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.

Thursday Morning Post

• Senior forward Michelle Karvinen was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week following her strong performance in UND's road sweep of St. Cloud State. Karvinen picked up five points (4G, 1A) on the weekend and her seven goals on the season lead the nation.
• Karvinen will not be in the lineup when UND travels to Bemidji State this weekend. UND will also be without freshman forward Susanna Tapani and junior defenseman Johanna Fallman as all three will be preparing to compete in the women's Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, NY, November 5-9. Tapani and Karvinen will represent Finland, while Fallman will skate for Sweden. Also competing at the Four Nations will be Sioux alums and Team USA standouts Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux.
• The UND men's hockey Twitter account Tweeted yesterday that sophomore forward Drake Caggiula practiced without limitation. This is most certainly a positive sign for Caggiula, who took a nasty head-over-heels spill during Saturday's exhibition game against Team USA. Hopefully we will see him in the lineup this weekend against St. Cloud State.
• UND freshman defenseman Keaton Thompson was featured in his hometown newspaper yesterday.
• The coaching staff of the BCHL's Penticton Vees will be in Grand Forks this weekend to watch a number of their former players take to the ice at Engelstad Arena.
• Danny Kristo continues his strong play to start the AHL season. Last night he picked up a goal and two assists in Hartford's 5-3 win over Bridgeport, giving him twelve points (7G, 5A) in ten games. While Kristo's performance thus far is impressive, Blue Seat Blogs stresses the importance of patience in letting prospects develop at the proper level.
• Corban Knight notched a goal and an assist, including the overtime game winner, in Abbotsford's 5-4 win over Utica last night. He now has nine points (4G, 5A) in ten games, putting him right up there with Kristo among the AHL's top rookie scorers.
• The Ottawa Sun says Hockey Canada would do right in naming Jonathan Toews captain for the 2014 Winter Olympics, going so far as to call him "the best all-around player in the world."
• TJ Oshie is off to the best start of his career for the St. Louis Blues, having notched ten points (2G, 8A) in ten games with a +8 rating. The creative and relentless Oshie has helped drive the Blues towards the top of the Central Division with a refreshing dose of class.
• North Dakota recruit Rhett Gardner (Okotoks-AJHL) was named to Canada West's roster for the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. Gardner, part of UND's excellent class of 1996 birth-year commitments, was one of 13 forwards selected out of the 36 invited to camp.

Sioux in the Pros Update

Here's an update on how some of the Sioux alums playing professionally are faring early on this season:

• Brandon Bochenski (Astana) is currently second in the KHL with 11 goals and fifth with 19 points through 19 games. Additionally, his three game winning goals are tied for third and his +14 rating is fifth best.
• Rastislav Spirko leads Spartak Moscow (KHL) with 14 points (6G, 8A) in 18 games.
• Danny Kristo (Hartford) is second among AHL rookies with 7 points (4G, 3A) in six games.
• Kristo and Brad Malone are among the AHL's leading goals scorers with 4 each.
• Corban Knight is tied for second on Abbotsford (AHL) with five points (1G, 4A) through seven games. His five points are also sixth most among AHL rookies.
• The Ulmer brothers are off to strong starts in the Austrian elite league. Jeff leads Ljubljana with 14 points (7G, 7A) in 14 games while Jason leads Linz with 21 points (7G, 14A) in 15 games. Andrew Kozek (6G, 4A) and Curtis Murphy (3G, 7A) are also among the top scorers for Linz.
• Jake Marto and Jason Gregoire are each among the top four scorers for Sodertalje (Sweden tier 2). Marto has nine points (2G, 7A) in 13 games while Gregoire has eight (2G, 6A) in eight.
• Ryan Bayda's eight points (5G, 3A) are tied for the Augsburger (Germany tier 1) team lead.
• Carter Rowney was signed by the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers and has two assists through two games.
• Aaron Dell has signed a Professional Try-Out (PTO) contract with the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) but has yet to see game action. Earlier this fall Dell signed an ECHL contract with the Utah Grizzlies.

