UND Recruit Update

Here are a few notes on how some of UND's recruits are performing thus far this season:

• After playing Minnesota high school hockey the past few seasons, Shane Gersich has hit the ground running with the NTDP Under-18 team. Through ten games he has produced nine points (4G, 5A), including a team high two game winning goals. Gersich and the Under-18ers will be spending this weekend in North Dakota as Friday night they are scheduled to take on Fargo in a USHL matchup followed by Saturday night's exhibition game against UND. For those of you who have yet to see Gersich play, I expect you will like his game. He's a really good skater in that he's quick, fast, has good explosiveness, and is strong on his skates. He plays well in all three zones as a defensively responsible forward who hounds the opposition with his skating and quick, active stick. He has a very strong shot, he's strong on the puck, and he isn't afraid to go to the net. He's a fun player to watch.
• After missing the first two games of the season due to injury, Jack Rowe has scored three goals in three games for Cedar Rapids (USHL).
• Nick Schmaltz produced four points (1G, 3A) in two games this past weekend. He leads Green Bay (USHL) in scoring with ten points (4G, 6A) in nine games.
• After going pointless during the first five games of the season, Rhett Gardner has produced nine points (3G, 6A) in his last ten games with the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL).
• The Fargo Force (USHL) have struggled offensively this season having scored just eight goals in their seven games, but 16 year-old Christian Cakebread has scored three of them (38% of the team total).
• Christian Evers missed a handful of games due to injury earlier in the season, but the NTDP Under-17 team defenseman has produced four assists in the six games he has played.
• Austin Poganski leads Tri-City (USHL) with four points (4G, 0A) in six games. Right behind him is Chris Wilkie with three points (1G, 2A) in seven games.
• Sioux City (USHL) forward Trevor Olson has produced three points (1G, 2A) in three games since his return from injury. Teammate Ryan Mantha has chipped in with a goal and two assists in seven games on the blueline, despite his self-admitted troubles in the kitchen.

Friday Morning Post

• The UND men will play a pair of exhibition games in British Columbia this coming season in what will be the team's second trip north of the border in the past three seasons. In a Brad Schlossman blog post, head coach Dave Hakstol commented on the BC trip.
• At the Ivan Hlinka Cup Team USA defeated Slovakia 5-2 Wednesday to win their pool and advance to play the Czech Republic in today's semifinals (Noon CDT). Nick Schmaltz had his second consecutive three point game by notching two goals and an assist against Slovakia, and he leads the tournament in goals (3), assists (3), and points (6). Austin Poganski also picked up an assist Wednesday while Ryan Mantha was held off the scoresheet. If you want to follow along with today's semifinal, the tournament's website offers real-time in-game updates. 
• The USA Hockey NTDP made its 2013-14 rosters official this week, and as expected, UND will have two recruits playing in the program this season. Shane Gersich will make the jump from Holy Family (MN-HS) to the Under-18 team, while Christian Evers transitions from the Omaha AAA U-16 team to the Under-17ers. 
• Committed recruit Rhett Gardner will spend the 2013-14 season with the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers. Gardner spent last season with the SMHL's Moose Jaw Generals and got a taste of the USHL with a one game stint with the Green Bay Gamblers. UND has picked up some nice talent from Okotoks over the past handful of years with Derek Rodwell, Brad Eidsness, and Corban Knight having played junior hockey with the Oilers.
• Drew Stafford and Ben Blood returned to their alma mater to take part in last night's Shattuck-St. Mary's vs. The World celebrity hockey game in Faribault, MN.
• Single game hockey tickets go on sale Wednesday, August 15th, and here's the athletic department's promo video:

Camping Season

Summer is the season for camping. Here's a rundown:
 
NHL Prospect Development Camps
A number of current, future, and past UND players will be taking part in NHL prospect development camps this summer. Below is a rundown of UND's attendees (a fun one to keep an eye on is the New York Islanders' Orange vs. Blue prospect scrimmage, which they stream live on their website):

Team	Player	Camp Roster
Anaheim	Keaton Thompson
Boston	Zane Gothberg
Calgary	Corban Knight
Chicago	Nick Mattson	Roster
	Luke Johnson	Roster 2
Edmonton	Dillon Simpson
Florida	Rocco Grimaldi	Roster
Los Angeles	Derek Forbort
	Paul LaDue
Montreal	Mark MacMillan
Nashville	Wade Murphy	Roster
New York Islanders	Brock Nelson
San Jose	Gage Ausmus
Tampa Bay	Brendan O'Donnell
Toronto	Andrew MacWilliam
Winnipeg	Tucker Poolman

