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2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Tentative Schedule for next season:

Oct. 6 — EXHIBITION
Oct. 12 — EXHIBITION
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 CROSS
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. 22-24 — 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)
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
The early favorites are Forbort and Gaarder. Minnesotans typically always have the edge when it comes to goon tactics and thuggery. That being said, don't count out Gleason or Nick Mattson.
Click to expand...

No way. You've got two Edina kids named there. Everyone knows Edina kids are soft and don't hit.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

MavHockey14 said:
Someone over on SiouxSports apparently has a "reliable source" that hasn't been wrong yet, saying a pact may be made from this group, but that Kristo is not included, he will decide on his own.

Not that it means a lot or that we should put a lot of stock into, but just thought I'd pass the word.
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I know the poster you are talking about. His source has yet to be wrong the last 2 years. He called it when he said Frattin and crew were coming back before anyone knew.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

MavHockey14 said:
Someone over on SiouxSports apparently has a "reliable source" that hasn't been wrong yet, saying a pact may be made from this group, but that Kristo is not included, he will decide on his own.

Not that it means a lot or that we should put a lot of stock into, but just thought I'd pass the word.
Click to expand...

Seems like a tough call for Kristo. He may have most of the skills to make it in the NHL, and he has speed, but there are a lot of players in the AHL with skills and speed. Also he may be close to being fully developed mentally to play the game. The NHL needs fully developed players that have the skills and the physical toughness that the NHL demands.

Kristo is close to the same height as Parise, Oshie, and Frattin but it just seems that Parise, Oshie, and Frattin had more physical toughness when they left college. Parise and Oshie seems to have set the benchmark as to what is needed for a College foreward to make it in the NHL. Not sure if Kristo is there yet? Its his decision and a lot of factors come into play but either way I hope that when he makes the jump he is ready to succeed at the next level.
 
SoCalSiouxFan said:
Seems like a tough call for Kristo. He may have most of the skills to make it in the NHL, and he has speed, but there are a lot of players in the AHL with skills and speed. Also he may be close to being fully developed mentally to play the game. The NHL needs fully developed players that have the skills and the physical toughness that the NHL demands.

Kristo is close to the same height as Parise, Oshie, and Frattin but it just seems that Parise, Oshie, and Frattin had more physical toughness when they left college. Parise and Oshie seems to have set the benchmark as to what is needed for a College foreward to make it in the NHL. Not sure if Kristo is there yet? Its his decision and a lot of factors come into play but either way I hope that when he makes the jump he is ready to succeed at the next level.
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I'd say this is a very accurate analysis. The guys that have left already, Zucker, Shore, etc, you can confidently say they have a great chance to succeed immediately at the next level. Is Kristo there? I just don't know. He's all over the bubble, if you will.

He definitely elevated his play to a very high level down the stretch, but can e be consistent with that effort day in and day out?
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

MavHockey14 said:
I'd say this is a very accurate analysis. The guys that have left already, Zucker, Shore, etc, you can confidently say they have a great chance to succeed immediately at the next level. Is Kristo there? I just don't know. He's all over the bubble, if you will.

He definitely elevated his play to a very high level down the stretch, but can e be consistent with that effort day in and day out?
Click to expand...

I'll put it this way, Kristo will have to play a year or two of minor league hockey before he gets a shot at the NHL. That being said, I don't think he has much left to improve on in college, and I'm not sure he would develop a whole lot more skill wise. He could definitely improve character and strength wise though, which could be hugely beneficial to him in shortening the stretch of time he plays in the minors.

Given all that, my best guess is that if Kristo stays, he puts up a very good year (i.e. 20-25 goals, 30ish assists), is All-American, perhaps leads the Sioux to a couple trophies along the way, and just maybe that elusive 8th title. Either way though, he probably still winds up spending 2ish years in the AHL before becoming an every day player in the NHL, but I do see him getting there eventually. Put him on a line with a pure goal scorer, and Kristo could very easily be a 10-15 goal, 25+ assist/year type player in the NHL.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

MavHockey14 said:
What are you thinking FS23? This one makes me nervous..

