Showing posts with label UND Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UND Hockey. Show all posts

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Who's the best hockey team in your state?


I found this post over at The Hockey News and they listed the top hockey each team from each state. Obviously, UND is the best hockey team in North Dakota. Most of the selections are obvious, but some states don't really have a hockey team so they listed an NCAA club team.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

WCHA, Must-See Non-Conference Series

Part four of a six part series that were originally posted at the Hockey Writers.

Series one: North Dakota vs. Bemidji State University Date: October 10-11, 2014.
 Game one location: Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Game two location: Sanford Center, Bemidji, Minnesota.

The Highway Two series, both teams are a short 2-hour bus trip away. Former WCHA foes BSU and UND will square off in a two-game home-and-home non-conference series. Last season, BSU lost and tied to UND (2-4 L, 1-1 T). One should expect a lot of UND fans to make the trip to the Sanford Center on Saturday night, due to the proximity of the schools.

All-time, Bemidji State is (2-26-2 .116) against North Dakota.

You can see all of the three by clicking on the links.

Big Ten Hockey: Five Must-See Non-Conference Series.

ECAC Hockey: Five Must-See Non-Conference Series.

NCHC Hockey: Five Must-See Non-Conference Series.

UND Hockey: Five Must-See Non-Conference.

Monday, August 11, 2014

Grand Forks Herald, NCHC Commish Fenton Working on TV Deal



It appears that that is some good news for hockey fans that are not happy with the current TV deal. Many UND and NCHC  fans aren't happy with the current television deal, either. Today, Brad Schlossman reports that  CBSSN might have moved a bit on the exclusivity clause. This would be good news to the fans that can't see the games in person. (Grand Forks Herald Article). Once the details have been worked out, I post something.
Brad Schlossman, UND Hockey Blog-- Nothing is done yet, but all indications are that CBS Sports appears willing to alter that exclusivity clause that prevented UND (and others in the league) from getting more nationally televised games last season.

How, exactly, will the exclusivity clause be altered? That’s what’s unknown at this point. Obviously, CBS will still be able to pick its games and the CBS games won’t be allowed to be on any other network. But I think there’s a good chance that when CBS is not broadcasting hockey, the games could be free to other national networks.

This would be a big step forward for the league and for fans who live elsewhere.

UND could push to get some games back on Fox College Sports. I’ve heard that St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth will likely get some games on FSN North this season, too.


Thursday, July 17, 2014

Drake Caggiula out to prove himself



Soon to be junior UND forward Drake Caggiula recently attended the Buffalo Sabres development camp. From all accounts that I have read, it appears that the diminutive forward turned some heads in Buffalo. 

Last season, Caggiula was one of the more physical players in the UND lineup. During one of the media days, I asked Caggiula how much he weighed. Caggiula told me, that he weighed about 175 pounds. Of course I was skeptical. Looking at him, Caggiula looks more like he weighs 150 pounds. Though Caggiula is a small framed player, he plays more like he weighs 190 pounds.

Joe Ray, Beyond the Boards  – Because I didn’t get drafted, it adds a little more fuel to the fire as motivation for myself. I kind of use it to prove people wrong, like, ‘Well, maybe you should have drafted me.’ At this point, it’s over and free agent life isn’t too bad. And here I am at a development camp anyway. It all works out. I’ve just got to keep working hard to get better.

Being small, you’ve got to be strong and you’ve got to be heavy on the puck and all that. Going to college, that definitely gives me a little extra time to develop physically. Being a free agent right now and being a little bit smaller gives me more time to develop and set me up for a bit of a different future.

My freshman year was kind of up-and-down, and I thought last year – my sophomore year – I kind of stepped it up and became a lot more consistent. Obviously I want to do a little bit better than that this coming year and step into a big leadership role there, whether it’s with a letter or not.
Caggiula’s comments should excited UND fan’s going into this season. I think there's a good chance that Caggiula will have a breakout season this year. There were times last year that he was one of the better players on the ice. Caggiula is one of those players that has a lot of offensive imagination and he's able to free defenders with his speed and moves. I don't think a 20-goal season is out of the realm of possibility.

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Brendan O'Donnell Goes Camping



Sounds like UND forward Brendan O'Donnell is doing alright at the Tampa Bay Lightning development camp. Hopefully a healthy O'D will be impressing the UND faithful this season. O'Donnell has been slowed by injury the last couple of seasons.
Joe Smith, Tampa Bay Times -- Then, LW Brendan O'Donnell helped finish it off, smashing the glass with another shot.

