Friday Morning Post

• UND senior captain Dillon Simpson was named one of twenty candidates for the Lowes Senior CLASS Award.
• Freshman Gage Ausmus has settled into the role of the physical, stay-at-home defenseman early on in his UND career.
• The Dakota Student says sophomore forward Drake Caggiula bounced back nicely from the neck injury he sustained in the exhibition win over the NTDP U-18 team.
• After a one year hiatus, North Dakota and Wisconsin will resume their long-standing rivalry next season with a weekend series in Madison.
• Those who are unable to make it to Omaha for this weekend's series against Nebraska-Omaha can watch UNO's webcast of the games through a UND Insider subscription.
• TJ Oshie is off to the best start of his NHL career, and part of his success may be the result of him becoming more of a student of the game.
• Drew Stafford and Buffalo have struggled out of the gates this season, but the Sabres winger hopes to reverse the slow start.
• The achievments Chicago Blackhawk captain Jonathan Toews have made a big impression on President Obama.
• Sioux alum Travis Zajac is off to a bit of a slow start this season for the New Jersey Devils and on Halloween a trick-or-treater told him as much.
• The voting for the AJHL's All-Time Top 50 players continues, and up for vote this go-round are Sioux alums Dixon Ward, Garry Valk, Geoff Smith, Teeder Wynne and UND head coach Dave Hakstol.
• The Sioux City Journal published a great feature on recruit Trevor Olson (Sioux City-USHL), detailing the hip injury he's played through this season. Following this weekend's games he will undergo surgery in order to be fully prepared for his freshman season at UND next fall. The Musketeer captain is well-respected amongst his teammates and he sounds like quite the gamer. In a best-case scenario Sioux City, which is 9-0 with Olson in the lineup and 1-2 without him, could get their captain back towards the end of the season.
• Women's Four Nations Cup: The Lamoureux twins and Team USA will wrap up pool play tonight when they face Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani's Finland squad at 6:00 CST. The Americans are 1-1 after their 4-2 defeat at the hands of arch-rival Canada. Finland is also 1-1 in pool play. Johanna Fallman and Team Sweden will be looking to pick up their first victory of the tournament when they play Canada this afternoon at 2:30 CST.
• World Junior A Challenge: UND's recruits playing in the World Junior A Challenge will resume play today when the semifinals get underway. Rhett Gardner and Canada West will take on Russia at 2:00 CST while Team USA, featuring recruits Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Mantha, and Austin Poganski, will take on Switzerland at 6:00 CST. Through two games, Schmaltz is tied for the tournament lead with six points (2G, 4A) and has earned the praise of NHL Central Scouting's Carl Edwards. Gardner, meanwhile, has yet to find the scoresheet, but his defensive efforts on the penalty kill have helped thrust Canada West into the semifinals.

Thursday Morning Post

• Due to this season's conference realignment, USCHO says a new generation is now born in men's college hockey.
• Valley News Live says UND is heading into both a new season and a new era.
• The Herald examines the local connections on this season's team.
• The United States of Hockey previews some of the nation's impact freshmen, and UND's Wade Murphy, Gage Ausmus, and Adam Tambellini are all included.
• Gab Fundaro of The Hockey Writers says the UND women have enough depth and talent to potentially make a run at the Frozen Four.
• Travis Zajac will be wearing the A as an alternate captain for New Jersey this season, while TJ Oshie is expected to be named an alternate captain for St. Louis. They join Jonathan Toews (C - Chicago), Matt Greene (A - Los Angeles), and Zach Parise (A - Minnesota) as Sioux alums wearing letters in the NHL. Drew Stafford is no longer serving as an alternate captain for Buffalo.
• The Minnesota Wild season begins tonight against Los Angeles with Zach Parise and company wanting more for an encore to last season's first round playoff exit.
• The AJHL has opened voting in an effort to determine their Top 50 All-Time Players, and there is a big Sioux presence (including current captain Dillon Simpson) in the opening round of voting. 
• Matt Greene was a guest DJ for KCRW this week. Take a listen to his set.

