Friday Morning Post

• UND senior captain Dillon Simpson was named one of twenty candidates for the Lowes Senior CLASS Award.
• Freshman Gage Ausmus has settled into the role of the physical, stay-at-home defenseman early on in his UND career.
• The Dakota Student says sophomore forward Drake Caggiula bounced back nicely from the neck injury he sustained in the exhibition win over the NTDP U-18 team.
• After a one year hiatus, North Dakota and Wisconsin will resume their long-standing rivalry next season with a weekend series in Madison.
• Those who are unable to make it to Omaha for this weekend's series against Nebraska-Omaha can watch UNO's webcast of the games through a UND Insider subscription.
• TJ Oshie is off to the best start of his NHL career, and part of his success may be the result of him becoming more of a student of the game.
• Drew Stafford and Buffalo have struggled out of the gates this season, but the Sabres winger hopes to reverse the slow start.
• The achievments Chicago Blackhawk captain Jonathan Toews have made a big impression on President Obama.
• Sioux alum Travis Zajac is off to a bit of a slow start this season for the New Jersey Devils and on Halloween a trick-or-treater told him as much.
• The voting for the AJHL's All-Time Top 50 players continues, and up for vote this go-round are Sioux alums Dixon Ward, Garry Valk, Geoff Smith, Teeder Wynne and UND head coach Dave Hakstol.
• The Sioux City Journal published a great feature on recruit Trevor Olson (Sioux City-USHL), detailing the hip injury he's played through this season. Following this weekend's games he will undergo surgery in order to be fully prepared for his freshman season at UND next fall. The Musketeer captain is well-respected amongst his teammates and he sounds like quite the gamer. In a best-case scenario Sioux City, which is 9-0 with Olson in the lineup and 1-2 without him, could get their captain back towards the end of the season.
• Women's Four Nations Cup: The Lamoureux twins and Team USA will wrap up pool play tonight when they face Michelle Karvinen and Susanna Tapani's Finland squad at 6:00 CST. The Americans are 1-1 after their 4-2 defeat at the hands of arch-rival Canada. Finland is also 1-1 in pool play. Johanna Fallman and Team Sweden will be looking to pick up their first victory of the tournament when they play Canada this afternoon at 2:30 CST.
• World Junior A Challenge: UND's recruits playing in the World Junior A Challenge will resume play today when the semifinals get underway. Rhett Gardner and Canada West will take on Russia at 2:00 CST while Team USA, featuring recruits Nick Schmaltz, Ryan Mantha, and Austin Poganski, will take on Switzerland at 6:00 CST. Through two games, Schmaltz is tied for the tournament lead with six points (2G, 4A) and has earned the praise of NHL Central Scouting's Carl Edwards. Gardner, meanwhile, has yet to find the scoresheet, but his defensive efforts on the penalty kill have helped thrust Canada West into the semifinals.

Friday Morning Post

• For a good look at this weekend's action, check out Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading and USCHO's weekly NCHC picks.
• SCSU's Nick Oliver, a Roseau High alum, is excited to be heading to Grand Forks this weekend as he expects to see plenty of familiar faces in the stands.
• Dave Tippett earned his 165th win as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes last night against Nashville, tying him with Bob Francis for the franchise record. Tippett also has the fifth highest point percentage (.613) in NHL history among coaches who have been behind the bench 500 or more games. Tippett's outstanding coaching resume tends to fly under the radar considering he doesn't lead one of the league's more ritzy franchises, yet he continues to put highly competitive teams on the ice year in and year out. What's interesting is to compare the careers of Tippett and Detroit head coach Mike Babcock. They're both in their 11th season as head coaches, with Babcock having coached 799 games to Tippett's 800. Babcock has 452 career victories to go along with a .635 points percentage while Tippett has notched 436 wins on his way to his .613 points percentage. Tippett's squads have missed the playoffs just twice in the past ten seasons, while Babcock's have done so only once. Tippett has never experienced a losing season percentage-wise, with his lowest single-season point percentage (.506) coming in 2008-09, his last season in Dallas. Babcock had a point percentage of .463 in 2003-04, his final season as head coach of Anaheim. The numbers do tilt towards Babcock, particularly considering his Detroit squad won the Stanley Cup in 2007-08. But considering the stark contrast in franchise stability between Detroit and Phoenix, Tippett's coaching numbers stack up quite nicely to Babcock's.
• On Saturday night Jonathan Toews will play his first regular season NHL game in his hometown of Winnipeg, and he's pretty pumped for the occasion.
• Toews has been named a finalist for Sportsnet's Canadian Athlete of the Year.
• Andy Strickland of True Hockey wonders, is TJ Oshie playing the best hockey of his career right now?
• St. Louis has had a couple of forwards go down with injuries recently, leading them to recall Chris Porter from Chicago (AHL).
• And here's the latest edition of Through These Doors:

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.

