2026-27 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[cberkas]

Watch Menghini get a letter and he will have to play when he should be in the stands most nights. 

[AJS]

3 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Watch Menghini get a letter and he will have to play when he should be in the stands most nights. 

Berry isn’t the coach anymore. That would have been a once valid concern.

[Wilbur]

2 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Watch Menghini get a letter and he will have to play when he should be in the stands most nights. 

Right.  There have been a few players previously who I will not mention who have worn letters but should have been given a suit for Friday night performances or their body of work over a previous weekend.  I think Jax and company are above that one......at least I hope they are. 

[tnt]

12 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Watch Menghini get a letter and he will have to play when he should be in the stands most nights. 

After a slow start Menghini really was pretty good the second half.

[I Ranger]

41 minutes ago, brianvf said:

The obvious targets would be Carels, DuPont, Ruck twins, and Belchetz.
I would be ecstatic if we're able to land 2 of those 5.  Anything more than that is just bonus.
I'm guessing the staff has quite a few CHL "fallbacks" of players in case those big timers go elsewhere.  Similar to the Ollie signing at the end of last summer...he was a player that no one had talked about before he committed, but he'll end up being a great player for the future here.

I think you can throw Rudolph in with those names as well. As far as forwards go though, I have to think there are multiple options if we don't have at least one already in the cupboard. 

[beastandco]

36 minutes ago, brianvf said:

The obvious targets would be Carels, DuPont, Ruck twins, and Belchetz.
I would be ecstatic if we're able to land 2 of those 5.  Anything more than that is just bonus.
I'm guessing the staff has quite a few CHL "fallbacks" of players in case those big timers go elsewhere.  Similar to the Ollie signing at the end of last summer...he was a player that no one had talked about before he committed, but he'll end up being a great player for the future here.

I would argue our “fallbacks” this year would be players like Cooper Williams and Brayden Klimpke, who are returning to Saskatoon next year. Those two, production wise, are in the mix of the players in the next tier. Outside of the big four, there are only a couple of defensemen that are uncommitted with more points than Klimpke. Points obviously aren’t everything either. 
 

We will how many spots are still open when the portal closes. There’s not really any names that I would think UND would be after left but players can still enter for the next 9 days. This is a slow burn but we are slowly but surely seeing what Bryn has had cooking for the last year unravel.

[The Sicatoka]

33 minutes ago, cberkas said:

Watch Menghini get a letter and he will have to play when he should be in the stands most nights. 

I think (hope? pray?) we're safe from that. 

Croal, Swanson, Emery, <this space available>, <this space also available> 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

2 hours ago, brianvf said:

The obvious targets would be Carels, DuPont, Ruck twins, and Belchetz.
I would be ecstatic if we're able to land 2 of those 5.  Anything more than that is just bonus.
I'm guessing the staff has quite a few CHL "fallbacks" of players in case those big timers go elsewhere.  Similar to the Ollie signing at the end of last summer...he was a player that no one had talked about before he committed, but he'll end up being a great player for the future here.

Is Alexander Command still a target? I.e. is he still following Bryn and vice versa?

[brianvf]

Ha, little snippet on Lindberg coming in, and they talk about the nameplate issue.  

 

[Godsmack]

1 hour ago, brianvf said:

Ha, little snippet on Lindberg coming in, and they talk about the nameplate issue.  

 

I’d be curious to know how his path led him to CC. I wonder if he was initially recruited by UND or not. I wish him and his brother all the success at UND. 

[brianvf]

Will be interested to see when the 26/27 schedule gets released if they stopped scheduling games during the Xmas break.
I know that Jax alluded to that last year after how short they were.
I'm assuming that next season we'll have a decent number of players eligible for both the WJC and the Spengler.

Sucks to have a huge break between games, but would rather that than be really short-handed if we're well-represented in both those tourneys.

[cberkas]

5 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Will be interested to see when the 26/27 schedule gets released if they stopped scheduling games during the Xmas break.
I know that Jax alluded to that last year after how short they were.
I'm assuming that next season we'll have a decent number of players eligible for both the WJC and the Spengler.

Sucks to have a huge break between games, but would rather that than be really short-handed if we're well-represented in both those tourneys.

