Last Saturday's matchup with the NTDP Under-18 team might not have counted in the standings, but it was certainly more than just an exhibition game for UND.
Mario Lamoureux has signed a Professional Try-Out contract with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL). Lamoureux began the season with the ECHL's Ontario Reign, where he produced three goals in four games.
Jonathan Toews notched his third career hat trick last night in helping lead Chicago to a come from behind victory against Ottawa. Here are the goals:
Rangers Unlimited checks in to see how top NYR prospect Danny Kristo is faring in Hartford, with video of all six of Kristo's goals this season. Kristo has nine points (6G, 3A) in nine games thus far, second most among AHL rookies.
Fox Sports West produced a really nice video featuring LA King winger Matt Frattin. Frattin discusses his move to southern California, his locker room banter with former Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens, and his line dancing abilities. Check it out:
UND recruit Trevor Olson scored a pair of goals this past weekend as he's making the most of what's left of his USHL career. Olson, who will suit up for North Dakota next fall, is set to undergo season ending surgery in mid-November.
Defenseman recruit Tucker Poolman scored his first goal of the season Sunday afternoon in the second period of Omaha's 6-5 win over Muskegon. He added two more in the third period for his first career USHL hat trick.
A pair of exhibition games will get The World Junior A Challenge rolling this weekend, with pool play commencing next Monday. Team USA's entry will feature three North Dakota recruits in Ryan Mantha, Austin Poganski, and Nick Schmaltz while Rhett Gardner is currently battling for a roster spot at Canada West's selection camp.
Matt Frattin has had a strong preseason debut for the Los Angeles Kings' second line left wing spot. The style of play and the skill set Frattin possesses are exactly what the Kings are looking for in that spot, and that could have the Sioux alum primed for a breakout NHL season.
Already having racked up a career's worth of accomplishments at the age of 25, the Chicago Sun-Times asks what's next for Chicago captain Jonathan Toews? Toews was recently ranked as the third best player in the NHL by a panel of NHL GM's and head coaches, while Zach Parise came in at number 23.
Brock Nelson has made a strong push to make the New York Islander roster out of training camp, having earned enough trust of the Isles' staff along the way to have been spending time on the top penalty killing unit as an NHL rookie.
Brad Malone is another former Sioux looking to make an opening night roster as he has had an impressive preseason thus far for the Colorado Avalanche.
A healthy TJ Oshie could be what St. Louis needs to get them over the hump in the postseason.
In what came as a bit of a surprise, the New York Rangers sent Danny Kristo down to their AHL affiliate in Hartford. By most accounts Kristo appeared to be having a strong preseason, and with the Rangers facing some injury and contract issues up front he appeared to be in line to take the battle for a roster spot down to the wire. Regardless, he showed several promising flashes during the preseason, so don't be surprised if he gets called up at some point during the season.
UND received a big verbal commitment this week from Christian Cakebreadof the Fargo Force, a 1997-born forward who comes out of the Arizona Bobcat AAA program.
Recruits Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Mantha, and Shane Gersich are all set to take part in tonight's All-American Prospects game in Pittsburgh (6:00 PM CDT start). Austin Poganski was originally scheduled to participate as well, but a minor injury will keep him out of the lineup. The United States of Hockey has a preview of the event, which can be viewed free of charge via FastHockey.
The NHL's Central Scouting Service released its Preliminary Watch List for the 2014 NHL Draft, and a handful of North Dakota recruits are on the NHL's radar. Nick Schmaltz is listed as an A Skater (potential first round pick), Ryan Mantha, AustinPoganski, and Chris Wilkie are listed as B Skaters (potential second to third round picks), and Rhett Gardner and Shane Gersich are C Skaters (potential fourth round and later picks).
Schmaltz came in at number 13 on Bob McKenzie's 2014 NHL Draft Preseason Report.
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.
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.
The 2013-14 roster for the UND men's team was released yesterday and the only real surprise was the absence of junior-to-be Dan Senkbeil. Senkbeil is transferring to Vermont and will be eligible to play in 2014-15 after sitting out this season to satisfy the NCAA's transfer rules. In 49 career games at North Dakota, he produced a goal and four assists.
NHL.com continues its "30 in 30" series, with Brock Nelson being ranked third among New York Islanders prospects and Danny Kristo and Adam Tambellini coming in at one and nine, respectively, among New York Rangers prospects.
Surly & Scribe took a look at the top candidates to fill the LA Kings' second line LW position, and they say Matt Frattin would be a good choice.
The roster for the 2013 All-American Prospects Game was released yesterday and four North Dakota recruits earned invitations. Ryan Mantha, Shane Gersich, Nick Schmaltz and Austin Poganski are all scheduled to take part in the American-born 2014 NHL Draft eligible showcase September 26 in Pittsburgh. An interesting omission was UND recruit and Tri-City Storm (USHL) forward Chris Wilkie. Wilkie was one of the NTDP U-17 team's top performers last season, including a very strong showing at last season's World U-17 Challenge. The United States of Hockey briefly highlighted a few of the players to watch during the event, and Schmaltz and Poganski were included. Schmaltz was also included in the latest edition of The Hockey News' Hot List.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
USA Hockey announced its preliminary roster for the World Junior Championships yesterday and, as expected, North Dakota's Rocco Grimaldi was on it. The final roster will eventually be whittled down to 23 players from the current 27 sometime during the team's training camp, but at this point it would be a shock if Grimaldi did not make the team. USA Hockey's release on the roster announcement includes its full training camp and WJC schedule, while the United States of Hockey blog took to the task of breaking down each of the 15 forwards named to the preliminary roster. Of note, former UND assistant coach/current Ohio State head coach Mark Osiecki and current Minnesota assistant coach/Grand Forks native Grant Potulny will serve as assistant coaches to Team USA head coach Phil Housley.
The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy tweeted last night that Denver University freshman forward Quentin Shore is considering leaving school in order to join the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. If Shore does indeed bolt for Portland, it would mark the third consecutive season that a WCHA player has left school mid-season in order to play for the Winterhawks. William Wrenn left Denver for Portland in 2010-11, while St. Cloud State's Cam Reid made the jump to the Winterhawks last season. Denver, of course, will be visiting REA to take on North Dakota this weekend.
Former Sioux defenseman Mike Commodore talked with The Toronto Globe and Mail on his decision to sign with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.
The Toronto Maple Leaf fansite We Want a Cup says Matt Frattin is on the right path to a productive NHL career.
Aaron Schneekloth of the Colorado Eagles is once again among the ECHL's top point-producing defensemen with 16 points (2G, 14A) in 19 games, and he was recently featured in a video player profile.
Want your very own "life-like" version of Stanley Cup champion Matt Greene? Life in Hockeywood has it for you.
All Habs Magazine recently ran a nice feature on North Dakota forward Mark MacMillan, whom Montreal selected in the 4th round on the 2010 NHL Draft.
USA Hockey is set to release its World Junior Championship preliminary roster this morning, and the United States of Hockey expects North Dakota forward Rocco Grimaldito be on the list. Team USA's pre-tournament camp begins December 16 and the WJC begins December 26 in Ufa, Russia. The tournament runs through the gold medal game Januray 5th.
The International Ice Hockey Federation has published a series of articles examining the role of college hockey within the overall bounds of the sport. On the men's side they covered the NCAA's increased ability to develop professional players, while they also examined the elite level of play NCAA women's ice hockey brings to the international stage. UND women's coaches Brian Idalski and Peter Elander are prominently featured in the women's article.
Despite playing in just eight of Toronto's 21 games this season, Matt Frattin is tied for the Marlies' team lead in goals with seven. The Winnipeg Sun took a look at his strong return from injury, while TSN says the former Sioux star has a lot of extra eyes watching him.
Looking past the lockout and the all-too-real possibility of the cancellation of the entire season, Sportsnet has listed some of the top potential free agents for 2013, and Travis Zajac is in their group.
UND recruit Christian Evers and the Omaha AAA U-16 Lancers rolled through the NAPHL Blaine Showcase this weekend with a 5-0 record, outscoring their opponents 24-4 along the way. Evers, a 6'4" 195 pound defenseman, finished the showcase with five assists in five games. The Lancers, who have yet to lose an NAPHL game this season, are coached by David Wilkie, the father of North Dakota recruit and current USNTDP Under-17 team forward Chris Wilkie.
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 Lamoureuxearned WCHA weekly honors for the second consecutive week after a strong weekend against Minnesota-Duluth.
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.
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)...
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.
The USOH is keeping a close eye on Team USA's top candidates for the World Junior Championships, and yesterday North Dakota freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi was in the spotlight. Grimaldi leads the team with four points (2G, 2A) in four games, and he has a six game point streak (3G, 3A) dating back to last season.
