Recruit Roundup

• North Dakota defense recruit and Grand Forks native Paul LaDue recently became the top point producing defenseman in Lincoln Star (USHL) history. His goal last Thursday night gave him 70 points in a Stars uniform, surpassing former Michigan Tech Husky Eli Vlaisavljevich on the franchise's all-time list. Other names of note on Lincoln's all-time defenseman point list are Sioux alums Andy Schneider (53), Chad Mazurak (49), Lee Marvin (48), and Nick Fuher (43). LaDue, who will be joining North Dakota for the 2013-14 season, leads all USHL defensemen in points (36) and assists (25), is second in goals (11), and is T-7th with a +17 rating. To note his remarkable consistency, he has yet to go more than two consecutive games this season without registering a point, and that has happened on just three occasions. 
• Defense recruit Christian Evers and the Omaha AAA Under-16 team blazed through the NAPHL Playoffs this past weekend, going 5-0 while outscoring their opponents 28-9. Evers scored two goals in today's championship game, giving him a team-leading six for the tournament. His nine points (6G, 3A) led all tournament defensemen and were the second most on the team.
• UND's most recent commit, Rhett Gardner (Moose Jaw Generals-SMAAAHL), is averaging one goal per game over his last 20 contests. His 27 goals lead the Generals and are the fifth most in the league.
• Adam Tambellini (Surrey Eagles-BCHL) has produced 17 points during his last 11 games, including a five point game (3G, 2A) last month. His 29 goals are T-4th in the league while his 55 points (29G, 26A) are tenth most.
• Also in the BCHL, Penticton Vee Wade Murphy has been producing at a torrid clip. Over his last 10 games Murphy has put up 21 points (6G, 15A), including seven point (2G, 5A) and five point (0G, 5A) efforts. On the season he leads the Vees in points (66) and assists (44), totals which rank fourth and second among all BCHL players.
• In the Minnesota high school ranks, St. Cloud Cathedral junior forward Austin Poganski ended the regular season as his team's leading goal scorer (25) and point producer (47). Poganski and the second seeded Crusaders begin postseason play this Thursday in St. Cloud when they will face either Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson or North Branch in the Section 5A quarterfinals.
• Holy Family sophomore forward Shane Gersich has had a terrific month of February thus far, producing multi-point efforts in each of his last seven games. He has tallied 24 points (13G, 11A) this month, including back-to-back four goal performances in helping lead the Fire to their first-ever conference title in boy's hockey. For the season, Gersich leads the team with 62 points and 28 goals in 24 games played. Holy Family, which earned the fifth seed in what is a loaded Section 6AA field, opens the playoffs Thursday night against Eden Prairie.
• Hockeytube.net put together a great video profile/interview of UND defense recruit Geoff Crisfield (Vernon Vipers-BCHL). Crisfield discusses his decision to commit to North Dakota, as well as stating that, at least as of now, he appears headed back to Vernon for one more season prior to joining UND:

Tuesday Evening Post

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.
• The Hell on Ice blog took a stab at projecting Zach Parise's 2012-13 offensive numbers.
• 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.

Toews, Freshmen, & Recruits By the Numbers

• Late last week it was reported that Jonathan Toews would, under the right circumstances, consider playing overseas in the event of an extended NHL lockout. Brad Schlossman expanded on that topic on his blog, while Toews commented on his intentions earlier today. Below are a few excerpts from the full Comcast Sportsnet article:

“Chicago’s my home. It’s where I’ve spent the last five years, the best five years of my life and career. And that’s where I’ll be if everything works out in time,” said Toews on Tuesday afternoon. “But again, I’m a hockey player. And if worst comes to worst, I do need to look for a job.”

 

Toews said he’ll keep options for playing overseas open. “At this point, it’s just an option that needs to be explored and nothing more than that,” said Toews, who added there’s nothing specific right now but he’ll explore the possibility more as Sept. 15 nears. “It’s kind of a wait-and-see type of thing.”

