Friday Morning Post

• The UND men take on USA Hockey's NTDP Under-18 team Saturday night in an exhibition tilt. Here are the game notes from each squad: North Dakota and Team USA
• The UND women, meanwhile, are on the road for the first time this season as they are in St. Cloud to take on the Huskies. Here are each school's game notes: North Dakota and St. Cloud State
• Brock Nelson picked up his first career NHL goal earlier this week, and one look at his family tree will show you that his hockey success shouldn't come as a surprise.
• Defenseman Brian Lee's (Tampa Bay-NHL) knee injury rehab is progressing nicely, though he still appears to be a few weeks out from returning to action.
• Darcy Zajac is expected to be out of the Albany Devil lineup for an extended period after suffering an upper body injury.
• Matt Greene is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer, but the Los Angeles Kings are looking to re-sign their alternate captain.
• Zach Parise scored his fifth goal of the season last night in Minnesota's 3-1 victory over Minnesota-Duluth alum Justin Faulk and the Carolina Hurricanes. Parise and Faulk became friends and workout partners this past summer, and they hope to become teammates in February.
• NHL.com says North Dakota recruit Nick Schmaltz is following in his older brother Jordan's footsteps.
• It's been a bit of an up and down start to the season for Fargo (USHL) goalie Cam Johnson, but he's using his helmet artwork in an attempt to summon the Force.
• Much has been written and said regarding NCAA committed recruits shunning the college game in order to play major juniors. Here's a look at the issue from a Canadian prospective.
• And here is the latest edition of Through These Doors:

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.

Tuesday Morning Post

• Looking for a quick way to get up to speed on the men's college hockey season? The United States of Hockey has put together a 2013-14 college hockey preview that includes rankings for each conference and capsules for all 59 teams.
• As a professional rookie Brock Nelson got a taste of the NHL in the playoffs last season in the Islanders' first round series against Pittsburgh, and now he has earned a spot on New York's opening night roster.
• Joe Gleason has signed a deal with the Rockford Icehogs, Chicago's AHL affiliate.
• Following his hat trick yesterday for Astana (KHL), Brandon Bochenski now ranks among the league's top five in points (13), goals (7), game winning goals (3), and      +/- (+10).
• Matt Greene will be spinning some records tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 on KCRW's Guest DJ Project. That should be worth a listen if you are able to catch it.
• Kevin Allen of the USA Today says North Dakota recruit Nick Schmaltz is among the top American-born prospects for the 2014 NHL Draft. Schmaltz was interviewed following last week's All-American Prospects Game, and here's what he had to say:

Signings, Awards, Etc.

Signings:

• Danny Kristo signed a two-year Entry Level Contract with the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday. He has reported to Hamilton, the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, and he is expected to be in action tonight when the Bulldogs take on San Antonio. He is excited to take on this new challenge.
• Captain Andrew MacWilliam signed a two-year ELC with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday and he will report to the Toronto Marlies, their AHL affiliate.
• Former Sioux captain Chris Porter signed a two-year, one way contract with St. Louis yesterday. It is the first one way deal for Porter, who celebrated the signing by picking up a pair of assists in the Blues' 4-3 shootout win over Chicago last night.
• North Dakota junior defenseman Derek Forbort is expected to forsake his senior year of eligibility and sign with the Los Angeles Kings, who will be making a push to get their former first round pick into the fold.
• Dillon Simpson tweeted his intentions of returning to North Dakota for his senior season.

Awards:

• Danny Kristo was named the College Hockey News Player of the Year this week. He was also named to the All-CHN First Team, while linemate Corban Knight made the All-CHN Second Team.
• The Ontario Reign's Mario Lamoureux led all ECHL rookies with 65 points (25G, 40A) this season and was named to the ECHL All-Roookie Team. Lamoureux, who was a very impressive +30 on the season, also finished second in the ECHL Rookie of the Year voting.
• Michael Forney of the Colorado Eagles finished the ECHL season with 79 points (35G, 44A) in 71 games, and for his efforts he was named to the All-ECHL First Team. Forney's 79 points were second most in the league while his 35 goals were the fourth most.
• Aaron Dell of the Allen Americans led the CHL in GAA (2.30) and finished second with a save percentage of .916, numbers good enough to earn him CHL Most Outstanding Goaltender honors for the 2012-13 season. He was also named to the All-CHL Team and the CHL All-Rookie Team.