Through four games, North Dakota has a four-way tie for the team lead in +/- rating, and all four leaders are freshmen. Grimaldi, Colten St. Clair, Jordan Schmaltz, and Drake Caggiula are all +4.
North Dakota forward Brendan O'Donnell is one of several Tampa Bay Lightning prospects looking to have an impact season in the NCAA. Tampa Bay selected O'Donnell in the 6th Round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Jonathan Toews participated in Chicago's successful "Champs for Charity" game, which was played before nearly 12,000 fans, while Minnesota's Defending the Blueline charity game, which included Zach Parise and Chris Porter, was also deemed a success. As NHLers remain locked out, star-studded charity games are one way for players to remain active. Matt Greene is scheduled to take part in a charity game in California while Travis Zajac will do the same in Winnipeg.
Zajac and his agent are evaluating several opportunities for the former Sioux centerman to play overseas and he might be headed to Europe within a few weeks (Zajac info at the very end of the post).
Former Sioux captain Adam Calder suffered a fractured hip last Sunday in an English Premier League game. He underwent surgery Monday, and no further details have been released.
Matt Frattinreturned to Toronto Marlies practice last week, and he is no longer wearing a no-contact practice jersey. Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins said earlier this week that Frattin is about two weeks away from returning to game action.
North Dakota recruits Adam Tambellini and Wade Murphy are currently at the Canada West World Junior A Challenge Selection Camp, where they are teammates on Team Blue. They played their first game last night, with Murphy scoring his team's lone goal in a 2-1 loss. The camp concludes tonight when Team Blue takes on Team White. Luke Johnson will participate for Team USA in the WJAC, which begins next Monday in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. All tournament games can be viewed online at no charge through Fast Hockey.
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).
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:
Here are a few links of interest, including UND's most recent pro contract signee:
Former Sioux captain Mario Lamoureux signed an ECHL contract with the Ontario Reign today. Lamoureux spent the tail-end of last season with the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL) after his NCAA career concluded. The Reign is based in Ontario, CA and have an affiliation agreement with the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings.
NBC Sports Network released a 24 game NCAA men's ice hockey schedule today, and North Dakota has two road games scheduled for broadcast. The February 8th game at Nebraska-Omaha and the February 22nd game at Denver are set to air on NBCSN this coming season.
Pension Plan Puppets, a Toronto Maple Leaf blog, recently ranked Matt Frattin No. 5 on their Top 25 Maple Leafs Under 25.
Per Brad Schlossman's blog, a pair of North Dakota players are facing discipline due to alcohol related offenses.
The British Columbia Hockey League kicked off its regular season last weekend with the BCHL Showcase. The Vernon Vipers struggled to a 0-1-1 record in their two showcase games, but North Dakota recruit Adam Tambellini picked up a pair of goals while fellow Viper/UND recruit Geoff Crisfield went pointless. Vernon will try to get on the winning side of the ledger this weekend when they take on Salmon Arm in a home & home.
Feeling the need to scratch that hockey itch? For those of you near Fargo, you can catch North Dakota recruit Charlie Pelnik in action Friday night as the Fargo Force take on Cary Eades' Sioux Falls Stampede in a USHL exhibition game at Scheels Arena. Tickets are only $5 and kids 12 and under get in free.
Matt Frattin was featured recently by The Hockey Writers, who ask if the former Sioux sniper is ready for the primetime in Toronto. Frattin is a player who might find a silver lining in any potential work stoppage. At last report he was due to resume skating in a couple of weeks as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.
North Dakota captain Andrew MacWilliam was a guest on The Pipeline Show Saturday. The audio link is available here, and I also recommend listening to the segment featuring Nate Ewell. Ewell is the Director of Communications for College Hockey Inc. and he touched on CHI's hire of Mike Snee as its new Executive Director. He also discussed a few potential changes to the NHL collective bargaining agreement that could benefit college hockey.
NHL.com recently published a list of the Top 10 Captains in NHL history. While Jonathan Toews didn't make the list, Randy Holt of Rant Sports made an argument for Chicago's captain.
Even though the ownerless Phoenix Coyotes were unable to re-sign veteran forward Ray Whitney and could very well lose captain Shane Doan to free agency as well, it probably wouldn't be wise to dismiss Dave Tippett's resilient Coyotes as a playoff contender.
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 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.
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 Frattinre-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 Chorneysigned 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:
