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.

Tuesday Morning Post

• Jason Gregoire has signed a one year deal with Södertälje of the Allsvenskan (Sweden Tier 2). He will be reunited with former Sioux and St. John's IceCap teammate Jake Marto, who signed with Södertälje earlier this summer.
• Brent Davidson has signed with Valpellice of Italy's elite league after spending last season with Herning (Denmark).
• The Hockey News featured former UND standout goaltender Darren Jensen in the print edition of its Backchecking segment several months ago, and it has recently found its way into the digital realm.
• Tony Hrkac will be inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame next month, joining fellow Sioux alum Greg Johnson, who was inducted in 2010.
• North Dakota goalie Zane Gothberg continues to impress Boston Bruins management.
• UND forward Rocco Grimaldi is on his way to building a big NHL future.
• UND sophomore forward Rebecca Kohler and incoming freshman defenseman Halli Krzyzaniak have been invited to Hockey Canada's National Women's Team Development Camp.
• A trio of UND commits are currently representing USA Hockey in the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Nick Schmaltz was named USA's Player of the Game in a 1-0 exhibition game victory over the Czech Republic Saturday while Austin Poganski and Ryan Mantha each picked up assists in yesterdays 3-2 OT loss to Finland. They resume play this morning at 7:00 AM CDT against Russia. Below are recent features on each UND commit:
• Nick Schmaltz
• Ryan Mantha
• Austin Poganski
• The Scouting Report is taking a look at some of the top USHL prospects for the 2014 NHL Draft and aside from the above feature on Schmaltz, Poganski and fellow UND commit Chris Wilkie were also recently highlighted.
• Incoming UND freshman defensemen Gage Ausmus and Keaton Thompson were invited to USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp, but they were both among the first round of cuts. They could potentially play themselves back into consideration with strong first halves to the NCAA season, and they will both be eligible for next year's World Junior Championship team as well.

Feeling a Draft: UND Draft Day Nuggets

The 2013 NHL Entry Draft begins today at 2:00 CDT and several UND commitments are expected to hear their names called through the seven round selection process. Here are the draft profiles of the UND players with the best chance of being selected today, as well as some draft day nuggets regarding the Fighting Sioux presence at the NHL Draft:

Gage Ausmus
Luke Johnson
Tucker Poolman
Adam Tambellini
Keaton Thompson

• A pair of incoming UND freshmen forwards are hoping to carry on the family tradition at today's draft. Grand Forks native Luke Johnson's father Steve was a supplemental pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 1987 while his uncle Chad was a 6th round pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1988. Meanwhile, Adam Tambellini's father Steve was a 1st round pick of the New York Islanders in 1978 while brother Jeff was a 1st round selection of the Los Angeles Kings in 2003.
• Four current NHL franchises have never selected a UND player at the draft: Anaheim, Columbus, Minnesota, and Nashville. I have heard that Anaheim is high on incoming freshman defenseman Keaton Thompson, so perhaps he will become UND's first ever Duck draftee.
• The Fighting Sioux have had 154 players taken during the draft. The first player ever selected was Roger Bamburak, who was picked by the Boston Bruins in the 3rd round of the 1963 draft, which was the NHL's first ever Amateur Draft.
• UND has had 16 players taken during the draft's first round. The first was current Fargo Force head coach John Marks, who was taken 9th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1968. The most recent, of course, was current Sioux defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, who went 25th overall to St. Louis last year. Jonathan Toews is UND's highest-ever pick, going 3rd overall to Chicago in 2006.
• Ten of UND's 16 first round picks have come over the course of the past 10 drafts. UND had 6 first rounders in the first 39 years of the draft's history.
• UND has had at least one player selected in the draft in each of the past 14 years. The last time a UND player was not drafted was 1998.
• Chicago and Montreal have been the most active NHL franchises in terms of selecting UND players. They've each done so 13 times.
• The Vancouver Canucks have selected seven UND players at the draft, and all seven were picked over a three year span from 1987 through 1989.
• Calgary has selected five UND players, but none since 1986 when they chose Bemidji's George Pelawa 16th overall. Pelawa, who was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey in 1986, was killed in a car crash in late August of his freshman season at North Dakota. The NHL Network produced this video a couple of years ago, looking back at the Pelawa story:





2013 NHL Draft Profile: Keaton Thompson

With the 2013 NHL Entry Draft but a day away, TOE wraps up its draft profile series with incoming freshman defenseman Keaton Thompson of Devils Lake, ND.


Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Player Profiles:

• TOE: Recruit Profile: Keaton Thompson
• Future Considerations: Prospect Profile
• The Hockey Writers: Prospect Profile
• First Round Bust: Prospect Profile
• Last Word on Sports: Prospect Profile
• Buzzing the Net: NHL Draft Tracker
• The Scouting Report: Prospect Profile

Player Rankings:

• No. 33: Future Considerations
• No. 45: TSN (Craig Button)
• No. 45: The Scouting Report
• No. 48: Last Word on Sports
• No. 49: The Hockey News (Ryan Kennedy)
• No. 49: International Scouting Service
• No. 53: NHL Central Scouting (NAS)
• No. 72: TSN (Bob McKenzie)
• No. 72: Hockey Prospectus
• No. 75: The Hockey News Draft Preview
• No. 77: Hockey Prospect
• No. 78: The Hockey Writers
• No. 79: The Hockey Writers
• No. 85: McKeen's Hockey
• No. 106: North American Central Scouting

What People Are Saying:

• Future Considerations: "a smooth two-way defender that when he is on his game plays a virtually mistake-free game...really fluid and graceful skater; effortlessly hovers across the ice...a very good directional skater, strong on his edges, very efficient and maintains his speed when changing direction...not afraid to jump up in the play on the rush, but knows when to rein it in when the time is not right to jump up or retreat back to the point when his job is done on the rush...makes a good first pass and sees the ice real well...makes smart little plays to relieve pressure; little touch passes against the grain, etc. and is ridiculously poised with pressure bearing down on him...not a physical player overall...offensive upside is truly an unknown as he is not overly creative with the puck on his stick with hand or head fakes, instead opting for the simple play more often than not. More of an active stick type of defender than a physical one; uses his lateral mobility and reach to defend."
• Hockey Prospect: "an excellent skater and when he’s on his game, his decision-making is near perfect...not overly physical, but intelligent, aware, poised, and fundamentally sound, with pinches at the right times, puck-rushing ability, excellent passing, the ability to quarterback a power play and get pucks on net, and instinctive and smooth defensive zone positioning...hasn’t shown that he can play at his peak on a consistent basis...footwork is borderline elite and has carried him quite far, and the tools are certainly there...hockey IQ remains a major question mark."
• Hockey Prospectus: "plays an advanced and mature game for his age...was up-and-down this season, tailing off toward the end of the campaign...shows a good panic threshold with the puck, and he tends to make good decisions...knows how to position his body and his stick in such a way to make him an effective defender despite his slightly undersized frame...a quality puck mover who makes good outlets, and he can be decent on the power play...an above-average skater with good footwork, top speed, and closing ability. Combining those attributes with his defensive sense allows him to make a lot of stops...fairly average with the puck."

Previous Draft Profiles:
Gage Ausmus
Luke Johnson
Tucker Poolman
Adam Tambellini


*Special thanks to these scouting services who granted permission to use their scouting reports for this profile series:
Hockey Prospect
Future Considerations

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.

Tuesday Morning Coffee

• North Dakota forward and Manitoba native Stephane Pattyn was featured in a very nice Winnipeg Free Press article.
• Aaron Dell was recently named the Central Hockey League's Goaltender of the Month for November. Dell leads the CHL in both GAA (2.03) and Save Percentage (.930). 
• Matt Watkins was named alternate captain for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He will wear the A in Sound Tiger road games.
• ESPN.com says Mike Commodore's return to the AHL is part of a bigger mission.
• After patiently playing a game of wait and see with the NHL lockout, Jonathan Toews says heading overseas is "absolutely" on the front burner.
• Even after last week's apparent negotiation meltdown between the NHL and NHLPA, Zach Parise remains optimistic.
• The Hockey Writers are in the midst of ranking their top 90 prospects for the 2013 NHL Draft, and they have some nice things to say about North Dakota native/UND recruit Keaton Thompson (No. 26). Here's their take on the Devils Lake product:

Mr. Impressive – The smooth and easy of defense; fluid, consistent, calm under pressure, one and out passes, can join the rush, and not afraid of the rough stuff. A player who has been increasingly impressive so far with hints of what he can develop into. Go ahead, Keaton, add some weight and strength and see where this game can take you.

• Colorado Eagle (ECHL) defenseman Jake Marto was recently the subject of a player profile video and he spent a couple minutes discussing his time playing for the University of North Dakota:

Thursday Morning Coffee

• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA casts its spotlight on North Dakota captain Andrew MacWilliam, who head coach Dave Hakstol calls "a true throwback."
• Goon's World put together a feature on UND freshman Drake Caggiula, who had a big three goal series against Colorado College last weekend.
• The Hockey Writers have released their NCAA Women's Hockey Week 10 Recap, and they have North Dakota ranked No. 4 in the nation. UND junior Michelle Karvinen was also named the week's 2nd Star after her two goal, five assist weekend against RIT.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs' official website took a look at Matt Frattin's torrid goal scoring pace. As of this morning Frattin was the Maple Leaf website's lead story.
• The Edmonton Oilers' weekly notebook feature's former Sioux centerman Chris VandeVelde and the newest member of his family.
• Aeros.com did a short video interview with Houston Aeros defenseman Chay Genoway.
• TSN has an updated "Craig's List," which is scout Craig Button's player rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft. The initial list included Button's top 30 draft-eligible players, but the update has been expanded to the top 75. North Dakota recruit Keaton Thompson maintained his No. 24 ranking, while Luke Johnson made his debut on the list at No. 74.

Thursday Morning Coffee

I haven't had much time to get any former Sioux and/or recruit "update" posts up over the past couple of weeks, so some of this stuff may be old news to many of you, but regardless...

• Monique Lamoureux earned WCHA weekly honors for the second consecutive week after a strong weekend against Minnesota-Duluth.
• Jonathan Toews is still undecided about heading overseas as the NHL lockout threatens the 2012-13 season. Toews, who has only recently begun feeling 100% healthy after the concussion he suffered last season, was ranked as one of the top 10 players in the NHL by CBS's Eye on Hockey blog. Zach Parise, meanwhile, came in at number 30.
• The Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) signed veteran defenseman Mike Commodore to a professional tryout contract. Commodore, who has yet to suit up for the Bulldogs, feels his NHL career would be over if he were to sit out the entire season due to the lockout.
• UND recruit Adam Tambellini has been on a hot streak lately, including picking up a rare six pack. One of the contributing factors to his streak may have been his World Junior A Challenge snub. He is currently sixth in the BCHL in scoring with 31 points (16G, 15A), trailing league-leader and fellow North Dakota recruit Wade Murphy (13G, 20A) by just two points.
• NHL Central Scouting released its preliminary rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft, and recruits Keaton Thompson (No. 5) and Luke Johnson (No. 8) are among the top-ranked USHLers on the list. Thompson is ranked no. 22 overall by International Scouting Service and he was featured by scout Craig Button in TSN's scouting report video series. Meanwhile, Tambellini and Murphy are among a group of BCHLers to receive mention from Central Scouting. Tambellini is listed as a B-skater and Murphy jumped up to a C-skater after not appearing on the preliminary watch list.
• Darcy Zajac recently took part in a Q&A as the Albany Devils (AHL) prepared to play the first of its four regular season tilts in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.
• Evan Trupp scored a beary big goal last weekend.
• Brock Nelson and Nino Neiderreiter have developed some nice chemistry for the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. They were both first round draft picks of the New York Islanders in 2010, and Lighthouse Hockey recently took a look at Nelson's emergence as a force in the AHL. Nelson currently has 14 points (7G, 7A) in 17 games.
• Matt Frattin has returned to the Toronto Marlies' lineup with a vengeance, scoring five goals in five games since returning from knee surgery...Michael Forney (Colorado Eagles) continues to lead the ECHL with 16 goals. He is also third in the league with 29 points (16G, 13A) in 19 games...Mario Lamoureux (Ontario Reign) is T-6th in ECHL rookie scoring with 14 points (6G, 8A) in 16 games...Aaron Dell (Allen Americans) leads the CHL in both GAA (1.89) and Save Percentage (.936)...Aaron Schneekloth (Colorado Eagles) is T-3rd among ECHL defensemen with 16 points (2G, 14A) in 19 games...Andrew Kozek (Dornbirner) leads the Austrian elite league with 18 goals...Curtis Murphy (Linz) is T-4th among Austrian elite league defensemen with 21 points (5G, 16A) in 25 games...Defenseman Travis Roche (Bern) is expected to be out until mid-December with a broken hand. He has 10 points (1G, 9A) in 10 Swiss elite league games this season...UND recruit Paul LaDue leads all USHL defensemen in points (3G, 13A) and assists (13)...

Wednesday Evening Post

Here's some news from the North Dakota hockey world, beginning with a wrap on the recently concluded international break:

• USA Hockey had an historically successful fall international break. For the first time ever, Team USA swept the four tournaments that make up the break. Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux were part of the gold-medal winning US Women's national team at the Women's Four Nations Tournament. Team USA shutout Canada 3-0 in the championship game. In the Under-18 Four Nations Tournament, Keaton Thompson and Team USA won its fifth consecutive championship while Chris Wilkie and the Under-17ers did the same at their Four Nations Tournament. At the World Junior A Challenge, Luke Johnson and Team USA defeated Canada West and Wade Murphy to win its fourth title in the past five years. Johnson finished the tournament with four assists in four games while Murphy was named to the tournament All-Star Team after producing six points (3G, 3A) in four games.
• Josefine Jakobsen and the Danish women's national team advanced to the final round of Olympic qualification by winning their most recent round of pre-qualification play. Denmark swept their three pre-qualification games this past weekend and will play in February for the right to advance to the Sochi games. Jakobsen led the tournament with a +4 rating and was named Denmark's Player of the Game following their first game of the tournament.
• UND women's recruit Halli Krzyzaniak led Team Manitoba to a silver medal at the Canadian Women's Under-18 National Championships last weekend. Kryzyaniak. who captained the Manitoba squad, finished the tournament with a goal and an assist and was named the tournament's MVP and Top Defenseman.
• The Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey blog says Chris VandeVelde's strong play in Oklahoma City is bolstering his NHL dreams.
• Robbie Bina has signed a two-year extension with Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg of the German elite league. This is Bina's third year in Wolfsburg.
• Aaron Dell of the Allen Americans leads the Central Hockey League (CHL) in both GAA (1.79) and Save Percentage (.935). After losing his first professional start Dell has rattled off three consecutive victories, including last night's 5-4 shootout victory over Bloomington. Dell entered the game in a relief role after the Americans had given up three goals in the game's first eight minutes. He stopped 26 of 27 shots the rest of the way and stoned five out of five shootout attempts to lead Allen to the win.
• Jonathan Toews expects to make a decision on playing in Europe in the near future.

Recruit Roundup

Here's a bit of committed recruit news & notes, including a rundown of how some of UND's recruits have been performing thus far this season:

• North Dakota lost a recruit last weekend when 1996-born forward Brendan Lemieux opted to leave the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) for Canadian major juniors. Lemieux will sign with the OHL's Barrie Colts, thereby giving up his NCAA eligibility. He had struggled early on this season in Green Bay, who used one of their tender signings to bring Lemieux into the fold. In 11 USHL games, he registered one goal and one assist.
• Adam Tambellini has been fantastic the past two weekends for the BCHL's Vernon Vipers. Over his last four games Tambellini has put up 10 points (5G, 5A) in leading Vernon to a 3-0-1 record. In two games last weekend he recorded three goals and three assists en route to being named the BCHL Player of the Week. For the season Tambellini leads the Vipers in goals (11), assists (11), and points (22), and he is among the BCHL leaders in both goals (T-7th) and points (T-8th). The 2013 NHL Draft-eligible forward appeared on The Pipeline Show last Saturday, and during his interview he recalled his recruiting trip to North Dakota. It's definitely worth a listen.
• As detailed in this post several UND recruits are involved in a variety of national and international tournaments. Off to fast starts at the World Junior A Challenge are Wade Murphy (Canada West) and Luke Johnson (Team USA), whose teams both finished group play 2-0 and thus earned byes to the semifinal round. Johnson has registered three assists (tied for the tournament lead) in two games and he was named the 2nd Star on day one of the tournament. Murphy, meanwhile, was named the 3rd Star on day two and through two games has produced two goals and three assists. His five points are tied for the tournament lead. Both Canada West and Team USA will enjoy a day off before semifinal play starts Friday.
• Johnson's Lincoln Stars teammate Paul LaDue has picked up right where he left off last season. He is tied for the league lead among defensemen with 11 points (1G, 10A), and his ten assists are tops among league blueliners. He is a +9 this season (T-6th among all players) and is an eye-popping +45 in 67 career USHL games.
• Jack Rowe is T-4th among Cedar Rapids RoughRiders with seven points (3G, 4A) in 10 games...Tucker Poolman is T-4th among Omaha Lancers with six points (3G, 3A) in 13 games. His point total also has him T-7th among all league defensemen...Nick Schmaltz leads Green Bay with eight assists and is fourth on the team with nine points...Ryan Mantha leads Sioux City with a +5 rating...Chris Wilkie is third on the NTDP U-17 team with nine points (4G, 5A) in 12 games...Heading into the 4 Nations Tournament, Keaton Thompson was second on the NTDP U-18 team with six assists...

International Break, etc.