The only legitimate reason for leaving I feel like would be the fear of getting hurt. Develop at UND with your teammates, rather than in the AHL, make a run at a title, make your money next year. Only way that doesn't happen is injury?

I think a lot could come down to Kristo's decision. I think we keep two or lose two.
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It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I hope comes back to make a run at an NCAA title.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Goon said:
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I hope comes back to make a run at an NCAA title.
Click to expand...

As the offseason continues, I keep thinking about how this group, if they stay together, could be very special.

If you look at the potential lines...

First Line: Nelson, Knight, Kristo
Nelson - Probably is a 30ish goal scorer, and can put up 25-30 assists...would have a shot at the Hobey
Knight - Showed this year he can not only set people up, but can also score...perhaps a 15-20 goal season, and 35-40 assists.
Kristo - As mentioned in an earlier post, I think he can be a 20-25 goal, 30+ assist type guy

Potential scoring: 65-75 goals, 90-100 assists, 155-175 point line (probably one of the top 2-3 lines in college hockey)

Second Line: Parks, Rowney, Grimaldi
Parks - The Freshman scored 12 goals, 10 assists for 22 points as a freshy...I would imagine playing with this type of talent Parks could be a 15-20 goal, 15-20 assist type guy.
Rowney - I think Rowney showed us this year what he is capable of, and if you put talent around him, his hard work is going to translate to goals not just for himself but for everyone else on the line...I would say about 20ish goals, 20-25 assists
Grimaldi - We saw flashes of what this kid can do. I think he's a 20-25 goal, 30ish assist type player next season.

Projected Scoring: 55-65 goals, 65-75 assists, 120-140 points

Third Line: O'Donnell, Pattyn, MacMillan
O'Donnell - Started to really take form just before his injury, and looks like a talented player. It's difficult to project for this season, but I think 10ish goals and 10-15 assists is a reasonable expectation.
Pattyn - The General also bloomed at the end of the season, and I think scores 10-15 goals, 10-15 assists next season.
MacMillan - Mark put up 7-16-23 last season, and should be able to improve on that next year. I think he could be the breakout player next season (ala Knight in 2010-2011), and I wouldn't be surprised by a wide range of scoring from him...10-20 goals, 15-25 assists.

Projected Scoring: 30-45 goals, 35-55 assists, 65-100 points

Fourth Line: Koules, St. Clair, Rodwell
Koules - Our biggest ticket forward coming in, and I think he has a very strong freshman campaign. 5-10 goals, 10-15 assists.
St. Clair - After sitting out this past season, St. Clair should be ready to go. He was just behind Miller and Grimaldi as far as top end recruits coming in, and I think he also has similar number to Koules...10ish goals, 10-15 assists
Rodwell - Rodwell is a grinder, and probably doesn't put up big numbers...5ish goals, 5-10 assists

Projected Scoring: 20-25 goals, 25-40 assists, 45-65 points.

With this lineup, who is sitting out?
Gaarder, Dickin, Chyzyk

Gaarder and Chyzyk probably present the best opportunity to crack the lineup, especially if there are any injuries.

Total Offense Projection: 170-210 goals. That equates to roughly 4-5 goals/game...and we haven't even factored in our defense, who can probably put up 15-25 goals, putting that number around 4.5-5.5 goals/game. The high end of that number is unlikely, but I think North Dakota has the chance to be a 4-4.5 goals/game team next season. On top of that, our blue line should be stacked, and having Dell, Saunders, and Gothberg between the pipes...I don't expect that the Sioux allow much more than 2-2.5 goals/game on average. That +2 goal/game differential has shown to be key for having a great season.

