Wednesday Morning Post

• UND forward Colten St. Clair suffered a leg injury this past weekend against St. Cloud State and is expected to be out at least until the semester break. St. Clair's game contains an element of gritty hustle and his presence will be missed as an energy guy who plays a big role on the team's penalty killing unit.
• Drake Caggiula's slick first period goal against SCSU Friday night was chosen as NCAA hockey's top goal of the weekend.
• Sioux alum Dave Tippett became the all-time winningest coach in Phoenix Coyote franchise history last weekend.
• Chris Porter became the ninth Sioux alum to skate in the NHL this season when he made his season debut for St. Louis this past Saturday.
• The Hartford Courant says Danny Kristo has emerged as the Hartford Wolf Pack's most productive forward this season.
• Through 13 games Corban Knight leads Abbotsford (AHL) in points (12), assists (8), and +/- (+6).
• Mike Commodore recently did a good deed for a British Columbia charity. 
• Women's Four Nations Cup: Team USA defeated Sweden yesterday 10-0 with Sioux alums Jocelyne Lamoureux (1G, 1A) and Monique Lamoureux (0G, 2A) each posting a multi-point game for the Americans. Team USA's next action comes today against arch-rival Canada at 6:00 CST while UND defenseman Johanna Fallman and Sweden will take on Finland today at 2:30. Finland, featuring current UND forwards Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani, dropped a tight 3-1 decision to Canada yesterday.
• World Junior A Challenge: Canada West and UND recruit Rhett Gardner earned the top seed out of Group B by going 2-0 in group play. They have advanced to Friday's semifinals where they will take on Group A's second seed. Team USA, featuring UND recruits Austin Poganski, Nick Schmaltz, and Ryan Mantha, opened group play last night with an 8-3 thrashing of Russia. Schmaltz scored two goals and assisted on two others and now has 12 points (7G, 5A) in his last five games of international competition dating back to August's Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Team USA's next game comes today at 6:00 CST against Canada East.
• NTDP Four Nations Tournaments: Recruits Shane Gersich and Christian Evers will be participating in a pair of Four Nations tournaments this week. Gersich and the NTDP Under-18 team will be in Finland while Evers and the Under-17 team will be in Slovakia. Both teams will play pre-tournament games today with regulation action beginning Friday. Check out USA Hockey's Four Nations info page for full schedules and notes for both teams.

Friday Morning Post

• For a good look at this weekend's action, check out Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading and USCHO's weekly NCHC picks.
• SCSU's Nick Oliver, a Roseau High alum, is excited to be heading to Grand Forks this weekend as he expects to see plenty of familiar faces in the stands.
• Dave Tippett earned his 165th win as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes last night against Nashville, tying him with Bob Francis for the franchise record. Tippett also has the fifth highest point percentage (.613) in NHL history among coaches who have been behind the bench 500 or more games. Tippett's outstanding coaching resume tends to fly under the radar considering he doesn't lead one of the league's more ritzy franchises, yet he continues to put highly competitive teams on the ice year in and year out. What's interesting is to compare the careers of Tippett and Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. They're both in their 11th season as head coaches, with Babcock having coached 799 games to Tippett's 800. Babcock has 452 career victories to go along with a .635 points percentage while Tippett has notched 436 wins on his way to his .613 points percentage. Tippett's squads have missed the playoffs just twice in the past ten seasons, while Babcock's have done so only once. Tippett has never experienced a losing season percentage-wise, with his lowest single-season point percentage (.506) coming in 2008-09, his last season in Dallas. Babcock had a point percentage of .463 in 2003-04, his final season as head coach of Anaheim. The numbers do tilt towards Babcock, particularly considering his Detroit squad won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08. But considering the stark contrast in franchise stability between Detroit and Phoenix, Tippett's coaching numbers stack up quite nicely to Babcock's.
• On Saturday night Jonathan Toews will play his first regular season NHL game in his hometown of Winnipeg, and he's pretty pumped for the occasion.
• Toews has been named a finalist for Sportsnet's Canadian Athlete of the Year.
• Andy Strickland of True Hockey wonders, is TJ Oshie playing the best hockey of his career right now?
• St. Louis has had a couple of forwards go down with injuries recently, leading them to recall Chris Porter from Chicago (AHL).
• And here's the latest edition of Through These Doors:

Monday Morning Post

• After establishing himself as more than just a long shot to make Philadelphia's opening night roster, Chris VandeVelde was the last forward cut made by the Flyers. He came into camp on an AHL deal and nearly parlayed it into an NHL contract. He will begin the season playing with Philly's AHL affiliate in Adirondack.
• The New Jersey Devils have lost two of the world's best players over the past two seasons in Ilya Kovulchuk and Zach Parise. Their success this season will be greatly impacted by how strong Travis Zajac and the rest of their centermen play down the middle.
• Despite being signed to a two-year, one-way contract in the offseason, Chris Porter was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues this weekend. Porter really established himself during the playoffs last season as part of the Blues' "CPR" line, but he ended up getting caught up in a numbers game during training camp. After clearing waivers, Porter will begin the season in the AHL.
• TJ Oshie had a strong preseason camp for St. Louis while changing his spots in the locker room.
• Brock Nelson proved he belongs in the NHL following a very good preseason. We'll find out today if he makes the Islanders' opening night roster.
• Over the weekend Sioux alum JP Lamoureux was inducted into the Lincoln Stars (USHL) Hall of Fame.