The first international break for USA Hockey began this weekend, and North Dakota hockey connections abound. USA Hockey has put together a nice composite detailing all the action, and here are the specifics for the North Dakota contingent:

• Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux and the rest of the US Women's National Team will be taking part in the 2012 Women's Four Nations Cup November 5-10 in Kerava, Finland. The Four Nations field is comprised of the national teams from the USA, Canada, Finland, and Sweden, and in the 16 year history of the event only Canada (12) and the USA (4) have won gold. Team USA is the defending champion. North Dakota's Michelle Karvinen (Finland) and Johanna Fallman (Sweden) are also regular members of their respective national teams, but they have both been battling injuries this season and I do not believe they will be participating in the Four Nations.
• Also traveling abroad will be North Dakota recruit Chris Wilkie. Wilkie and the NTDP Under-17 team will be competing in the 2012 U-17 Four Nations Tournament in Monthey, Switzerland November 7-11. Team USA is the four-time defending champion, and the Americans are currently riding a 12 game winning streak at this event. The action gets underway Wednesday with a pre-tournament game against Switzerland, with their first tournament game coming Friday against Slovakia. 
• Keaton Thompson and the NTDP Under-18 team will be hosting the 2012 U-18 Four Nations Tournament November 6-10 in Ann Arbor, MI. Team USA is the four-time defending champion, having won 14 straight tournament games at the event. Their last loss came against Switzerland in 2007. The Americans begin play Tuesday against Finland, and all tournament games can be streamed via Fast Hockey (pay-per-view). 
• The 2012 World Junior A Challenge started up this weekend with a trio of exhibition games. The tournament officially starts tomorrow in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and runs through the gold medal game on Sunday, November 11. UND recruit Wade Murphy will be playing with Canada West while Luke Johnson is on the Team USA roster. Team USA will see its first action tomorrow against Canada East while Canada West opens its play Tuesday against the Czech Republic. Team USA placed third last season after winning the event three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010. All WJAC tournament games can be streamed free-of-charge at Fast Hockey. This tournament provides very high-quality action, so the free streaming should help scratch that mid-week hockey itch brought on by the NHL lockout.
• UND recruit Halli Krzyzaniak will serve as team captain for Manitoba at Canada's 2012 National Women's Under-18 Championship in Dawson Creek, BC. The tournament begins Wednesday and runs through Sunday, November 11.

Thursday Morning Coffee

• Following this season, it looks like there will be at least a four-year hiatus in the Minnesota-North Dakota men's hockey rivalry (unless, of course, they were to meet in postseason play). Minnesota currently has four-year scheduling agreements with the in-state schools, Notre Dame, Boston College, and Northeastern beginning next season, its first in the Big 10 Conference. Per school policy, Minnesota was not allowed to schedule non-conference games with North Dakota while the Fighting Sioux nickname was in use, and the scheduling agreements with the aforementioned schools filled the U of M's non-conference schedule while the scheduling ban was in effect. Thus it appears as though the earliest North Dakota could face Minnesota in regular season play would be the 2017-18 season. 
• On Tuesday Brad Malone was named an alternate captain for the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL). Malone is the third former Sioux to wear an AHL letter this season, joining Chris VandeVelde (alternate captain, Oklahoma City) and Taylor Chorney (alternate captain, Peoria). Aaron Schneekloth is an alternate captain with Colorado (ECHL), while Jonathan Toews (C, Chicago), Drew Stafford (A, Buffalo), Matt Greene (A, Los Angeles), and Zach Parise (A, Minnesota) all wear NHL letters.
• The Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey blog says VandeVelde is making a hard push for the Edmonton Oiler fourth line center job.
• North Dakota women's hockey recruit Halli Krzyzaniak was named captain of the Team Manitoba Under-18 team.
• UND recruit Chris Wilkie and the US NTDP Under-17 team will soon be off to Monthey, Switzerland, where they will be competing in the 2012 U-17 Four Nations Cup November 6-11. Keaton Thompson and the Under-18ers, meanwhile, will be hosting the U-18 Four Nations Tournament November 6-10 in Ann Arbor, MI.
• The Canada West World Junior A Challenge Selection Camp wrapped up last night, and it was a good night for UND recruits, with Wade Murphy (two goals) and Adam Tambellini (one goal) helping lead Team Blue to a 5-1 win over Team White. The final Canada West roster is expected to be announced today, with an exhibition game against Luke Johnson and Team USA scheduled for Saturday night in Nova Scotia.

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.

Weekend Musings, Etc.

The North Dakota men took to the ice for an exhibition game against the USA Hockey NTDP Under-18 team Friday night, and here are a few observations following the 6-4 UND victory:

• First for the most obvious, Knight Line Version 2.0 looked outstanding. Rocco Grimaldi, Corban Knight, and Danny Kristo combined for eight points (4G, 4A) and a +8.
• Clarke Saunders was the sharper of the two goaltenders vying for the starting job, and one would have to think he will be getting the start in the regular season opener against Alaska-Anchorage Friday night.
• The line of Stephane Pattyn, Colten St. Clair, and Derek Rodwell impressed. They were fast, gritty and hard to play against while also generating some nice offensive opportunities.
• It's great to see Derek Forbort so willing to shoot the puck. Granted it's only been exhibition action thus far, but he's scored a couple of very nice goals from the blueline without showing any hesitancy towards pulling the trigger.
• The strength of Andrew MacWilliam is something else. During one sequence he couldn't get a Team USA forward lined up squarely, but he was able to catch him with a forearm that contained enough power to separate puck from player. He must be just a beast to play against.
• Defenseman Jordan Schmaltz's offensive reputation comes as advertised. He's very smooth with the puck and has great offensive instincts. He also logged a lot of time on the power play and penalty kill units.
• Defensively there are still some things to clean up, but with an experienced bunch that should happen much sooner rather than later.
• For Team USA, North Dakota recruit and Devils Lake native Keaton Thompson looked good. He's a good skater who plays a very poised game. Scouts are high on him and with a solid season he could sneak into the first round of next summer's NHL Draft.

In other news...

• The UND women took to the road this weekend. They dropped the Friday night game against Ohio State, but bounced back with a Saturday afternoon victory.
• Matt Greene and a couple other NHLers spent some practice time with a Los Angeles area youth hockey team.
• The AHL and ECHL seasons kicked off Friday, and a number of former Sioux have had strong opening weekends. Brock Nelson and Matt Watkins got off to nice starts for Bridgeport (AHL). Nelson had a goal and two assists while Watkins had a goal and an assist in two Sound Tiger victories. Brad Malone notched two assists as Lake Erie (AHL) split its first two games of the year. In the ECHL, Aaron Schneekloth (1G, 2A) and Michael Forney (2G, 0A) helped Colorado to a weekend split while David Toews picked up a goal and an assist in two games with Bakersfield.
• Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux leads the Erste Bank Liga (Austrian elite league) with a .943 save percentage. He also has a 2.08 GAA. Lamoureux isn't the only former Sioux off to a strong start in Austria. Andrew Kozek is the league's leading goal scorer with nine, Ryan Duncan is T-3rd in goals with seven, and Curtis Murphy is T-9th in points among defensemen with eight (2G, 6A).
• Aaron Dell, who last weekend was released by the Colorado Eagles (ECHL), has signed with the Allen Americans of the CHL.
• In USHL play, North Dakota recruit and Grand Forks native Paul LaDue is a +8 with three assists in just four Lincoln Star games, while Sioux City defenseman Ryan Mantha leads his team with a +5 in three games. 
• The much-discussed on-campus arena for Nebraska-Omaha appears to be getting the greenlight. If it does indeed happen, it will be a big-step forward for the UNO program as it heads into the NCHC era.

North Dakota vs. Team USA U-18: Notes & Links

North Dakota vs. Team USA Under-18 - Exhibition Game Notes & Links

• Gametime: Friday 7:37 CDT
• The game will be broadcast by a variety of media outlets across the region. Here's the Broadcast Information.
• Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading
• Game Notes (PDF): North Dakota and Team USA
• A pair of local defensemen, including North Dakota recruit Keaton Thompson, will be playing for Team USA.  
• Get to know Team USA a little better via the United States of Hockey's extensive team preview.
• USCHO's Weekend Picks
• Western College Hockey Blog Weekly WCHA Preview
• WCHA Weekly Press Release
• Here's Episode 2.02 of Through These Doors:

Saturday Morning Coffee

For those of you who might be interested in following the blog's activity via mainstream social media, TOE now has a Facebook page. Give it a "Like" if you like. Of course, the blog has had a Twitter feed for a little over a year now, so if you are more of the Twitter ilk you can give us a follow over there as well. Anyway, enough of the small talk. Here are a handful of links for your Saturday morning:

• The North Dakota women did not start the regular season the way they would have liked last night. Expect them to bounce back with a strong effort this afternoon.
• The North Dakota men will hit the ice for the first time this season when they take on the University of Manitoba tonight at REA. Being that it is an exhibition game UND can dress as many players as it wants, so expect to see plenty of new faces in the lineup.
• I came across an interesting nugget while perusing some statistics this morning. 40 different collegians reached the 40 point plateau in men's hockey last year, and of those 40, 18 will be returning for the 2012-13 season. 11 of the 18 returnees play in the WCHA, and only two teams in the nation return more than one such player. Minnesota has four (Haula, Rau, Bjugstad, Schmidt) while North Dakota has two (Danny Kristo and Corban Knight).   
• The AHL regular season kicks off next week, and former Sioux Brock Nelson expects to play a bigger game for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
• Former Sioux Cary Eades led his Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) to a win in their home opener last night, and The Argus Leader published a very nice feature on the Stampede's new head coach.
• Hockey's Future took a look at UND recruit and Grand Forks native Paul LaDue's development into a defenseman with NHL potential.
• North Dakota recruits Luke Johnson and Keaton Thompson both participated in last weekend's CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in Buffalo, NY. McKeen's Hockey offered up a sampling of individual performance reviews, and both Johnson and Thompson were included. Read about Johnson here, and Thompson here. Russ Bitely also featured Johnson in his look back at the game.

Signings and Rankings

• A trio of former Sioux have recently signed contracts for the 2012-13 season. Yesterday David Toews signed with the Bakersfield Condors, where he will team up with Evan Trupp, while today it was announced that Aaron Schneekloth had re-signed with the Colorado Eagles. The Eagles now have three former Sioux on their roster in Schneekloth, Aaron Dell, and Michael Forney. Bakersfield, Colorado, and Mario Lamoureux's Ontario Reign are all in the ECHL's 8-team Western Conference, so they'll be facing off with each other on a pretty regular basis. Also signing today was Kyle Radke, who agreed to terms with the Wichita Thunder of the Central Hockey League. For an up-to-date listing of where the Sioux in the pros are playing this season, check out The Pros page.
• North Dakota received a verbal commitment from Penticton Vee (BCHL) standout Wade Murphy yesterday. There will be more on Murphy when his Recruit Profile is posted.
• Hockey Prospectus released its Top 100 NHL Prospects. Rocco Grimaldi (No. 36), Brock Nelson (No. 67), Corban Knight (No. 69), and Derek Forbort (No. 85) all made the list.
• NHL Central Scouting released its Preliminary Watch List for the 2013 draft, and three North Dakota recruits made the cut. Luke Johnson is an A-List player, while Keaton Thompson and Adam Tambellini are B-Listers. For reference, an A-List player is considered to have first-round potential, while a B-List player is considered to be a second or third-round player. Also of note, North Dakota natives Ryan Callahan (Grafton) and Alec Rauhauser (Bismarck) were ranked as C-List players, which have the potential to be fourth to sixth-round picks, while Waterloo (USHL) defenseman Ian McCoshen is an A-Lister. McCoshen has narrowed his collegiate choices down to Nebraska-Omaha, Minnesota-Duluth, and North Dakota.
• Kevin Allen of the USA Today ranked his Top 10 American-born 2013 Draft Prospects and Johnson came in at number 10. Future Considerations listed 10 players to watch at the 2012 USHL Fall Classic, and Johnson came in at number 10, while Hockey Prospect listed eight players (Johnson included) that scouts will be keeping their collective eyes on at the Fall Classic.
• United States of Hockey recently previewed the USA Hockey NTDP Under-18 team, and they had some nice things to say about Thompson.

Tuesday Afternoon Post

• North Dakota will be without its four senior captains for the opening game of the regular season.
• The College Hockey News examined the WCHA's best freshman classes.
• A few preseason rankings have been released recently. The North Dakota women are ranked fifth in both the USA Today/USA Hockey poll and the USCHO poll while the Outlook Hockey power rankings have UND coming in sixth.
• The rosters for the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game have been released, and UND recruit Luke Johnson will play for Team McClanahan while Keaton Thompson will play for Team Housley. The game is scheduled to take place in Buffalo, NY on September 29.
• Former Sioux David Lundbohm was originally expected to rejoin Vasteras (Sweden Tier-II) for the 2012-13 season, but he will instead be playing for Tuto (Finland Tier-II).
• Jason Gregoire and other Jet prospects are eager to impress the Winnipeg staff, regardless of how long the NHL lockout drags on.
• Travis Zajac, who has remained optimistic that the NHL lockout will be short-lived, says a full summer of workouts has him feeling much better than he did after the Stanley Cup Finals.
• I came across a cool video this morning featuring Jonathan Toews scoring a fantastic shorthanded goal at the 1998 Brick Super Novice Hockey Tournament. Toews is wearing number 68 for Winnipeg (red and black jerseys), while 2011 Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele is number 99 for the opposing Detroit Honeybaked team. Matt Frattin and Edmonton would eventually win the tournament:

• The above goal is somewhat reminiscent of the one he scored against Colorado in 2007:

Friday Morning Post

Vacation time starts today, but one last post is in order before heading out for a Great Lakes road trip:

• Jonathan Toews and TJ Oshie made Bleedin' Blue's list of the top 5 forwards in the Central Division.
• As part of NHL.com's 30 in 30 series, Travis Zajac was featured as the New Jersey Devils' x-factor for this coming season. Zajac played in only 15 regular season games last year after suffering an offseason Achilles tendon injury, but he was very good during New Jersey's run to the Stanley Cup Finals. 30 in 30 also asks how the Devils might go about replacing Zach Parise, both in the lineup and as captain.
• Danny Kristo was ranked #7 in NHL.com's listing of the Montreal Canadiens' top 10 prospects.
• Former Sioux standout Troy Murray is the current feature in the Chicago Blackhawks' 85 Years of Blood, Sweat, and Cheers series. Murray, who in 1980-81 led North Dakota in scoring as an 18-year old freshman, is currently Chicago's radio analyst, and his 99 point effort with Chicago in 1985-86 still stands as the most prolific offensive season produced by a UND alum at the NHL level. In case you missed them, Jonathan Toews was featured in the 85 years series last December and Ed Belfour was featured in November.
• The recently re-signed Chris VandeVelde scored seven goals in 68 AHL regular season games last year, but scored six times in just 14 postseason contests. The Edmonton Journal examined what was behind his playoff goal scoring surge. 
• The Brandon Sun ran a feature on David Toews earlier this week, and the Brandon Wheat Kings featured the piece as part of its Alumni Spotlight series. The younger Toews is currently without a contract for this upcoming season.
• The United States of Hockey took an in-depth look at the defensemen who will be participating in the USA Hockey WJC evaluation camp beginning this weekend, and incoming recruit Jordan Schmaltz possesses offensive skills that could prove to be indispensable to Team USA.
• The roster for the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game has been released and two UND recruits/North Dakota natives are on the list. Luke Johnson and Keaton Thompson will be participating in the inaugural showcase event that takes place September 29th in Buffalo, NY.
• The NCAA approved a few rules changes for the upcoming season.

Thursday Evening Post

A fun weekend of hockey in The Zenith City followed by being a bit under the weather during the week has led me to fall behind on disseminating Sioux hockey news. Also, due to the fact that the half-marathon and marathon training season is once again upon me, I'm going to start posting the links without as much personal commentary, as that will help utilize my time more efficiently. Continue to expect the Series Notes & Links, Recruit Profiles, etc., but I don't plan on doing the Series Recaps any longer. There are usually at least 3-4 good game stories written after every game (GF Herald, UNDsports.com, USCHO, opponent's beat writers, etc.), so there is more than enough fodder out there for you Saturday and Sunday morning readers. I also hope to start doing more original writing, so please bear with me as the blog continues to evolve. Without further stalling, here's what's been going on in the world of Sioux hockey:

• Sioux winger Brendan O'Donnell impressed enough during his injury shortened season to be ranked among Tampa Bay's top prospects.
• As Tradition of Excellence blogged about last October, next season's Nebraska-Omaha vs. North Dakota outdoor game was made official this week. Here is the Omaha World-Leader's take on the weekend. Tickets go on sale October 1st.
• Head coach Dave Hakstol says the legislation mandating the use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo creates "insurmountable challenges" for North Dakota athletics.
• Travis Zajac's checkup showed that his Achilles tendon is healing as it should, and he should be able to resume skating by the end of the week.
• Zach Parise is feeling great and is focused on the present. New Jersey's captain also says he does not want to talk contract during the season, but keeping Parise is a matter of dollars and sense for the Devils.
• Former Sioux player and current Lincoln Star coach Chad Johnson is loyal to his players.
• Hunter Bishop was recently named a co-recipient of the Hamilton Bulldogs' Community Player of the Month Award.
• Leaf's TV asks Matt Frattin 20 Questions:

• Frattin also did an interview with Leafs Nation.
• Jason Blake's presence in the Anaheim Duck lineup seems to have a significant impact on the team's success.
• David Toews (Toledo-ECHL) and Brian Lee (Ottawa-NHL) both recently returned to their respective lineups after sitting out with injury.
• Tony Hrkac's NCAA single season scoring record could be unbreakable.
• Evan Trupp was named the ECHL's Player of the Week. The following goal certainly helped his case:

 

• Aaron Schneekloth recorded his 300th point as a member of the Colorado Eagles (ECHL).
• Rastislav Spirko and Team Slovakia recently won the BellSwiss Bank Championship. In the four-team knockout format Spirko notched a goal in two games.
• Keaton Thompson and the Team USA Under-17 team recently swept all three of its games at the Vlad Dzurilla Tournament in Slovakia. Thompson recorded one assist during the tournament.
• Miles Koules and the Under-18 team finished in third place at the Five Nations Tournament in Finland. The Americans won two and lost two as Koules produced one assist in four games.
• North Dakota landed another recruit for its Class of 2014. Brendan Lemieux of the Toronto AAA Red Wings has given a verbal commitment to the Fighting Sioux. He is the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux.
• Recruit Zane Gothberg is keeping a level head.
• Recruit Drake Caggiula was named to the OJHL's All-Prospect 1st Team.