21st for conference games 

[brianvf]

I feel like Schloss always knows a bit more than he can outright say, but his articles sometimes give "hints" to who he might have heard UND is pursuing.
He listed the following F/D as potential CHL targets earlier this offseason:

Defense:

• Carels is the most obvious target. He's from nearby Manitoba, where UND has a long history of recruiting. His gameplay style fits North Dakota to a T. He's elite offensively but also has a mean streak and will throw at least one big hit per game.
• Rudolph is an elite offense producer who will rack up points as a college freshman. Rudolph, an Alberta native, is currently lighting up the WHL playoffs for Prince Albert, the league's second-best team.
• It wouldn't be a surprise if UND enters the DuPont sweepstakes. DuPont isn't eligible for the NHL Draft until 2027, but he will almost certainly come to the NCAA this fall. He is this year's Verhoeff, a rare player who is good enough to be a college defenseman at age 17. DuPont is an elusive defender who is putting up big numbers.

Forwards:

• There are the Medicine Hat twins, Liam and Marcus Ruck, who are extremely intelligent players and have a sixth sense for where others are on the ice.
• Everett's Matias Vanhanen is a setup wizard.
• Spokane's Chase Harrington and Seattle's Matthew Gard are good players as well, though their NCAA timelines are unknown. 
• Uncommitted forwards from the OHL and QMJHL who are candidates to be picked in the first round of this year's NHL Draft include Windsor's Ethan Belchetz, Peterborough's Adam Novoty, Québec's Maddox Dagenais, Sarnia's Alessandro Di Iorio and Niagara's Ryan Roobroeck.

[nascar99]

New UND Hockey Podcast with Schloss & Feldy just dropped, will listen to it now & give my thoughts after I'm done at the gym.

[beastandco]

10 hours ago, brianvf said:

I feel like Schloss always knows a bit more than he can outright say, but his articles sometimes give "hints" to who he might have heard UND is pursuing.
He listed the following F/D as potential CHL targets earlier this offseason:

Defense:

• Carels is the most obvious target. He's from nearby Manitoba, where UND has a long history of recruiting. His gameplay style fits North Dakota to a T. He's elite offensively but also has a mean streak and will throw at least one big hit per game.
• Rudolph is an elite offense producer who will rack up points as a college freshman. Rudolph, an Alberta native, is currently lighting up the WHL playoffs for Prince Albert, the league's second-best team.
• It wouldn't be a surprise if UND enters the DuPont sweepstakes. DuPont isn't eligible for the NHL Draft until 2027, but he will almost certainly come to the NCAA this fall. He is this year's Verhoeff, a rare player who is good enough to be a college defenseman at age 17. DuPont is an elusive defender who is putting up big numbers.

Forwards:

• There are the Medicine Hat twins, Liam and Marcus Ruck, who are extremely intelligent players and have a sixth sense for where others are on the ice.
• Everett's Matias Vanhanen is a setup wizard.
• Spokane's Chase Harrington and Seattle's Matthew Gard are good players as well, though their NCAA timelines are unknown. 
• Uncommitted forwards from the OHL and QMJHL who are candidates to be picked in the first round of this year's NHL Draft include Windsor's Ethan Belchetz, Peterborough's Adam Novoty, Québec's Maddox Dagenais, Sarnia's Alessandro Di Iorio and Niagara's Ryan Roobroeck.

Schloss said on his podcast this morning that UND doesn’t have any silent commitments. I wouldn’t expect any of these names to be committed unless they take a visit after the season. For reference, Ryan Lin committed about 10 days after his season ended. It’s a safe bet that he visited Denver in that time frame before officially committing.

[nascar99]

2 hours ago, nascar99 said:

New UND Hockey Podcast with Schloss & Feldy just dropped, will listen to it now & give my thoughts after I'm done at the gym.

Some bullet point thoughts that Schloss talked about on the pod with Feldy:

- End of season Frozen Four discussion, North Dakota didn't handle Wisconsin's forecheck well, didn't get their 1st goal soon enough to seriously comeback. Returning players are super motivated to get back to the Frozen Four in 2027 and finish the job.