Signings, Awards, Etc.

Signings:

• Danny Kristo signed a two-year Entry Level Contract with the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday. He has reported to Hamilton, the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, and he is expected to be in action tonight when the Bulldogs take on San Antonio. He is excited to take on this new challenge.
• Captain Andrew MacWilliam signed a two-year ELC with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday and he will report to the Toronto Marlies, their AHL affiliate.
• Former Sioux captain Chris Porter signed a two-year, one way contract with St. Louis yesterday. It is the first one way deal for Porter, who celebrated the signing by picking up a pair of assists in the Blues' 4-3 shootout win over Chicago last night.
• North Dakota junior defenseman Derek Forbort is expected to forsake his senior year of eligibility and sign with the Los Angeles Kings, who will be making a push to get their former first round pick into the fold.
• Dillon Simpson tweeted his intentions of returning to North Dakota for his senior season.

Awards:

• Danny Kristo was named the College Hockey News Player of the Year this week. He was also named to the All-CHN First Team, while linemate Corban Knight made the All-CHN Second Team.
• The Ontario Reign's Mario Lamoureux led all ECHL rookies with 65 points (25G, 40A) this season and was named to the ECHL All-Roookie Team. Lamoureux, who was a very impressive +30 on the season, also finished second in the ECHL Rookie of the Year voting.
• Michael Forney of the Colorado Eagles finished the ECHL season with 79 points (35G, 44A) in 71 games, and for his efforts he was named to the All-ECHL First Team. Forney's 79 points were second most in the league while his 35 goals were the fourth most.
• Aaron Dell of the Allen Americans led the CHL in GAA (2.30) and finished second with a save percentage of .916, numbers good enough to earn him CHL Most Outstanding Goaltender honors for the 2012-13 season. He was also named to the All-CHL Team and the CHL All-Rookie Team.

Etc:

• Former Sioux great Tony Hrkac came in at number five among the Top 35 All-Time Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
• Zach Parise recently took part in a Q&A with ESPN.
• Evan Trupp's Alaskan homecoming was a good move for the ECHL's Alaska Aces.
• Matt Greene is recovering nicely from back surgery and could return to the LA King lineup in time for the postseason.

Friday Morning Coffee

• Former Sioux captain Chris Porter became the 12th Sioux alum to play in the NHL this season when he made his season debut for the St. Louis Blues last night. Porter, TJ Oshie, and the rest of his teammates were singin' the Blues last night as they became the latest victim in the Chicago Blackhawks' historic start. Jonathan Toews scored twice in helping the 'Hawks earn at least one point in their 20th consecutive game. Chicago has not suffered a regular season regulation loss in nearly one calendar year, a stretch that dates back to March 26 of last season, and leading the way for the Blackhawks is a core of young stars.
• Travis Zajac played in his native Winnipeg last night for the first time as a professional, but the Devils were handed a 3-1 loss by the hometown Jets.
• Matt Frattin's NHL season was off to a fine start prior to being sidelined by minor knee surgery. He's on his way to a full recovery, but it will still be a few days before he returns to the lineup.
• Mike Commodore has yet to find an NHL home this season, but he's been trying to keep sharp by skating with an Alberta college team.
• It's a couple of months old, but former Sioux fan favorite Rastislav Spirko took part in a nice Q&A in which he talked about his time at North Dakota.
• Brett Hextall recently displayed his boxing skills in what was an impressive scrap:

• In the midst of a fine season, North Dakota junior defenseman Dillon Simpson is following in his father's footsteps. The Edmonton draft pick also took part in a Q&A with the Oiler blog Copper & Blue, which ranked him as the 12th best Oiler under the age of 25. Coming in at twelve is very solid considering the Oilers' bevy of young stars.
• UND sophomore Mark MacMillan is a Montreal Canadiens' prospect who is perhaps flying under the radar. 

 

Wednesday Morning Coffee

• The USOH is keeping a close eye on Team USA's top candidates for the World Junior Championships, and yesterday North Dakota freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi was in the spotlight. Grimaldi leads the team with four points (2G, 2A) in four games, and he has a six game point streak (3G, 3A) dating back to last season.
• Through four games, North Dakota has a four-way tie for the team lead in +/- rating, and all four leaders are freshmen. Grimaldi, Colten St. Clair, Jordan Schmaltz, and Drake Caggiula are all +4.
• North Dakota forward Brendan O'Donnell is one of several Tampa Bay Lightning prospects looking to have an impact season in the NCAA. Tampa Bay selected O'Donnell in the 6th Round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
• Jonathan Toews participated in Chicago's successful "Champs for Charity" game, which was played before nearly 12,000 fans, while Minnesota's Defending the Blueline charity game, which included Zach Parise and Chris Porter, was also deemed a success. As NHLers remain locked out, star-studded charity games are one way for players to remain active. Matt Greene is scheduled to take part in a charity game in California while Travis Zajac will do the same in Winnipeg.
• Zajac and his agent are evaluating several opportunities for the former Sioux centerman to play overseas and he might be headed to Europe within a few weeks (Zajac info at the very end of the post).
• Former Sioux captain Adam Calder suffered a fractured hip last Sunday in an English Premier League game. He underwent surgery Monday, and no further details have been released.
• Matt Frattin returned to Toronto Marlies practice last week, and he is no longer wearing a no-contact practice jersey. Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins said earlier this week that Frattin is about two weeks away from returning to game action.
• North Dakota recruits Adam Tambellini and Wade Murphy are currently at the Canada West World Junior A Challenge Selection Camp, where they are teammates on Team Blue. They played their first game last night, with Murphy scoring his team's lone goal in a 2-1 loss. The camp concludes tonight when Team Blue takes on Team White. Luke Johnson will participate for Team USA in the WJAC, which begins next Monday in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. All tournament games can be viewed online at no charge through Fast Hockey. 

