

[brianvf]

Interesting to hear who and why top prospects vote for when asked who the most skilled and most underrated players in this draft class are:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7345526/2026/06/16/2026-nhl-draft-prospects-survey-talented-underrated/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.qlA.1poQ.ONnLEN16x-Xh

On Preston:

Quote

Maybe my biggest takeaway from the survey was how much reverence Mathis Preston's peers have for his skill level.

Defenseman Tim Runtso said Preston can go end-to-end and "do it all by himself."

"Pure skill is Mathis Preston," Zach Olsen answered quickly. "His overall puck skill is through the roof."

Added defenseman Ben Macbeath: "Growing up, he has always been the most elite skill guy. I would expect most guys to say him, he’s just got so much skill."

Carels got some love too:

Quote

Those who voted for Carels talked about how hard he was to play against as its own skill. Coincidentally, Lin was one of them, saying that when he watched him from the stands a few times this year while hurt, he thought he was "unbelievable" and "dominated games."

Ruck twins mentioned as well:

Quote

I was curious who McKenna would give for this; he went to the Ruck twins right away, and I thought he gave a really interesting answer.

"They’re some of the smartest players I’ve ever played with or against. To see the jump they made last year to this year has been pretty special. In my opinion, brains are the biggest part of hockey, and those two are some of the smartest players I’ve been around," McKenna said.

Ethan MacKenzie called the pair "impossible to stop," too, and Giorgos Pantelas said, "God, they are so skilled with the puck — they are working you up and down the ice, and you give them any little bit of space, and they will make you pay."

Preston broke the tie when he singled out Markus: "Just the way he thinks the game. He thinks the game in such a unique way. We think the game in a similar way, and the way he sees plays develop, when you’re watching him, it feels like he’s always a step ahead. He’s someone that I could even learn off of as well."