Given all of this, if everyone comes back, North Dakota is likely a top 2-3 team in the country, and has an excellent shot at winning #8.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Happy said:
wow, next you will be telling me UND players are not all overage semi-pro Canadians, and Hakstool isn't a worse choker than Woog. Just don't try to tell me North Dakota has more than one tree.
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Define "overage". What is your college coaching record as it compares to either Woog or Hakstol? I have two trees in my yard. I live in North Dakota. I had more tress in my yard when I lived in Minnesota but Lucia recruited them to play defense.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
As the offseason continues, I keep thinking about how this group, if they stay together, could be very special.

If you look at the potential lines...

First Line: Nelson, Knight, Kristo
Nelson - Probably is a 30ish goal scorer, and can put up 25-30 assists...would have a shot at the Hobey
Knight - Showed this year he can not only set people up, but can also score...perhaps a 15-20 goal season, and 35-40 assists.
Kristo - As mentioned in an earlier post, I think he can be a 20-25 goal, 30+ assist type guy

Potential scoring: 65-75 goals, 90-100 assists, 155-175 point line (probably one of the top 2-3 lines in college hockey)

Second Line: Parks, Rowney, Grimaldi
Parks - The Freshman scored 12 goals, 10 assists for 22 points as a freshy...I would imagine playing with this type of talent Parks could be a 15-20 goal, 15-20 assist type guy.
Rowney - I think Rowney showed us this year what he is capable of, and if you put talent around him, his hard work is going to translate to goals not just for himself but for everyone else on the line...I would say about 20ish goals, 20-25 assists
Grimaldi - We saw flashes of what this kid can do. I think he's a 20-25 goal, 30ish assist type player next season.

Projected Scoring: 55-65 goals, 65-75 assists, 120-140 points

Third Line: O'Donnell, Pattyn, MacMillan
O'Donnell - Started to really take form just before his injury, and looks like a talented player. It's difficult to project for this season, but I think 10ish goals and 10-15 assists is a reasonable expectation.
Pattyn - The General also bloomed at the end of the season, and I think scores 10-15 goals, 10-15 assists next season.
MacMillan - Mark put up 7-16-23 last season, and should be able to improve on that next year. I think he could be the breakout player next season (ala Knight in 2010-2011), and I wouldn't be surprised by a wide range of scoring from him...10-20 goals, 15-25 assists.

Projected Scoring: 30-45 goals, 35-55 assists, 65-100 points

Fourth Line: Koules, St. Clair, Rodwell
Koules - Our biggest ticket forward coming in, and I think he has a very strong freshman campaign. 5-10 goals, 10-15 assists.
St. Clair - After sitting out this past season, St. Clair should be ready to go. He was just behind Miller and Grimaldi as far as top end recruits coming in, and I think he also has similar number to Koules...10ish goals, 10-15 assists
Rodwell - Rodwell is a grinder, and probably doesn't put up big numbers...5ish goals, 5-10 assists

Projected Scoring: 20-25 goals, 25-40 assists, 45-65 points.

With this lineup, who is sitting out?
Gaarder, Dickin, Chyzyk

Gaarder and Chyzyk probably present the best opportunity to crack the lineup, especially if there are any injuries.

Total Offense Projection: 170-210 goals. That equates to roughly 4-5 goals/game...and we haven't even factored in our defense, who can probably put up 15-25 goals, putting that number around 4.5-5.5 goals/game. The high end of that number is unlikely, but I think North Dakota has the chance to be a 4-4.5 goals/game team next season. On top of that, our blue line should be stacked, and having Dell, Saunders, and Gothberg between the pipes...I don't expect that the Sioux allow much more than 2-2.5 goals/game on average. That +2 goal/game differential has shown to be key for having a great season.

