2026-27 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[hockeytherapy13]

9 hours ago, beastandco said:

“Carels said he wants one year at UND and isn’t tempted to try making the Flames this year, saying he wants to be patient to ensure he has a 15 year career.”

Sounds like Carels will not turn pro until the spring (at least).

I’m excited to have him on the team and jacked up to watch him progress throughout the year. But the way he’s talking makes it feel like he’s got one foot in and one foot out already. I know he’ll give it everything and have a killer work ethic while he’s here; it’s just feels weird going in assuming you’re a one and done. Guys like Makar, Sanderson, werenski, Hughes, Hutson all did 2 years and it served them greatly; no need to be in a hurry. But with him I’ll take one and done over nothing at all. 

[nascar99]

6 hours ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

I’m excited to have him on the team and jacked up to watch him progress throughout the year. But the way he’s talking makes it feel like he’s got one foot in and one foot out already. I know he’ll give it everything and have a killer work ethic while he’s here; it’s just feels weird going in assuming you’re a one and done. Guys like Makar, Sanderson, werenski, Hughes, Hutson all did 2 years and it served them greatly; no need to be in a hurry. But with him I’ll take one and done over nothing at all. 

He's assuming he's going to be a rockstar all year and dominate games. If he is and puts up a monster season, it will justify him signing after 1 year. If he does not, a 2nd year would benefit him, and thus Carels, Conroy, and Dane Jackson would have to have a conversation about that.

[burd]

Do college players’ “advisers” have to register somewhere so that it is possible to know who is advising which players?  Not talking family here, but uncompensated professional agents, who I understand are permitted.   

[Green Banner]

11 hours ago, cberkas said:

He's just vastly over paid. Can he live up to the price of the contract, maybe.

Can we move this to the nhl thread

[.357]

3 hours ago, nascar99 said:

He's assuming he's going to be a rockstar all year and dominate games. If he is and puts up a monster season, it will justify him signing after 1 year. If he does not, a 2nd year would benefit him, and thus Carels, Conroy, and Dane Jackson would have to have a conversation about that.

Carels may be underestimating the grind of the NCHC & NCAA hockey as a whole. Both Reschny & Verhoeff noted in recent interviews that playing guys 3-6 years older than them made it a lot more difficult than the WHL; but Carel's learning curve may be shorter than Verhoeff's due to his elite skating & the way he processes the game. Will trust the UND staff to give him honest feedback regarding his development next April. 

Maybe someone here knows the last time a defenseman played only 1 year at UND & excelled in the NHL. The only UND player that I can think of who did very well after only 1 year was Belfour, but he was a goalie. 

[rochsioux]

If James Patrick and Jake Sanderson can stay for two years there is a reasonable chance that Carels will be here for two years also. It’s a good jump in difficulty going from juniors to college, not to mention another big jump for the NHL. Let’s see how it plays out. 

[Brett0909]

Worth keeping in mind that NHL teams aren’t going to often say there’s a likelihood that a top-10 pick will take a couple years, they don’t have room right now, etc. They’re going to support the player (and fans) dreams of instant impact and best-case scenario development, then let the realities unfold in due time. Which is the right move as long as player, current coach, advisor, and GM are upfront and honest about what’s best for the player and organization. 

[GeauxSioux]

 

https://www.hebcenter.com/events/detail/2026-us-hockey-hall-of-fame-game

[brianvf]

All it takes is Carson, Cole, and Keaton to get a long term girlfriend at UND and we’re set for a few years. 

[powerplay]

1 minute ago, brianvf said:

All it takes is Carson, Cole, and Keaton to get a long term girlfriend at UND and we’re set for a few years. 

Keaton is dating Sydney Piekny from the women's basketball team... now if you excuse me I'm going to go touch some grass

[Fratt Mattin]

I think it is very rare to see a defenseman who's qualified to be one-and-done in college. Even if they make it as full-time NHLers the next year, they almost always look very overmatched. It's just the nature of the position.

Levshunov is a good example of a guy that needed a lot more seasoning before he made the pro jump. I can't help but think another year, or maybe even two, at Michigan State would've been very helpful for him in terms of learning how to process the game and make better decisions

[tnt]

https://bluelinestation.com/rangers-top-prospect-ej-emery-makes-his-future-plans-perfectly-clear-at-development-camp-01kwdt79tt1v
 

Emery sure is a character guy.  Definitely has the right approach by taking one step at a time.

[siouxczech29]

Reschny gave a great interview at Flames prospect camp. Dude has a lot of poise. Captain material for sure. Other than Swanson, nobody else sticks out to me to wear the ‘C’. 

[cberkas]

There is another video, I think on Facebook, where they are "dancing" to Micheal Jackson that turns into them skating around the center ice circle. It was kind of funny thinking how is this going to turn into skating. 

[siouxczech29]

Heckofa skater!

[cberkas]

The dancing thing they did lol

[brianvf]

Simpson and Zellers working out together before Bruins dev camp:

https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/will-zellers-cooper-simpson-talk-north-dakota-bond-farms-and-bruins-future

Quote

The two Boston Bruins prospects did not need the locker-room setup to get to know each other, though. The future University of North Dakota teammates have been training together this summer in Minnesota, where they both are from.

The 20-year-old Zellers, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in March 2025, and the 19-year-old Simpson, selected in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Bruins, took the same flight to Boston for Development Camp. Next week, they will be on UND campus.

Quote

“It means so much. It is crazy to say, but I wanted to play at North Dakota before I wanted to play in the NHL. That was my dream. I grew up idolizing all those players. It is so special to have the opportunity now,” Zellers said. “I remember growing up, thinking those guys that put on the green, black and white on, I thought they were the absolute man. I love those guys.”