Tuesday Evening Post

• The Phoenix Coyotes fan blog Howlin' Hockey took a look at the outstanding accomplishments of Coyotes head coach and former Sioux Dave Tippett, whose efforts, the blog says, make him an unsung hero in the desert.
• With the NHL lockout now in its sixth week, NHL players who have chosen not to play in Europe have been trying to stay busy any way they can. One such way is through charity games, and a few former Sioux will be doing just that this week. Chris Porter and Zach Parise are part of a stellar lineup scheduled to take part in the Defending the Blueline charity game coming up this Sunday at Mariucci Arena. Jonathan Toews, meanwhile, will be taking part in the Champs for Charity game Friday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
• The New York Hockey Journal took aim at listing the top 25 players from the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. Drew Stafford made the list, coming in at number 21, but a certain New Jersey Devils' centerman is noticeably absent from the rankings. This page contains numbers 11 through 25, while this one has the top 10.
• Mario Lamoureux scored his first professional goal for the Ontario Reign (ECHL) Sunday afternoon. He also had an assist and finished the game with a plus 2 rating in the Reign's 5-2 win over the South Carolina StingRays. The StingRays' Hunter Bishop, who played four games with the Fighting Sioux before transferring to Ohio State, picked up an assist in that game as well. 
• Former Sioux Michael Forney (Colorado) is currently leading the ECHL in goal scoring with five, while Eagle teammate Aaron Schneekloth leads ECHL defensemen with five points (1G, 4A).
• USA Hockey released its roster for the US Junior Select Team last week and UND recruit Luke Johnson (Lincoln-USHL) made the team. The Junior Select Team will participate in the World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) November 5-11 in Nova Scotia. Hockey Canada is expected to release its WJAC Canada West selection camp roster tomorrow, with UND recruits Wade Murphy (Penticton-BCHL) and Adam Tambellini (Vernon-BCHL) expected to take part.
• And in closing, I'm sure most everyone has already seen this, but I'd be remiss if I didn't link to Brett Hextall's music video masterpiece, Hextall Style 2500. Whoop 'em: 

Tuesday Morning Coffee

• North Dakota, despite not playing any regular season games, has risen to number two in both the USCHO poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey poll. 
• Former Sioux defenseman Ben Blood was recalled by the AHL's Binghamton Senators yesterday. Blood, who played two games this past weekend with Elmira of the ECHL, will be with the team when they take on Joe Finley and the Rochester Americans tonight.
• Brock Nelson picked up his first professional points last weekend with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), and here's a video of his first pro goal.
• Angus Certified recently interviewed Minnesota wild strength coach Kirk Olson. When asked to name the fittest hockey players he's trained, he mentioned Chris Porter, Zach Parise, and Drew Stafford.
• Former Sioux Travis Roche is currently tied for fifth among NLA (Swiss elite league) defensemen with eight points (1G, 7A). 
• Ryan Bayda is tied for seventh in DEL (German elite league) scoring with ten points (2G, 8A).
• UND recruit Wade Murphy has an eleven game point streak for the Penticton Vees (BCHL), the longest such active streak in the league. Murphy has recorded at least one point in each game he's played this season. Murphy is tied for the league lead with 20 points and he is the outright leader in assists (14) and points per game (1.80).

UND's NHL Free Agent Rumblings

Here are a few links concerning North Dakota alums looking to sign new deals as NHL free agents this summer:

• The cream of the NHL free agent crop is Zach Parise, and expect his hometown Minnesota Wild to throw a substantial amount of cash his way. Parise has expressed his desire to remain in New Jersey, and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello says re-signing him is a top priority, but even with an influx of cash resulting from their deep playoff run, the team's financial instability may prove too much to overcome in order to keep their star winger. Detroit is also believed to be on his radar, and while the New York Rangers appear to have been ruled out right out of the gates, expect them to make a solid push nonetheless. 
• The St. Louis Blues and TJ Oshie are expected to agree to a deal with "a little bit of term to it" after Oshie's renewed commitment and attitude pleased GM Doug Armstrong. Oshie's St. Louis teammate Chris Porter, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1st, will be looking to sign a one-way deal this offseason.
• Anaheim Duck GM Bob Murray said his team will not be looking to re-sign veteran forward Jason Blake this summer.
• Hockeybuzz expects restricted free agent Chris VandeVelde to receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers, and they set the odds of the Oilers re-signing unrestricted free agent-to-be Taylor Chorney at 50/50.
• Toronto is expected to retain the services of winger Matt Frattin, who impressed Leafs management with his strong performance during the AHL playoffs. The National Post says Frattin will be one to keep an eye on for the Leafs next season and in the video below, the former North Dakota star discusses his first full season as a professional:

2012 Sioux NHL Free Agents

Though the Stanley Cup Final is still a week or two from concluding, NHL free agency is looming on the horizon. Of the 17 former Sioux to skate in the league this past season, 11 will enter free agency this offseason unless extended by their current teams.

