Men’s hockey team captains suspended for regular season opener

Official Press Release

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison announced today that men’s hockey senior captain Andrew MacWilliam and assistant captains Corban Knight, Danny Kristo and Carter Rowney have been suspended for the opening game of the 2012-13 regular season for a violation of team rules.

The suspensions are a result of a team party on Saturday, Sept. 15.

“The behavior in this situation was unacceptable,” Faison said. “Measures taken by the athletics department do not preclude possible additional measures by the department, or actions by the University or local and state authorities.”

“Recent actions by our team are not a good representation of our place as role models within our community,” said UND head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol. “We have young men of high character in our locker room, but our players, and in particular our leaders, must be accountable for their actions.”

In addition to the suspension of the team captains, Faison also announced several additional team disciplinary measures including, but not limited to:

o    Athletics Department-issued team probation under which any further violations by a team member could result in immediate reduction of scholarship, suspension from competition, or expulsion from the program.

o    The implementation of a mandatory team community service program

o    Weekly team alcohol education programming

UND opens the season on Friday, Oct. 19, against Alaska Anchorage at the Brice Alaska Goal Rush in Fairbanks.

Neither Faison nor Hakstol will provide further comment.

Single-game, student season tickets on sale next week

[Official Press Release]

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The University of North Dakota Athletics Department announced today several key dates for men's hockey single-game ticket and student season ticket sales, as well as women's hockey single-game and season tickets.

The season-ticket lottery for UND students begins on Monday, Sept. 10. Students interested in purchasing season tickets can get all pertinent information via www.facebook.com/NoDakNation and www.twitter.com/nodak_nation.

Single-game tickets for men's and women's hockey will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. Champions Club members can participate in a pre-sale for men's single-game tickets on Thursday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Although men's hockey season tickets have once again sold out, Champions Club members who are on the waiting list for men's hockey season tickets will have the opportunity for an exclusive pre-sale on Wednesday, Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans can add their name to the season-ticket waiting list by joining the Champions Club and making a refundable $100 ticket deposit. Nearly 60 accounts remain on the waiting list. Half of all accounts have been offered season tickets in each of the past two years. Visit www.undsports.com/championsclub for more information.

Champions Club members will be e-mailed a passcode and instructions prior to the appropriate pre-sale date.

Nearly 800 single-game seats are available for every men's hockey home game on the 2012-13 schedule, with additional seats available for exhibition games and holiday series.
Tickets can be purchased at the UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena, or via Ticketmaster.com.

Friday dreaming...

There are 36 days until the University of North Dakota plays it’s first exhibition game against CIS team the Manitoba Bison. One thing college hockey fans will never have to worry about is that the NCAA will never have a lockout. That being said, I do like the NHL.

A tradition of Excellence has it's Rankings and Features, Part 2

The picture that you see on the right is the goalie mask of Western Michigan University Broncos goaltender Frank Slubowski. It’s been making it’s way around the internet to the various sites and I think it’s an impressive site to behold. Slubowski's mask has The Big Lebowski theme on it. The paint job on the mask was done by Head Strong Grafx.

On the NHL CBA negotiations front, it looks like the NHL is once again going to be the No Hockey League as Bettman and the owners are bound and determined to lock the players out for a third time since 1994. Why does the Bettman and the owners want to lock out the players? it's simple, because they can!!!

Some of the Redwing Players are impressed with the NHL owners latest proposal – I don’t think that anyone is really that shocked by this either. I am sure that if we polled a majority of the NHL players we would get the same response.

Ansar Khan, MLive.com --- “We understand some clubs are struggling,'' Cleary said. “Our revenue-sharing (plan) helped lower-end teams. There's a lot more sharing of the pie, so everyone would keep their heads above water.''

Privately, some players are saying there is little hope of getting a deal done in time to prevent a lockout on Sept. 15. They don't believe the entire season will be canceled, like it was in 2004-05, but some think the 82-game schedule will be reduced to 60 or 65 games.

Cleary, however, said he hasn't abandoned hope of saving the full season.

“There's still time,'' Cleary said. “No one wants a lockout. The money that will be lost for everyone will be astronomical. A lot of people at Joe Louis Arena I know personally could be laid off. That's one side no one thinks about.''

Said Abdelkader: “We know Sept. 15 is coming up. I don't think anyone is panicking. The sides are still apart, but we've still got some time. Hopefully, we can get something done before opening night (Oct. 12). We still got a lot of time to hash things out. I think there's still a lot of optimism that something can get done.''

So when the NHL owners made their latest proposal this past Tuesday to the NHLPA there was a discussion about the new offer’s revenue split being somewhere in the neighborhood of 51.6 per cent to 48.4 – but after some the great hockey minds perused the NHL owners new proposal – the consensus was that the players’ was more like 54-46 in favor of the NHL owners. This new breakdown was based on changes on how the owners calculated the Hockey Related Revenues, it seems that what is consider Hockey Related Revenues has shrunk making the players share of the HHR less, hence the smaller share for the players.

