The Roster As It Exists Today

[The Sicatoka]

The roster as of today:

F (11): Oshie, Toews, Kozek, Duncan, Kaip, Watkins, Porter, Fabian, Foyt, Martens, Miller

D (7): Bina, Radke, Chorney, Jones, Lee, Finley, Alexander

G (3): Parise, Lamoureux, Walski

That's 21 on today's roster. The folks I see projected for this fall are:

F: Darcy Zajac, Chay Genoway, Chris VandeVelde.

That's 24 (and only 14 forwards). Most times fall camp has a 26 or 27 man roster with 15 forwards, 8 (or 9) defense, and 3 goalies.

Toss in that there are a ton of open questions right now:

- Robbie Bina: A clean bill of health is one thing. Game ready is another. I don't question his abilities; I worry about how he'll respond to the first full-speed game hit. He's been through a lot.

- Eric Fabian: Six month recovery for a major knee injury isn't that long. If anyone is mentally tough enough to do the physical work required however, it is Eric Fabian.

- Will the NHL Draft shorten depth at forward further?

- And what of this continual buzz of Jordan Parise considering signing?

Yes, UND has signed letters of intent from Jake Marto and Derrick LaPoint, but defense isn't the issue this fall from what I see. (I suspect it will be in fall of 2007 however.) With that in mind, letting those two develop in the USHL in 2006-2007 would make good sense.

Michael Forney has little (if any) junior experience. Plus, his post-HS season hockey this spring was cut short by injuries. He's a big question mark right now (health-wise). Will he be ready for a WCHA season this fall or would the USHL be better for him also?

Then there's Evan Trupp. When I first heard of him I thought "Another smallish forward?" With Duncan and Spirko already in that smallish playmaker mold in place it didn't make sense. With Sparky not returning, now I wonder if the plan to have Trupp in the BCHL in 2006 (after a solid rookie BCHL season in 2005) may have changed.

Still, even under my thoughts (Trupp comes now), that's only 25. Sure you have Bina and Genoway who can play either forward or defense on gameday, but you don't have the numbers to run a full practice under the systems Hakstol has used.

The conversation about goaltender could get sticky. Let's let that play itself out. Then again, I guess that's the beauty of having two guys who'd be #1 goalies on 90% of NCAA squads.

When I look and think about all of that I'm wondering what the rest of the plan over the summer is for Hak and Staff:

- Is my speculation of Trupp coming now that Sparky left accurate?

- Do they have a plan in case Parise signs and jumps?

- Are they looking at inviting a forward (or two even?) to walk on or will they bring Forney now?

Tune in again tomorrow for "As the Roster Turns".

[Goon]

I would be willing to bet there is going to be a few late season pick ups during the offseason. About 5 years ago the same thing happened and I think we ended going out and getting another player. I think that is how UND ended up with Mike Prpich? I could be wrong. I remember us getting a few goalies on short notice.

I am not too worried.

[redwing77]

Sparky's gone, so Trupp may indeed be on the way, with two exceptions of note:

Both Forney and Trupp, at this time, are injured. Forney is out with a leg injury and Trupp is out with a shoulder injury (he had surgery apparently).

I like Forney and Trupp, but health is going to be a factor.

That being said, I would be surprised if Marto wasn't a Sioux in the fall and if LaPoint was a Sioux in the fall. I know LaPoint is the "better" recruit, but it may just be better to have LaPoint come in in 07 when defense is going to be an issue... or maybe that makes no sense. I dunno.

I am concerned with depth at Forward now (something we're really not used to) even if we don't lose another forward early. The farther down the list you go, the more questions I have about ability, especially scoring ability. Chay Genoway is an unknown at this level. Colby was highly regarded before coming to UND. Who knows where Chay will fit in to the scheme of things. To me, he seems like a direct replacement for Marvin. Though I like Miller and I liked what little I saw of Martens, I don't see Miller, Martens, Bina, or Foyt being the answer at forward even if it is on the fourth line.

Bina, as much as I'd like to doubt Sicatoka, is also an unknown. He may be healthy, but a fused vertebrae has to be something of a concern to all involved. To my knowledge, I know of only one other player who came back from a similar injury, though his name escapes me and he was some minor league hockey player. Will he survive another hit into the boards, even if it isn't as severe as the Paukovich hit? Once was skirting danger enough, but the whatifs in the case of reinjury are downright frightening. Think Travis Roy.

So the question is: What is it should Hakstol and Co. do? Are there any talent out there that can be brought in or do we have to resort to a 25 year old Canadian?

[brianvf]

Good post Sicatoka.

I agree that defense isn't a concern this season, so having LaPoint go play in the USHL will be a good thing, as he can develop some experience. I still think that Marto will come to UND this fall, if anything just too add some depth to the d-corps and to get some WCHA experience for future years.