Perhaps the biggest trophy in the unrestricted free agent (UFA) pool is New Jersey captain Zach Parise, who is busy trying to lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup. His services will be courted by a number of teams if he and New Jersey are unable to agree upon a new deal.

Also worth keeping an eye on will be St. Louis Blue TJ Oshie, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent (RFA). Oshie is coming off his best year as a pro after signing a one-year deal as a RFA last summer and St. Louis would very much like to re-sign him this offseason, perhaps to a long-term deal.

Matt Frattin saw his first full professional season end prematurely in the AHL's Western Conference Finals, but the Toronto front office was impressed with his play this season and will look to lock up his services.

Here's the full list of NHL free agents, which will be updated as contracts are signed:

PLAYER	2011-2012 TEAM	STATUS	NEW TEAM	SIGNING/CONTRACT DETAILS
Jason Blake	Anaheim	UFA
Taylor Chorney	Edmonton	UFA
Mike Commodore	Tampa Bay	UFA
Matt Frattin	Toronto	RFA
Chay Genoway	Minnesota	RFA
Brian Lee	Tampa Bay	RFA
T.J. Oshie	St Louis	RFA
Zach Parise	New Jersey	UFA
Chris Porter	St Louis	UFA
Chris VandeVelde	Edmonton	RFA
Matt Watkins	Phoenix	UFA

Sunday Morning Coffee

• Miles Koules announced via Twitter yesterday that he has opted to play for the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers next season. The one-time committed Sioux recruit is the third US NTDP alum in the past nine months to back-out of a commitment to play for North Dakota in order to jump to Candian major juniors, joining JT Miller and Stefan Matteau. An increased opportunity for ice-time and game action factored into his change of plans, and expect more on the reasoning behind Koules' decision Monday. 

NHL Playoff Updates:

• The GF Herald breaks down the former Sioux vying to have their names etched into the Stanley Cup, while the Winnipeg Free Press takes a look at the two Western Conference semifinal series.
• The Stanley Cup, for the 18th straight season, will be won by a non-Canadian based team.
• Round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs fired up Friday night, and Dave Tippett's Phoenix Coyotes went to overtime, again, before taking game one from Nashville 4-3. Here are Tippett's postgame comments:

• Former Sioux captain Matt Greene and the Los Angeles Kings, the Western Conference's eighth seed, continued their strong postseason run by defeating the St. Louis Blues 3-1 last night. Greene became the unlikely hero when he scored the shorthanded game-winning goal by "lumbering" up the ice and chipping in a Dustin Brown rebound. Greene's shorty was just the second postseason shorthanded goal by a defenseman in Kings' history, with Rob Blake scoring the other back in 1993. TJ Oshie assisted on the lone goal for St. Louis, while Chris Porter did not dress. Check out Greene's goal right here:

• The New Jersey Devils open their second round series against Philadelphia this afternoon, and Devil head coach Peter DeBoer has decided to shake up his line combinations, including moving captain Zach Parise to the second line. The move is intended to spark the second line, which was relatively quiet in the first round, as Parise makes a lot of plays that can get a team headed in the right direction. Meanwhile Travis Zajac, who was one of the first round's standouts, could be the "X-Factor" against the Flyers.

AHL Playoff Update:

• Five former Sioux remain standing after the first round of the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs. The St. John's IceCaps (Jason Gregoire, Jake Marto) eliminated Syracuse (Matt Smaby) Friday night, though none of the trio of former Sioux played during the series. Oklahoma City (Chris VandeVelde, Taylor Chorney) and Toronto (Matt Frattin) have also advanced to the conference semifinals, which begin Tuesday.

USHL Playoff Updates:

• Lincoln (Paul LaDue, Luke Johnson) eliminated Fargo (Zane Gothberg, Bryn Chyzyk) with a 3-2 overtime victory Friday night. The Stars move on to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the Waterloo Blackhawks, who feature a potential Sioux recruit in defenseman Ian McCoshen. Earlier this season McCoshen said he had narrowed his collegiate choices down to Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, and North Dakota. The schedule has not yet been set for this series, but as the top seed in the conference, Lincoln will have the home-ice advantage. 
• Despite the loss, Gothberg had what is probably the best season between the pipes in the short history of the Fargo Force franchise, and Slightly Chilled touched upon what Gothberg meant to his team. He finished the postseason with a 1.78 GAA and .942 Save % in six games, and expect to hear his name called when the USHL hands out its  regular season awards.
• In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Ice will be taking on the Green Bay Gamblers and Sioux recruit Jordan Schmaltz. That series begins Thursday in Green Bay. 

Friday Morning Coffee

• As I’m sure everyone has heard, Danny Kristo announced his intentions to return to North Dakota for his senior year, and the Montreal Gazette says that he feels he has some unfinished business at the collegiate level.
• The Fighting Sioux received a commitment from Weyburn Red Wing (SJHL) captain Coltyn Sanderson for the 2012-13 season. Learn a bit more about the latest Sioux recruit via his Recruit Profile.
• After playing this past season with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, former Sioux Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan will head back to Europe next season in order to rejoin EC Salzburg (Austria Tier 1). Duncan spent the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons with Salzburg, producing 111 pts (43G, 68A) in 99 regular season games. Duncan, who registered 36 points (14G, 22A) in 64 games with Portland, feels his “style of play is better suited for the European game.”
• Speaking of Austria’s tier 1 league, former Sioux All-American defenseman Curtis Murphy and EHC Linz  recently won the league’s play-off championship. EHC Linz went 12-5 in winning three best-of-seven playoff series, eliminating former Sioux netminder JP Lamoureux’s Olimpija Ljubljana squad in the semifinals. Murphy led all league defensemen in scoring during both the regular season and playoffs by producing 44 points (16G, 28A) in 50 regular season games and 13 points (2G, 11A) in 17 playoff games.
• Lee Goren's Skelleftea squad fell to Brynas in the finals of the Swedish Elite League, losing out four games to two. Goren missed the last several games of the championship series due to a concussion, but he was able to produce 13 points (5G, 8A) in 14 games prior to his injury.
• After a 17 -year professional career, former Sioux Darcy Mitani has decided to retire. He spent the majority of his pro career playing in Asia, and he retires as the all-time leading scorer in the Asia Hockey League with 372 points (131G, 242A). He is also the tenth all-time leading scorer the Asia League's predecessor, the Japan Ice Hockey League, with 331 points (145G, 186A). He discusses his career and retirement in this interview from Winnipeg's 4th Line Hockey Show:

NHL Playoff Updates:

• TJ Oshie and Chris Porter were the first former Sioux to move on to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The St Louis Blues dispatched the San Jose Sharks in five games, with Oshie pitching in three assists during the first round. Oshie has thrived under the guidance of head coach Ken Hitchcock, while  Porter, who has yet to play this postseason, was recently featured in the USHL’s Alumni Voices series.
• The Blues’ second round opponent will be Matt Greene and the Los Angeles Kings, who advanced after eliminating the Playoff’s top seeded Vancouver Canucks in five games. Greene is  a +1 but has yet to make his way onto the scoresheet. The Kings were able to eliminate the Cauncks despite knowing full well how difficult winning that fourth game can be.
• Jonathan Toews, who had four points (2G, 2A) in six playoff games, and the Chicago Blackhawks were eliminated by Dave Tippett’s Phoenix Coyotes. Tippett and the Coyotes will take on the Nashville Predators in the second round.
• Travis Zajac, Zach Parise, and the New Jersey Devils advanced to the second round of the playoffs by winning a game seven double-OT thriller against the Florida Panthers last night. The Devils won back-to-back OT games to win the series after trailing three games to two, with Zajac scoring the winner in game six. Zajac leads New Jersey with six points (3G, 3A) in seven playoff games, and TSN’s Bob McKenzie says New Jersey is a much better team with him in the lineup. Parise contributed four points (2G, 2A) in the first round, and the Devils will take on Philadelphia in the second round.

AHL Playoff Update:

• Matt Frattin and the Toronto Marlies swept Joe Finley and the Rochester Americans in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Frattin had a goal and two assists in the three-game sweep, while Joe Finley did not figure into any of Rochester’s scoring. Former Sioux Corey Fienhage was also on Rochester’s postseason roster but did not dress for any of the games.
• Oklahoma City eliminated the Houston Aeros three games to one, meaning Barons Chris VandeVelde and Taylor Chorney will move on to the second round while Chay Genoway will have to wait until next season for his next action. Neither VandeVelde nor Genoway recorded any points in the four games, and Chorney did not play due to a knee injury suffered in the regular season.  The good news for  OKC and Chorney, however, is that he is expected to return to the lineup for their second round series.
• Brock Nelson and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were swept out of the playoffs by the Connecticut Whalers. Nelson appeared in two of the three games and did not record any points.
• The St. John’s IceCaps (Jason Gregoire, Jake Marto) lead the Syracuse Crunch (Matt Smaby) two games to one in their first round series. None of the former Sioux have played during the series.

Recruit Updates:

• Paul LaDue (1G, 1A in three games) and Luke Johnson (0G, 0A in three  games) of the Lincoln Stars have a two game to one lead in their USHL second round playoff series against the Fargo Force and Zane Gothberg (1.57 GAA, .943 Sv % in five games) & Bryn Chyzyk (0G, 1A in five games). Gothberg’s postseason 1.57 GAA and .943 Sv % lead all USHL goaltenders. The Force will try to extend the series to a fifth and deciding game when the two teams meet for game four Friday night in Fargo.
• Jordan Schmaltz and the Green Bay Gamblers have advanced to the USHL’s Eastern Conference Finals (vs. Indiana) after knocking off Youngstown three games to one. Schmaltz has one goal, two assists, and a +6 rating through four playoff games. His +6 rating during the playoffs leads all defensemen.
• Drake Caggiula and the Stouffville Spirit saw their run to the RBC Cup fall one victory short as they fell to the Soo Thunderbirds in the championship game of the Dudley Hewitt Cup. Caggiula finished the tournament with two goals and three assists in five games.

Tuesday Evening Post

• Chris Porter played two games in Peoria (AHL) over the NHL All-Star break and Blues' head coach Ken Hitchcock's analysis was that the former Sioux captain needed to get after the puck a bit more. Porter listened, and Hitchcock said he was "by far" St. Louis' best player Saturday against Nashville. He is slated to skate on the third line tonight with Chris Stewart and Vladimir Sobotka when St. Louis visits Ottawa. Porter, by the way, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer unless St. Louis extends him. In other Blues news, there has been some speculation that St. Louis could be looking to add some offensive punch prior to the trade deadline, but one observer says the Blues should not mortgage the future. That future certainly includes TJ Oshie, who along with David Backes, was called the heart and soul of the team.
• Michael Forney was called up to the AHL's St. John's IceCaps yesterday, and he is in the lineup tonight against Providence. Forney has had a strong season with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL) as he is tied for fourth on the team with 37 points (13G, 24A) in 44 games. Forney has two assists in 12 career games in the AHL, all with the Chicago Wolves. In some bad news out of St. John's, Jason Gregoire reportedly suffered what is considered to be a long-term shoulder injury.
• Jonathan Toews was the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, but according to Doug McIntyre of ESPN, he would go number one overall if teams had it to do over again. The full version of the article is only available to ESPN Insider subscribers. Toews and the Blackhawks will look to end their recent swoon tonight when they resume their lengthy road trip against Colorado.
• Travis Zajac is scheduled to have his ailing Achilles tendon evaluated in Winnipeg Wednesday. Zajac has appeared in just eight games this season for New Jersey after suffering the Achilles injury during the offseason.
• NHL.com recently published a feature on UND's leading goal scorer Brock Nelson, saying the big winger is excelling at North Dakota.
• Highly regarded 1995-born defenseman Ian McCoshen of the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) has narrowed his collegiate choices down to four schools, one of which is North Dakota. The Hudson, WI native is also considering Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, and his homestate Wisconsin Badgers.
• Recruit Jordan Schmaltz and the Green By Gamblers will be entertaining Waterloo in a Tuesday evening USHL tilt. Schmaltz is second among USHL defensemen in scoring this season with 25 points, trailing Omaha's Nolan Zajac by just one point despite having played seven fewer games. NHL.com has also updated it's three 2012 mock drafts, and Schmaltz checks in at #23 on Steve Hoffner's and #28 on Adam Kimelman's.
• A pair of Sioux recruits are currently overseas, preparing to take part in some international competition. Miles Koules and the Team USA Under-18ers are in Finland for the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament, while Keaton Thompson and the U-17ers are in Slovakia for the Vlad Dzurilla Tournament. The Under-17 team opens play Thursday morning against Switzerland, while the Under-18 team opens the Five Nations Tournament against the Czech Republic Thursday afternoon. Both squads will be looking to defend titles as Team USA went undefeated in each of these events last year.

Monday Evening Post

• North Dakota received a verbal commitment from Fargo Force forward Bryn Chyzyk today. Chyzyk, who visited UND last Friday during the Wisconsin series, chose North Dakota over future NCHC foes Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth, and Western Michigan. Northern Michigan was also said to be in the mix for a player who has burst onto the USHL scene this season. Chyzyk is currently the second leading scorer for Fargo with 31 points (20G, 11A) in 37 games, and his 20 goals rank as the sixth best in the USHL. For a quick introduction to the latest North Dakota recruit, here is Chyzyk's Force in a Minute feature (CAUTION: Video contains Justin Bieber reference 1 of 2):

• Luke Johnson and Jack Rowe each had big games this past weekend in USHL action. Johnson had a three point game (1G, 2A) Friday night to help Lincoln to a 5-2 victory over Des Moines, while Rowe had a five assist night Saturday in Cedar Rapids' 6-5 shootout loss to Waterloo. Johnson now has 30 points (10G, 20A) in 32 games this season, while Rowe, after missing the first month of the season due to injury, has 14 points (2G, 12A) in 25 games. He's been playing particularly well as of late, recording 12 points (2G, 10A) and a +8 rating in his last 14 games after recording just two assists and a -5 in his first 11.
• Luke Voltin returned to the ice last weekend for the first time since leaving the USNTDP, going scoreless in two games with the Des Moines Buccaneers. Voltin was initially claimed off of USHL waivers by the Chicago Steel, who then moved the forward to Des Moines via trade.
• Jordan Schmaltz took part in an interview on The Pipeline Show last week following the NHL/USHL Top Prospects Game.
• Fighting Sioux centerman Corban Knight was recently interviewed by Litter Box Cats.  
• According to a leading Toronto Maple Leaf blog, former Sioux and current Toronto Marlie Matt Frattin is considered one of the top prospects in the Maple Leaf system. Frattin has three goals and an assist in his last four games, including a two goal performance against former linemate Brad Malone's Lake Erie Monsters last Thursday. Malone also had a goal in the 6-2 Marlie win.
• Chris Porter has been recalled by the St. Louis Blues following a two-game conditioning stint in Peoria (AHL), while Jake Marto is back with the Colorado Eagles (ECHL).
• Oilers Nation recently caught up with Oklahoma City Baron (AHL) head coach Todd Nelson in order to see how things are going for Edmonton's top farm team, and Nelson gave a glowing report on former Sioux standout Chris VandeVelde: 

Chris VandeVelde has made excellent gains this year. He's a lot better player than he was last year. He's a pretty dominant centerman at this level. And what I mean by dominant is just his play; his all-around game. If you look at his numbers, they're nothing to get all excited about, but what he does for us is he plays a very good defensive role. He does excellent penalty killing for us, and he's strong on draws. He's a big strong centerman, and he has improved drastically from last year.

• New Jersey Devils' center Travis Zajac has yet to resume skating since being shutdown earlier this month, but GM Lou Lamariello expects Zajac to be back with New Jersey at some point this season. As the article also points out, Zajac's wife gave birth to a baby boy last week, Zenon Nathan Zajac. Meanwhile, In Lou We Trust says New Jersey would be stupid to trade star winger Zach Parise.
• Jonathan Toews is expected to return to action tomorrow night in Vancouver. The All-Star Break came at a great time for the Chicago center, allowing him some extra time to recuperate from a wrist injury suffered a week and a half ago.
• ESPN's John Buccigross recently released his list of the Top 100 players in the NHL. North Dakota had two of the top 14, with Toews coming in at number two and Parise at number 14.
• Matt Greene and the Los Angeles Kings have been playing some very good hockey recently, but perhaps they've been overshadowed a bit by the NBA's Clippers and Lakers. The Fame Makers are looking to change that (CAUTION: Video contains Justin Bieber reference 2 of 2):

The Fame Makers with the Los Angeles Kings from Anze Kopitar

Wednesday Evening Post

• On the Fighting Sioux injury front, Brendan O'Donnell is out for this weekend's series against Wisconsin, while Derek Forbort is listed as questionable. O'Donnell suffered his upper-body injury against Minnesota, while Forbort is still ailing from an injury he sustained at the World Junior Championships.
• The first-ever NHL/USHL Top Prospects Game took place yesterday in Muskegon, MI. Team East defeated Team West by a score of 5-3 with over 100 NHL scouts in attendance. Sioux recruit Luke Johnson, one of just three 2013 draft-eligible prospects invited to participate, recorded two assists for Team West, while fellow Sioux recruit Jordan Schmaltz played for Team East.
• For the second consecutive week, Fargo Force goalkeeper Zane Gothberg was named the USHL Goaltender of the Week after helping the Force pick up three wins, including his third shutout of the season. He has been in net for the duration of Fargo's current nine game win streak, having posted a .943 save percentage and 1.43 GAA during that span. For the season, Gothberg leads USHL netminders in shutouts (3), is second in GAA (2.34) and save percentage (.918) and is third in wins (15).
• Reel Hockey Scouting has compiled scouting reports for future Sioux defensemen Charlie Pelnik and Jordan Schmaltz. The reports are rather unique in that they feature complete game iso videos of each player. Charlie Pelnik Scouting Report and Jordan Schmaltz Scouting Report
• Recruit Drake Caggiula, who was nicked up and had to sit out a couple games last weekend, is expected to be back in the Stouffville Spirit (OJHL) lineup this week. Caggiula has recorded 27 points (8G, 19A) in 19 games for the second place Spirit.
• David Toews has been placed on the Toledo Walleye's (ECHL) IR list with concussion symptoms.
• With the NHL All-Star break upon us, a few former Sioux have been reassigned to their AHL squads. Joe Finley (Buffalo Sabres) was assigned to Rochester, Taylor Chorney (Edmonton Oilers) to Oklahoma City, and Chris Porter (St. Louis Blues) was sent to Peoria. Porter's stint is officially a two game conditioning assignment, meaning he does not need to clear waivers in order to rejoin the Blues.
• Mike Commodore was on 590 The Fan's Brady and Lang in the Morning Show, and he discussed what it's been like to play for the Red Wings after coming over from the Columbus Blue Jackets. And while it wasn't discussed on the radio show, Commodore did Tweet his thoughts on the newest Detroit Tiger, Prince Fielder: "Cheli's Chili might want to change those glass windows to plexiglass before opening day. They might be within Fielder's range." Well, Google Earth says Chris Chelios' restaurant is 735 feet from home plate at Comerica Park, so he may not be that far off.
• A feature published by The Hockey Writers asks whether the New Jersey Devils should trade Zach Parise.
• Jonathan Toews was placed on IR yesterday, enabling Chicago to call up an extra player from Rockford, their AHL affiliate. Toews also will not be participating in the All-Star Game as he looks to recover from the wrist injury that forced him to miss Tuesday's game against Nashville. Due to the long All-Star break, the IR assignment will not force Toews to miss any additional action if he is ready to go once the NHL resumes regular season play.
• A Los Angeles Kings blog says the play of assistant captain Matt Greene is often overlooked.

Monday Evening Post

• Jonathan Toews did not take part in Blackhawk practice today, and he has been ruled out for Tuesday night's game against Nashville after suffering an upper-body injury last weekend. He is also likely to miss this weekend's All-Star game in order to take advantage of the extra rest. The added rest comes at a good time as Toews' importance to the Blackhawks is immeasurable, and one observer says that unless Sidney Crosby can overcome his concussion issues, Toews is the future of the NHL.
• Taylor Chorney, recalled from Oklahoma City yesterday, is expected to be in the lineup tonight for Edmonton when they take on San Jose.  
• TJ Oshie, Chris Porter, and the St. Louis Blues are Western Conference contenders. 
• The red-hot play of Fargo Force goaltender Zane Gothberg (nine game win streak) has been receiving a lot of attention as of late, but a few future Sioux blueliners have also been producing some nice numbers in the USHL. Paul LaDue of Lincoln has seven points (3G, 4A) and is a +8 over his last seven games. Keaton Thompson of the USNTDP U-17 team has four points (1G, 3A) and is a +5 in his last five games, while Green Bay's Jordan Schmaltz appears to have found his groove in producing eleven points (3G, 8A) and a +3 in his last seven games.
• Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Clarke Saunders, who will transfer to UND following this season season, did all he could to keep his team competitive against top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth last weekend. In Friday's 2-1 loss at Amsoil Arena, Saunders stopped 52 of 54 Bulldog shots. On Saturday night he faced 47 more, stopping 43 of them in the Chargers' 4-3 loss. That's a lot of rubber in what was a respectable showing for Huntsville, which is now 2-24-1 on the season. Who did their two wins come against? Saunders' future WCHA/NCHC foes Nebraska-Omaha and Denver.

Rookie Tourney Wrap, Who's Going Camping, Toews Getting Physical, Etc.

Rookie camp action wrapped up this week as NHL teams prepared for the start of their main training camps. Jason Gregoire and the Winnipeg Jets rookies closed out their Young Stars action with a 2-0 win over Vancouver. Gregoire finished with a goal and an assist over the course of the three game tournament, and he is heading into main camp with a shot to play for his hometown team.

The Phoenix Coyotes rookies dropped the second game of their two game set with the LA Kings by a score of 4-3. Brett Hextall scored a power play goal for the Coyotes, giving him three goals in the two games against Los Angeles, a franchise he is certainly familiar with. And as he embarks on his goal of making the Hextalls a four generation NHL family, he is playing the game in the family tradition.

Brad Malone wrapped up rookie camp with the Colorado Avalanche, and here's what one observer had to say:

Brad Malone: lovelovelove this kid, wasted no time getting physical in 1-on-1 drill, looking for contact immediately, picked a few corners and made Aitokallio look silly, worked with Mike Brennan for several minutes on deflections, tipping nearly every shot into the net or off the post (the shots were pretty soft, though)

And some more analysis on Malone's play.

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An interesting sidenote to the above stories of Gregoire and Hextall is the role college hockey has played. Gregoire stated that it wasn't until he was 15 that he became aware of the NCAA hockey option, and Brett was urged by his father Ron to take the college route so that he'd be prepared if his hockey career didn't work out. Last weekend, during a Q&A session at the FSC Breakfast/Sioux Fan Fast, Andrew MacWilliam commented that he too didn't hear much about the NCAA option until later on in the recruiting process.

MacWilliam commented that the Canadian major junior teams can come at you early and hard, doing whatever they can to make you ineligible for the college option. This is pretty significant considering that kids are 14-15 years of age during their CHL bantam draft year. I'm doing my best to paraphrase MacWilliam's comments from memory here, but he also stated that he knows of players that have exhausted their junior eligibility who won't be playing at the next level, and they are now less prepared to take on life after hockey because the educational aspect of the Canadian junior system is not as strong as it is in the NCAA.

It was some interesting commentary, and it certainly makes you wonder if the marketing arms of the NCAA and College Hockey, Inc. need to be pushing into Canada with more aggression in order to let families and kids know of the viability and benefits of the college choice. It goes without saying that college hockey most definitely isn't for everyone and that CHL hockey (of which, by the way, I am a fan of) also has an awful lot to offer, but the Canadian exposure to the college option appears to need strengthening. Of course, time will only tell if this past summer's rash of top US-born talent backing out of their collegiate commitments is a trend or a short term anomaly, but perhaps there will be more focus instead on retaining elite American talent.

Also interesting is if you look at the ten confirmed players who have committed to enrolling at North Dakota over the next few years, how many Canadians do you see? Stefan Matteau has dual citizenship, so do we count that as 1/2? There's really no point here, just a curious observation considering North Dakota's strong and proud tradition of Canadian-born players.

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It's post-Labor Day, so it's officially camping season. Here's a list of former Sioux players taking part in NHL training camps:

	Player	NHL Club
1	Jason Blake	Anaheim
2	Matt Smaby	Anaheim
3	Corey Fienhage	Buffalo
4	Drew Stafford	Buffalo
5	David Toews	Chicago
6	Jonathan Toews	Chicago
7	Brad Malone	Colorado
8	Mike Commodore	Detroit
9	Ryan Johnson	Detroit
10	Chris Vandevelde	Edmonton
11	Taylor Chorney	Edmonton
12	Matt Greene	LA Kings
13	Chay Genoway	Minnesota
14	Hunter Bishop	Montreal
15	Darcy Zajac	New Jersey
16	Travis Zajac (Injured)	New Jersey
17	Zach Parise	New Jersey
18	Brian Lee	Ottawa
19	Brett Hextall	Phoenix
20	Chris Porter	St Louis
21	TJ Oshie	St Louis
22	Matt Frattin	Toronto
23	Jason Gregoire	Winnipeg

24

Joe Finley

Buffalo

25     Michael Forney                Winnipeg

I don't think I missed anyone, but if I did let me know.

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The commitment to offseason training was rewarded yesterday as both TJ Oshie and Iron Man extraordinaire Chris Porter fared very well during the fitness testing at St Louis Blues camp. And here's a bit more on the conditioning testing.

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From the "For What It's Worth Department," Jason Blake's group won the Anaheim Ducks annual training camp kick-off golf tournament. Check out the sweet orange jackets awarded to the winners-The Master's has nothing on these things:

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Everyone knows Jonathan Toews is one of the best all-around hockey players in the world, but he appears to have spent some time this summer working on the physical side of his game:


Toews response to the hit can be found in this Sun-Times piece.

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The College Hockey Blog has released its WCHA Preview, which has North Dakota coming in second.

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Sioux commit Jordan Schmaltz is featured as one of the best players around yet to play in the NHL. If you don't want to go through the entire slideshow, the Schmaltz page is right here.