Apparently, the NHLPA would like to have set standards to know just what exactly the owners are calculating as their Hockey Related Revenues. While the owners originally came out and said that the new revenue split was something like 50-50, it all depends on how you look at it. Some have referred to the 50-50 revenue split as being less than generous revenue definitions.

From the latest proposal, these are the four changes that the owners are proposing - this doesn't necessarily mean that the owners are going to get these proposed changes - but this is what the owners have put out.

1) In the existing CBA, teams can deduct the cost of doing business from HRR. But there are limits. For example, deductions from preseason games or "special games" such as European openers, "shall not in the aggregate exceed fifteen (15) per cent per League Year on a League-wide basis" of the revenues. You can find all of the examples, if you wish, in Article 50 of the current document. The NHL is arguing that costs far exceed these caps.

2) One area of HRR the NHL cannot deduct ANY costs from is luxury suite sales (e.g., paying people to sell them). Everything must be thrown into the pot. Mistake, oversight, whatever - the league would like a re-do.

3) Lightning owner Jeff Vinik spent $35 million US last summer to upgrade The Tampa Bay Times Forum. Meanwhile, Rangers owner Jim Dolan committed an estimated $977 million to a massive renovation of the Madison Square Garden. (Say what you want about Dolan, but doing that without public funding is extremely impressive.) As it stands, teams receive no financial credit for that. The league would like that changed. The model is probably the latest NFL CBA, which allows the league the option of taking 1.5 per cent from the NFLPA's 47 per cent share to build new stadiums. Larger revenues from newer buildings, the reasoning goes, benefits the players, too.

4) When players on one-way deals like Wade Redden or Jeff Finger are sent to the minors, their salaries no longer count. Not only is the NHL trying to eliminate this loophole from the salary-cap portion of the discussion, it is trying to make those contracts tied to HRR, too. [Elliotte Friedman CBC.CA]

With each passing day it looks like there is going to be a work stoppage in the NHL. It also looks like the players are preparing for delayed start to the season – but they also have to be ready because these impasses can come to a quick conclusion. While there is really no reason to believe that a quick solution can be reached and I also think many hockey fans are of that mindset as well – based on what we are hearing in the media and from Gary Bettman. Fans as well as the players would like to see the NHL start on time. I just hope that there is a quick solution to the CBA negoiations.

George Richards, Miami Herald --- Commissioner Gary Bettman has said if a new deal isn’t reached by that time, the league will lock out its players for the third time under his watch.

There is some optimism a deal will get done especially after the league’s latest proposal. Yet expectations are games will be missed. So what exactly are these players doing working out in August?

“Getting ready for November,” joked one former Panthers player who asked not to be identified. “I hope we play in October. But I also hope we play in November. We’re still getting ready.”

According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune this is the way the defense pairing are going to look to start training camp for the Minnesota Wild. It's nice to see that he Minnesota Wild have more depth than they have had in a very long time.

Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon
Marco Scandella and Tom Gilbert
Clayton Stoner and Nate Prosser or Jonas Brodin

Fred Poulin of the Hockey Writers has his top 20 overpaid players in the NHL. I think you will also notice a few familiar names from the WCHA as well as players from our favorite teams. Also, it’s not hard to see how some teams can get into financial trouble – look at some of the salaries some of these players are paying – in retrospect, I doubt the owners of the Islanders or any other team would pay Rick Dipietro what he is getting paid right now.

Ville Leino, Buffalo Sabres– $4,500,000 cap hit
Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo Sabres – $4,000,000 cap hit
Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary – $6,680,000 cap hit
Mike Cammalleri, Calgary Flames – $6,000,000 cap hit – Michigan Wolverines
Joni Pitkanen, Carolina Hurricanes – $4,500,000 cap hit
Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche – $6,600,000 cap hit – Denver Pioneers
Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton Oilers – $5,500,000 cap hit
Ales Hemsky, Edmonton Oilers – $5,000,000 cap hit
Ed Jovanovski, Florida Panthers – $4,125,000 cap hit
Dany Heatley, Minnesota Wild – $7,500,000 cap hit – Minnesota Wild & Wisconsin Badgers
Scott Gomez, Montreal Canadiens – $7,357,143 cap hit
Rick Dipietro, New York Islanders – $4,500,000 cap hit
Lubomir Visnovsky, New York Islanders – $5,600,000 cap hit
Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins – $5,000,000 cap hit – Minnesota Gophers
Martin Havlat, San Jose Sharks – $5,000,000 cap hit – Former Minnesota Wild
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning – $7,727,273 cap hit
Tim Connolly, Toronto Maple Leafs $4,750,000 cap hit
Mike Komisarek, Toronto $4,500,000 cap hit – Michigan Wolverines
Keith Ballard, Vancouver $4,250,000 cap hit – Minnesota Gophers
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver $5,333,333 cap hit

Former NHL agitator Sean “Sloppy Seconds” Avery has officially announced his retirement.

Here is a pretty good read on the CBA One could make the argument that the rich teams are the ones that are going to pay a heavy burden with any new CBA agreement. - Frank Seravalli: How Flyers will suffer with labor changes.