It was fitting, considering the duo had breakthrough performances during the three-on-three tournament at the Lightning's development camp, helping lead Team Filppula to the championship on the final day Sunday in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

O'Donnell, 22, a senior at North Dakota next season, led the two-day round-robin competition with eight goals, and Costello, 24, a Notre Dame senior last season, had seven, with a camp-high-matching 13 points.

Combined with 2014 first-round draft pick D Anthony DeAngelo (six goals, seven assists), '14 pick C Brayden Point (four goals, five assists) and late addition D Dylan Blujus (wining shootout goal in the semifinals), Team Filppula went undefeated and playfully celebrated with the trophy like it was the Stanley Cup.

Stltoday, Schmaltz hopes for battle of brothers in NHL



Here’s a good article in the St Louis Post-Dispatch about UND defenseman Jordan Schmaltz who’s currently at the St. Louis Blues development camp.
Jeremy Rutherford, stltoday.com -- He is a 6-foot-2, 193-pound puck-moving defenseman, who despite being considered a reach when the Blues drafted him No. 25 overall, has made considerable strides in two seasons at UND.

“It’s a great hockey program there, it’s a pressure school, and he’s succeeded there,” said Bill Armstrong, the Blues’ director of amateur scouting — who drafted Schmaltz and has watched him an estimated dozen times the past two seasons.

“I really liked his final game. He was just an outstanding player, creating offense and not giving up anything on the defensive side. We’re happy with his progression. He’s still got a long way to go to be a pro. But he’s got what you can’t teach, and that’s the elite hockey sense.”

As a sophomore in 2013-14, Schmaltz had six goals and 24 points in 41 games at North Dakota, earning him second-team honors in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

But in that final game that Armstrong alluded to, UND fell 2-1 in the NCAA semifinals to Minnesota, which netted the game-winner while shorthanded with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Draft Weekend - Links



Good morning… The NHL Draft is this weekend and a few UND recruits should be drafted this weekend. Nick Schmaltz should be a low first –second round draft choice. For all of your draft coverage, don’t’ forget to check out the Hockey Writers and the Hockey Wilderness.

Breakaway Hockey School: Focuses on Player Development

Brad might be on vacation in Washington D.C., but he still working. MEN'S HOCKEY:Soon-to-be UND freshman looks to go in first round of NHL draft.

 Gino Odjick’s last fight: Beloved Canucks enforcer battles terminal heart disease

Sounds like Jets forward Evander Kane is on the way outin Winnipeg. It would be interesting to see what teams would be interested in trading for him.

According to Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild are looking to resign Cody McCormick.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

UND Hockey: Nick Mattson's former coach gives him kudos



I wrote an article for the Hockey Writers and one of the subjects that I covered was UND defenseman Nick Mattson. (Click to View) ... Mattson is one of my favorite current UND players and he's a lot of fun to cover.

EB: North Dakota defenseman Nick Mattson trained and worked at Breakaway Hockey, how has Nick developed as a player?

AB: Well, I wish I could watch Nick play more games but I was really impressed how he ended the collegiate season this year.  He seemed to play a lot of minutes and play in every situation.  Confidence is everything for a hockey player and he seemed to play with a lot of belief in his game at the end of the year.
EB: What has impressed you the most about Nick’s game the last three seasons? What do you like about his game?
AB: His skills are fantastic: Skating, puck handling, vision.   As a youth player he was dominant in Minnesota hockey.  I know there is so much more structure at the collegiate and professional levels but the game still comes down to great players making plays.  Nick is capable of making special plays.  I would like to see him continue to jump into the play more and shoot more from the blue line.  You have to get the puck to the net to be a great offensive defenseman at the D1 level.

Monday, June 23, 2014

UND Hockey: Six recruits join men’s hockey program for the 2014-15 Season

The University of North Dakota released it's 2014-15 freshman class today.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol announced today that six incoming freshmen have signed National Letters of Intent and will join the program for the 2014-15 season.

Name: Cam Johnson             
Pos: Goalie     
Ht: 6-1   
Wt: 199     
Hometown: Troy, Mich.                          
Previous Team: Waterloo (USHL)   

Draft eligible in 2014 ... Split the 2013-14 season between the Fargo Force and the Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) … Was traded to Waterloo mid-season and went 11-1-1 with a 1.86 and .939 save percentage … Made a combined 35 starts with Fargo and Waterloo and went 13-15-4 with a 2.68 GAA and .920 save percentage … Spent the entire 2012-13 season with Fargo, going 14-8-6 in 28 appearances with a 3.07 GAA and a .909 save percentage … Appeared in eight playoff games that season and backstopped the Force to the USHL’s 2013 Clark Cup Finals … Went 4-3 in the playoffs with a 2.40 GAA and .931 save percentage.