Wednesday Morning Post

• The College Hockey News released its preseason All-CHN Teams and UND senior Dillon Simpson was named to the second team.
• USCHO published its WCHA women's preview and they have North Dakota finishing second. They also released a more in-depth team preview of UND.
• The Chicago Tribune examines the professional accomplishments of Jonathan Toews and says he compares more than favorably to the likes of Jordan, Gretzky, and Lemieux. (Note: Link to article did not work in Internet Explorer or Chrome, but it did in Firefox and mobile browser)
• Motivated by what he calls just an average season, Zach Parise is looking to help lead the Minnesota Wild to the next level.
• The NCHC listed the alums of member programs to make NHL opening day rosters and North Dakota leads the way with nine.
• TJ Oshie says his ankle finally feels 100% for the first time in years.
• Hockey This Week explores Brock Nelson's famous bloodlines.
• Future Considerations released its October rankings of the top 30 NHL Draft prospects and UND commit Nick Schmaltz came in at number 19. Schmaltz made quite a jump as he did not appear on FC's preliminary rankings back in July, when Austin Poganski was ranked number 26.
• The Scouting Report says Schmaltz's performance at last week's All-American Prospects Game helped bump up his draft stock, and they also had high praise for the performance of Shane Gersich.
• Due to a lower body injury, recruit Trevor Olson has yet to play a game for Sioux City this season after being named team captain. He was scheduled to have an MRI earlier this week and based on this Tweet the results do not seem to have been favorable.  Olson, an over-ager who is in his last season of junior eligibility, really saw his USHL career take off last season following his trade to Sioux City from Green Bay.

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.

Sunday Afternoon Post

• The Edmonton Journal says that North Dakota senior Dillon Simpson has worked his way into becoming a solid Oiler prospect who possesses top-four NHL potential as a complete defenseman. 
• Sioux alums Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, and TJ Oshie are among the Canadian and American Olympic hopefuls who will be attending Olympic orientation camps this week. Parise and Toews are all but locks to appear in their second consecutive Olympic tournament, while Oshie is a player who, with a strong NHL first half, could earn his way onto Team USA as a bottom six winger. This week's orientation camps will not include any on-ice activity for either nation as the cost of insuring the attendees' NHL contracts is too great.
• As part of its "30 in 30" series, NHL.com says Travis Zajac is the New Jersey Devils' X-Factor and that he must produce offensively for the Devils to achieve team success this season. His importance to the team became even more important when star winger Ilya Kovalchuk opted to return home to Russia to play in the KHL. 
• Former Sioux defenseman Aaron Schneekloth has opted to retire after twelve professional seasons. Schneekloth, the ECHL's Defenseman of the Year just two seasons ago, will remain with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles as an assistant coach. He spent the final seven seasons of his career with Colorado.
• According to a German sports website, former Sioux goaltender Jordan Parise is retiring after seven professional seasons. He spent last season with Valpellice of the Italian elite league, posting a 2.87 GAA and .906 save percentage.
• The Los Angeles Kings Rookie Camp starts next Wednesday (Sept 4) and Derek Forbort will be in attendance. While he is expected to spend this season with Manchester (AHL), Kings executive Mike O'Connell says he expects Forbort to play with bigger goals in mind.
• North Dakota goaltending commit Cam Johnson was interviewed during the Fargo Force (USHL) tryout camp this week. Here's the video of the brief interview:

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.

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. 

 

Thursday Evening Post

• According to Hockeybuzz, North Dakota defenseman Dillon Simpson ranks 16th among the Edmonton Oilers' Top 20 Prospects.
• Michael Forney was named the ECHL Player of the Week after a weekend that saw him score three goals and chip in four assists in just two Colorado Eagle games. There was no resting on his laurels, however, as Forney had a goal and two assists last night in the Eagles' 10-1 demolition of Utah. Forney currently leads the ECHL with 10 goals, and he's accomplished that, rather remarkably, by registering only 26 shots on goal.
• Mario Lamoureux is on a nice run with the ECHL's Ontario Reign. Over his last seven games the former Sioux has eight points (2G, 6A) and is a +6. His eight points are fourth most on the Reign roster.
• Brock Nelson is acclimating quickly to professional hockey. He is second on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers with nine points (5G, 4A), and he is 5th in points among all AHL rookies. Over his last three games he has recorded five points (3G, 2A), and he has become an all-around force for the Sound Tigers.
• Matt Frattin appears to be about one week away from returning to the Toronto Marlies' lineup. Frattin has been recovering from surgery following the knee injury he suffered in last season's AHL playoffs.
• Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Brian Lee has been practicing with the USHL's Fargo Force as he waits for a resolution to the NHL lockout.