The Edmonton Oilers have locked up two of their young stars Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle to identical seven-year deals worth an eye popping $42 million dollars. It’s apparent that the Edmonton Oilers don’t want to lose their two up and coming stars to an offer sheet and would like to keep them well into the future.

UND Hockey Twitter 2012-13

Someone asked me if I would compile a list of UND Hockey Players that Twitter there are three that I can’t find. Some are more active than others.

Andrew MacWilliam  – No Twitter Account

Derek Forbort –  http://twitter.com/derek4bort

Nick Mattson – No Twitter Account

Danny Kristo –  http://es.twitter.com/dkristo7

Dan Senkbeil – http://twitter.com/D_Senkbeil

Drake Caggiula – http://twitter.com/drakecaggiula

Corban Knight – http://twitter.com/CorbanKnight

Derek Rodwell – http://twitter.com/drodwell11

Connor Gaarder – http://twitter.com/Gordini27

Michael Parks –  http://twitter.com/mike_parks92

Mark MacMillan – http://twitter.com/EasyMac_16

Colten St. Clair – http://twitter.com/cstclair17

Dillon Simpson –  http://twitter.com/Simmer18

Rocco Grimaldi – http://twitter.com/RGrimaldi23

Joe Gleason – http://twitter.com/GleasonJ020

Brendan O'Donnell – http://twitter.com/bodonnell21

Andrew Panzarella – No Twitter Account

Jordan Schmaltz – http://twitter.com/JPSdouble07

Mitch MacMillan – http://twitter.com/MitchMac25

Coltyn Sanderson – http://twitter.com/ColtynSanderson

Carter Rowney – http://twitter.com/carterrowney

Stephane Pattyn – http://twitter.com/GeneralPattyn28

Bryn Chyzyk – http://twitter.com/chyz21

Zane Gothberg – http://twitter.com/ZanoInsano_29

Clarke Saunders – http://twitter.com/clarkesaunders

Tate Maris – http://twitter.com/TAT3MARI5

  

Zach Parise 9th in the Top-40 Fantasy Hockey Left Wing Rankings

The rankings are out and another Former Fighting Sioux forward Zach Parise was ranked 9th in the Top-40 Fantasy Hockey Left Wing Rankings.

1. James Neal
2. Daniel Sedin
3. Scott Hartnell
4. Alex Ovechkin
5. Patrick Sharp
6. Rick Nash
7. Ilya Kovalchuk
8. Patrick Marleau
9. Zach Parise - UND
10. Milan Lucic
17. Brad Marchand
18. Thomas Vanek - Minnesota
23. Max Pacioretty - Michigan
29. Matt Moulson - Cornell
38. Chris Kreider - Boston College

A few things - Zane Gothberg goes to camp

What a difference a couple of days make. Since the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter watch is over the summer is basically officially started.

Future UND goalie Zane Gothberg attended the Boston Bruins development camp and he is in a few of pictures on the Bruins Hockey Blog. [The Bruins Blog], [The Bruins Blog]

Check out this picture. [Click to open] If you look closely you will see that Zane is wearing Fighting Sioux hockey pants.

I haven’t been able to find anything on Zane Gothberg’s development camp with the Boston Bruins and I don’t expect him to be a very early departure at UND because the Boston Bruins have a stable full of goalies.

James Murphy, ESPN.COM --- In late May, the Bruins signed Swedish free-agent goalie Niklas Svedberg. At the draft in Pittsburgh last week, they used their first selection on another goaltender in Belleville Bulls (OHL) goalie Malcolm Subban with the 24th overall pick. They also decided to invite Boston College star goaltender Parker Milner -- who is a free agent and has one more season left at the Heights after helping the Eagles to a national championship last season -- to development camp. In addition to Svedberg, Subban and Milner, goalies Zane Gothberg, Adam Morrison and Lars Volden are also attending camp. Sweeney sees nothing but positives out of the sudden logjam between the pipes.

Here is a nice article on Zane Gothberg - [Zane] Gothberg ready for the next level

One thing that you can’t deny is that Zane Gothberg is a confident kid – the young goalie wants to come into camp and prove his worth to the UND coaching staff. Quote courtesy of the Hockey Writers Bob Mand.

Both Hargrove and Gothberg will be attending colleges in the fall: Zane will patrol the crease for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux while Colton will lace ‘em up for the Western Michigan University Broncos.

Speaking of his goals as a freshman at UND, Gothberg said he wants to, “… Come in, put my best foot forward and try and get the starting job there….It’s the competition that brings out the best in you and it’s only going to make myself and my other goalie partners at North Dakota better. I just want to step up and prove that I can take the full bulk and be the starting goalie.”

Recently, I have watched the Goalie thread unfold on Sioux Sports and I have found some of the comments to be interesting – I predict that if Aaron Dell returns to the UND for his senior season he will be the starting goaltender for the Fighting Sioux next season. Just a hunch and I predict that Dell will get the start in the big games when it matters the most. It takes a lot to unseat a former All-American like Aaron Dell.

Blue & white scrimmage will stream live

If you want to watch former Fighting Sioux forward Brock Nelson play tonight during the Blue and white scrimmage the New York Islanders are going to stream it live. There are a few other names that you might recognize as well; Scott Mayfield, Matt Donovan and Aaron Ness. Just to name a few.