 

Toews was in high school when the 2004-05 NHL season was lost to lockout, and he remembers how frustrated he was to see it happen. “I was a fan of the game and was disappointed to see hockey go through that and I think that it’s disappointing again, he said. “We come full circle and we’re still back here. You think the problems that existed would’ve been fixed, with the sacrifices made by players, and it’s still not good enough.”

 

• The Hockey Guys have published a ranking of college hockey's Top 10 incoming freshman classes for 2012-13, and North Dakota's newcomers came in at No. 8 (No. 2 among WCHA schools behind Nebraska-Omaha).
• We are only a handful of days into September, but a pair of UND recruits have already logged several games worth of icetime this season. The Vernon Vipers (BCHL), featuring North Dakota commits Adam Tambellini and Geoff Crisfield, have competed in five preseason games leading up to this weekend's BCHL Showcase. Tambellini notched four goals while Crisfield picked up one.

Lastly, all of the individual Recruit Profiles have been updated to reflect last season's stats, and for a quick glimpse at where the committed recruits will be playing this season, check out the 2012-13 Statistics page. A glance at the recruit list shows:

• By Position: Forwards (7), Defensemen (5), Goaltenders (0)
• By Birth-year: 1992 (1), 1993 (1), 1994 (3), 1995 (3), 1996 (4)
• By Nation: United States (9), Canada (3)
• By State/Province: North Dakota (3) & 1 each from: Alberta, British Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ontario, Wisconsin.
• By League: USHL (8), USHL-NTDP Schedule (2), BCHL (2).
• NHL Draft Picks: 1-Paul LaDue (6th Rnd 2012 - LAK)  

 

Sunday Afternoon Post, Part 2

And serving number two:

• Danny Kristo's play this season has reminded Montreal Canadien fans of why the team selected him with the 56th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Kristo and Mark MacMillan were also part of The Montreal Gazette's look at the Canadien prospects participating in the NCAA Tournament.
• Former Sioux All-American John Marks says his current job as head coach of the USHL's Fargo Force is the best gig he's had in awhile.
• Recruit Zane Gothberg posted his USHL-leading sixth shutout of the season Friday night as the Fargo Force beat Des Moines 2-0. He is also second in the league in GAA (2.29) and Save Percentage (.919), and he had been riding a scoreless streak that ended at 154:49 when Des Moines scored a first period goal last night in a 4-2 Force win.
• Recruit Drake Caggiula and the Stouffville Spirit continue their strong run in the OJHL playoffs. They've won their first two series, and currently lead Georgetown 2-1 in the Northwest Conference Finals, with game four of the the best-of-7 series scheduled for tonight. Individually, Caggiula has had very nice postseason thus far, ranking third among OJHL playoff scorers with 20 points (9G, 11A) in 13 games.
• Adam Tambellini was recently named the Vernon Vipers' Rookie of the Year. The Sioux recruit finished the BCHL season as the Vipers' third leading scorer, averaging more than a point-per-game with 56 points (27G, 29A) in 55 contests. Tambellini and fellow North Dakota recruit Geoff Crisfield are part of a strong core expected to return to Vernon next season.
• Defenseman recruit and potential first-round 2012 NHL Draft pick Jordan Schmaltz was recently profiled by The Hockey Writers, who had a lot of nice things to say about the current Green Bay Gambler.
• Recruit Chris Wilkie was an invitee of the 2012 US National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp, which took place in Ann Arbor, MI last week. The evaluation camp is a major part of the process of building the USA Hockey Under-17 team roster. Results and reports from the evaluation camp will be passed along as they become available.

Here are a few links that have recently trickled in related to items covered in the post from earlier today:

• Travis Zajac says he is excited to be making his return to the New Jersey lineup.
• Jonathan Toews says his recovery from a concussion is "probably the most frustrating thing" he's had to go through.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned a pair of forwards to their AHL affiliate today, likely signaling a return to the lineup for Matt Frattin Tuesday night when the Leafs take on Carolina.
• Chris VandeVelde made his NHL season debut this afternoon, and in the midst of Edmonton's five-goal, second period onslaught, he scored his first career NHL goal. He is the 16th former Sioux to play for an NHL club this season. Here's the goal:

Recruit Profile: Geoff Crisfield

Photo-BCHL.com

Current Team:  Vernon Vipers (British Columbia Hockey League)
Anticipated Arrival at UND:  2013
Position:  Defense
Birthday:  February 19th, 1993
Hometown:  Calgary, AB, Canada
Height:  6'1"
Weight:  200
Shoots:  Left


*Re-opened his recruitment in the spring of 2013.