New York Rangers                Adam Tambellini              Roster
                                                     Carter Rowney

USA Hockey Select 17 Development Camp
A few future Sioux took part in USA Hockey's recent Select 17 player development camp, which features many of the top 1996 birth year players in the US. Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Mantha were named camp All-Stars following their five games of pool play and Austin Poganski was a key component of Team Royal, which won the camp championship. Here are the stat lines from the UND commitments:

Player	Gm	G	A	Pts
Ryan Mantha	6	0	1	1
Austin Poganski	6	1	4	5
Nick Schmaltz	6	1	2	3

This camp is the basis for building USA Hockey's Select Under-18 team, which will compete in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August. All three were named to the team and will don the red, white, and blue next month in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Check out USA Hockey's release for more information on the Ivan Hlinka Tournament, and here is the full roster (Word doc).
 
USA Hockey Select 16 Development Camp
This week, USA Hockey's Select 16 development camp kicks off, featuring some of the top 1997 birth year talent in the United States. UND currently has just one 1997 commitment in Christian Evers, and he will be attending the camp. There are several other players of UND/local interest taking part in the camp as well:

Player	Hometown	Team	Notes
Tye Ausmus	East Grand Forks, MN	Red	Defenseman, EGF HS
Tarek Baker	Verona, WI	Royal	Rumblings of UND interest
Matt Christian	Grand Forks, ND	Forest	Forward, Red River HS
Charlie Churchill	Grand Forks, ND	Red	Goaltender, Red River HS
Christian Evers	Waukee, IA	Orange	UND D commit, NTDP U-17
Spencer Kuhlman	Gand Forks, ND	Gold	Played last two years at SSM
Tanner Tweten	East Grand Forks, MN	Grey	Forward, EGF HS

Recruit Update

• North Dakota received its latest verbal commitment from Sioux City (USHL) forward Trevor Olson. Olson is a Duluth, Minnesota native who is expected to arrive on campus in the fall of 2014. For more information, check out his recruit profile. Olson and the Musketeers (including fellow UND recruit Ryan Mantha) will be closing out their USHL regular season with a weekend set against Charlie Pelnik (featured in this video profile) and the Fargo Force. This is a good opportunity to check out three future Sioux if you can make it out to Scheels Arena either Friday or Saturday night.
• Keaton Thompson and the NTDP Under-18 team will be seeking to win the fifth consecutive Under-18 World Championship for USA Hockey, a streak that began with the 2009 event held in Fargo-Moorhead. The tournament begins next week in Sochi, Russia, and Thompson will play a key role for Team USA.
• Recruit Adam Tambellini and the Surrey Eagles begin the BCHL Finals tonight against the Penticton Vees, whose roster includes UND commits Wade Murphy and Troy Stecher. The winner of the best of seven series will hoist the Fred Page Cup as BCHL champions and advance in the RBC Cup playoffs to take on the Alberta Junior Hockey League champions. Tambellini, who earlier in the playoffs squared off against his older brother Jeff's former team, is the leading goal scorer in the BCHL playoffs and he is third in total points with 13 (9G, 4A) in 11 games.  Murphy is averaging a point per game in the postseason with nine points (3G, 6A) in nine games while Stecher has recorded four assists in nine contests.
• Nick Schmaltz will finish the regular season as the highest scoring 1996-born player in the USHL. He has recorded 50 points (17G, 33A) in 62 games for the Green Bay Gamblers and has ten more points than Youngstown forward Kyle Connor. Schmaltz and the Gamblers have already clinched a playoff spot but they will be looking to earn home ice this weekend as regular season play wraps up.
• With two games left to play, Paul LaDue holds a five point edge as the USHL's top point producing defenseman. LaDue has recorded 47 points (12G, 35A) in 60 games for Lincoln.
• Rhett Gardner recently earned the Moose Jaw Generals' Team MVP and Top Forward awards. He also made his USHL debut with the Green Bay Gamblers, but he is unsure as to whether he will play with the Gamblers next season or remain with the Generals.
• Christian Evers was recently named to the All-NAPHL Under-16 First Team. He averaged more than a point per game from the blueline in NAPHL play this season, producing 29 points (10G, 19A) in 23 games. Evers, who is expected to play for the USA Hockey NTDP for the next two years, was selected by the London Knights in the fifth round of the OHL Priority Selection last weekend. He was considered to be a second round talent heading into the draft, but he dropped to the last pick of the fifth round due to his commitment to UND and expected commitment to the NTDP.  
• Thompson and Tambellini both made NHL Central Scouting's Top 10 lists of 2013 NHL Draft-eligible players for their respective divisions.

Wednesday Morning Coffee

• As Brad Schlossman first reported on his UND hockey blog, former Sioux defenseman Mike Commodore has signed with the AHL's Texas Stars. 
• With 14 points (7G, 7A) over his last ten games, Jonathan Toews seems to have found his scoring touch. Toews currently ranks in the NHL's top 10 in goal scoring (T-8th with 14), face-off percentage (4th at 59.6%), plus-minus (T-9th at +18), and takeaways (T-1st with 35). He also leads the league in jersey sales. Add it all up, and does it equal a Hart Trophy?
• TJ Oshie, out of the St. Louis Blues' lineup with an upper-body injury, is expected to return to action by this weekend.
• Might Buffalo Sabres winger Drew Stafford be a trade target of the Detroit Red Wings?
• Chay Genoway had several familiar faces to greet him upon his arrival in Hershey.
• Two North Dakota commits have helped their teams advance to the second round of the BCHL playoffs.  Wade Murphy and the Penticton Vees made their way to the second round with a four-game sweep over Salmon Arm, with Murphy chipping in a goal and two assists. Adam Tambellini and the Surrey Eagles won their first-round match-up with Langley three games to one. Tambellini recorded seven points (6G, 1A) in the first round series, including a hat trick in last night's series clinching victory. Surrey begins second round play Friday while Penticton has a week and a half off before beginning play in the Interior Conference Finals March 29.
• North Dakota recruit Christian Evers will be taking part in the NTDP Evaluation Camp beginning this weekend, and Russ Bitely offers his notes on the camp's participants. East Grand Forks players Tanner Tweten and Tye Ausmus will also be attending the camp.

A Few Recruit Notes...

• UND commit Troy Stecher of the Penticton Vees was named the BCHL Interior Conference's Best Defenseman for 2012-13. The Vees captain produced 47 points (8G, 39A) in 52 games in helping his team earn the Interior Conference's number one seed for the BCHL playoffs. Stecher, fellow UND commit Wade Murphy, and the rest of the Vees begin their defense of the RBC Cup tomorrow against Salmon Arm. 
• Stecher and Murphy were also named to the All-BCHL Interior Conference First Team last week. Murphy finished the season T-5th in scoring with 70 points (23G, 47A) in 50 games played. Meanwhile, Surrey's Adam Tambellini earned Coastal Conference Second Team honors following his 65 point (36G, 29A) campaign. Surrey's acquisition of Tambellini, whose 36 goals tied for the third most in the league, paid big dividends for the Eagles down the stretch. Surrey captured the Ron Boileau Trophy after finishing the regular season with the league's best record and they will begin postseason play tomorrow night as the number one overall seed.
• Junior Austin Poganski was named the St. Cloud Times' All-Area High School Player of the Year following his outstanding season for St. Cloud Cathedral. Poganski led the Crusaders with 66 points (35G, 31A) in 26 games, falling one game short of a state tournament berth. He has also appeared in a pair of Tri-City Storm (USHL) games as an affiliate player, during which he has picked up a goal and an assist. Here is a profile video on the UND commit:

• Shane Gersich has appeared in three USHL games with the Omaha Lancers as an affiliate player.  
• Christian Evers earned an invitation to the USA Hockey NTDP Evaluation Camp, which will take place later this month. A strong performance by Evers could very well earn him an offer to join the NTDP Under-17 team for next season. Evers and his Omaha U-16 squad recently earned the Midwest Tier 1 championship, and this weekend they will be taking part in the Central District Regional Championships where they will by competing for a spot in USA Hockey's U-16 National Championships.