Etc:

• Former Sioux great Tony Hrkac came in at number five among the Top 35 All-Time Milwaukee Admirals (AHL).
• Zach Parise recently took part in a Q&A with ESPN.
• Evan Trupp's Alaskan homecoming was a good move for the ECHL's Alaska Aces.
• Matt Greene is recovering nicely from back surgery and could return to the LA King lineup in time for the postseason.

Wednesday Morning Coffee

• 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.

UND Women vs. MSU & Random Links

The UND women kick off their season tonight at REA against Minnesota State, and expectations have never been higher for the program. They are a consensus top 5 team nationally and are expected to contend for the conference title in what looks to be a very competitive WCHA. Here are a few links of interest heading into the season opening weekend:

• The Hockey Writers: 2012-13 NCAA Women's Season Preview
• USCHO: WCHA Women's Season Preview
• North Dakota Athletics Dept: Season Preview
• UND Game Notes
• MSU Game Notes
• GF Herald: Jensen to Start on UND's Top Line
• WCHA: Weekend Preview

*****

Over the course of the weekend the WCHA Instant Impact series will wrap up with the Denver and North Dakota entries, and I'm planning on doing a post covering how & why I voted in the WCHA Blogger & Website Preseason Poll. In the meantime, here are a few random links for your Friday afternoon/evening:

• Rocco Grimaldi will be one forward to watch this season.
• The Minnesota Daily put together a WCHA season preview.
• The UND men will wear North Dakota on their chests, but you won't find it listed under the hometown column on this season's roster.
• Former Sioux Hunter Bishop signed with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays.
• Expect Matt Watkins to be a jack of all trades for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this season.
• Brock Nelson and the rest of the Bridgeport rookies are ready to make an impact.
• "Matthew Greene" and the rest of the Los Angeles Kings now have their names engraved onto the Stanley Cup.
• UND recruit Chris Wilkie has the pedigree to make a name for himself on the ice. Wilkie is off to a strong, albeit early, start for the USNTDP Under-17 team, having produced three points (2G, 1A) in two USHL games.

Thursday Evening Post

• The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed restricted free agent Chris VandeVelde to a one year, two-way contract. VandeVelde had turned down the Oilers' qualifying offer, but he has impressed the Edmonton staff enough in training camps, AHL action, and call-ups to earn the new contract. The Edmonton Journal offered its take on the signing of the former Sioux centerman, and below is the updated status of this summer's former Sioux NHL free agents:

PLAYER	2011-2012 TEAM	STATUS	NEW TEAM	SIGNING/CONTRACT DETAILS
Jason Blake	Anaheim	UFA
Taylor Chorney	Edmonton	UFA	St. Louis	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Mike Commodore	Tampa Bay	UFA
Matt Frattin	Toronto	RFA	Toronto	2 Years, $1.7 Million
Chay Genoway	Minnesota	RFA	Minnesota	2 Years, 2-Way Contract
Brian Lee	Tampa Bay	RFA	Tampa Bay	2 Years, $2.3 Million
T.J. Oshie	St Louis	RFA	St. Louis	5 Years, $20.9 Million
Zach Parise	New Jersey	UFA	Minnesota	13 Years, $98 Million
Chris Porter	St Louis	UFA	St. Louis	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Chris VandeVelde	Edmonton	RFA	Edmonton	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Matt Watkins	Phoenix	UFA	NY Islanders	1 Year, 2-Way Contract

• The WCHA has released the 2012-13 men's composite schedule. The women's composite schedule was released earlier this month.
• The New York Islanders blog Lighthouse Hockey decided to revisit the Islander's decision to pass on Zach Parise in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. New York had the 15th pick in the draft, and Parise ended up going 17th to the New Jersey Devils. And for what it's worth, after sharing this article via Twitter earlier today, I followed it up with a Tweet stating that "Matt Greene has a pretty decent NHL career going for him as well." That, of course, was in reference to the portion of the article that states, "The only other player to have any sort of career in the NHL from that Dakota team was Brandon Bochenski, who played 152 games and is in Europe now." Brad Schlossman then added that David Hale had a solid NHL career (7 seasons, 327 games) and Matt Jones saw action in 106 NHL games.

Thursday Morning Coffee

• The acting class Matt Greene took at UND may or may not have helped prepare him for his feature length debut, the Los Angeles Kings' Stanley Cup Championship DVD. Greene was also a guest on L.A. Today earlier this week, where he discussed LA's Stanley Cup season.
• A host of former Sioux recently took part in UND professor Frank White's charity golf tournament to help raise scholarship money.
• Dillon Simpson, who Hockey Prospectus recently ranked as the #12 prospect in the Edmonton Oiler organization, spent three segments as an in-studio guest on The Pipeline Show Tuesday night. If you care to take a listen, the audio clips can be found on this page.
• Former Sioux goaltender Jordan Parise lives a different hockey life than his younger brother Zach.
• An Anaheim Ducks blogger profiles the newly extended Matt Smaby.
• Veteran Fargo sportscaster Dan Hammer has signed on with Midco Sports Network and will be Midco's man in the booth for UND sports play-by-play.

Monday Evening Post

After taking a few weeks off, a bit of a catch-up effort in regard to UND hockey news is much needed. A lot of this is pretty old news, but hopefully some of the links will be of interest. So, here goes...

After TJ Oshie happily re-signed with St. Louis late last week, all but three of the eleven former Sioux free agents who played in the NHL last year have signed new contracts. Mike Commodore, Jason Blake, and Chris VandeVelde are the lone free agents still on the market. Below are the details:

PLAYER	2011-2012 TEAM	STATUS	NEW TEAM	SIGNING/CONTRACT DETAILS
Jason Blake	Anaheim	UFA
Taylor Chorney	Edmonton	UFA	St. Louis	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Mike Commodore	Tampa Bay	UFA
Matt Frattin	Toronto	RFA	Toronto	2 Years, $1.7 Million
Chay Genoway	Minnesota	RFA	Minnesota	2 Years, 2-Way Contract
Brian Lee	Tampa Bay	RFA	Tampa Bay	2 Years, $2.3 Million
T.J. Oshie	St Louis	RFA	St. Louis	5 Years, $20.9 Million
Zach Parise	New Jersey	UFA	Minnesota	13 Years, $98 Million
Chris Porter	St Louis	UFA	St. Louis	1 Year, 2-Way Contract
Chris VandeVelde	Edmonton	RFA
Matt Watkins	Phoenix	UFA	NY Islanders	1 Year, 2-Way Contract

Derrick LaPoint was tabbed as the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the Reading Royals (ECHL) despite having his season cut short due to an emergency appendectomy. The former Sioux defenseman re-signed with Reading late last week.


In other signings...

• Matt Smaby, who was on the verge of a late-season call-up to Anaheim before suffering an injury, will remain with the Ducks organization via a one year, two-way contract.
• Jake Marto re-signed with the St. John's IceCaps (AHL).
• Lee Goren signed with Pelicans of the SM-Liiga (Finland's elite league). He spent last season with Skelleftea of the Elitserien (Swedish elite league).

In other news...

• Luke Johnson, who is anticipated to arrive on campus in the fall of 2013, was ranked as an A List Player for the 2013 NHL Draft. An A Lister is a player Central Scouting considers to be a potential first round talent.
• Here's a look at Jonathan Toews By the Numbers. Toews is currently in the running for TSN's Who's Better feature, which is seeking to find who the fans think is the best hockey player under the age of 25. CSN Chicago caught up with the Chicago captain at Blackhawks Convention 2012.
• Incoming freshman defenseman Jordan Schmaltz is eager to prove the worth of St. Louis' investment in him as a first-round draft pick, and in this fan Q&A he says winning the national championship with North Dakota is the goal for this upcoming season.
• Stanley Cup champion Matt Greene, whose parents watched him hoist The Cup from afar, is friend, foe, and one-time bodyguard to Zach Parise.  
• FS North took a look at the importance Shattuck-St. Mary's had in Parise's career development.
• Courtesy of the Lake Erie Monsters, here's a review of Brad Malone's first season as a professional.
• Corban Knight is among a number of WCHAers who rank near the top of the Florida Panther prospect pool in terms of NHL equivalency.
• Derek Forbort carries his potential as he continues to mature.
• The prospect of playing for his hometown Jets thrills Jason Gregoire, who is featured in this Winnipeg Jet Prospect Update.
• Hockey Prospectus ranked Danny Kristo fourth and Mark MacMillan fourteenth among the top Montreal Canadiens prospects, while Brock Nelson is ranked third among New York Islanders prospects.
• Incoming freshman goaltender Zane Gothberg is ready for the next level.
• The national championship-winning 1996-97 Men's Hockey Team will be inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame.