Name: Trevor Olson                   
Pos: Forward
Ht:
6-2   
Wt: 188     
Hometown: Duluth, Minn.                      
Previous Team:
Sioux City (USHL)  

Appeared in 21 games during an injury-shortened 2013-14 season with Sioux City and registered nine goals and 12 assists with a plus-10 rating … Split the 2012-13 season between Sioux City and Green Bay, collecting 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points in 63 games … Was a plus-17 … Played for Duluth East High School from 2009-10 to 2011-12 and amassed 32 goals and 57 assists in 61 games … Joined Green Bay for the final seven games of the season and was a member of the Gamblers’ Clark Cup championship team.

Name: Austin Poganski              
Pos: Forward
Ht:
6-1   
Wt: 198       
Hometown: St. Cloud, Minn.                  
Previous Team: Tri-City (USHL)       

Draft eligible in 2014 and is ranked 100th among North American skaters by Central Scouting … Collected 19 goals and 12 assists in 55 games with Tri-City (USHL) in 2013-14, ranking second on the team in goals … Tied for fourth in the USHL with a team-leading 11 power-play goals … Also led the team in short-handed goals (3) and ranked second in shooting percentage (.153) … Named the 2012-13 St. Cloud Times All-Area Boys Hockey Player of the Year after racking up 35 goals and 31 assists in 23 games for St. Cloud Cathedral High School … Finished his prep career with 156 points in three years … Helped lead the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he scored seven goals in 11 games … Played for the USA Hockey Under-18 Select team in the Ivan Hlinka Cup in August 2013 … In August 2012 was the leading goal-scorer on USA Hockey’s Select Under-17 team that went undefeated in winning the Under-17 Five Nations Tournament.

Name: Tucker Poolman               
Pos: Defense
Ht:
6-3   
Wt: 200     
Hometown: East Grand Forks, Minn.    
Previous Team: Omaha (USHL)       

Drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round (127th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft … Named 2013-14 USA Hockey Junior Player of the Year … Served as team captain of the Omaha Lancers (USHL) in 2013-14 and tallied 15 goals and 26 assists with a plus-20 rating in 58 games … Led all USHL blueliners in goals (15) and power-play goals (10) and ranked third in points (41) … Also named to All-USHL First Team … Scored 29 career goals with the Lancers, the most in franchise history by a defenseman … Also played for Omaha in 2012-13, recording 14 goals and 14 assists in 64 games as a rookie … Spent the 2011-12 season with the Wichita Falls (TX) Wildcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) … Scored seven goals and 22 assists in 59 games … Father, Mark, lettered in football at UND from 1987-89 and currently serves as the athletic trainer and strength conditioning coach for the UND men’s hockey program.

Name: Nick Schmaltz                  
Pos: Forward
Ht:
6-0   
Wt: 172     
Hometown: Verona, Wis.                       
Previous Team: Green Bay (USHL)  

Draft eligible in 2014 and ranked 19th among North American skaters by Central Scouting … Younger brother of UND junior defenseman Jordan Schmaltz … Was named to the 2014 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster last week … Helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2013-14 World Junior A Challenge … Collected 18 goals and 45 assists in 55 games with Green Bay (USHL) in 2013-14 and competed in the USHL All-Star Game … Led Green Bay in points and assists … Was named to the 2012-13 USHL All-Rookie Team after picking up 18 goals and 34 assists in 64 games … Led the U.S. in scoring at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament … His nine points paced Team USA to a silver medal … Made his USHL debut in 2011-12, appearing in 11 games and scoring one goal and three assists for Green Bay’s USHL Clark Cup championship team … Father, Mike, lettered in football at UND from 1988 to 1990 … Uncles, Marc Schmaltz (1988-91) and Monte Schmaltz (1992-93), also lettered in football at UND.