Friday Morning Post

• Senior defenseman Dillon Simpson was named team captain for the 2013-14 season, with junior forwards Michael Parks and Stephane Pattyn serving as assistant captains. Simpson was also tabbed as a player to watch in the NCHC this year in CBS Sports Network analyst/College Hockey New columnist Dave Starman's NCHC overview.
• The Hockey Writers' Gabriella Fundaro does a great job covering women's hockey and in her WCHA preview she says that despite their losses to graduation, North Dakota still has plenty of talent to make a run at the top of the WCHA standings.
• Corban Knight's bid to make Calgary's opening night roster ended yesterday when he was assigned to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. Away from the rink Knight has been forced to deal with a natural disaster and CBC Sports took a look at his family's recovery from this past summer's devastating Alberta flooding.
• NHL rookie Brock Nelson remains at New York Islanders' training camp, where he is fighting for a spot on the Isle.
• Buffalo Sabres winger Drew Stafford is looking forward to the upcoming season with a refreshed optimism as he looks to put Buffalo's disappointing 2012-13 season behind him.
• After signing the first one-way NHL contract of his career, Chris Porter finds himself in the middle of a logjam in terms of earning playing time in St. Louis. 
• Mike Commodore will reportedly be joining Vladivostok (KHL) for the 2013-14 season, joining Brandon Bochenski and Rastislav Spirko as Sioux alums playing in Russia's "super league." Bochenski, by the way, is currently T-8th in points with 10 (4G, 6A) while Spirko is T-18th with 8 (5G, 3A).
• Tony Hrkac will be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday.
• Nick Schmaltz and Ryan Mantha were part of the victorious Team Johnson at last night's All-American Prospects Game in Pittsburgh, defeating Team Mullen and Shane Gersich 5-2. Schmaltz picked up an assist and was very good throughout the game while Gersich may have been the best player on the ice for the first period plus. Overall he played a fine game and was very noticeable in all three zones while Mantha played a solid defensive game. The United States of Hockey offers a nice recap of the event.
• UND recruits Austin Poganski and Chris Wilkie are hoping to form a dynamic duo for Tri-City (USHL) this season as the past, present, and future teammates look to help kickstart the Storm's offense. A highlight of the article is the North Dakota recruiting pitch Wilkie gave to Poganski while the two were playing in the Under-17 Four Nations Tournament. It worked.

Thursday Morning Post

• A number of Sioux alums will be hitting the ice for the 2013-14 season this week as NHL rookie/prospect camps and tournaments kick into gear. Toronto's Rookie Tournament will feature four Sioux alums as the Maple Leafs (Andrew MacWilliam), Ottawa (Ben Blood), Chicago (Joe Gleason), and Penguins (Carter Rowney) will compete in a round robin tournament beginning today and running through the weekend. Danny Kristo will be part of the New York Ranger contingent competing at the Traverse City Tournament while Corban Knight and the Calgary Flames will be participating in the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC (Flames games will be streamed on their website). Derek Forbort will be attending the Los Angeles King rookie camp, which includes a pair of games against Anaheim, and Brock Nelson will participate in the New York Islanders rookie camp.
• Leading into the rookie tournaments, The Calgary Herald detailed Knight's unusually busy summer, while Blueshirts United featured Kristo in this nice interview:

• Hockey Prospectus recently ranked the Rangers' top prospects, and Kristo came in at number two while freshman forward Adam Tambellini was ranked fifteenth. Meanwhile, CBS New York says Kristo will be given every opportunity to crack the Ranger lineup. 
• Forbort checks in at number six amongst the Mayor's Manor top LA King prospects.
• Also from Mayor's Manor, Matt Frattin is fitting in nicely in Los Angeles following his offseason trade from Toronto.
• Following a strong performance at a tryout camp, Sioux alum Tate Maris earned an invite to the St. Charles Chill (CHL) training camp.
• David Toews has signed with the Reading Royals (ECHL) for the 2013-14 season.
• Former Sioux defenseman and Grand Forks native Nick Fuher has joined the Winkler Flyers (MJHL) staff as an assistant coach.
• The Hockey Guys have ranked the top recruiting classes for the next two seasons, and North Dakota's are ranked number two for 2013 and number one for 2014.
• Nick Schmaltz is a key cog in UND's 2014 freshman class, and TSN's Craig Button has him slotted at number 25 in his initial rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft.
• Sioux alum Phil Jackson recently did a Q&A with the LA Kings, and he mentions his time spent playing hockey as a youth with former Sioux All-American Terry Casey. Jackson and Casey were neighborhood friends in Great Falls, MT prior to Jackson's family moving to Williston, ND.

Sunday Afternoon Post

• As NHL.com's "30 in 30" series continues, a pair of UND sophomores found their way into their respective organization's Top 10 prospect lists. Jordan Schmaltz came in at number 6 among St. Louis' prospects, while Rocco Grimaldi sits at number 8 in Florida's deep prospect pool.
• The New England Hockey Journal published an outstanding feature on North Dakota sophomore goaltender Zane Gothberg, the Boston Bruins' 6th round draft choice in 2010. Gothberg says the goal for 2013-14 "is to win our last game, with that one coming in the national championship." 
• The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are already very much on the mind of Sioux alum Jonathan Toews, who is a candidate to wear the C for Team Canada.
• SportsNet NY put together a quick little profile on New York Ranger prospect Danny Kristo.
• UND recruit Rhett Gardner, who will suit up for the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers this season, says the current plan is for him to spend two years playing juniors before heading to UND one year out of high school.
• USA Hockey's Under-18 Select team, featuring North Dakota recruits Ryan Mantha, Austin Poganski, and Nick Schmaltz, fell one victory short of earning the gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Despite dropping a 4-0 decision to Canada in the gold medal game, it was a strong showing for a hard-working Team USA, and a great individual tournament for Schmaltz. He led Team USA in scoring with eight points (5G, 3A) in five games, and his five goals were the most of any player in the tournament. Poganski and Mantha each picked up one assist in five games played.