Given all of this, if everyone comes back, North Dakota is likely a top 2-3 team in the country, and has an excellent shot at winning #8.
Click to expand...
If you don't put the Dickin, how do you expect to score? :D
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

In the Regional thread I never did get a chance to compliment the UND cheer chicks. They were not at all bad on the eyes and they could skate a little. I assume they were at the F% too, but I missed that so missed them. Anyway, props to the UND Cheer Squad, good showing at the X.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
Total Offense Projection: 170-210 goals. That equates to roughly 4-5 goals/game...and we haven't even factored in our defense, who can probably put up 15-25 goals, putting that number around 4.5-5.5 goals/game. The high end of that number is unlikely, but I think North Dakota has the chance to be a 4-4.5 goals/game team next season. On top of that, our blue line should be stacked, and having Dell, Saunders, and Gothberg between the pipes...I don't expect that the Sioux allow much more than 2-2.5 goals/game on average. That +2 goal/game differential has shown to be key for having a great season.

Given all of this, if everyone comes back, North Dakota is likely a top 2-3 team in the country, and has an excellent shot at winning #8.
Click to expand...

Averaging 4+ goals per game is pretty optimistic even if they get everyone back and everyone remained healthy......two significant if's. Goalies might as well be the Michelin Man with the equipment thay have now. It's hard to score no matter how good you are. Too many teams like Alaska who are content to forgo offense and pack it in and let you shoot from the outside all night long. And most coaches including Hakstol play it conservative when up 2-3 goals. Not likely to score 6-7 goals very often which you would need to do frequently to average 4+. Lastly, there are waaaay too many media timeouts these days......you rarely see a 4th line, so you need to score a lot of goals against the top 10-15 guys on every team. That doesn't mean they wouldn't be a top 2-3 team next year, but I don't think that kind of offense is realistic.
 
Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Toe Blake said:
Averaging 4+ goals per game is pretty optimistic even if they get everyone back and everyone remained healthy......two significant if's. Goalies might as well be the Michelin Man with the equipment thay have now. It's hard to score no matter how good you are. Too many teams like Alaska who are content to forgo offense and pack it in and let you shoot from the outside all night long. And most coaches including Hakstol play it conservative when up 2-3 goals. Not likely to score 6-7 goals very often which you would need to do frequently to average 4+. Lastly, there are waaaay too many media timeouts these days......you rarely see a 4th line, so you need to score a lot of goals against the top 10-15 guys on every team. That doesn't mean they wouldn't be a top 2-3 team next year, but I don't think that kind of offense is realistic.
Click to expand...

While I agree with this, if everyone returns it is realistic. The last time I thought North Dakota had this strong of a team scoring wise was 2010-2011...they put up 178 goals (averaging 4.05 goals/game). North Dakota (again, this is all under the assumption that everyone returns, which I concede is very much up in the air) only loses 7 goals from our graduating class. They scored 135 goals this season...with a depleted lineup. Throw in Grimaldi for an entire season, another year of maturity on the rest of the team, and scoring an extra 42 is extremely realistic. IMO, pushing 200 goals is the more optimistic number. 170 is very doable.
 
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Re: 2011-2012 North Dakota Offseason Thread

Fighting Sioux 23 said:
While I agree with this, if everyone returns it is realistic. The last time I thought North Dakota had this strong of a team scoring wise was 2010-2011...they put up 178 goals (averaging 4.05 goals/game). North Dakota (again, this is all under the assumption that everyone returns, which I concede is very much up in the air) only loses 7 goals from our graduating class. They scored 135 goals this season...with a depleted lineup. Throw in Grimaldi for an entire season, another year of maturity on the rest of the team, and scoring an extra 42 is extremely realistic. IMO, pushing 200 goals is the more optimistic number. 170 is very doable.
Click to expand...

I will concede that 4 or slightly above is still realistic for a good team in a good year, but you were talking about a range of 4.5 and above. The game has changed. You would probably have to go back to the early 2000's to see those numbers from any team. The gap between the have's and the have not's has continued to be compressed for various reasons. There are very few cupcakes out there and if you approach 4.25 as a team these days, that's exceptional.
 
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