Courtesy of the SoundTigers.com ---- The New York Islanders announced today that tickets for their intrasquad Blue & White Scrimmage on Thursday, June 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Islanders Iceworks are on sale now. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and warm-ups begin at 6 p.m.

The 2012 Blue & White Scrimmage at Islanders Iceworks has sold out of all available tickets for the game, raising over $5,000 for the Islanders Children’s Foundation. For fans not attending the event, IslandersTV will broadcast a live stream on NewYorkIslanders.com Thursday night, beginning with warm-ups at 6 p.m. for a 6:30 puck drop.

This year’s contest features prospects from this past weekend’s Draft, players from junior hockey, college/university, Europe and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Blue team members include Kirill Kabanov, Scott Mayfield, Brock Nelson, Griffin Reinhart, Ryan Strome and Johan Sundstrom, while some of the top prospects suiting up in white jerseys this year are Casey Cizikas, Nino Niederreiter, John Persson, Mike Halmo and Ville Pokka.

The annual prospect scrimmage gives fans a glimpse of the Islanders future stars. This year’s contest features top prospects Ryan Strome (5th overall in 2011), Nino Niederreiter (5th overall in 2010), Brock Nelson (30th overall in 2010) and Johan Sundstrom (50th overall in 2011), among others. Also set to take the ice are several prospects who saw time with the Islanders last season, including Casey Cizikas, Calvin de Haan, Matt Donovan and Aaron Ness.

UW and UND to continue series after both teams leave the WCHA

There is some really good news to pass along. According to the beat writer for the Wisconsin Badgers Andy Baggot – UND and Wisconsin will continue their historic and heated rivalry after both teams leave the WCHA for the B1G and the NCHA after next season.

2014-15 -- UW has tentative agreements to host North Dakota.

2015-16 -- UW has tentative agreements to play a series at North Dakota.

2016-17 -- UW has tentative agreements to host a series North Dakota.

2017-18 -- UW has a tentative agreement to play a series at North Dakota.

This is good news for Badger and Fighting Sioux hockey fans, the Wisconsin and UND series is one of the most heated rivalries in all of college hockey. Both programs also have a lot of respect for each other.

During his career at UND, head coach Dave Hakstol has a 12-14-2 record against the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin is one of two WCHA teams that Dave Hakstol does not have a winning record against, the other team is Denver 12-15-1. During his tenure at UND Hakstol has also compiled a 3-1 record against Wisconsin in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs.

Gophers To Host North Dakota On Hockey Day Minnesota

This is really good news for UND Hockey fans. The Sioux and the Gophers will face off on Hockey Day Minnesota. I can’t think of a better way to send the Gophers off to the Big Ten by beating them at Mariucci Arena on Hockey Day Minnesota. Here is the release from the Minnesota Gophers official webpage.

Paul Rovnak, Gopher Sports --- The University of Minnesota men's hockey team will once again partake in Hockey Day Minnesota in 2013. Minnesota's participation in the seventh-annual statewide celebration of hockey was announced earlier today by FOX Sports North and the Minnesota Wild.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, and will showcase the Golden Gophers against WCHA rival North Dakota at Mariucci Arena. It will be the last WCHA regular-season meeting between the longtime rivals. A start time for the game will be announced in the future.

Minnesota's game will be one of five hockey games shown on FOX Sports North on that day.

The Gophers are 4-2 in Hockey Day Minnesota games and beat Colorado College 2-1 last season at Mariucci Arena. This will be the first time that Minnesota will play North Dakota on Hockey Day Minnesota.

Just for the record, the game can be seen on DirecTV 668.

UPDATE - UND Fighting Sioux 2012-13 Hockey Schedule

Oct. 6 — MANITOBA
Oct. 12 — United States Under-18 Team
Oct. 19 — at Fairbanks tourney
Oct. 20 — at Fairbanks tourney (will play UAA and UAF here)
Oct. 26 — ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Oct. 27 — ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Nov. 2 — BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Nov. 3 — BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Nov. 9 — at St. Cloud State
Nov. 10 — at St. Cloud State
Nov. 16 — MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Nov. 17 — MINNESOTA-DULUTH
Nov. 23 — at Notre Dame
Nov. 24 — at Notre Dame
Nov. 30 — at Colorado College
Dec. 1 — at Colorado College
Dec. 7 — DENVER
Dec. 8 — DENVER
Dec. 14 — at Michigan Tech
Dec. 15 — at Michigan Tech
Jan. 4 — HOLY CROS
Jan. 5 — HOLY CROSS
Jan. 11 — COLORADO COLLEGE
Jan. 12 — COLORADO COLLEGE
Jan. 18 — at Minnesota
Jan. 19 — at Minnesota
Jan. 25 — ST. CLOUD STATE
Jan. 26 — ST. CLOUD STATE
Feb. 1 — WISCONSIN
Feb. 2 — WISCONSIN
Feb. 8 — at Nebraska Omaha
Feb. 9 — at Nebraska Omaha (outdoor game)
Feb. 22 — at Denver
Feb. 23 — at Denver
Mar. 1 — BEMIDJI STATE
Mar. 2 — BEMIDJI STATE
Mar. 8 — at Mankato
Mar. 9 — at Mankato
Mar. 15-17 — WCHA first round
Mar. 21-23 — WCHA Final Five
Mar. 29-31 — NCAA regionals (Grand Rapids, Mich., Toledo, Ohio, Providence, R.I., Manchester, N.H.)
Apr. 11-13 — NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh)

Jordan Schmaltz committed to UND

Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald has a great pre-draft piece on incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz – again Schmaltz has re-iterated that he is committed to being a member of the Fighting Sioux hockey team and not going to the CHL.

Brad Elliott Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald ---[Jordan] Schmaltz interviewed with 24 of 30 NHL teams at the NHL Combine last month. He said almost all of the teams asked if he would be attending UND or if he would bolt to the Ontario Hockey League after the draft, like UND recruit J.T. Miller did a year ago.

“I just told them honestly that I am 100 percent to UND,” Schmaltz said. “They were fine with that. They’re happy I’m sticking with my commitment.”

Schmaltz said he’s looking forward to working with new UND assistant coach Brad Berry and arriving on the campus where his father and two uncles played college football.
“It’s an unbelievable atmosphere,” he said.

This past week I have gotten a few questions about Schmaltz’s status – from everything that I have read and heard is that he is going to be here – you read where he told Brad Schlossman that he is committed to coming to UND. Personally, I am not worried.

Kristo will sign next April after the NCAA Playoffs

There has been a lot of discussion – from Hab’s fans and Fighting Sioux Hockey fans – who, when and where the soon to be senior forward Danny Kristo is going to sign.

After reading this article from the Montreal Gazette, it sounds like Kristo intends to sign with the Montreal Canadians after the UND’s season is over. According to the Sioux forward; Kristo and his teammates have some unfinished business to do.

Based on who UND returns to the lineup and who is coming in, Fighting Sioux hockey fans might have something to be excited about going into the season. What makes the prospects more exciting is an inspired Kristo on a mission and the spark that he could add to this team.

Taking it further, imagine Kristo with another off-season in the gym ready to lead the Fighting Sioux for the 2012-13 season.

Pat Hickey, The Gazette --- [Danny] Kristo said he envisions turning pro next April after what he hopes will be a successful season at North Dakota. The school was one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament, but missed a berth in the Frozen Four when it was upset 1-0 by Minnesota in the Midwest Regional final.

North Dakota did appear in the Frozen Four two years ago, but lost 1-0 to Michigan in the semifinals.

“I have some unfinished business in North Dakota,” said Kristo, who was Louis Leblanc’s linemate in the USHL. “The past three years we’ve been close, we’ve had a good team. We only lost three guys from last season, so we’re going to have a good team.”

Kristo said he takes some inspiration from former teammates who stayed at North Dakota for four years.

“Just a year ago at North Dakota, we had three seniors who decided to stay,” Kristo said. “You look at (Matt) Frattin, (Brad) Malone and (Chay) Genoway, and they all played in the NHL last season. There are different paths for everyone. It’s (a) pretty close-knit family at North Dakota and going back for one year will make me better.”

I guess we first need to correct a few incorrect points from the article, UND was beaten by Minnesota 5-2 in the 2012 West Regional Final and Michigan beat the UND 2-0 in the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four Semi-Final, other than that the mess is pretty good.

Kristo is one of the more entertaining players to listen to in the post-game media scrums This is just more classic Kristo right here.

“You never know until you get there, but I think was ready,” Kristo said. “With everything that was going on in the offseason, I didn’t know if someone (with the Canadiens) was going to get fired or there was going to be a new GM but, in the end, going back to school would be the right decision.”

I think that there is a message here – Kristo talked to his former team mates that stayed all four years at UND instead of signing early to play in the professional rank and he decided that it was a good idea personally if he will return to Grand Forks to play his final season for the Fighting Sioux.

Sometimes I think that some of these college athletes are in a hurry to get to the next level and sometimes these athletes miss out on a great opportunity to play out their college eligibility as well as live the college experience. With the present CBA the money is going to be about the same whether they stay and play three or four season in college. One has to wonder if former Fighting Sioux forwards Jason Gregoire and Brett Hextall regret leaving early to play in the minors last season.

Related articles

• Kristo will sign next April after the NCAA Playoffs

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• Kristo and Dell impress at Habs development camp

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• Kristo coming back for senior season at UND

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Dell and Kristo at the Habs development camp

The Habs are having their development camp and you will see some familiar names on the Hab’s development camp roster. Fighting Sioux fans don't need to worry because Danny Kristo has said that he will return to UND for his senior season. Aaron Dell is said to not be coming back and will be signing a professional contract this summer - as of right now - Dell has to make his intentions know or has yet to sign a professional contract.

FORWARDS
Olivier Archambault, Alexander Avstin, Alain Berger, Michaël Bournival, Michael Cichy, Philip Desimone, Gabriel Dumont, Brendan Gallagher, Patrick Holland, Danny Kristo, Louis Leblanc, Philippe Lefebvre, Mark MacMillan, Joonas Nattinen, Daniel Pribyl, Steven Quailer, Ian Schultz, Dustin Walsh

DEFENSEMEN
Nathan Beaulieu, Josiah Didier, Darren Dietz, Morgan Ellis, Greg Pateryn, Joe Stejskal, Joe Sullivan, Jarred Tinordi.

GOALIES
Aaron Dell ,Peter Delmas, Brandon Maxwell , Robert Mayer, Joseph Quattrocchi , Cody Reichard

Here are a few observations from the first day of the Habs development camp from All Habs.

There was confirmation of things we already knew:

• Daniel Pribyl and Alexander Avtsin are magicians with the puck.
• Danny Kristo has explosive acceleration.
• Nathan Beaulieu is very smooth.
• Brendan Gallagher‘s switch goes ‘ON’ the moment his skates touch the ice.

And there were a few initial impressions that we will keep our eyes on:

• Patrick Holland may be a better skater than advertised.
• Darren Dietz looks much more confident this year.
• Aaron Dell turned heads with his goaltending at least year’s camp but may be challenged this year by Brandon Maxwell.
• Cody Reichard looked competent in goal with a good glove hand despite his try-out status.
• If this team had a captain, it would be Jarred Tinordi, hands down. Solid leadership qualities.

The group of missing players included Collin Sullivan, Peter Delmas, Morgan Ellis and Dustin Walsh.  They did not participate in Wednesday’s practise.

UND’s Brad Eidsness Named Recipients of WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2012-13

MADISON, Wis. – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association today (June 13, 2012) announced that seniors Brittany Toor of St. Cloud State University, Montana Vichorek of Bemidji State University, and Brad Eidsness of the University of North Dakota are the recipients of annual WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarships for 2012-13.

               

“We are both exceedingly pleased and tremendously proud to announce our latest WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners in Brittany Toor, Montana Vichorek and Brad Eidsness,” said Commissioner Bruce M. McLeod and Associate Commissioner Sara R. Martin in a joint statement. “Representative of the best of collegiate athletics, these three outstanding student-athletes add another distinguished chapter to the league’s long-standing tradition of recognizing and honoring it’s players both on and off the ice.

               

“The WCHA has been blessed  to have had Montana, Brittany and Brad competing in the league on the ice at the highest levels the past four seasons as well as making their mark in the classroom and setting the stage for future success. Today we salute their tremendous accomplishments and on behalf of the entire Association, we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

               

Eidsness, a senior goaltender at North Dakota who hails from Chestermere, Alberta, competed in 104 collegiate games and 5,871 minutes between the pipes while compiling an impressive 58-27-10 record, a 2.41 goals-against average, a .906 saves percentage and five shutouts. In his final campaign in 2011-12, he was 8-3-1 with a 2.17 GAA and .919 SV%. His 58 career victories rank third all-time at UND and he is fourth all-time in career games played by a goaltender, fifth in career goals-against average, sixth in career saves percentage and tied for fifth in shutouts. He was a member of North Dakota’s WCHA regular season championship teams in both 2008-09 and 2010-11 and of UND’s record three consecutive WCHA Final Five championship clubs in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12, earning all-tournament team honors as a junior.

               

Over his four seasons, Eidsness has earned numerous honors, including the prestigious WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award as a senior. (The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and the nominee must be a senior student-athlete, must consistently display outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice, must be a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and must be a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.) He is also a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, a three-time member of the All-WCHA Academic Team, was a 2011-12 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nominee, was a 2011 NCAA Elite 88 Award recipient, was UND’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2011-12, earned All-WCHA Second Team honors in 2009-10, both All-WCHA Third Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team honors in 2008-09, and was UND’s Rookie Athlete of the Year (male) in 2008-09.

               

Over the course of his four years at UND, he not only stayed on track with progress towards a degree but also completed both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. Eidsness graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.779 cumulative GPA in undergraduate work and has a 3.625 cumulative GPA in graduate school. His leadership activities included the UND Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2008-12 and the UND Master of Business Administration Student Association (MBASA).

               

“Brad is an outstanding young man who has become a leader, not only on his team but also across our campus,” said head coach Dave Hakstol. “His athletic performance and abilities are second to none and his dedication to his sport, his team, and his academics is that of a unique and first class character.

               

“He is a very talented young man, with his strongest qualities involving his work ethic, focus and drive to achieve success in all areas of his life. I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this young man’s life … to watch as he has evolved as a man by growing through both daunting adversity and great success. He is committed to doing his best and doing it the right way, with honor. He has been an incredible leader for our team and a teammate that other players think very highly of.”

               

In addition to his stellar work on the ice and in the classroom, Eidsness has also been active on campus as a team representative to SAAC and has been routinely involved in community service. His contributions include the Sioux Kids Club events, the Northland Rescue Mission – Pucks for Plates, annual food drives, the National Honor Society, fan fests, and speaking engagements at a number of different area events.

               

“Brad has applied for admission to law schools at both the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria and hopes to combine his love of hockey with his business acumen,” said UND Faculty Athletic Representative Sue Jeno, who nominated him for the WCHA Post-Graduate Scholarship. “The life lessons learned from participation in collegiate sports have provided him with the ability to work effectively with different types of people, to get along well with people from many varied backgrounds and beliefs, and to recognize when attention needs to be given to different individuals and to relationships. He has also learned that adversity can be as valuable as success in maintaining focus on a goal.”

                 

                 

Brad Berry returns to UND

~Official Press Release~

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol announced today that Brad Berry has been hired as an assistant coach. Berry’s primary responsibilities will include coaching and developing the team’s defensemen.

It will be the second stint on the UND coaching staff for Berry, who previously served as the program’s associate head coach from 2004-06 and assistant coach from 2000-04. He was also a defenseman at UND from 1983-86. Berry returns to Grand Forks from the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom he spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach.

“I’m very happy to bring Brad aboard as part of our coaching staff. He’s an outstanding coach and person, and will be a tremendous resource for the development of our players,” said Hakstol.

While with the Blue Jackets, Berry coached the team’s defensemen and managed both the power-play and penalty kill. Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, Berry doubled as the director of The Hockey Academy in Grand Forks and as a part-time scout with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He was an assistant coach with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose from 2006-08.

Before embarking on his professional coaching career, Berry spent six seasons on the UND coaching staff, including his last two as associate head coach under Hakstol. Overseeing the team’s defensemen and penalty kill, Berry helped guide UND to NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2001, 2005 and 2008, Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season titles in 2001 and 2004 and a WCHA playoff championship in 2006.

“I’m excited to come back and work with Dave and (assistant coach) Dane (Jackson), and once again be a part of UND Athletics,” said Berry.

Berry was a standout defenseman at UND from 1983-86, collecting 74 points (12 goals, 62 assists) in 112 collegiate games. He also represented Canada at the 1985 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship. A second-round draft pick (29^th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 1983, Berry went on to play in 241 NHL games over eight years, including stints with Winnipeg, Minnesota and Dallas. His professional playing career also included stints in the Swedish Elite League and the International Hockey League. While with the IHL’s Michigan K-Wings, Berry was a three-time IHL All-Star and was named the K-Wings’ Defenseman of the Year three times.

After his playing career ended, Berry was a professional scout with the 1999-00 Dallas Stars team that won the Stanley Cup.

A native of Bashaw, Alberta, Berry’s family includes his wife, Suzanne, daughters, Brianna and Brooke, and son, Bauer.

Hakstol inks contract extension

Coach Hakstol isn't going anywhere and has signed a six year deal.

Official Press release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota Director of Athletics Brian Faison announced today that head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol has been signed to a new six-year contract that will keep him behind the Fighting Sioux bench through the 2017-18 season.

Through his first eight seasons as UND head coach, Hakstol has become the third-winningest coach in program history, compiling a 213-106-30 (.653) overall record and a 129-75-20 (.621) mark during Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play.

A six-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year, Hakstol has guided the Sioux to five NCAA Frozen Four appearances, four WCHA Final Five playoff championships, two WCHA regular season titles and has advanced to the NCAA postseason in each of his eight years. He was named WCHA Coach of the Year in 2008-09.

“I am thrilled to announce that Coach Hakstol will continue to be behind the bench for UND hockey,” Faison said. “We have one of the elite hockey programs in the country and maintaining that high level of competitive and academic success was central to the contract process. Coach Hakstol’s teams have been successful on the ice, in the classroom and in serving the community. I wanted to make certain we kept continuity and stability in these ever-changing and challenging times.”

“I’m pleased to have the opportunity to continue working and living in what I consider to be the best environment in hockey,” Hakstol said. “I’m particularly grateful for the confidence Brian Faison has shown in me and my staff. We’re here to win and to do it the right way.”

In 2011-12, Hakstol led an injury-depleted team to its league-record third consecutive Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA Final Five champions and was named Inside College Hockey’s National Coach of the Year. With eight players missing 110 games due to injury, the Sioux were forced to dress fewer than 18 skaters on 14 occasions, yet went 11-3 in those games, earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional, and advanced to the regional championship game. UND finished the season ranked No. 5 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 6 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

In the classroom, 11 student-athletes earned All-WCHA Academic Team honors and three were named WCHA Scholar-Athletes, including 2011-12 WCHA Most Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Brad Eidsness (Sr., Chestermere, Alberta).

UND also reinforced its reputation as the top draw in NCAA Division I men’s hockey by leading the nation in three attendance categories: average attendance for all games (9,999.5), total attendance for all games (419,981) and total attendance for home games (249,501).

The trademark of UND hockey during Hakstol’s tenure has been the team’s ability to play its best hockey during the most crucial time of year. UND went 5-0 in the 2012 WCHA playoffs and added a victory in the NCAA West Region semifinal, improving Hakstol’s career playoff record (WCHA and NCAA combined) to 42-15 (.737), 16 more wins than any other WCHA school during his eight-year tenure. Additionally, UND’s 12 NCAA postseason wins during that time are second only to Boston College’s 19.