Wednesday Morning Post

• 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:

• Sioux alum Ryan Johnson was named Player Development Consultant for the Vancouver Canucks.
• 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.

Thursday Morning Post

• Due to this season's conference realignment, USCHO says a new generation is now born in men's college hockey.
• Valley News Live says UND is heading into both a new season and a new era.
• The Herald examines the local connections on this season's team.
• The United States of Hockey previews some of the nation's impact freshmen, and UND's Wade Murphy, Gage Ausmus, and Adam Tambellini are all included.
• Gab Fundaro of The Hockey Writers says the UND women have enough depth and talent to potentially make a run at the Frozen Four.
• Travis Zajac will be wearing the A as an alternate captain for New Jersey this season, while TJ Oshie is expected to be named an alternate captain for St. Louis. They join Jonathan Toews (C - Chicago), Matt Greene (A - Los Angeles), and Zach Parise (A - Minnesota) as Sioux alums wearing letters in the NHL. Drew Stafford is no longer serving as an alternate captain for Buffalo.
• The Minnesota Wild season begins tonight against Los Angeles with Zach Parise and company wanting more for an encore to last season's first round playoff exit.
• The AJHL has opened voting in an effort to determine their Top 50 All-Time Players, and there is a big Sioux presence (including current captain Dillon Simpson) in the opening round of voting. 
• Matt Greene was a guest DJ for KCRW this week. Take a listen to his set.

Wednesday Morning Post

• The College Hockey News released its preseason All-CHN Teams and UND senior Dillon Simpson was named to the second team.
• USCHO published its WCHA women's preview and they have North Dakota finishing second. They also released a more in-depth team preview of UND.
• The Chicago Tribune examines the professional accomplishments of Jonathan Toews and says he compares more than favorably to the likes of Jordan, Gretzky, and Lemieux. (Note: Link to article did not work in Internet Explorer or Chrome, but it did in Firefox and mobile browser)
• Motivated by what he calls just an average season, Zach Parise is looking to help lead the Minnesota Wild to the next level.
• The NCHC listed the alums of member programs to make NHL opening day rosters and North Dakota leads the way with nine.
• TJ Oshie says his ankle finally feels 100% for the first time in years.
• Hockey This Week explores Brock Nelson's famous bloodlines.
• Future Considerations released its October rankings of the top 30 NHL Draft prospects and UND commit Nick Schmaltz came in at number 19. Schmaltz made quite a jump as he did not appear on FC's preliminary rankings back in July, when Austin Poganski was ranked number 26.
• The Scouting Report says Schmaltz's performance at last week's All-American Prospects Game helped bump up his draft stock, and they also had high praise for the performance of Shane Gersich.
• Due to a lower body injury, recruit Trevor Olson has yet to play a game for Sioux City this season after being named team captain. He was scheduled to have an MRI earlier this week and based on this Tweet the results do not seem to have been favorable.  Olson, an over-ager who is in his last season of junior eligibility, really saw his USHL career take off last season following his trade to Sioux City from Green Bay.

Thursday Morning Post

• Cousins Paul LaDue and Luke Johnson are set to make a big impact on UND during their collegiate careers.
• UND junior forward Andrea Dalen has been awarded Norway's Gold Puck for 2013.
• UND freshman defenseman Halli Krzyzaniak is preparing for her first season of college hockey.
• Johanna Fallman is a part of North Dakota's strong group of European talent.