Profiles & Press Clippings:

• BCHL 2012-13 Profile/Stat Page
• Elite Prospects Profile/Stat Page
• BCHL Commitment Press Release
• Vernon Morning Star: Crisfield Profile
• Vernon Morning Star: Crisfield Displays Talent and Character

2012-13

• He will be returning to the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL.

2011-12

• Playing for Vernon of the BCHL, he registered 10 points (1G, 9A) in 59 games played.
• Participated in Canada West's 2011 World Junior A Challenge Evaluation Camp.
• Vernon Central had this to say about Crisfield following a recent game against the Penticton Vees: 
One indication of the Viper effort was their hit total of 52, the most in any game this season by the Vipers. Leading the way was Geoff Crisfield, who laid hellacious hits on two of the Reilly brothers, Mike and Connor. Troy Stecher jumped Crisfield after the hit on Stecher’s defence partner, Mike Reilly. Crisfield won a decision in that bout, in perhaps his most emotional and most physical game as a Viper.

2010-11

• Captained the Calgary Royals (Alberta Midget Hockey League-AAA) and recorded 27 points (5G, 22A) and 152 penalty minutes in 34 games. He earned the Brian Benning Trophy as the league's Top Defenseman, an honor that in 1995-96 was awarded to former Fighting Sioux standout Travis Roche. He was named the Chrysler Division's December Player of the Month en route to earning an invitation to the league's All-Star game, where he was named Captain of the Chrysler Division All-Stars. He also recorded 2 assists and 30 penalty minutes while playing 6 games with the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Calgary Mustangs.

2009-10

• Played for Calgary's highly-regarded Edge School, where he tallied 16 points (1G, 15A) and 62 penalty minutes in 25 games. He also played in 6 games with the Calgary Royals (AJHL), notching 1 assist and 8 penalty minutes.

Running Down the Sioux Recruits

Here's the latest news in the world of Sioux recruits:

• The most recent recruit added to the fold is Drake Caggiula, a forward with the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Stouffville Spirit (I'm not positive on the pronunciation, but I've heard play-by-play announcers go with kuh-JU-lee-uh). Caggiula began this season playing four games with Des Moines (USHL) but has since moved back to Stouffville, which is where he played last season. He earned a silver medal with Canada East at the recently completed World Junior A Challenge, and since his return from the tournament, he has produced 8 points (3G, 5A) in 3 Stouffville games.
• Former Grand Forks Central defenseman Paul LaDue also recently committed to the Sioux. LaDue spent last season with the Alexandria Blizzard (NAHL) and currently plays with his cousin/fellow Sioux recruit/former GFC Knight teammate Luke Johnson and the Lincoln Stars (USHL). LaDue has produced 10 points (2G, 8A) in 15 games this season, his +10 rating leads the team, and his 10 points are sixth best among USHL defensemen. A couple weeks ago he was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week, and he hasn't wasted any time making an impact in Lincoln.
• Luke Johnson is also continuing his strong start to the USHL season. The Lincoln Star rookie ranks second on the team with 16 points (6G, 10A) in 14 games, and he is coming off a Thanksgiving weekend that saw him score two goals in three games.
• Jack Rowe of Cedar Rapids (USHL) has played in six games this season after returning from injury, but has yet to find the scoresheet as he works his way back into game shape.
• Charlie Pelnik leads Shattuck-St. Mary's U-16 defensemen with 3 goals.
• Jordan Schmaltz is feeling at home with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), where he has scored two goals in 5 games since his trade from Sioux City. He currently leads all USHL defensemen with 3 power play goals, and his 5 total goals are second best among league blueliners. His younger brother Nick has also played four games with Green Bay after beginning the year with the Chicago Mission Under-16 team. He has yet to produce any points for the Gamblers, but he does have a +2 rating.
• Luke Voltin is fifth on the USNTDP Under-17 team with 9 points (3G, 6A) in 14 games. Fellow Sioux recruit Keaton Thompson has 6 points (3G, 3A) in 14 games with the Under-17ers.
• Stefan Matteau continues to have a strong season for the Under-18 team. He leads the team with 17 points (7G, 10A) in 22 games, and his 3 PPG and 2 GWG are also tops on the team. Under-18 teammate Miles Koules, who has been working hard to develop his strength, is fifth on the team with 11 points (2G, 9A) in 22 games.
• Earlier this month a number of Sioux players/recruits were involved in an array of international tournaments. Brad Schlossman broke down the results quite nicely.
• Vernon Viper (BCHL) defenseman Geoff Crisfield has been earning solid reviews as of late for his rugged, stay-at-home defensive play. Below is an interview after he recently earned Viper Star of the Game honors (if you want to skip the game highlights, the actual interview starts at about the 1:30 mark):