Top Shelf Prospects has been running through each NHL team's top prospects this offseason, and a few Sioux alums have been featured:

• Corban Knight (Calgary Flames) 
• Brock Nelson (New York Islanders)
• Danny Kristo (New York Rangers)

Wednesday Morning Post

• Junior forward Mark MacMillan is set to take on a significant leadership and scoring role for UND this season, an opportunity he is relishing.
• Senior defenseman Dillon Simpson came in at number 13 on the Copper and Blue blog's "Top 25 Oilers Under 25" rankings.
• The Ontario Reign (ECHL) caught up with the recently re-signed Mario Lamoureux, who is looking to build on last season's outstanding All-Rookie performance.
• Michael Forney had a terrific summer playing hockey Down Under. He now goes from Australia to Austria, as he will join former Sioux teammate JP Lamoureux on Villacher of the Austrian elite league.
• UND recruits Austin Poganski, Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Mantha and the rest of Team USA pulled out a clutch win yesterday at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, beating Russia 4-2 in pool play. Schmaltz scored a goal and added two assists in the victory, which put the Americans in solid position to advance to the tournament semifinals. They take on Slovakia later this morning (10:30 AM CDT), and a win would vault them into Friday's semifinal round. The UND contingent, by the way, has factored in on five of the six goals Team USA has scored in pool play and Schmaltz is tied for the tournament lead with three points (1G, 2A) in two games.
• McKeen's Hockey has released its Top 30 Prospects for the 2014 NHL Draft, and Schmaltz comes in at number 14. Future Considerations, meanwhile, has Poganski (number 26) in its preliminary rankings. Poganski is also the main feature of The Hockey News' most recent edition of The Hot List, and he says his "hardcore, blue collar" game will fit right in with UND's style of play.

NHL.com's "30 in 30" series is underway and a few Sioux alums have been featured thus far:

• Corban Knight is ranked as a top 5 prospect for the Calgary Flames.
• Derek Forbort came in at number five among Los Angeles' top prospects.
• Where does the newly acquired Matt Frattin fit in with the Los Angeles Kings?

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.

NCAA Tourney Links

Here is a handful of links regarding North Dakota's first round NCAA tournament match-up with Niagara:

• UND: Game Notes
• Grand Forks Herald: UND Takes Different Path to NCAA Tournament
• Grand Forks Herald: Parity Reigns in Men's College Hockey This Season
• Montreal Gazette: Kristo, MacMillan Among Habs Prospects on Display at NCAA Tournament
• Montreal Canadiens: Danny Kristo - Four Years in the Making
• Florida Panthers: Panthers Prospect Corban Knight Named Hobey Baker Finalist
• USCHO: West Regional Preview
• Inside College Hockey: West Regional Preview
• Star-Tribune: West Regional Preview
• Michigan Live: Top Five Players to Watch at West Regional
• Michigan Live: 3 Former Lumberjacks Lead Niagara into West Regional
• Buffalo News: Eagles Need Chubak to be Equalizer
• WIVB -Video: Canisius, Niagara Take AHA to New Level
• Buffalo News - Video: Niagara head coach David Burkholder on NCAA tournament
• Buffalo News - Video: Niagara forward Marc Zanette on NCAA tournament
• Buffalo News - Video: Niagara goaltender Carsen Chubak on NCAA tournament

Final Five Notes, Part II

• North Dakota begins its quest for a fourth consecutive Final Five championship tonight, and you can be assured plenty of UND fans will be there to cheer on their team.
• The Grand Forks Herald's Ice Time has a number of tasty nuggets available for your consumption this morning.
• As mentioned in the Herald's Ice Time, North Dakota seniors Danny Kristo and Corban Knight are solid candidates to make the list of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. College Hockey News also projects the UND duo to be among the top 10 when the finalists are announced this afternoon (5:00 PM CDT), as does USCHO. CHN also opines on the Hobey vote's character issue.
• College Hockey Inc: Final Five Preview Podcast (With the GF Herald's Brad Schlossman)
• College Hockey News: Final Five Thursday Preview
• Sioux Sports Talk: North Dakota vs. Colorado College Preview
• Minnesota Hockey Magazine: North Dakota vs. Colorado College Preview
• Colorado Springs Gazette: Improved Defense Sends CC Into Final Five With High Hopes
• Colorado Springs Gazette: Three Things to Watch vs. North Dakota
• Grand Forks Herald: One Last Hurrah For the Final Five
• Star-Tribune: It's the End of the WCHA Final Five As We Know It

A Few Final Five Notes & Links

• North Dakota's final appearance in the WCHA Final Five begins tomorrow evening against Colorado College and the play of the ultra-competitive Danny Kristo will go a long way in determining UND's postseason success.
• Similar to Kristo, Nick Mattson made his way from the Twin Cities to Grand Forks to play his college hockey, and he knows bragging rights are on the line at the Final Five.
• UND Sports TV recently featured North Dakota senior forward and Hobey Baker candidate Corban Knight. Knight has 48 points (15G, 33A) on the season and with two more, he and Kristo would become UND's first 50+ point duo since Ryan Duncan and TJ Oshie accomplished the feat in 2006-07.
• As for North Dakota's Thursday opponent, a rejuvenated Colorado College team advanced to the Final Five with some timely contributions from a pair of freshman forwards.
• North Dakota will be looking to claim its fourth consecutive and ninth overall Broadmoor Trophy. Colorado College, despite all of its regular season WCHA success over the past two decades (six MacNaughton Cups since the 1993-94 season), has never won the Broadmoor.
• For plenty of detailed information on Thursday's match-up, check out UND's game notes, the WCHA's Final Five press release, or the Colorado Springs Gazette's Final Five preview capsules.

Friday Morning Coffee

• Danny Kristo, Corban Knight, and Rocco Grimaldi earned All-WCHA honors this season, and as a team UND placed 11 players on the All-Academic Team. A contingent of WCHA bloggers, writers, etc. also voiced their collective opinions on who the best of the best were during the 2012-13 WCHA regular season.
• Chay Genoway was traded to the Washington Capitals organization yesterday. He will report to the Capitals' AHL affiliate in Hershey.
• TJ Oshie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
• Since Evan Trupp's trade to his hometown Alaska Aces (ECHL), the former Sioux winger has found the scoresheet in every game he's played. He has two goals and four assists in three games since joining the Aces.
• Mario Lamoureux (Ontario) continues to lead all ECHL rookies in point production with 59 points (25G, 34A) in 64 games. He is currently riding a seven game point streak during which he has amassed 10 points (4G, 6A).
• Brock Nelson (Bridgeport - AHL) is on a five game point streak during which he has produced eight points (2G, 6A). He currently leads all Sound Tigers with a 0.85 points per game average, and don't be surprised if he earns a late-season NHL call-up.
• A Chicago Tribune writer offers his reasoning as to why Jonathan Toews is the Chicago Blackhawk's first-half MVP.
• The Minnesota's GM recently discussed the impact of the Wild's newly acquired superstars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. And if the Wild ever need an emergency Zamboni driver, Parise might just be their guy.
• A few months ago The Hockey News featured former Sioux standout goaltender Darren Jensen in its Backchecking segment.

All-WCHA Blogger/Website Awards: My Votes

It's a bit crazy to think that it is yet again time to discuss and debate the various conference award selections. The results of the Second Annual Blogger/Website All-WCHA Poll will be released later this week, but in the meantime here is the way I voted:

All-WCHA First Team:
F - Ryan Walters, UNO
F - Corban Knight, UND
F - Erik Haula, UM
D - Nate Schmidt, UM
D - Nick Jensen, SCSU
G - Stephon Williams, MSU

All-WCHA Second Team:
F - Danny Kristo, UND
F - Drew LeBlanc, SCSU
F - Matt Leitner, MSU
D - Andrew Prochno, SCSU
D - Mike Boivin, CC
G - Adam Wilcox, UM

All-WCHA Third Team:
F - Rylan Schwartz, CC
F - Nick Bjugstad, UM
F - Michael Mersch, UW
D - Andrej Sustr, UNO
D - Nolan Zajac, DU
G - Joel Rumpel, UW

WCHA All-Rookie Team:
F - Austin Farley, UMD
F - Rocco Grimaldi, UND
F - Jonny Brodzinski, SCSU
D - Nolan Zajac, DU
D - Ethan Prow, SCSU
G - Stephon Williams, MSU

WCHA Player of the Year - Corban Knight, UND

WCHA Defensive Player of the Year - Nate Schmidt, UM

WCHA Rookie of the Year - Stephon Williams, MSU

WCHA Coach of the Year - Mike Hastings, MSU

Wednesday Evening Post

• Team USA and Rocco Grimaldi have advanced to the semifinal round of the World Junior Championship where they will take on Canada at 3:00 CST Thursday morning for the right to play for WJC gold. Sweden and Russia will play in Thursday's second semifinal matchup. Grimaldi, who was benched for Monday's preliminary round game against Slovakia, returned to action this morning in the quarterfinal game against the Czech Republic and it will be interesting to see what role he plays in the big rematch with Canada. His combination of speed and puck skill is as good as anyone playing in this tournament, making him an instant offensive threat that could be a difference maker in a big game. 
• The Team USA U-17 team rolled through World Under-17 Challenge preliminary play, going 4-0 while outscoring its opponents 23-11. UND recruit Chris Wilkie is tied for fourth in tournament scoring with seven points (1G, 6A), and his six assists are tied for the tournament lead. Fellow recruit Austin Poganski scored a pair of goals in prelim play, but his level of play is not reflected in his stat line. His strong play has earned him increased ice time as the tournament has progressed, and he is now seeing time on the second powerplay unit. Team USA will take on Russia tomorrow evening at 6:30 CST in the semifinal round, with the medal games scheduled for Friday. All tournament games can be streamed live and free via FastHockey.
• Both Team USA and Team Canada rolled through preliminary round play at the Under-18 Women's World Championship. Team USA, featuring North Dakota recruits Amy Menke, Gracen Hirschy, and Alexis Shaw, went 3-0 during the preliminary round and outscored its opponents 25-0. Canada, with recruit Halli Krzyzaniak, also went 3-0, and they outscored their opposition 15-1. Krzyzaniak, a defenseman, is Canada's leading point producer and she is tied for fourth in tournament scoring with six points (2G, 4A) while Menke is tied for 11th with four points (2G, 2A). Hirschy has recorded two assists while Shaw posted a shutout in her one appearance thus far. Team USA next takes to the ice in a semifinal tilt with the Czech Republic Friday, while Canada will face Sweden in Friday's other semifinal. The gold medal game will take place Saturday, and anything outside of a USA-Canada final would be a major, major surprise. For realtime stats and a full schedule, checkout the official tournament website.
• Former Sioux defenseman Travis Roche and Team Canada defeated Davos (Switzerland) to win the 2012 Spengler Cup. Roche recorded two assists during Canada's four tournament games.
• Andy Johnson of Bucky's Fifth Quarter issued his WCHA First Half Awards, and his Player of the Year is UND centerman Corban Knight. Danny Kristo, Derek Forbort, Clarke Saunders, and Rocco Grimaldi also received recognition.
• Brock Nelson of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) is expected to miss the next two weeks after suffering a broken jaw.
• The second annual USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game is scheduled to take place January 23 in Muskegon, Michigan, and a trio of North Dakota recruits received invitations today. Luke Johnson (Lincoln) will take part for the second consecutive season, and he will be joined by Luke Voltin (Des Moines) and Tucker Poolman (Omaha).
• Recruit Nick Schmaltz sent 2012 out in style by notching a hat trick in Green Bay's (USHL) 6-5 (OT) win over Muskegon on New Year's Eve. He completed the hatty by scoring the overtime game-winner.

Holiday Leftovers

The blogging came to a screeching halt as the result of holiday travels, but having now returned home a Heinz post is in order. Here's some old news along with some not-so-old news in an effort to catch up:

• Team USA kicked off the 2013 World Junior Championship today with an 8-0 thumping of Germany, and North Dakota forward Rocco Grimaldi picked up an assist in the victory. They will take on tournament host Russia tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM CST, and the game can be viewed on NHL Network or streamed on NHL.com (Full Broadcast Schedule). Grimaldi is seeking to play a big role for Team USA, and he and WJC linemate Johnny Gaudreau are big on ability despite both being under 5'10". In another local connection, the team doctor for Team USA is Phil Johnson of Fargo.
• In a WJC lead-up feature, Jonathan Toews came in at No. 8 in TSN's Top 40 All-Time Canadians in World Junior history.
• Corban Knight finished off the season's first half in style with a six point weekend in a road sweep against Michigan Tech and he was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Beyond the Pond says he is no silent Knight, while Goon's World asks the question, why not Knight for Hobey?  
• The Western College Hockey Blog issued its WCHA First Half Awards and Knight, Grimaldi, Danny Kristo, and Jordan Schmaltz all received recognition.
• After being named the CHL Goaltender of the Month for November, Aaron Dell stayed hot and was named the league's Goaltender of the Week for the week ending December 16th.
• Brock Nelson was recently included in The Hockey News' Hot List.
• The 2012 Spengler Cup is underway in Davos, Switzerland and former Sioux defenseman Travis Roche is representing Team Canada. Roche has notched an assist in two tournament games and is among an unheralded group of Canadians getting the job done. This year's Spengler is drawing a bit more interest than usual as a number of locked out NHL stars pepper tournament rosters. Among the familiar names are Rick Nash, Joe Thornton, Patrick Kane, Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, John Tavares, Jason Spezza, etc.
• Colby Genoway was recently featured in a nice video highlight package (link opens a YouTube video). Genoway currently plays for Lausanne of the NLB (Switzerland Tier 2) and is tied for 8th in the league in scoring with 45 points (19G, 26A) in 26 games. His 1.73 PPG rank first in the league among players with at least 25 games played. 
• As virtually everyone knows, UND recently received verbal commitments from two highly-coveted recruits. St. Cloud Cathedral's Austin Poganski and Holy Family's Shane Gersich both committed to North Dakota in the days leading up to Christmas. A recruit profile for Gersich is forthcoming, and in the meantime you can get to know Poganski a little better via his recruit profile.
• Poganski will be joining fellow North Dakota recruit Chris Wilkie on Team USA's entry in the 2013 World Under-17 Challenge, which runs Dec. 29 through Jan. 4th in Victoriaville/Drummondville, Quebec. Team USA plays an exhibition game Friday against Canada Pacific before kicking off preliminary round play Saturday in a tilt with Canada Ontario. Poganski is the only high schooler on the Team USA roster. The majority of the roster is made up of NTDP players, while a few others play for junior clubs.
• The 2013 Women's Under-18 World Championship begins Saturday in Vierumaki/Heinola, Finland, and North Dakota has four committed recruits taking part. Alexis Shaw (G), Gracen Hirschy (D), and Amy Menke are on Team USA's roster while Halli Krzyzaniak (D) will be playing for Team Canada.

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.

North Dakota vs. UAA: Notes & Links

North Dakota vs. Alaska-Anchorage - Notes & Links

• North Dakota: 1-1-0 Overall (0-0-0 WCHA)
• Alaska-Anchorage: 2-1-1 Overall (0-0-0 WCHA)
• Gametime: Friday 7:37 CDT/Saturday 7:07 CDT
• Both games will be broadcast across the region on a variety of media outlets and as always, here's the standard broadcast information. For the DirecTV folks, Friday's game can be found on channel 623 while the Saturday matchup will air on channel 626.
• Series Notes (PDF): North Dakota and Alaska-Anchorage
• For all of the GF Herald stories, check out Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading.
• Anchorage Daily News: UAA Encouraged By UND's First-Half History
• Anchorage Daily News: Scott Allen Making the Most of His Chances
• Anchorage Daily News: UAA Has Odd Early-Season Schedule
• Series Numbers: North Dakota is unbeaten in its last six games against UAA dating back to the 2010-11 season, outscoring the Seawolves 28-10 while going 5-0-1 over that span. UND holds the all-time edge with a 45-17-4 mark while going 26-3-3 at home. Heading into this weekend, UND's 32 home games against UAA are split evenly between the old and new Ralph Engelstad Arenas, having played 16 games at each venue. UND never lost to the Seawolves at the Old REA, having gone a perfect 16-0-0. In the new Engelstad Arena, North Dakota is 10-3-3.
• Senior Danny Kristo, who will be making his regular season debut this weekend, is the lone active member of the UND Century Club with 109 career points. Corban Knight was held without a point last Saturday night against Alaska-Fairbanks, thus he remains on the Century Club doorstep with 97 career points. It will take a three point weekend, but expect him to be in the club by Saturday night. Carter Rowney, by the way, is third on the active list with 46.
• Michael Parks will not play this weekend due to the lower body injury he suffered in the exhibition game against Manitoba. He is still at least a few weeks away from returning to the UND lineup.
• Several players will be reuniting with former teammates this weekend. Dillon Simpson was a teammate of UAA's Bret Cameron and Scott Allen with the AJHL's Spruce Grove Saints, Corban Knight and UAA's Quinn Sproles were teammates on the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers, and Andrew MacWilliam and Austin Sevelrud were Camrose Kodiak teammates in the AJHL.
• UAA's Blake Tatchell was featured in TOE's WCHA Instant Impact series prior to the season, and thus far he has not disappointed. In four games the freshman has produced three points (2G, 1A) while centering a line that includes freshman Hayden Trupp and senior Alex Gellert. Hayden, of course, is the younger brother of former Sioux star Evan Trupp.
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks
• USCHO's Three Things We Learned
• CHN's Tale of the Tape
• CHN's WCHA Power Rankings
• CHN's WCHA 3 Up, 3 Down
• CHN: WCHA Three Things
• WCHB Weekly WCHA Preview
• WCHA Weekly Press Release
• The Hockey Writer's Combine: UND vs. UAA Game Notes
• Sioux Sports Series Preview
• Episode 2.04 of Through These Doors:

North Dakota vs. UAA/UA: Goal Rush Notes & Links

North Dakota vs. Alaska-Anchorage/Alaska - Brice Alaska Goal Rush Notes & Links

• Gametime: Friday vs UAA 8:05 CDT/Saturday vs. Alaska 10:05 CDT
• Both games will be broadcast on regional radio across the UND Radio Network as well as across the web via UND Insider. Webcasts for the games are available for purchase on a single game basis or as a four game package.
• Series Notes (PDF): North Dakota and Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska
• Brice Alaska Goal Rush Tournament Central
• Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading
• Anchorage Daily News: UAA Brimming With Confidence
• Anchorage Daily News: North Dakota to be Seriously Shorthanded vs. UAA Friday
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: North Dakota in Town for Goal Rush
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Seawolves Aim For Third Brice Goal Rush Prize
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Nanooks Vie For Third Goal Rush Crown
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Teams Make Big Trips For Goal Rush
• TOE: Corban Knight is a Center of Attention
• Alaska Nanooks Hockey Blog: A Look at the 2012 Goal Rush
• Senior Danny Kristo, who will not be playing this weekend due to suspension, is the lone active member of the UND Century Club with 109 career points. Corban Knight could join the club with a big night Saturday. Knight, who will be sitting out Friday's game due to suspension, enters the season with 97 career points. Carter Rowney is third on the active list with 46.
• Michael Parks will not play this weekend due to a lower body injury suffered in the exhibition game against Manitoba. As for the full list of suspensions, sitting out Friday's game against Alaska-Anchorage are Kristo, Knight, Rowney, Andrew MacWilliam, and Brendan O'Donnell. Saturday's absentees will be Kristo, Connor Gaarder, Stephane Pattyn, and Andrew Panzarella.
• UND freshman Jordan Schmaltz is a highly-touted offensive defenseman who should see a lot of special teams play. Nick Naumenko's UND record for points by a freshman defenseman is 34, set in 1992-93, and that's a number Schmaltz could approach this season. Naumenko, Jason Herter, and James Patrick all hold the freshman defenseman record for assists with 24, and that's a number Schmaltz could challenge as well.
• Alaska-Anchorage's roster features Hayden Trupp, the younger brother of former Sioux star Evan Trupp.
• A player to watch during Saturday's matchup against Alaska-Fairbanks is Andy Taranto. Taranto, who starred for the Fargo Force in 2008-09, is a senior who has been one of Alaska's top offensive threats throughout his career in Fairbanks.
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks Thursday Edition and Regular Edition
• CHN's Tale of the Tape vs. UAA and Tale of the Tape vs. UA
• CHN's WCHA Power Rankings
• CHN's WCHA 3 Up, 3 Down
• CHN: WCHA's Final Regular Season As We Know It Begins Tonight
• WCHB Weekly WCHA Preview
• WCHA Weekly Press Release
• The Hockey Writer's Combine: Brice Alaska Goal Rush Game Notes
• Sioux Sports Weekend Preview
• Episode 2.03 of Through These Doors:

Corban Knight, A Center of Attention

Corban Knight's prowess at the faceoff dot is well known among North Dakota hockey fans. As a sophomore, Knight set the UND single-season record by winning 59.9% of his draws, and he has a career faceoff success rate of 59.1%. Included in those career numbers is the 58.7% clip he recorded last season while playing a good portion of the season with a broken hand. That's right. Not even a broken hand could deter Knight's faceoff dominance. In UND's two recent exhibition games, the senior centerman won an astounding 78.3% (36 of 46) of his draws. So how do his numbers compare to those of UND's recent notable centers? Take a look below.

*Just a couple of notes on the numbers:
The "% Taken" column represents the percentage of the team's draws the player took, while the "Team Rank" column represents where the player's individual Faceoff Percentage ranked on the team (a player must have taken at least 10% of the team's faceoffs to qualify for the Team Rank).

Also, this comparison only dates back to the 2004-05 season. Otherwise, Zach Parise would be very prominently featured as he was very good in the faceoff circle. As a sophomore in 2003-04 Parise won 59.1% of his draws, but the numbers from his freshman year were not readily available, thus his exclusion from this comparison.

Travis Zajac
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (04-05)	485	363	848	0.572	27.7%	1624	1442	3066	0.530	1
SO (05-06)	649	502	1151	0.564	36.4%	1642	1520	3162	0.519	1
Career	1134	865	1999	0.567	32.1%	3266	2962	6228	0.524	-

Travis Zajac is currently one of the best faceoff men in the NHL, much like he was while at North Dakota. What's particularly impressive about Zajac's numbers is that he was the primary faceoff man for North Dakota from day one, taking nearly a third of UND's faceoffs during his two years with the Sioux. His workload as a sophomore (he took 36.4% of the team's draws) is topped only by Knight's 37.2% last season. Of course, Knight missed three games a year ago, and his pro-rated "% Taken" number would have been 40% had he played every game. Zajac's 649 total faceoff wins as a sophomore is the highest total of anyone in this comparison. Knight won 581 draws as a junior, and if he's healthy I'd expect him to threaten Zajac's number this season.

Jonathan Toews
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (05-06)	204	162	366	0.557	11.6%	1642	1520	3162	0.519	2
SO (06-07)	443	332	775	0.572	26.2%	1541	1421	2962	0.520	2
Career	647	494	1141	0.567	18.6%	3183	2941	6124	0.520	-

Like Zajac, Jonathan Toews is one of the NHL's best at winning faceoffs. During his two year stint at North Dakota, he won 56.7% of his draws while taking 18.6% of the team's faceoffs. Interestingly, Toews was never the top faceoff man for the Sioux. As a freshman he was second to Zajac in faceoff percentage while as a sophomore he was bested by T.J. Oshie.

T.J. Oshie
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (05-06)	154	139	293	0.526	9.3%	1642	1520	3162	0.519	-
SO (06-07)	190	134	324	0.586	10.9%	1541	1421	2962	0.520	1
JR (07-08)	343	273	616	0.557	21.9%	1452	1356	2808	0.517	1
Career	687	546	1233	0.557	13.8%	4635	4297	8932	0.519	-

T.J. Oshie played on the wing for a good portion of his UND career, much like he does with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, but when he took to the faceoff dot he was very effective. His 58.6% success rate as a sophomore is the highest in this comparison aside from Knight's sophomore and junior seasons. One caveat to Oshie's numbers as a sophomore is the relatively small number of draws he took. Taking 10.9% of the team's faceoffs very narrowly qualified him for the Team Ranking as he played right wing much more frequently than he played down the middle.

Chris VandeVelde
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (06-07)	152	130	282	0.539	9.5%	1541	1421	2962	0.520	-
SO (07-08)	366	299	665	0.550	23.7%	1452	1356	2808	0.517	2
JR (08-09)	479	384	863	0.555	29.5%	1510	1413	2923	0.517	1
SR (09-10)	477	403	880	0.542	32.4%	1460	1253	2713	0.538	3
Career	1474	1216	2690	0.548	23.6%	5963	5443	11406	0.523	-

Chris VandeVelde was one of UND's main faceoff men over the entire span of his four year career, taking 23.6% of the team's faceoffs from 2006-07 to 2009-10. And for as prolific as he was, he was equally consistent. During his career he won 54.8% of his draws, and the lowest percentage of his career came as a freshman when he won 53.9%.

Brad Malone
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (07-08)	36	27	63	0.571	2.2%	1452	1356	2808	0.517	-
SO (08-09)	199	204	403	0.494	13.8%	1510	1413	2923	0.517	4
JR (09-10)	360	268	628	0.573	23.1%	1460	1253	2713	0.538	1
SR (10-11)	490	359	849	0.577	31.6%	1514	1175	2689	0.563	2
Career	1085	858	1943	0.558	17.5%	5936	5197	11133	0.533	-

Brad Malone developed into a very good faceoff man during his four year Sioux career. Just a 50% centerman through his first two seasons, Malone topped 57% during both his junior and senior seasons. As a junior he led UND with a 57.3% success rate, while his career-best 57.7% rate as a senior was second on the team, bested only by Knight's single-season school record 59.9%.  

Mario Lamoureux
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (08-09)	18	24	42	0.429	1.4%	1510	1413	2923	0.517	-
SO (09-10)	79	69	148	0.534	5.5%	1460	1253	2713	0.538	4
JR (10-11)	252	201	453	0.556	16.8%	1514	1175	2689	0.563	1
SR (11-12)	236	176	412	0.573	15.5%	1441	1221	2662	0.541	2
Career	585	470	1055	0.555	9.6%	5925	5062	10987	0.539	-

Mario Lamoureux took a limited number of draws as a freshman and sophomore, but as an upperclassman he was one of the top faceoff men for the Fighting Sioux. His 57.3% mark as a senior ranks as UND's sixth best single-season percentage since the 2004-05 season.

Corban Knight
Year	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	% Taken	Win	Loss	Total	FO %	Team Rank
FR (09-10)	73	53	126	0.579	4.6%	1460	1253	2713	0.538	-
SO (10-11)	469	314	783	0.599	29.1%	1514	1175	2689	0.563	1
JR (11-12)	581	409	990	0.587	37.2%	1441	1221	2662	0.541	1
Career	1123	776	1899	0.591	23.5%	4415	3649	8064	0.547	-

Knight's numbers are fantastic across the board. He's assumed a heavy faceoff workload, and as mentioned earlier, his career success rate is a sterling 59.1%.

Below is a summary of the top single-season and career faceoff numbers:

Top 10 Single-Season FO %, 2004-05 to 2011-12
	Player	FO %	Year
1.	Corban Knight	59.9	2010-11
2.	Corban Knight	58.7	2011-12
3.	T.J. Oshie	58.6	2006-07
4.	Brad Malone	57.7	2010-11
5.	Brad Malone	57.3	2009-10
6.	Mario Lamoureux	57.3	2011-12
7.	Travis Zajac	57.2	2004-05
8.	Jonathan Toews	57.2	2006-07
9.	Travis Zajac	56.4	2005-06
10.	Jonathan Toews	55.7	2005-06
10.	T.J. Oshie	55.7	2007-08

Top 5 Career FO %, 2004-05 to 2011-12
	Player	FO %	Years
1.	Corban Knight	59.1	2009-10 to 2011-12
2.	Travis Zajac	56.7	2004-05 to 2005-06
3.	Jonathan Toews	56.7	2005-06 to 2006-07
4.	Brad Malone	55.8	2007-08 to 2010-11
5.	T.J. Oshie	55.3	2005-06 to 2007-08