- Transfer Portal talk, mildly surprising but also not that surprising to see Littler, Klee, & Strathmann in the portal. Lindberg, Boser, & Magnussen solid older depth additions. UND Coaching Staff isn't worried to lose guys in portal, they're more than able to find guys to fill voids

- 2026-27 Roster looks to be pretty deep, some good players will be healthy scratches. Cooper Simpson should be able to contribute right away

- Prospective Recruits: Carels (left shot) makes most sense as a defenseman recruit, but Rudolph & DuPont would be excellent additions

- Denver and Nebraska Omaha have silent commits in the Dub, North Dakota does not yet, but should be able to get official commitments once the Dub season is over

 

[brianvf]

I'm interested to see who these UNO silent commits would be from the WHL.
I can't imagine there are too many high-end prospects that are intrigued by the product that USports U is putting out.

[brianvf]

 

[brianvf]

3 hours ago, nascar99 said:

Some bullet point thoughts that Schloss talked about on the pod with Feldy:

- End of season Frozen Four discussion, North Dakota didn't handle Wisconsin's forecheck well, didn't get their 1st goal soon enough to seriously comeback. Returning players are super motivated to get back to the Frozen Four in 2027 and finish the job.

- Transfer Portal talk, mildly surprising but also not that surprising to see Littler, Klee, & Strathmann in the portal. Lindberg, Boser, & Magnussen solid older depth additions. UND Coaching Staff isn't worried to lose guys in portal, they're more than able to find guys to fill voids

- 2026-27 Roster looks to be pretty deep, some good players will be healthy scratches. Cooper Simpson should be able to contribute right away

- Prospective Recruits: Carels (left shot) makes most sense as a defenseman recruit, but Rudolph & DuPont would be excellent additions

- Denver and Nebraska Omaha have silent commits in the Dub, North Dakota does not yet, but should be able to get official commitments once the Dub season is over

 

Nice bullet points.  I just finished listening to it too. 
Something that caught my by surprise...he also mentioned that Sandy won't be returning.
So it looks like we have 5 roster spots still to fill if that is the case....2F/2D/1G.

[cberkas]

Just now, brianvf said:

Nice bullet points.  I just finished listening to it too. 
Something that caught my by surprise...he also mentioned that Sandy won't be returning.
So it looks like we have 5 roster spots still to fill if that is the case....2F/2D/1G.

Not surprised he's not coming back and using his redshirt 

[brianvf]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/schlossman-its-clear-unds-philosophy-isnt-changing

Schloss article from today that talks about the last five pieces needed to finalize the roster.

Quote

With the commitments of transfers Kasper Magnussen of Bemidji State and Gavin Lindberg of Colorado College, UND head coach Dane Jackson and general manager Bryn Chyzyk are showing: 1. They believe in building the strongest, deepest possible roster; 2. Nobody will have lineup spots handed to them (which increases competitiveness in practices); 3. If good players leave because they're not playing, so be it; they'll go get the next one; 4. Playing at UND is not going to be for those who want it easy.

Quote

Providence junior Hudson Malinoski, a Toronto Maple Leafs fifth-round pick, is visiting UND this weekend. He also has Big Ten interest. If he commits, UND only has one forward spot to go. 

The Fighting Hawks need to add two forwards, two defensemen and a third-string goaltender. UND obviously has an interest in Malinoski, who had back-to-back 11-goal seasons for Providence. If UND lands Malinoski, it will likely add a freshman forward to round out that group.

 

[hockeytherapy13]

8 hours ago, beastandco said:

Schloss said on his podcast this morning that UND doesn’t have any silent commitments. I wouldn’t expect any of these names to be committed unless they take a visit after the season. For reference, Ryan Lin committed about 10 days after his season ended. It’s a safe bet that he visited Denver in that time frame before officially committing.

Hearing we don’t have a silent commitment worried me a little bit. I had this deep hope that Carels was already planning on signing up right at the season’s end haha. 

[Wilbur]

So did I miss the official announcement on Sandy not coming back?

[brianvf]

3 minutes ago, Wilbur said:

So did I miss the official announcement on Sandy not coming back?

There wasn't an announcement that I saw...just Schloss mentioned it toward the end of today's podcast.
Said we still need 2F/2D and one 3rd string G to complete the roster with Sandy not returning.

[brianvf]

10 minutes ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

Hearing we don’t have a silent commitment worried me a little bit. I had this deep hope that Carels was already planning on signing up right at the season’s end haha. 

I'm hopeful that this is the plan.  Prince George is down 3-2 in the WHL playoffs currently, with game 6 tomorrow @ PG. 
Hopefully once their season is over, we'll get him on a visit and he'll commit then.