Saturday Morning Coffee

• Travis Zajac made his season debut last night for New Jersey, but teammate Zach Parise stole the show with a career high-tying four point (1G, 3A) performance. Parise's been on some kind of roll lately as his big night now gives him 16 points in his last 10 games. Zajac, who missed the first 30 games of the season due to an offseason Achilles tendon injury, centered the Devils' third line and had 15:22 of ice time, including about a minute on the power play. He said he felt good physically but had a little rust.
• Parise is one of the best hockey players in the world, and he is one of the few that combines elite talent with scrappiness.
• Coming off last season's career-best 31 goal campaign, Drew Stafford has not had the start to the season he or the Buffalo Sabres envisioned. However, he scored a goal last night against Toronto and may be showing signs of breaking out as he now has a point in four of his last five games.
• Last night Chicago moved into a tie with the Minnesota Wild for the most points in the NHL after defeating Anaheim 4-1. In Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks might have the best 1-2 punch in the league, but it has been the phenomenal play of Toews that has pushed the team to the top of the standings.
• Former Sioux defenseman and current Los Angeles Kings assistant captain Matt Greene took a minute to briefly discuss his time at North Dakota: 

• Jason Gregoire returned to action last night for the St. John's IceCaps (AHL) following a lengthy lay off due to injury, and he registered an assist in a 4-2 victory over Manchester.
• Defenseman Aaron Schneekloth continues to propel the Colorado Eagles' run up the standings. He scored the game winning goal last night in a 3-2 victory over Utah, and he now has 22 points (10G, 12A) and a +10 rating in 25 games. After a bit of a slow start transitioning from the CHL to the ECHL, the Eagles have gone 10-2-2 in their last 14 to move into second place in the Western Conference's Mountain Division. Former Sioux Michael Forney earned the primary assist on Schneekloth's game winner and now has 17 points (6G, 11A) in 25 games.
• Sioux 2012 recruit Stefan Matteau jumped into the International Scouting Service's Top 30 ranked 2012 NHL Draft prospects.
• Sioux 2013 recruit Jack Rowe scored the game-winning goal and was named the game's 1st Star as Cedar Rapids defeated the Team USA Under-18ers 2-1 last night. It was the first USHL goal of his career.

Thursday Morning Coffee

• The Chicago Blackhawks earned a 4-3 shootout victory over the Minnesota Wild last night in what was a milestone evening for Jonathan Toews. Toews' 2nd period assist was the 300th point of his career, and he later added a regulation goal and the shootout winner on his way to earning the game's 1st Star. Toews, who has won World Junior and Olympic gold, the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy, and is the early favorite for this season's Hart Trophy, has achieved a career's worth of accolades before even turning 24. For a little added perspective on his youthful accomplishments, Chicago's captain is nearly four months younger than Maple Leaf rookie Matt Frattin.
• Earlier this week Toews appeared on WGN Radio's Jonathon Brandmeier show with teammate Daniel Carcillo. While there wasn't much substance to the appearance, there were a few humorous moments, including some insight into teammate Patrick Kane's nickname. The Toews bit begins about a third of the way into the segment.
• Toews made the cut as part of the NHL's Top 10 Shootout Specialists. He wasn't the only former Sioux to qualify, as TJ Oshie was given an honorable mention while Zach Parise topped the list.
• With Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa recently saying farewell to St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch wants to know who can help fill their void, and TJ Oshie and the St. Louis Blues are part of that mix. 
• Zach Parise and the New Jersey Devils completed a Florida sweep this week to continue their recent surge, and the production of the Devils' top line has been the key to their recent success.
• The Devils are looking to extend their good fortune by welcoming their top centerman back into the fold, as Travis Zajac is still on track to return to the lineup tomorrow. 
• Brad Malone, who has played two games with Colorado, was recently featured in an Avalanche Q&A.
• Chris VandeVelde and Taylor Chorney have both been key components to the Oklahoma City Barons' strong start.
• Hunter Bishop, who has not played this season due to a preseason injury, is helping to make a difference off the ice.
• Sioux goaltender Aaron Dell was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week after his strong weekend against Nebraska-Omaha. Dell got of to a slow start this season, but he is now returning to his All-American form of a year ago. 
• The Fighting Sioux will be making their way to Winnipeg next month, looking to earn a victory north of the 49th Parallel.

Tuesday Morning Coffee

As part of its constant evolution, the blog is going to take a bit of a different approach to sharing the various news stories and links that are currently posted in a somewhat irregular fashion. I am usually able to get Sioux-related news items out via Twitter rather quickly, but sometimes the links to these items are outdated by the time they are included in a blog post. Therefore, I'm going to begin posting such links more frequently in order to get them out in a more timely manner. The links usually accumulate fast enough to warrant a blog post every couple of days or so, and these posts will not take the place of the Series Previews, Weekly Recaps, Recruit Profiles, etc. Also, I welcome any and all feedback, so if you have any suggestions, recommendations, or corrections, feel free to leave a comment as they are always appreciated. So without further rambling, please enjoy your initial cup of the Morning Coffee:

• Jonathan Toews recently appeared on the NHL Network's NHL Live program.
• Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks are off to a very good start this season, and much of the credit can be attributed to the production of The Fantastic Four, all of whom currently rank in the top 15 in the league in points.
• The Blackhawks have been finding ways to win this year even when they have not been at their best.
• Zach Parise had a goal and two assists last night in New Jersey's 5-4 victory in Tampa Bay. It took Parise 21 games to reach the 11 point mark this season, but the production has been ramped up as of late as he has 11 points in his last 8 games. Now that the Devils' top line of Parise, rookie Adam Henrique, and sniper Ilya Kovalchuk is hitting its stride, it will be interesting to see what role Travis Zajac is assigned when he makes his return to the lineup. Zajac could play as early as Friday.
• Parise and TJ Oshie each made the cut for Jeremy Roenick's All-American-Born team. Parise made the first line and Oshie the second. Also of note, 11 of the 12 included by Roenick are former college players.
• Oshie recently sat down with St. Louis' KSDK to answer a few questions regarding the Blues' season thus far.
• Aaron Schneekloth continues to produce for the Colorado Eagles. His 12 goals and 12 power-play points lead all ECHL defensemen.
• Brandon Bochenski notched a hat trick last week for Barys Astana (KHL).
• Jason Gregoire, who has missed a good portion of the St. John's IceCap season due to injury, is one of the native Winnipeggers playing in the Jet organization.
• Current Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Clarke Saunders has confirmed that he intends to transfer to North Dakota, regardless of whether the school is able to save it's fledgling ice hockey program. And due to UAH's initial decision to disband its program, Saunders will be eligible to play immediately.