Recruit Roundup

• North Dakota defense recruit and Grand Forks native Paul LaDue recently became the top point producing defenseman in Lincoln Star (USHL) history. His goal last Thursday night gave him 70 points in a Stars uniform, surpassing former Michigan Tech Husky Eli Vlaisavljevich on the franchise's all-time list. Other names of note on Lincoln's all-time defenseman point list are Sioux alums Andy Schneider (53), Chad Mazurak (49), Lee Marvin (48), and Nick Fuher (43). LaDue, who will be joining North Dakota for the 2013-14 season, leads all USHL defensemen in points (36) and assists (25), is second in goals (11), and is T-7th with a +17 rating. To note his remarkable consistency, he has yet to go more than two consecutive games this season without registering a point, and that has happened on just three occasions. 
• Defense recruit Christian Evers and the Omaha AAA Under-16 team blazed through the NAPHL Playoffs this past weekend, going 5-0 while outscoring their opponents 28-9. Evers scored two goals in today's championship game, giving him a team-leading six for the tournament. His nine points (6G, 3A) led all tournament defensemen and were the second most on the team.
• UND's most recent commit, Rhett Gardner (Moose Jaw Generals-SMAAAHL), is averaging one goal per game over his last 20 contests. His 27 goals lead the Generals and are the fifth most in the league.
• Adam Tambellini (Surrey Eagles-BCHL) has produced 17 points during his last 11 games, including a five point game (3G, 2A) last month. His 29 goals are T-4th in the league while his 55 points (29G, 26A) are tenth most.
• Also in the BCHL, Penticton Vee Wade Murphy has been producing at a torrid clip. Over his last 10 games Murphy has put up 21 points (6G, 15A), including seven point (2G, 5A) and five point (0G, 5A) efforts. On the season he leads the Vees in points (66) and assists (44), totals which rank fourth and second among all BCHL players.
• In the Minnesota high school ranks, St. Cloud Cathedral junior forward Austin Poganski ended the regular season as his team's leading goal scorer (25) and point producer (47). Poganski and the second seeded Crusaders begin postseason play this Thursday in St. Cloud when they will face either Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson or North Branch in the Section 5A quarterfinals.
• Holy Family sophomore forward Shane Gersich has had a terrific month of February thus far, producing multi-point efforts in each of his last seven games. He has tallied 24 points (13G, 11A) this month, including back-to-back four goal performances in helping lead the Fire to their first-ever conference title in boy's hockey. For the season, Gersich leads the team with 62 points and 28 goals in 24 games played. Holy Family, which earned the fifth seed in what is a loaded Section 6AA field, opens the playoffs Thursday night against Eden Prairie.
• Hockeytube.net put together a great video profile/interview of UND defense recruit Geoff Crisfield (Vernon Vipers-BCHL). Crisfield discusses his decision to commit to North Dakota, as well as stating that, at least as of now, he appears headed back to Vernon for one more season prior to joining UND:

Saturday Morning Coffee

• Rocco Grimaldi and Team USA suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to Russia Friday at the World Junior Championship and Dave Starman broke down the performance for NHL.com while Chris Peters did the same on his USOH blog. The Americans will have a shot to rebound early Sunday morning (3:30 AM CST) against Canada in a game that will have a big impact on medal round seeding. 
• Team USA played an exhibition game last night against Canada Pacific in a World Under-17 Challenge tune-up. The Americans shelled CP 6-2, with North Dakota recruits Chris Wilkie (two goals) and Austin Poganski (one goal) each figuring into the scoring. The games begin to count in the standings this afternoon when Team USA takes on Canada Ontario at 12:30 CST. Chris Peters again has his bases covered with a Team USA preview, and if you want to watch the streamed games free via FastHockey, here's how to do so.
• The Women's Under-18 World Championship kicked off today in Finland and Team USA got off to a rousing start with a 7-0 victory over Russia. North Dakota recruits Gracen Hirschy and Amy Menke did not figure into the scoring but they were a combined +3 for the game while Alexis Shaw (G) did not see action today. Team Canada also has a North Dakota recruit on its roster in defenseman Halli Krzyzaniak, who is serving as an alternate captain for the Canadian squad. As of this post, the Canadians were leading Hungary 4-1 late in the third, with Krzyzaniak notching a pair of assists. Preliminary play continues tomorrow for both Team USA and Canada before Monday's rest day. Tuesday will see the conclusion of preliminary action with the medal round commencing Wednesday and concluding with next Saturday's gold medal game. This is the sixth year this event has been held, and Team USA has won gold three of the five years while Canada, the defending champion, has won gold twice. Also of note, Canada and Team USA have met in the gold medal game all five years.
• Chris VandeVelde was suspended for three games by the AHL as a result of this illegal check to the head. Dave Staples of the Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey blog says it should have been a 10 gamer.
• Last weekend North Dakota recruit and current Lincoln Star Luke Johnson took some time to talk to the guys at The Pipeline Show. 
• Recruit Paul LaDue scored the OT game-winner for Lincoln last night. He continues to lead all USHL defensemen with 23 points (5G, 18A).
• Recruit Christian Evers blasted a PP goal in the Omaha AAA U-16 Lancers 6-1 win over Wenatchee yesterday at the Dallas NAPHL event. Evers now has 11 points (2G, 9A) in 11 NAPHL games this season and Omaha remained undefeated (15-0) in NAPHL play.

Monday Morning Coffee

• After earning its first sweep of the season this past weekend against Michigan Tech North Dakota will enter the holiday break on a high note. After the impressive showing in Houghton, several UND players will be strong candidates for WCHA Player of the Week consideration. Corban Knight and/or Danny Kristo could take home offensive honors, while Clarke Saunders and Joe Gleason put up very nice numbers on the defensive side. UND will next take on Holy Cross January 4-5 at REA.
• If you have not already seen it, Sports Illustrated published a very nice article on North Dakota hockey's loyal following.
• The National Post featured Toronto Marlies winger Matt Frattin in an article in which Toronto brass had a number of nice things to say about the former Sioux star. Frattin came up big over the weekend as he scored the game tying goal with just 10 seconds left in regulation and then helped seal a 4-3 victory over Rochester by scoring in the shootout. He now has 12 points (8G, 4A) in 12 games this season.
• Brock Nelson recently went one on one with The Checking Line. He is currently tied for 3rd in scoring among AHL rookies with 22 points (11G, 11A) in 25 games.
• The Des Moines Register wrote on a quartet of Iowans currently playing for the Omaha AAA Under-16 Lancers, and included in the piece is North Dakota commit Christian Evers. The Omaha AAA program, which also produced UND commit and current USA NTDP forward Chris Wilkie, has quickly developed into a very powerful hockey program.
• North Dakota recruit Tucker Poolman's (Omaha-USHL) effectiveness on the power play earned some recognition from the USHL in its weekly update. Poolman, a defenseman, added a seventh power play goal over the weekend and is now tied for the league lead in that category. Meanwhile, recruit Paul LaDue continues to lead all USHL blueliners with 21 points (4G, 17A) in 24 games.
• The recently decommitted Brendan Lemieux got himself into some trouble with an illegal hit.

Tuesday Morning Coffee

• All Habs Magazine recently ran a nice feature on North Dakota forward Mark MacMillan, whom Montreal selected in the 4th round on the 2010 NHL Draft.
• USA Hockey is set to release its World Junior Championship preliminary roster this morning, and the United States of Hockey expects North Dakota forward Rocco Grimaldi to be on the list. Team USA's pre-tournament camp begins December 16 and the WJC begins December 26 in Ufa, Russia. The tournament runs through the gold medal game Januray 5th.
• The International Ice Hockey Federation has published a series of articles examining the role of college hockey within the overall bounds of the sport. On the men's side they covered the NCAA's increased ability to develop professional players, while they also examined the elite level of play NCAA women's ice hockey brings to the international stage. UND women's coaches Brian Idalski and Peter Elander are prominently featured in the women's article.
• Despite playing in just eight of Toronto's 21 games this season, Matt Frattin is tied for the Marlies' team lead in goals with seven. The Winnipeg Sun took a look at his strong return from injury, while TSN says the former Sioux star has a lot of extra eyes watching him.
• Norfolk Admiral teammates Matt Smaby and Emerson Etem share the Shattuck-St. Mary's connection.
• Jonathan Toews will be part of the group of players that will meet with team owners in the hopes of  breaking the NHL lockout stalemate. Toews recently commented that the players refuse to get pushed around by the owners.
• Looking past the lockout and the all-too-real possibility of the cancellation of the entire season, Sportsnet has listed some of the top potential free agents for 2013, and Travis Zajac is in their group.
• The always entertaining Mike Commodore spent an hour discussing a wide range of topics on the Cabbie Podcast.
• UND recruit Christian Evers and the Omaha AAA U-16 Lancers rolled through the NAPHL Blaine Showcase this weekend with a 5-0 record, outscoring their opponents 24-4 along the way. Evers, a 6'4" 195 pound defenseman, finished the showcase with five assists in five games. The Lancers, who have yet to lose an NAPHL game this season, are coached by David Wilkie, the father of North Dakota recruit and current USNTDP Under-17 team forward Chris Wilkie.

Tuesday Evening Post

• The Pipeline Show published its 2012-13 NCAA All-Canadian teams, and three members of the Fighting Sioux made the cut. Corban Knight made the first-team while Dillon Simpson and Andrew MacWilliam form the defensive pairing for the second-team.
• As most probably already know, North Dakota received a verbal commitment from a highly-regarded defense recruit today. Christian Evers currently plays for the Omaha AAA Lancer Under-16 team (same program that produced UND recruit Chris Wilkie) and he tweeted last night of his intentions to attend UND. He is currently a high school sophomore and he becomes the first 1997 birth year player (and, I believe, the first-ever Iowan) to commit to North Dakota. For more information, check out his Recruit Profile.
• After putting up six points (2G, 4A) in two weekend games, North Dakota recruit Wade Murphy received an honorable mention in the BCHL's weekly honors. For the season Murphy ranks second overall in the BCHL scoring race with 17 points (5G, 12A) in 8 games, and his 12 assists and 2.1 PPG average both lead the league. 
• Chris VandeVelde was named an alternate captain for the AHL's Oklahoma City Barons. The Barons should be fun to watch this season, especially if the NHL lockout lingers. Until the NHL and the NHL Players Association can come to an agreement on a new CBA, young Edmonton Oiler superstars Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, and Justin Schultz will be keeping their skills sharp in Oklahoma City.
• Jake Marto has been re-assigned to the ECHL's Colorado Eagles, where he will join fellow former Sioux Michael Forney and Aaron Schneekloth. Aaron Dell had also been participating in Colorado's training camp, but he was recently released by the team.
• Former Sioux Travis Zajac is training in his hometown of Winnipeg as he waits for a resolution to the NHL lockout. If the lockout drags on for too long, he says he will consider playing in Europe this season. 
• ESPN released a list of the Top 25 NHL Players Under 25. You need an ESPN Insider subscription to view the entire list, but you'll be able to see who's number one for free.
• Bucky's 5th Quarter published its 2012-13 WCHA Preview, and they have North Dakota finishing second in the conference. Individually, Danny Kristo (First Team), Corban Knight (Third Team), Rocco Grimaldi (All-Freshman Team, Rookie of the Year), Jordan Schmaltz (All-Freshman Team), and Zane Gothberg (All-Freshman Team) all received preseason honors. 
• Radio Free Omaha predicts a second-place conference finish for UND this season, while Kelly Green and White has North Dakota sitting at number two in its preseason WCHA Power Rankings.
• Top Shelf Prospects also put together a 2012-13 WCHA Preview, and they say North Dakota is a contender for the league title while Kristo will be a player to watch.

Recruit Profile: Christian Evers

Photo-usantdp.com

Current Team:  USA Hockey NTDP U-17 Team (USHL/Int.)
Potential Arrival at UND:  2015
Position:  Defense

Birthday:  May 25th, 1997
Hometown:  Waukee, IA
Height:  6'4"
Weight:  195
Shoots:  Left

Profiles & Press Clippings:

• 2013-14 USA Hockey NTDP Profile/Stat Page
• 2012-13 NAPHL Profile/Stat Page
• Omaha AAA Lancers Commitment Press Release
• In the Western College Hockey Blog's review of the 2012 NAHL Showcase, Chris Dilks had this to say: Christian Evers-D-Omaha Lancers U16-Already a huge kid, listed at 6'4", and clearly the top D on a team with a pretty strong defense. Very good hands and feet for a player of his size. Definitely a big time prospect.
• NHL Entry Draft eligible in 2015.

2013-14:

• He will play for the USA Hockey NTDP Under-17 Team.
• In July, he participated in USA Hockey's Select 16 Development Camp, recording one assist in five games.

2012-13:

• Played for the Omaha AAA U-16 Lancers of the North American Prospects Hockey League, recording 69 points (27G, 42A) in 70 games on his way to earning All-NAPHL U-16 1st Team honors.
• Participated in USA Hockey's Select 15 Development camp, where he produced four points (2G, 2A) in five games in being named the fourth best defenseman at the camp by USHR: Christian Evers (#3 Grey, 2-2-4) 6-2/190 — We were told before we got here that the Waukee, Iowa native was in the same class as Hanifin and Werensky and were a little bit disappointed the first couple times we saw him. That said, we are glad we stuck around until the final day because he was great -- really showed us what he is capable of. Tall kid, smooth skater and passes the puck like a pro. Does not have the same offensive upside as the three d-men above him on this list, but has the ability to develop into a mean, shut-down type defenseman. Will play for the Omaha U16 team.

2011-12:

•  Played for the NPI Leafs AAA '96s.