Fighting Sioux vs. Russian Red Stars: Notes & Links

North Dakota vs. Russian Red Stars (Exhibition) - Game Notes & Links:

• Saturday 7:07 PM CST
• The games will be broadcast on a variety of media outlets across the region. Here's the standard Broadcast Information.
• Series notes in PDF: North Dakota
• The Russian Red Stars defeated Army and lost to Yale in college exhibition contests last year, and North Dakota's Engelstad Arena is the first stop on this season's US tour.
• Expect North Dakota to do some experimenting with its personnel against the Red Stars.
• After taking on the Fighting Sioux, the Red Stars will travel to Alexandria (Blizzard) and Bismarck (Bobcats) to take on a pair of NAHL squads in what will be the only non-collegiate games of the tour.
• Little is known about the Russian Red Stars. The team is comprised of players who currently play in Russia's Minor Hockey League (MHL), ranging in age from 17-21. Some of the MHL's teams are affiliated with Russia's elite league, the KHL, others are feeder teams for lower-level professional teams, and some have no professional-level affiliation at all. The league has players who have participated in various international competitions (U-17, U-18, etc.), some of whom are NHL draft picks. The league does contain elite-level talent (ISS's #1 ranked 2012 NHL Draft prospect Mikhail Grigorenko played in the league last season), but I would expect that any of the league's world-class talent will be preparing for the World Junior Championships.
• Expect some wide-open, freewheeling hockey out of the Russian team, nothing resembling what we saw last weekend against Nebraska-Omaha. On their North American tour last season the Red Stars allowed 7.4 goals per game.
• Derek Forbort will not be available for the game as he will be taking part in Team USA's World Junior Championship pre-tournament camp beginning Saturday in Camrose, Alberta. Former Sioux head coach Dean Blais will be leading Team USA, and he will be assisted by former Sioux player/assistant coach Scott Sandelin.
• Unavailable due to injury will be Rocco Grimaldi, Corban Knight, and Mario Lamoureux.
• CHN's WCHA Power Rankings
• USCHO's Weekend Picks
• WCHA Weekly Press Release