Matt Greene Talks Cup & UND's Newest Draftees

UND's newest Stanley Cup winner Matt Greene says touching the hallowed trophy was an "indescribable feeling." Greene also receives a lot of grief from his teammates over his taste in music, but he's not afraid to fire back at the fist pumping crowd.

*****

North Dakota had two players selected in the NHL Entry Draft over the weekend. Incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz became UND's 16th first round draft choice after being chosen 25th overall by St. Louis while Paul LaDue was taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the 6th round. LaDue will arrive on campus in the fall of 2013 after playing one more season in Lincoln (USHL). Here are a few numbers and links concerning UND's newest draftees:

• By being a first round pick attending UND, Schmaltz seems like a lock to make the NHL. After Joe Finley appeared in five games with the Buffalo Sabres last season, UND's first round success rate topped out at 100%. Of course, this number does not include 1986 first rounder George Pelawa, who passed away in a car accident during the fall of his freshman year at North Dakota, or 2010 first rounders Derek Forbort and Brock Nelson, whose draft class is still much too recent to include in such analyses.
• Schmaltz was part of a record-setting first round for USHL products as six out of the 30 first rounders came from the United States' premier junior league.
• St. Louis followed the trend of a defense-heavy first-round by selecting Schmaltz, a player they feel will become a household name.
• Schmaltz and LaDue both contributed to what was a successful draft weekend for American-born players and NCAA products.
• Through the 2007 draft, UND has had eleven players chosen in the 6th round, with six (54.5%) of those making it to the NHL. That is an outstanding success rate considering how far into the draft many of those players were taken. Making it even more impressive is that four of those former Sioux were more than just cup of coffee guys. Garry Valk (777), Dave Hudson (409), Marc Chorney (210), and Mark Taylor (209) all surpassed 200 career NHL games played.
• LaDue was a 16th round selection in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft, and just two short years later he went in the 6th round of the NHL Draft. That is an impressive ascension.
• In closing, Chicago's official site had an interesting piece leading into the draft. Find out what Blackhawk scouts had to say about Jonathan Toews in the years leading up to his selection as the 3rd overall pick in 2006.

Random NoDak News, Past & Present

• In their analysis of Oiler blueline prospects, The Edmonton Journal says defenseman Dillon Simpson is progressing nicely at North Dakota and should compete for a Team Canada roster spot at the 2013 World Junior Championships.
• Forward Rocco Grimaldi and incoming freshman defenseman Jordan Schmaltz have been invited to participate in USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp this summer. Team USA's final roster will be determined in December following a pre-tournament camp. A full roster and camp schedule can be found via USA Hockey's press release.
• Grimaldi, of course, is coming off a season during which his playing time was extremely limited due to a knee injury suffered during the preseason, but Florida Panther scouting director Scott Luce expects Grimaldi to be ready to fully participate in the team's development camp next month.
• Schmaltz is one of five players The Toronto Sun says could go to the Maple Leafs at No. 35 in this weekend's 2012 NHL Draft.
• While at Canadien's development camp last weekend, forward Danny Kristo told The Montreal Gazette that he felt he was ready to play professionally but he opted instead to return to the "close-knit family" at UND for his senior season because he has "some unfinished business in North Dakota." He says the professional success of four-year NoDak players Chay Genoway, Brad Malone, and Matt Frattin also figured into his decision.
• Speaking of Genoway, it is being reported that the restricted free agent has re-signed with the Minnesota Wild. Star Tribune beat writer Michael Russo corroborated the blog post today in a Star Tribune chat session. Details are forthcoming.
• If NHL.com could re-do the NHL Drafts of five and ten years ago, Matt Frattin would be a first-rounder in 2007 and likewise for Matt Greene in 2002.
• Brock Nelson came in at #12 on Lighthouse Hockey's Top 25 New York Islanders Under 25 countdown and Hockey's Future says Nelson is the #2 prospect in the Islander's system.
• The Edmonton Journal says Chris VandeVelde is tracking "reasonably well" towards a career in the NHL.
• In this article out of Sweden, former Sioux All-American Lee Goren says he has a few options in front of him to remain in the Swedish Elite League next season.
• Former Sioux Bill Trew signed an extension to remain with Landshut (Germany Tier 2) for next season. Trew led the Cannibals to the league playoff championship this past season.

Saturday Afternoon Post

With game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final set for tonight, here's a quick batch of pre-game links:

• New Jersey successfully completed step one of the four step program designed for coming back from a three games to none series deficit. Zach Parise received some words of wisdom on the matter from his father, who has experience with the ultimate comeback.
• Parise, who hurt his ankle in game four after going hard into the boards, says he is fine. He didn't take part in this morning's optional team skate, choosing instead to try out a few new sticks before heading back to the locker room.
• Devil rookie Adam Henrique has been a clutch performer this postseason, and he says Parise is one of his role models. Henrique would surely like to play more than just a few more playoff games with the Devils' captain, and owner Jeff Vanderbeek reportedly has a deal in place that would enable New Jersey to regain its financial solvency, thereby strengthening its chances of retaining the free agent-to-be Parise.
• Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Travis Zajac make up New Jersey's top line and it hasn't put up the numbers one might have expected them to at this point of the series, but they remain fully confident that they'll soon break out of their scoring slump.
• Due to clashing viewing styles, Zajac's parents have to watch the playoff games in separate rooms.
• Matt Greene and the Kings are trying to maintain the "zero-zero" attitude, and as an undefeated playoff road team they are prepared for what promises to be a hostile atmosphere in New Jersey.

In other news...

• Jocelyne Lamoureux was named to the Capital One Academic All-America At-Large second team, a rather prestigious honor considering the teams are comprised of athletes from a number of NCAA sports.
• North Dakota has numerous entries in College Hockey Weekly's Top Games of the 2000's feature. Several other games earned honorable mention status.
• Recruit Jordan Schmaltz was recently featured with Nic Kerdiles (Wisconsin recruit) in a New York Islanders draft profile. The Isles have the fourth overall pick, but they also pick 34th and 50th, which is about where most outlets project Schmaltz to be selected. Red Line Report, well known for operating a bit out of the box, has Schmaltz going in the first round despite a bit of negative commentary.
• Bleacher Report says Matt Frattin was one of the top 10 steals of the 2007 NHL Draft.
• Reigning ECHL Defenseman of the Year Aaron Schneekloth was one of several players the Colorado Eagles added to their protected list.
• Chris Dilks of the Western College Hockey Blog looked a little deeper into the argument over whether or not the CHL is the fastest route to the NHL.
• Around the WCHA, Etc...The National Collegiate Hockey Conference is set to announce the Targer Center as the home of its postseason tournament...Alabama-Huntsville might find a home in the WCHA...The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee has made these recomendations...Wisconsin has added a third goaltender in a move that should finalize their 2012-13 roster...St. Cloud State also picked up a goaltending recruit...A couple of WCHA commits, Anthony Stolarz (Nebraska-Omaha) and Taylor Cammarata, were among those that impressed The Hockey News at the recent NHL Scouting Combine...Wisconsin will play its final regular season home series of 2012-13 at the Dane County Coliseum rather than the Kohl Center...

Tuesday Evening Post

An impressive trio of former Sioux entered the final round of the NHL playoffs with hopes of hoisting hockey's most prized trophy, but after just three games it's the Los Angeles Kings and Matt Greene who are on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in the history of the franchise after soundly defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-0 last night in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles penalty kill has been phenomenal all postseason, and it was in shut-down mode again last night. Greene is one of the key cogs in the Kings' penalty kill unit, having logged the fifth most shorthanded minutes during the playoffs.

The Devils, meanwhile will be looking to become just the second team in Stanley Cup Final history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit. Considering the stellar all-around play the Kings have displayed throughout the playoffs, it would seem that New Jersey is facing an insurmountable challenge, but the Devils say they will refuse to go down without a serious fight as they try to survive one game at a time.

Particularly daunting is the thought of having to win four straight against Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick, who is producing historic numbers this postseason. Travis Zajac, whose return has helped fill a void down the middle for New Jersey, has had several high-quality scoring opportunities stymied by Quick. Last night was no different, as Zajac had a great chance on the doorstep only to see Quick turn him back with a tremendous glove save. You can take a look at the play right here.

Another North Dakota college hockey tie to these Stanley Cup Finals is that of Los Angeles King forward Dustin Penner, who is featured in this SI.com piece. The story states that the big Manitoba native played junior college hockey in Minot, but he actually spent two years playing for Minot State University-Bottineau (now called Dakota College-Bottineau) before moving on to the University of Maine.

In other news...

• The Toronto Marlies return home down two games to none after dropping the first two games of the Calder Cup Finals to the Norfolk Admirals. Not having the likes of Matt Frattin, Nazem Kadri, and a couple other key forwards has left the Marlies in a pretty deep hole. They can start digging themselves out of it Thursday night in game two. Frattin, of course, is out for the duration of the series after undergoing knee surgery.
• Drew Stafford's goal scoring dropped a bit this past season, but a deeper look at the stats indicate the Buffalo Sabre winger had a better season than most people give him credit for.
• Rastislav Spirko completed his first season playing in Russia's KHL, and here's a nice highlight reel featuring some of his biggest plays:



• Around the WCHA, Etc...Former Sioux standout Steve Johnson was officially announced as the new Nebraska-Omaha assistant coach yesterday. Johnson, the father of Sioux recruit Luke Johnson, is a former All-American whose 191 career points rank seventh on North Dakota's all-time scoring list...Minnesota-Duluth picked up a new recruit and lost a long-time fan...Minnesota State has a couple Stanley Cup Final connections...The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee has convened for its biennial meetings, and among the key topics up for debate are the three-quarter face shield, shootout and overtime rules, and hybrid icing...And lastly, Minnesota has begun its countdown of the top 10 moments from the 2011-12 season. The Final Five semifinal against North Dakota has to be number one, doesn't it?

Saturday Morning Coffee

• Incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz completed his fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine yesterday, and afterwards he stated that he is "100% committed" to attending North Dakota in the fall. Schmaltz commented that he realizes he is not NHL-ready and that a year or two or three of development at North Dakota will help him realize his NHL aspirations.
• Inside College Hockey released its top 10 candidates to win the Hobey Baker Award in 2012-13 and North Dakota senior Danny Kristo is on the list.
• Stanley Cup Final Game two is tonight, and Travis Zajac said there is optimism in New Jersey seeing as how the Devils took the Kings to overtime despite playing far from its best game. Zach Parise tried to give the Devils a third period lead in game one when he slid the puck into the goal using his hand. When asked whether he thought he might get away with it, he replied that, "Maybe the video review wasn't working." On the Los Angeles side, steady defenseman Matt Greene says this year's Kings are looking to establish a new chapter in the organization's history books. 
• Matt Frattin will not be available during the AHL's Calder Cup Finals, and his banged-up Toronto Marlies dropped game one of the championship series to the Norfolk Admirals 3-1 last night.
• Earlier this spring former Sioux Bill Trew led the Landshut Cannibals (Germany Tier 2) to the league's playoff championship. Trew was an offensive force for the Cannibals, leading the league in postseason goals (13), assists (14), and points (27).
• Former Sioux netminder Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has signed with Villacher SV (Austria Tier 1) for the 2012-13 season. Lamoureux played with Olimpija Ljubljana, also of the Austrian elite league, this past season.
• Lamoureux's former North Dakota teammate Ryan Martens will also be switching teams next season. Martens, who last season played for EHC Dortmund (Germany Tier 3), will be moving on to play for TSV Erding (Germany Tier 3).
• Around the WCHA, Etc...Minnesota-Duluth has named its captain for 2012-13...Colorado College has released its 2012-13 roster...It is being reported that Nebraska-Omaha will hire former Sioux All-American & current St. Cloud State assistant Steve Johnson as its new assistant coach. Johnson will fill the vacancy left by Mike Hastings, who earlier this spring took over the head coaching duties at Minnesota State. An announcement is expected Monday...Boston University, who will be visiting Engelstad Arena in November, lost a sophomore defenseman to the professional ranks...