Name: Johnny Simonson            
Pos: Forward
Ht:
5-10
Wt: 170    
Hometown: Grand Forks, N.D.              
Previous Team: Lincoln (USHL)       

Spent the 2013-14 season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, appearing in 58 games and leading the team in points (59), goals (28), assists (31), power-play goals (9), power-play points (18), shots on goal (229) and plus/minus (plus-7) … Tied for sixth in the USHL goal-scoring race and 12th in the league’s scoring race … Played with the Austin Bruins of the NAHL in each of the previous two seasons … Collected 27 goals and 30 assists in 59 games in 2012-13 and scored 18 goals and 20 assists in 59 games in 2011-12 … A 2011 graduate of Central High School in Grand Forks … Played for Central from 2008-09 to 2010-11 and was an all-state selection … Had 31 goals and 19 assists in 26 games as a senior … Older brother, Alex, played collegiate hockey at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

UND will open the 2013-14 season with an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba on Oct. 5 at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The regular season gets underway Oct. 10-11 with a non-conference, home-and-home series with Bemidji State University.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Jordan Schmaltz compares his brother to Thomas Vanek



Interesting write up. This is one player that I can't wait to see put on the Green and White. I also don't think we need to worry about Nick Schmaltz going to the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. This was even after the Spitfires went after him pretty hard to play there.
Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com --- It isn't by accident that Nick has followed the same path as his brother, Jordan. They both played for the Chicago Mission and the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. Nick will be a freshman at the University of North Dakota in 2014-15, where Jordan will be in his third season as a defenseman.

"Nick is a player with a very high hockey IQ, and I think his vision and creativity with the puck are his best attributes," Jordan Schmaltz said of his brother. "In my mind he plays like [Montreal Canadiens forward] Thomas Vanek with the way he can slow down the game.

"It's pretty cool to see us take the same path. We've always done the same things growing up and are really close. So it's only fitting we'll get a chance to play together at North Dakota."
I do wonder if there is any way that Nick could convince Kasperi Kapanen to come to North Dakota, too.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Final Top 30 2014 NHL Draft Prospects Ranking (College Hockey Commits)



HP
PLAYER
TEAM
LEAGUE
POS
HEIGHT
WEIGHT
9
LARKIN, DYLAN
USA U-18
USHL
C
6′ 0.75″
190
11
TUCH, ALEX
USA U-18
USHL
RW
6′ 3.5″
213
12
MILANO, SONNY
USA U-18
USHL
LW
5′ 11.5″
183
27
DOUGHERTY, JACK
USA U-18
USHL
D
6′ 1.0″
186
28
SCHMALTZ, NICK
GREEN BAY
USHL
C
5′ 11.5″
172


Here’s the top ranked U.S. College Hockey Players. From the HockeyProspect.com. UND recruit Nick Schmaltz is said to probably be drafted between 23-30.  

Friday, June 13, 2014

UND's Official Hockey Schedule


Date
Oct. 5
Oct. 10
Oct. 11
Oct. 17
Oct. 18
Oct. 24
Oct. 25
Nov. 1
Nov. 7
Nov. 8
Nov. 14
Nov. 15
Nov. 21
Nov. 22
Nov. 28
Nov. 29
Dec. 5
Dec. 6
Dec. 12
Dec. 13
Jan. 3
Jan. 9
Jan. 10
Jan. 16
Jan. 17
Jan. 23
Jan. 24
Jan. 30
Jan. 31
Feb. 13
Feb. 14
Feb. 20
Feb. 21
Feb. 27
Feb. 28
March 6
March 7
March 13-15
March 20-21
March 27-29
April 9-11






Opponent
Manitoba (Exh.)
Bemidji State
at Bemidji State
at Colorado College*
at Colorado College*
Providence
Providence
Air Force^
at Wisconsin
at Wisconsin
Miami*
Miami*
at St. Cloud State*
at St. Cloud State*
Nebraska Omaha*
Nebraska Omaha*
Lake Superior State
Lake Superior State
at Denver*
at Denver*
U.S. Under-18 Team (Exh.)
Minnesota Duluth*
Minnesota Duluth*
Niagara
Niagara
Colorado College*
Colorado College*
at Nebraska Omaha*
at Nebraska Omaha*
Denver*
Denver*
at Western Michigan*
at Western Michigan*
St. Cloud State*
St. Cloud State*
at Miami*
at Miami*
NCHC Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)
NCHC Frozen Faceoff (Minneapolis)
NCAA Regionals
NCAA Frozen Four (Boston)


(Schedule subject to change)
All times Central
Home games in bold
* - indicates NCHC game
^ - U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game

2014-15 NCAA Regional Sites
Providence, RI; Manchester, NH;
South Bend, IN; Fargo, ND


Time
5:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
8:37 pm
8:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
TBA
TBA
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
TBA
TBA
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
TBA
TBA
7:37 pm
7:07 pm
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA