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: Tucker Poolman

With the 2013 NHL Entry Draft just a few days away, TOE continues its profile series featuring UND's committed recruits who could hear their names called during Sunday's draft. Next up is current Omaha Lancer (USHL) defenseman Tucker Poolman of East Grand Forks, MN.


Photo: ushl.com by Steve Loop

Player Profiles:

• TOE Recruit Profile: Tucker Poolman

Player Rankings:

• No. 172: Future Considerations

What People Are Saying:

• Future Considerations: "a good-sized defenseman who patrols his own zone well...real upside is in his intriguing, but raw, offensive potential...if he's able to put together his package, the reward is big."
• Mike Aikens, former Omaha Lancers head coach: "A lot of NHL scouts have been calling about Tucker, and a lot of them have been in the building this year. I think he could be a great later-round draft pick. He’s just scratching the surface of how good he can be."
• Omaha World-Herald: "a reliable, steady player who also brings a solid offensive game. With his size and strength, expect Poolman to play in all situations."

Previous Draft Profiles:
Gage Ausmus
Luke Johnson


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

Wednesday Evening Post

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

Monday Morning Coffee

• After earning its first sweep of the season this past weekend against Michigan Tech North Dakota will enter the holiday break on a high note. After the impressive showing in Houghton, several UND players will be strong candidates for WCHA Player of the Week consideration. Corban Knight and/or Danny Kristo could take home offensive honors, while Clarke Saunders and Joe Gleason put up very nice numbers on the defensive side. UND will next take on Holy Cross January 4-5 at REA.
• If you have not already seen it, Sports Illustrated published a very nice article on North Dakota hockey's loyal following.
• The National Post featured Toronto Marlies winger Matt Frattin in an article in which Toronto brass had a number of nice things to say about the former Sioux star. Frattin came up big over the weekend as he scored the game tying goal with just 10 seconds left in regulation and then helped seal a 4-3 victory over Rochester by scoring in the shootout. He now has 12 points (8G, 4A) in 12 games this season.
• Brock Nelson recently went one on one with The Checking Line. He is currently tied for 3rd in scoring among AHL rookies with 22 points (11G, 11A) in 25 games.
• The Des Moines Register wrote on a quartet of Iowans currently playing for the Omaha AAA Under-16 Lancers, and included in the piece is North Dakota commit Christian Evers. The Omaha AAA program, which also produced UND commit and current USA NTDP forward Chris Wilkie, has quickly developed into a very powerful hockey program.
• North Dakota recruit Tucker Poolman's (Omaha-USHL) effectiveness on the power play earned some recognition from the USHL in its weekly update. Poolman, a defenseman, added a seventh power play goal over the weekend and is now tied for the league lead in that category. Meanwhile, recruit Paul LaDue continues to lead all USHL blueliners with 21 points (4G, 17A) in 24 games.
• The recently decommitted Brendan Lemieux got himself into some trouble with an illegal hit.

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...

Friday Morning Coffee

Here are a few items for a morning read. The UND - BU series notes and links will be posted later this morning.

• The North Dakota men received a commitment from Tucker Poolman yesterday, and if you haven't done so already you can check out his Recruit Profile to see what type of player UND is getting. Poolman plays for the USHL's Omaha Lancers, and his commitment adds another UND connection to the Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice. Poolman and the Lancers will be taking on Luke Johnson, Paul LaDue and the Lincoln Stars prior to the UND-UNO game at TD Ameritrade Park February 9 in Omaha. It will be fun watching the local Grand Forks kids battle it out in a big event atmosphere.
• As mentioned earlier this week, former Sioux captain Adam Calder suffered a fractured hip Sunday night in an English Premier League game. Calder underwent surgery Monday, spent three days in the hospital, and reportedly will be off his feet for three months. MK Lightning GM Vito Rausa called it the worst injury he's ever seen in hockey. Thoughts are certainly with Calder and his family.
• As the NHL labor impasse drags on, former Sioux defenseman and Moorhead native Brian Lee has taken to skating with the USHL's Fargo Force as a way to stay sharp.
• Get to know Buffalo Sabre winger and former Sioux sniper Drew Stafford in this nice NHLPA player profile video:

Recruit Profile: Tucker Poolman

Photo-USHL.com

Current Team:  Omaha Lancers (USHL)

Potential Arrival at UND:  2014

Position:  Defense

Birthday:  June 8th, 1993

Hometown:  East Grand Forks, MN

Height:  6'3"

Weight:  200

Shoots:  Right


Profiles & Press Clippings:

• USHL 2013-14 Profile/Stat Page
• Elite Prospects Profile/Stat Page
• Brad Schlossman Blog Committment Post
• A synopsis of his game, via the Omaha World Herald: Poolman is a reliable, steady player who also brings a solid offensive game. With his size and strength, Aikens expects Poolman to play in all situations. “Coming out of the Fall Classic, Tucker is one of the hotter guys in the league as far as college attention,” Aikens said. “He gained valuable experience last year and is kind of a late bloomer. He’s only scratching the surface of what he could be eventually.”
• Son of former Fighting Sioux football player and current UND men's hockey strength and conditioning coordinator Mark Poolman.
• 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
• He was selected in the 5th Round (127th Overall) by the Winnipeg Jets at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

2013-14:

• He is playing for Omaha of the USHL.

2012:13:

• Playing for the Omaha Lancers (USHL), he recorded 28 points (14G, 14A) in 64 games.
• His 12 power play goals led the USHL in 2012-13.
• In January he participated in the 2013 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, which featured 40 of the USHL's top NHL draft eligible players. He was a teammate of fellow UND recruits Luke Voltin and Luke Johnson on the victorious Team West.

2011-12:

• Played for the Wichita Falls Wildcats (NAHL), where he registered 29 points (7G, 22A) and a +5 rating in 59 games.
• Was selected to represent Team Midwest at the 2012 NAHL Top Prospects tournament.
• Following his strong NAHL rookie season, the Omaha Lancers selected him in the 3rd round (38th overall) of the USHL Entry Draft.

2010-11:

• He produced 22 points (5G, 17A) in 23 games while playing for East Grand Forks (HS-Minnesota).
• He played for Team Great Plains in the Upper Midwest Elite League, producing five points (2G, 3A) in 16 games.

2009-10:

• Playing in 25 games for East Grand Forks, he registered 10 points (3G, 7A).