Goaltending should be ok as well. We will see what happens with Parise. If he leaves, I am still confident in Lammy's ability, Hakstol would just have to find another goalie recruit before fall.

Forward will be short next season. Hopefully we don't have too many injuries. I think that Genoway will see much more ice time as a forward than as a dman. I also think that they will bring in Trupp this fall. I think Spirko's leaving changed that decision. As far as Forney, I'm not sure. If Hakstol can manage to pickup a couple decent recruits from the BCHL, USHL, etc, then I see him going to the USHL for a season. If not, I think that he will come in the fall as well.

If both Trupp and Forney come to UND this fall, that definitely leaves the cupboard a little bare for the 07-08 recruits. Hopefully Hakstol can get committments from some of the players that are being discussed in the potential recruits thread.

[Siouxmama]

Goaltending should be ok as well. We will see what happens with Parise. If he leaves, I am still confident in Lammy's ability, Hakstol would just have to find another goalie recruit before fall.

I know we need 3 goalies, but if Parise leaves, does anyone expect to see Walski. I don't recall seeing him. except in warm-ups, so other than his high school career, I dont know how he is, or what his capabilities are.

[TheJake]

Aaron walski will not see a single shot this year.

Sorry

[stafford_rules]

Aaron walski will not see a single shot this year.

Sorry

i really want to see him in net, i guess because i havent seen him in net. throw him in for the exhibition game. he's going to need some experience, because he's only going to get a year when Parise and Lamoureux leave, because im sure Hakstol's going to play Phil more than Aaron. maybe im wrong, but i want to see him in net this year. im dying to see him play!

[redwing77]

brianvf- I agree with much of what you say except for two statements:

1. Bare cupboard for 07-08. I don't think the cupboard should have to be full for the season following the one the team is currently on. I don't think this is anything to worry about. If Aaron Marvin can improve on his junior campaign, I could definitely see him committing to UND because of the way things are looking now at UND.

2. Goaltending not being an issue. Sure, I'm confident in Phil, but I'm not confident should Phil need a break. If Jordan leaves, depth becomes a HUGE concern at this position. Many of the talented goaltenders that saw significant action this year in the USHL (for one league) have already committed to schools. Bryan Hogan seems to be decent enough, having a solid save% for a poor Lincoln team... I'd really like to know more about what is out there. There are two uncommitted goaltenders, Pat McGann and Brian Mahoney-Wilson, who have been drafted by an NHL team (late rounds, sure, but drafted nonetheless... like Brian Elliott, who was drafted in the 8th round IIRC) but they haven't seen significant ice time this season in the USHL (McGann only played in 1 game and wasn't that impressive). Seriously, this is concerning to me.

[Siouxmama]

But will somebody (PCM, Redwing77, anyone!) please tell me why he is here if he isn't going to play. He just didnt walk on to wear a uniform, the coaches must have seen something in him that they liked.

[redwing77]

But will somebody (PCM, Redwing77, anyone!) please tell me why he is here if he isn't going to play. He just didnt walk on to wear a uniform, the coaches must have seen something in him that they liked.

He was invited to try out for the team and made the team as a third string goaltender. Most third string goaltenders serve basically two purposes on the team:

1. To act as a backup should one of the two goaltenders ahead of him on the depth chart get injured or fail to perform in a manner that was befitting that spot on the depth chart

2. Fulfill duties as assigned by the coach in a practice context. In effect, a goaltender whose "games" are played during team practices. This could be a myriad of things like pressuring the two guys in front of him by playing extra well (and who knows, doing this may move him up the depth chart like it did for Ranfranz for a while a few years back), and providing a different style for the team to practice against. I'm sure others here can explain this aspect better than I.

[The Sicatoka]

I'm sure others here can explain this aspect better than I.

To:

- face a lot of rubber in practice (saving the other guys)

- to be there in case the team needs him

[dagies]

brianvf- I agree with much of what you say except for two statements:

1. ....If Aaron Marvin can improve on his junior campaign, I could definitely see him committing to UND because of the way things are looking now at UND.

Do you have a source with some info, otherwise how do you know what Marvin prefers to do?

[dagies]

I'm going to bet that there will be another body coming next fall that we're not aware of.

With 14 forwards and 8 defensemen (counting Genoway as a defenseman), a lot rides on Bina's health.

The key might be Alexander. If Alexander can be a player, maybe the coaches are willing to live with what Bina can give them. That would mean 8 D optimally, and at least 7 if Bina can't go. If Alexander is a practice body, then suddenly depth at D is scary. I'm going to count Genoway at D because it seems accepted logic that it's harder to learn defense, so they will keep him working at D. (This assumes he was recruited to play D, which I admit I don't know)

14 forwards is livable but not preferred for starting the season. You can't tell what will happen during the season. Lucia started running out of forwards last year, for instance.

So with Zajac and VandeVelde, the Sioux only have 14, and in my above scenario I count Genoway at D. Either Forney or Trupp is going to come next year, or else we find another late addition ala Prpich. I don't care much for the late addition scenario, because there won't be too many seasoned players available of the quality for UND. Prpich found a niche on this team, but I doubt there's too many impact recruits who will be sitting by the phone in the next few weeks. That being the case, and since Forney is projected to go high in the draft (and likely not to be here for 4 years) I think maybe you wring everything you can out of him before he moves on to the pros, ankly and shoulder permitting.

Then you move on to goaltending. This is a whole soap opera in itself. What's Parise going to do? #1Hakfan and Triouxper have already called this one, so I'm going to make the assumption that Parise leaves in my scenario. So now the coaches have to locate another goalie for next year.

Lammy is a good goalie, so he's my #1. Walski is my #3. I'm not that familiar with what the list of top goalie recruit prospects looks like. Is there a top caliber recruit available at this point in time? It would seem like no, since they are usually snapped up fairly quickly. Does that mean the Sioux have to land another body to fill a hole during practice until next year when they can land another top recruit while hoping Lammy can not only carry the load but stay healthy?

The Sioux wanted Cheverie last year and lost to Denver. After which Cheverie's numbers dropped quite a bit in the BCHL, so maybe that's ok. The Sioux were linked to Thiessen, and that appeared to be a strong bet the way the smoke was flying on the internet (where there's smoke there's fire.....). And the Sioux were apparently finalists for Kangas but lost to MN. Just before the Kangas commitment Thiessen committed out east. So this begs the question: Were the coaches confident they would land Kangas and therefore let Thiessen slip out east? Were the coaches confident Parise would be around next year so they allowed Thiessen to go and take their chances with Kangas (knowing that if they lost Kangas they'd have this coming year to find another Sioux caliber goalie recruit)?

#1Hakfan recently hinted at a goalie recruit commitment in the next couple of weeks. Was that a hint? Or just a rhetorical question? I guess we'll see...

So, in my scenario, next year's roster questions hang on Parise, Bina, Alexander and Forney in their respective ways.

[Goon]

i really want to see him in net, i guess because i havent seen him in net. throw him in for the exhibition game. he's going to need some experience, because he's only going to get a year when Parise and Lamoureux leave, because im sure Hakstol's going to play Phil more than Aaron. maybe im wrong, but i want to see him in net this year. im dying to see him play!

I would suppose they would have to go the BCHL route or something like that.

[redwing77]

Do you have a source with some info, otherwise how do you know what Marvin prefers to do?

I don't. I thought what I said would be seen as what it is: speculation.

Sorry I made you think there was something more to it than that.

[The Sicatoka]

So with Zajac and VandeVelde, the Sioux only have 14, and in my above scenario I count Genoway at D. Either Forney or Trupp is going to come next year, ...

No, with Zajac and VandeVelde at F (and Genoway at D) the Sioux would have 13 forwards.

(Trupp for-sure coming in would only make 14, but that's unknown right now.)

F: Oshie, Toews, Kozek, Duncan, Watkins, Porter, Fabian, Miller, Mertens, Kaip, Foyt. (11)

F: Zajac, VandeVelde.

[dagies]

No, with Zajac and VandeVelde at F (and Genoway at D) the Sioux would have 13 forwards.

(Trupp for-sure coming in would only make 14, but that's unknown right now.)

removing shoes and counting toes and fingers again....

[Diggler]

Walski should play against UMD/Ziggy. When he givens up one goal every 70 shots, I think UND can win.

[DMT]

I see former Moorhead goalie Beau Christian (Dave's son) was drafted by Green Bay in the USHL draft.

I suppose next year would be too soon for him? I think he would be a HS senior this year.

[#1siouxfan22]

I think Beau will graduate this May. I have heard that in midgets Beau has really improved his game, a year or two of juniors and we will see if he is UND material.

[HeidiSioux62]

With regards to the goalie situation, I propose that we all flood Ed Belfore's web site with requests for him to visit UND with his son Dayn - supposedly pretty good (not sure how old he is though) - he's been practicing and playing scrimages with his dad and the Toronto Maple Leafs - gotta have a little moxie to do that as a teenager and we all know how much head games figure into goalie play.

[The Sicatoka]

... Ed Belfore's ... son Dayn - supposedly pretty good (not sure how old he is though)

http://www.pointstreak.com/framedc/players...playerid=558815

[Fetch]

Do we have to wait till he is 25 ? ? ?

[HeidiSioux62]

Do we have to wait till he is 25 ? ? ?

johnathan was 17 when he came - why not Dayn?

[Windsor]

I heard there is a 6'2" goaltender visiting here from Toronto. I know that is not alot of help but maybe some one who follows junior hockey better will have some info on who it could be.