Over the past eight seasons, UND has amassed a .709 winning percentage (132-49-18) in games played after the Christmas break, compared to a .577 clip (80-57-12) in games played prior to Christmas. That includes an impressive 55-13-4 (.792) record during the month of March.

Hakstol has enhanced UND’s championship legacy with Broadmoor Trophies in 2011-12, 2010-11, 2009-10 and 2005-06, MacNaughton Cup victories in 2010-11 and 2008-09, and NCAA regional titles in 2010-11, 2007-08, 2006-07, 2005-06 and 2004-05.

The 2011-12 season marked the eighth time in as many seasons under Hakstol in which the Sioux have won 20 or more games, the second-longest streak of 20 wins in school history behind only John “Gino” Gasparini’s 13 in a row from 1978-79 to 1990-91.

Eight players have earned All-America honors under Hakstol, including 2007 Hobey Baker Award Winner Ryan Duncan and 2011 Hobey Baker Award finalist Matt Frattin, and 25 have garnered All-WCHA honors. In the classroom, 86 of Hakstol’s players have been named to the WCHA All-Academic Team and 22 were chosen WCHA Scholar-Athletes.

UND has developed a reputation for doing an outstanding job in preparing players for professional careers, a reputation strengthened during Hakstol’s tenure. Seventeen of Hakstol’s players have gone on to play in the National Hockey League: Taylor Chorney, Joe Finley, Matt Frattin, Chay Genoway, Matt Greene, Matt Jones, Brian Lee, Brad Malone, Brady Murray, T.J. Oshie, Chris Porter, Matt Smaby, Drew Stafford, Jonathan Toews, Chris VandeVelde, Matt Watkins, and Travis Zajac. Two more, senior defenseman Ben Blood (Ottawa Senators) and sophomore forward Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.), signed NHL contracts following the 2011-12 season.

Eleven of Hakstol’s 17 NHL products made their NHL debuts within a year of playing their final collegiate games, including Chorney, Frattin, Genoway, Lee, Malone, Oshie, Porter, Smaby, Stafford, VandeVelde and Zajac.

Through Hakstol’s first seven seasons as head coach, 33 UND players were selected in the NHL Entry Draft, including six taken in the first round: Derek Forbort (15^th overall, 2010), Brock Nelson (30^th overall, 2010), Jonathan Toews (3^rd overall, 2006), Brian Lee (9^th overall, 2005), T.J. Oshie (24^th overall, 2005) and Joe Finley (27^th overall, 2005).

Hakstol, 35 years old when he was named UND’s head men’s hockey coach on July 9, 2004, is only the fourth Fighting Sioux head coach in the past 43 years. Hakstol, a Sioux player from 1989-92, is also just the fifth former UND player to also become head coach at North Dakota.

Prior to taking over as UND’s head coach, the former Sioux captain was a member of Dean Blais’ coaching staff for four seasons and in that stint helped coach the Sioux to a pair of WCHA titles, three NCAA appearances and the 2001 national championship game.

Before joining the UND staff on July 1, 2000, Hakstol spent four seasons (1996-2000) as the general manager and head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL), posting winning seasons in his last three seasons. Overall, Hakstol had a 101-109-13 record with the Musketeers. He was named the USHL Coach of the Year in 1997-98.

                                                                                                  

Before beginning his coaching career, Hakstol played professional hockey with the IHL’s Minnesota Moose from 1994-96, serving as team captain for two years, and with the IHL’s Indianapolis Ice from 1992-1994, serving as team captain for one season. In five professional seasons, Hakstol played in 250 games, scoring 12 goals and recording 37 assists. He also accumulated 455 penalty minutes.

As a defenseman on the Sioux hockey team from 1989-92, Hakstol was a three-year letterwinner and served as team captain from 1990 to 1992. He played in 107 games for UND, scoring 10 goals and adding 36 assists for 46 points. He had 77 penalties for 191 minutes.

Hakstol and his wife, Erinn, have two children: daughter Avery and son Brenden.

Brock Nelson named Inside College Hockey All-American

University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux athletic logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Official Press Release

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota sophomore forward Brock Nelson has been named to Inside College Hockey’s 2011-12 All-America Third Team. Nelson enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in 2011-12, leading the Fighting Sioux in points (47) and goals (28) in 42 games and becoming the program’s youngest 20-goal scorer since Jonathan Toews scored 22 in 2005-06.

A native of Warroad, Minn., Nelson led the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in goals and was the WCHA’s only player to score 20 goals during league play. He ranked third nationally in goals, tied for third in game-winning goals (6) and tied for sixth in power-play goals (10). His six GWG tied him for the 10th-best single-season total in school history.

Earlier this month, Nelson was also named to the All-College Hockey News Second Team, as well as the Red Baron WCHA Final Five and NCAA West Region All-Tournament teams. He helped guide the Sioux to their league-record third straight Broadmoor Trophy as WCHA Final Five champions, as well as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional. Following the season, Nelson signed with the New York Islanders and is currently playing for their American Hockey League affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn.

The 6-foot-4, 192-pound Nelson was a first-round draft pick of the Islanders in 2010, when he was selected 30th overall. Nelson finished his collegiate career with 36 goals and 32 assists for 68 points in 84 games.