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:

Thursday Morning Coffee

• Goaltender Clarke Saunders may be new to North Dakota, but he is certainly not unfamiliar with the WCHA. Saunders backstopped Alabama-Huntsville to victories over Nebraska-Omaha and Denver last season, and in 2010-11 he was in net when the Chargers defeated Nebraska-Omaha and Bemidji State. In the Nebraska-Omaha victory two seasons ago Saunders established two school records when he made 58 saves, including a 25 save second period.  
• North Dakota defenseman Dillon Simpson was recently featured in the Edmonton Oiler blog Copper and Blue. Despite being a junior, Simpson is still the third youngest player on the roster, and the 39th youngest among the WCHA's 317 players. 
• The University of Denver blueline has a player with a name very familiar to Fighting Sioux fans. Nolan Zajac, the youngest of the four hockey playing Zajac brothers, is a promising freshman defenseman for the Pioneers.
• Jonathan Toews views the NHL's latest CBA proposal with guarded optimism, saying that "Hopefully it gets the ball rolling in the right way."
• The Cheap Seats recently caught up with the parents of Jonathan and David Toews, and they shared some interesting insight into their role as hockey parents.
• Rant Sports is ranking the Top 100 players in the NHL, and St. Louis Blues winger T.J. Oshie comes in at number 71.
• TSN scout and NHL Network analyst Craig Button released his initial 2013 NHL Draft rankings yesterday. He has North Dakota recruit and Devils Lake native Keaton Thompson ranked 24th, while Grand Forks native Luke Johnson is listed as a player to keep an eye on. With J.T. Compher out of the Team USA lineup last weekend against North Dakota, Button said Thompson was the player he liked the most out of the Under-18ers. He also said he really likes Johnson's game and that he just needs to get stronger.
• The Hockey Writers also have a couple of draft watchlists on which Thompson appears. He comes in at number 49 on this list and number 41 on this one.
• North Dakota recruit Adam Tambellini comes from a well-known hockey family, but he is doing his best to forge his own path.

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.

Trupp Re-Signs Plus a Mixed Bag

Here are a few random nuggets, some new & some old:

• Evan Trupp has re-signed with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors. He began last season with the Cincinnati Cyclones before a mid-season trade sent him out west. He was putting together a solid rookie season with the Cyclones, producing 12 points (2G, 10A) in 20 games, but he really found his groove in Bakersfield. While with the Condors, he put up 22 points (10G, 12A) in 25 games, including this ridiculous beauty:

• Brock Nelson recently took part in the NHLPA's Rookie Showcase, featuring 30 of the NHL's top prospects, and The Toronto Star asked several of the prospects questions about their pasts and futures.
• The Minnesota Wild recently published a Q&A with their new star winger Zach Parise, and he shared some random personal information with The Pioneer Press. He also offered his thoughts on the looming lockout, stating that he and the players want to get going but that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is "pretty adamant about his third lockout of his tenure."
• Should we indeed see another lockout, Matt Frattin might perhaps benefit from a little extra recovery time following knee surgery. He is on track to resume skating mid-September.
• The Blackhawks Blog caught up with Jonathan Toews to see what he's been up to this summer while The Hockey Writers took a deeper look at what we can expect from the Chicago captain this season.
• Mike Commodore recently sat in on some CBA talks, and he discussed the NHL labor situation with Sportsnet 960.
• The Edmonton Journal asked whether or not Dillon Simpson will follow in his father's footsteps by enjoying an NHL career with the Oilers.
• In Lou We Trust took a deep look at the numbers to see just how much a fully healthy Travis Zajac will help the Devils this season. And now that New Jersey's captaincy has been vacated by Parise's departure, Zajac is among the candidates to wear the "C". E.J. Hradek, an analyst with the NHL Network, says he prefers Zajac as captain, but only if the Devils' center is signed to a long-term deal. Zajac is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer unless he is extended beforehand.
• NHL Numbers recently took an interesting look at "The Dave Tippett Effect."

Rankings and Features, Part 1

A number of players have been featured in an assortment of offseason rankings, series, lists, etc. Here is the first installment of a complete rundown:

• The Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey ranked Chris VandeVelde #25 among Edmonton Oiler prospects.
• Top Shelf Prospects says UND centerman Corban Knight is a prospect to keep an eye on within the Florida Panthers organization. TSP also calls Colorado's Brad Malone a super sleeper prospect while ranking Brock Nelson #2 among New York Islanders prospects.
• CSN Washington says Zach Parise, TJ Oshie, and Drew Stafford should all be under consideration for Team USA, assuming NHL players are allowed to participate in the 2014 Olympics.
• Oshie was also featured in Rant Sports' 20 Players in 20 Days series.
• Brian Lee was featured in the Tampa Bay Lightning's Boys of Summer series.
• The Pipeline Show's One to Watch series featured Dillon Simpson for the Edmonton Oilers, Rocco Grimaldi for Florida, and former Sioux and current Western Michigan forward Mike Cichy for the Montreal Canadiens.
• Chay Genoway checks in at #19 in First Round Bust's rankings of the top Minnesota Wild prospects.

VandeVelde Talks, Simpson Ranked, Calder Signs, etc.

• Former Sioux captain Adam Calder has signed with the Milton Keynes Lightning of the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL) for the 2012-13 season. Calder, who captained the 1998-99 Sioux squad that posted a remarkable 24-2-2 record in WCHA play, spent last year with the EPIHL's Slough Jets where he topped all former Sioux in the pros with 81 points (39G, 42A) while leading the Jets to the EPIHL postseason championship.
• Dillon Simpson came in at #15 in The Copper and Blue's Top 25 Oilers Under 25 list. Simpson moved up two spots from his previous ranking of #17, and considering the quality and depth of Edmonton's young talent (Yakupov, Hall, Gagner, Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, Schultz, Klefbom, Paajarvi, etc.) #15 isn't bad at all.
• Chris VandeVelde recently discussed his new contract and how he sees himself fitting in with Edmonton's organization in an Oilers Audio Podcast (Note of Caution: this link opens directly to an automatic audio player).
• Darcy Zajac scored with authority in one of the Albany Devils' top calls from the 2011-12 season.
• The Xcel Energy Center hosted a star-studded fundraiser for the Jack Jablonski Fund Thursday night and former Sioux stars Zach Parise and Drew Stafford attended the event. Jablonski, by the way, is doing all he can to prove the experts wrong. 
• I don't recall if I've posted this already, but if not below is a highlight video of some of Colby Genoway's top plays from his 2011-12 season in Switzerland:

Thursday Morning Coffee

• The acting class Matt Greene took at UND may or may not have helped prepare him for his feature length debut, the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup Championship DVD. Greene was also a guest on L.A. Today earlier this week, where he discussed LA's Stanley Cup season.
• A host of former Sioux recently took part in UND professor Frank White's charity golf tournament to help raise scholarship money.
• Dillon Simpson, who Hockey Prospectus recently ranked as the #12 prospect in the Edmonton Oiler organization, spent three segments as an in-studio guest on The Pipeline Show Tuesday night. If you care to take a listen, the audio clips can be found on this page.
• Former Sioux goaltender Jordan Parise lives a different hockey life than his younger brother Zach.
• An Anaheim Ducks blogger profiles the newly extended Matt Smaby.
• Veteran Fargo sportscaster Dan Hammer has signed on with Midco Sports Network and will be Midco's man in the booth for UND sports play-by-play.

Tuesday Morning Coffee

Here are a few additional tidbits to complement yesterday's Monday Evening Post:

• The Checking Line asks, is Brock Nelson the next playmaking center for the New York Islanders?
• Dillon Simpson will be making an in-studio appearance during tonight's edition of The Pipeline Show. The show starts at 8:00 Central and if you've never listened to the program, check it out as it's very well-done.
• Russ Bitely offered up a nice review of the USA Hockey Select 16 Development Camp, and he gave North Dakota recruit Chris Wilkie a "B" grade for his camp performance. He led his team in scoring with eight points (2G, 6A) in five games while earning a spot in the camp's All-Star game. Below is what Bitely had to say about Wilkie's performance, and thanks to the Western College Hockey Blog for linking to the review:

Chris Wilkie – Forward: Omaha AAA U16, Omaha, NE – Draft eligible 2014
You can see that Wilkie can play the game with some great offensive upside and some sure firepower in his shot. He definitely has some nice mitts, creates opportunity with the puck, and a good playmaker. Not a surprise that the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota will get his services in a few years. He has some slick puck skills and hockey sense that all scouts drool over.

• Expect restricted free agent Chris VandeVelde to come to terms with Edmonton relatively soon as the Oilers front office is expected to begin taking care of their minor league RFA's.

Day 1 Former Sioux Free Agency Signings

Day one of the NHL free agency period came and went without Zach Parise or TJ Oshie striking deals, but several other former Sioux came to terms with NHL teams. Here are the details: 

• Parise is expected to announce his intentions today after reportedly working his short-list of potential destinations down to New Jersey, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Detroit. What is it going to take to sign Parise? Evidently the low-end of the spectrum is a ten year deal worth $80 million, which is what Pittsburgh is said to have offered, while Minnesota and Philadelphia have reportedly offered deals worth more than $100 million. On top of the long-term, big dollar salary, expect his deal to include a hefty signing bonus. It's pretty special when a player spends his entire career with a single franchise, which is why my heart would like to see him remain in New Jersey. My gut, however, says it's going to be either Minnesota or Pittsburgh, though New Jersey's re-signing of goaltender Martin Brodeur this morning might help the Devils' cause ever-so-slightly. 
• Oshie did not re-sign with St. Louis prior to Sunday's free agency period, making him a restricted free agent. However, Blues GM Doug Armstrong remains confident his team will come to terms with its star winger, saying that Oshie becoming a free agent "isn't something that is a concern to me at all." 
• Following a successful first season as a professional, Matt Frattin re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs to the tune of two years and $1.7 million. After following up a solid NHL campaign with a dominant performance in the AHL playoffs, the Leafs felt confident enough in Frattin's abilities to offer him a one-way deal. Leafs GM Brian Burke said he envisions Frattin being a top six forward who is "a big part of the future here." 
• Taylor Chorney signed a one year, two-way contract with St. Louis yesterday, setting him up for his second run with the Blues organization. Chorney has spent the bulk of his four year professional career with the Edmonton Oiler organization, but did spend a month with St. Louis last season as a waiver wire claim. St. Louis is becoming a popular destination for former and future Sioux this summer. Incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz was a first round draft pick of the Blues a week and a half ago while free agents Oshie and Chris Porter could still re-sign with St. Louis.
• Matt Watkins has signed a one year, two-way contract with the New York Islanders. Watkins spent the majority of last season in Portland, playing for the AHL affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes. He was a mid-season call-up to Phoenix where he made his NHL debut on February 21.
• Where might the rest of UND's NHL free agents sign? Brad Schlossman examines that on a case-by-case basis.
• The chase for former University of Wisconsin blueline standout Justin Schultz was won by Edmonton, and current Sioux/Edmonton prospect Dillon Simpson thinks he's a good fit for the Oilers.
• Here's the updated list of former Sioux NHL free agent signings:

PLAYER	2011-2012 TEAM	STATUS	NEW TEAM	SIGNING/CONTRACT DETAILS
Jason Blake	Anaheim	UFA
Taylor Chorney	Edmonton	UFA	St. Louis	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Mike Commodore	Tampa Bay	UFA
Matt Frattin	Toronto	RFA	Toronto	2 Years, $1.7 Million
Chay Genoway	Minnesota	RFA	Minnesota	2 Years, 2-Way Contract
Brian Lee	Tampa Bay	RFA	Tampa Bay	2 Years, $2.3 Million
T.J. Oshie	St Louis	RFA
Zach Parise	New Jersey	UFA
Chris Porter	St Louis	UFA
Chris VandeVelde	Edmonton	RFA
Matt Watkins	Phoenix	UFA	NY Islanders	1 Year, 2-Way Contract