Former Player Updates:

• 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.
• Former UND standout goaltender Jordan Parise has decided to call it a career as he is retiring from professional hockey.
• 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. 
• Travis Zajac is looking forward to putting a frustrating 2012-13 season behind him.
• Chris VandeVelde was invited to Philadelphia's training camp after signing an AHL deal with Adirondack, and he is now part of a trio trying to crack the Flyers' opening night roster.
• Andrew MacWilliam was re-assigned to the Toronto Marlies, but not before he left a positive impression on the Maple Leafs' staff.
• Quick Hits: Evan Trupp re-signed with the Alaska Aces (ECHL)...Aaron Dell signed with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL)...Ryan Hill signed with the Mississippi RiverKings (SPHL)...Derek Forbort, one of the top players under the age of 25 within the LA King organization, was assigned to Manchester (AHL) after a solid preseason camp in LA...Darcy Zajac is lending a veteran presence to the Albany Devils (AHL)...Carter Rowney is attending Wilkes-Barre (AHL) training camp...Joe Gleason is attending Rockford (AHL) training camp...Updated Sioux in the Pros roster for 2013-14...

Recruit Updates:

• UND received a big verbal commitment this week from Christian Cakebread of 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, Austin Poganski, 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.
• Charlie Pelnik is expected spend the next couple of seasons playing for the Langley Rivermen (BCHL).

Wednesday Morning Post

• Midco Sports Net produced a nice segment honoring the original Ralph Engelstad Arena. It aired last night during the debut of North Dakota Hockey with Dave Hakstol:

•  Here's another segment from last night's episode featuring Sioux alum Evan Trupp:

• The Winnipeg Free Press says that while Sidney Crosby will likely wear the C for Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Jonathan Toews is the team's real leader. Meanwhile, The Calgary Sun says Toews has quickly developed a reputation for winning. My feeling is that Toews probably has a better chance to be named captain than most media outlets are signaling, and Zach Parise is definitely on the shortlist of candidates to be the next Captain America. Don't be surprised if either, or both, don the C in Russia come February.
• The Hockey News' most recent Prospect Need To Know feature says maturation was a key step in Danny Kristo turning pro.
• Big things are expected out of UND recruit Ryan Gropp as he assumes more of the spotlight for the BCHL's Penticton Vees.
• Over the Boards has North Dakota's incoming freshman class ranked as the third best in the nation for 2013-14 and number one for 2014-15.



Sunday Afternoon Post

• The Edmonton Journal says that North Dakota senior Dillon Simpson has worked his way into becoming a solid Oiler prospect who possesses top-four NHL potential as a complete defenseman. 
• Sioux alums Zach Parise, Jonathan Toews, and TJ Oshie are among the Canadian and American Olympic hopefuls who will be attending Olympic orientation camps this week. Parise and Toews are all but locks to appear in their second consecutive Olympic tournament, while Oshie is a player who, with a strong NHL first half, could earn his way onto Team USA as a bottom six winger. This week's orientation camps will not include any on-ice activity for either nation as the cost of insuring the attendees' NHL contracts is too great.
• As part of its "30 in 30" series, NHL.com says Travis Zajac is the New Jersey Devils' X-Factor and that he must produce offensively for the Devils to achieve team success this season. His importance to the team became even more important when star winger Ilya Kovalchuk opted to return home to Russia to play in the KHL. 
• Former Sioux defenseman Aaron Schneekloth has opted to retire after twelve professional seasons. Schneekloth, the ECHL's Defenseman of the Year just two seasons ago, will remain with the ECHL's Colorado Eagles as an assistant coach. He spent the final seven seasons of his career with Colorado.
• According to a German sports website, former Sioux goaltender Jordan Parise is retiring after seven professional seasons. He spent last season with Valpellice of the Italian elite league, posting a 2.87 GAA and .906 save percentage.
• The Los Angeles Kings Rookie Camp starts next Wednesday (Sept 4) and Derek Forbort will be in attendance. While he is expected to spend this season with Manchester (AHL), Kings executive Mike O'Connell says he expects Forbort to play with bigger goals in mind.
• North Dakota goaltending commit Cam Johnson was interviewed during the Fargo Force (USHL) tryout camp this week. Here's the video of the brief interview:

Sunday Afternoon Post

• As NHL.com's "30 in 30" series continues, a pair of UND sophomores found their way into their respective organization's Top 10 prospect lists. Jordan Schmaltz came in at number 6 among St. Louis' prospects, while Rocco Grimaldi sits at number 8 in Florida's deep prospect pool.
• The New England Hockey Journal published an outstanding feature on North Dakota sophomore goaltender Zane Gothberg, the Boston Bruins' 6th round draft choice in 2010. Gothberg says the goal for 2013-14 "is to win our last game, with that one coming in the national championship." 
• The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are already very much on the mind of Sioux alum Jonathan Toews, who is a candidate to wear the C for Team Canada.
• SportsNet NY put together a quick little profile on New York Ranger prospect Danny Kristo.
• UND recruit Rhett Gardner, who will suit up for the AJHL's Okotoks Oilers this season, says the current plan is for him to spend two years playing juniors before heading to UND one year out of high school.
• USA Hockey's Under-18 Select team, featuring North Dakota recruits Ryan Mantha, Austin Poganski, and Nick Schmaltz, fell one victory short of earning the gold medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Despite dropping a 4-0 decision to Canada in the gold medal game, it was a strong showing for a hard-working Team USA, and a great individual tournament for Schmaltz. He led Team USA in scoring with eight points (5G, 3A) in five games, and his five goals were the most of any player in the tournament. Poganski and Mantha each picked up one assist in five games played.

Top Shelf Prospects has been running through each NHL team's top prospects this offseason, and a few Sioux alums have been featured:

• Corban Knight (Calgary Flames) 
• Brock Nelson (New York Islanders)
• Danny Kristo (New York Rangers)

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:





Wednesday Morning Coffee

• As Brad Schlossman first reported on his UND hockey blog, former Sioux defenseman Mike Commodore has signed with the AHL's Texas Stars. 
• With 14 points (7G, 7A) over his last ten games, Jonathan Toews seems to have found his scoring touch. Toews currently ranks in the NHL's top 10 in goal scoring (T-8th with 14), face-off percentage (4th at 59.6%), plus-minus (T-9th at +18), and takeaways (T-1st with 35). He also leads the league in jersey sales. Add it all up, and does it equal a Hart Trophy?
• TJ Oshie, out of the St. Louis Blues' lineup with an upper-body injury, is expected to return to action by this weekend.
• Might Buffalo Sabres winger Drew Stafford be a trade target of the Detroit Red Wings?
• Chay Genoway had several familiar faces to greet him upon his arrival in Hershey.
• Two North Dakota commits have helped their teams advance to the second round of the BCHL playoffs.  Wade Murphy and the Penticton Vees made their way to the second round with a four-game sweep over Salmon Arm, with Murphy chipping in a goal and two assists. Adam Tambellini and the Surrey Eagles won their first-round match-up with Langley three games to one. Tambellini recorded seven points (6G, 1A) in the first round series, including a hat trick in last night's series clinching victory. Surrey begins second round play Friday while Penticton has a week and a half off before beginning play in the Interior Conference Finals March 29.
• North Dakota recruit Christian Evers will be taking part in the NTDP Evaluation Camp beginning this weekend, and Russ Bitely offers his notes on the camp's participants. East Grand Forks players Tanner Tweten and Tye Ausmus will also be attending the camp.

Friday Morning Coffee

• Danny Kristo, Corban Knight, and Rocco Grimaldi earned All-WCHA honors this season, and as a team UND placed 11 players on the All-Academic Team. A contingent of WCHA bloggers, writers, etc. also voiced their collective opinions on who the best of the best were during the 2012-13 WCHA regular season.
• Chay Genoway was traded to the Washington Capitals organization yesterday. He will report to the Capitals' AHL affiliate in Hershey.
• TJ Oshie is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
• Since Evan Trupp's trade to his hometown Alaska Aces (ECHL), the former Sioux winger has found the scoresheet in every game he's played. He has two goals and four assists in three games since joining the Aces.
• Mario Lamoureux (Ontario) continues to lead all ECHL rookies in point production with 59 points (25G, 34A) in 64 games. He is currently riding a seven game point streak during which he has amassed 10 points (4G, 6A).
• Brock Nelson (Bridgeport - AHL) is on a five game point streak during which he has produced eight points (2G, 6A). He currently leads all Sound Tigers with a 0.85 points per game average, and don't be surprised if he earns a late-season NHL call-up.
• A Chicago Tribune writer offers his reasoning as to why Jonathan Toews is the Chicago Blackhawk's first-half MVP.
• The Minnesota's GM recently discussed the impact of the Wild's newly acquired superstars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. And if the Wild ever need an emergency Zamboni driver, Parise might just be their guy.
• A few months ago The Hockey News featured former Sioux standout goaltender Darren Jensen in its Backchecking segment.

Friday Morning Coffee

• 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.
• Mike Commodore has yet to find an NHL home this season, but he's been trying to keep sharp by skating with an Alberta college team.
• It's a couple of months old, but former Sioux fan favorite Rastislav Spirko took part in a nice Q&A in which he talked about his time at North Dakota.
• Brett Hextall recently displayed his boxing skills in what was an impressive scrap:

• In the midst of a fine season, North Dakota junior defenseman Dillon Simpson is following in his father's footsteps. The Edmonton draft pick also took part in a Q&A with the Oiler blog Copper & Blue, which ranked him as the 12th best Oiler under the age of 25. Coming in at twelve is very solid considering the Oilers' bevy of young stars.
• UND sophomore Mark MacMillan is a Montreal Canadiens' prospect who is perhaps flying under the radar. 

 

Holiday Leftovers

The blogging came to a screeching halt as the result of holiday travels, but having now returned home a Heinz post is in order. Here's some old news along with some not-so-old news in an effort to catch up:

• Team USA kicked off the 2013 World Junior Championship today with an 8-0 thumping of Germany, and North Dakota forward Rocco Grimaldi picked up an assist in the victory. They will take on tournament host Russia tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM CST, and the game can be viewed on NHL Network or streamed on NHL.com (Full Broadcast Schedule). Grimaldi is seeking to play a big role for Team USA, and he and WJC linemate Johnny Gaudreau are big on ability despite both being under 5'10". In another local connection, the team doctor for Team USA is Phil Johnson of Fargo.
• In a WJC lead-up feature, Jonathan Toews came in at No. 8 in TSN's Top 40 All-Time Canadians in World Junior history.
• Corban Knight finished off the season's first half in style with a six point weekend in a road sweep against Michigan Tech and he was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Beyond the Pond says he is no silent Knight, while Goon's World asks the question, why not Knight for Hobey?  
• The Western College Hockey Blog issued its WCHA First Half Awards and Knight, Grimaldi, Danny Kristo, and Jordan Schmaltz all received recognition.
• After being named the CHL Goaltender of the Month for November, Aaron Dell stayed hot and was named the league's Goaltender of the Week for the week ending December 16th.
• Brock Nelson was recently included in The Hockey News' Hot List.
• The 2012 Spengler Cup is underway in Davos, Switzerland and former Sioux defenseman Travis Roche is representing Team Canada. Roche has notched an assist in two tournament games and is among an unheralded group of Canadians getting the job done. This year's Spengler is drawing a bit more interest than usual as a number of locked out NHL stars pepper tournament rosters. Among the familiar names are Rick Nash, Joe Thornton, Patrick Kane, Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, John Tavares, Jason Spezza, etc.
• Colby Genoway was recently featured in a nice video highlight package (link opens a YouTube video). Genoway currently plays for Lausanne of the NLB (Switzerland Tier 2) and is tied for 8th in the league in scoring with 45 points (19G, 26A) in 26 games. His 1.73 PPG rank first in the league among players with at least 25 games played. 
• As virtually everyone knows, UND recently received verbal commitments from two highly-coveted recruits. St. Cloud Cathedral's Austin Poganski and Holy Family's Shane Gersich both committed to North Dakota in the days leading up to Christmas. A recruit profile for Gersich is forthcoming, and in the meantime you can get to know Poganski a little better via his recruit profile.
• Poganski will be joining fellow North Dakota recruit Chris Wilkie on Team USA's entry in the 2013 World Under-17 Challenge, which runs Dec. 29 through Jan. 4th in Victoriaville/Drummondville, Quebec. Team USA plays an exhibition game Friday against Canada Pacific before kicking off preliminary round play Saturday in a tilt with Canada Ontario. Poganski is the only high schooler on the Team USA roster. The majority of the roster is made up of NTDP players, while a few others play for junior clubs.
• The 2013 Women's Under-18 World Championship begins Saturday in Vierumaki/Heinola, Finland, and North Dakota has four committed recruits taking part. Alexis Shaw (G), Gracen Hirschy (D), and Amy Menke are on Team USA's roster while Halli Krzyzaniak (D) will be playing for Team Canada.

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:

Tuesday Morning Coffee

• 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 Grimaldi to 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.
• Norfolk Admiral teammates Matt Smaby and Emerson Etem share the Shattuck-St. Mary's connection.
• Jonathan Toews will be part of the group of players that will meet with team owners in the hopes of  breaking the NHL lockout stalemate. Toews recently commented that the players refuse to get pushed around by the owners.
• 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.
• The always entertaining Mike Commodore spent an hour discussing a wide range of topics on the Cabbie Podcast.
• 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.

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)...