Two Sioux Named NHL Captains, New Recruit, Frattin Starts For Leafs, Etc.

Two former Fighting Sioux teammates were named NHL captains this week. Zach Parise was named captain of the New Jersey Devils, while Drew Stafford was named as an alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres. This will be Parise's seventh NHL season, all with the Devils, while Stafford is entering his sixth season with the Sabres. They join Jonathan Toews (Chicago captain) and Matt Greene (Los Angeles alternate captain) as former Sioux serving as NHL captains.

Parise was recently interviewed by the New York Times concerning the upcoming season, while Stafford has been busy filming workout videos. Check it out:


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Matt Frattin was on the ice when the puck dropped on the NHL regular season tonight in Toronto, starting on the Maple Leafs top line in place of the suspended Clarke MacArthur. Frattin is one of two former WCHA players to make the Leafs roster out of camp, being joined by former Wisconsin Badger defenseman Jake Gardiner. He knows making the team is just the beginning, as each game will be an audition to retain his spot on the roster. Frattin was also featured in Meet the Leafs, and give the Toronto Star credit-they'd be hard pressed to find a better picture for the feature.

In other Sioux in the Pros news:

• Jason Blake, whose Anaheim Ducks are in Europe as part of the 2011 NHL Premiere, is getting a little extra attention these days due to his Finnish linemates.
• Joe Finley and Corey Fienhage recently signed with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. Both had been taking part in Buffalo Sabre training camp prior to being reassigned to Rochester, which is Buffalo's AHL affiliate.
• Finley is hoping to have an injury free season for the first time in his professional career.
• David Toews is looking to make a name for himself with the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs. (The article is from last week, but as of tonight, Toews was still on the Rockford roster)
• Jake Marto and Michael Forney were both recently released from St John's Ice Caps (AHL) training camp, meaning they'll likely be starting the season with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles. The Eagles also feature former Sioux Aaron Schneekloth. Forney was recently featured as part of The Illegal Curve's Prospect Pulse.

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The Sioux received a commitment today from Calgary native and Vernon Viper (BCHL) defenseman Geoff Crisfield. Crisfield, who this fall took part in Team Canada West's World Junior A Challenge evaluation camp, is expected to arrive at UND in the fall of 2013. Through five games with the Vipers this season the 6'1" 200 pound blueliner has one assist and seventeen penalty minutes. Looking at his statistics, he isn't afraid to mix it up, having earned 182 PIM in 40 games last season.
Crisfield's Viper Profile & Season Stats
Crisfield's Elite Prospect Profile

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The college hockey regular season commences tomorrow, and the Fighting Sioux will be hosting the annual Ice Breaker Tournament at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Friday will feature Boston College taking on Michigan State, while North Dakota will face Air Force. The Ice Breaker will be played under a four-team tournament format, with the losing and winning teams from Friday's games facing off against their counterparts on Saturday. Game times each day are slated for 4:07 and 7:37 CDT. The Fighting Sioux will play the 7:37 games each night, regardless of Friday night's outcome. Below are links from each competing team's respective athletic departments:

North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Michigan State Spartans
Air Force Falcons
Boston College Eagles
Broadcast Information