Daily Skate: What are UND's needs in the transfer portal?
Mar. 27—GRAND FORKS — The first step of each offseason is learning which players are leaving and which are returning.
It took less than a week for that picture to clear up significantly for UND.
Six players with eligibility remaining are gone: defenseman Tyler Kleven (Ottawa Senators), defenseman Ethan Frisch (San Jose Barracuda), defenseman Luke Bast (transfer portal), defenseman Brent Johnson (transfer portal), forward Matteo Costantini (transfer portal) and goalie Jakob Hellsten (transfer portal).
Two players with pro offers have said they'll return — winger Riese Gaber (undrafted free agent) and winger Judd Caulfield (Pittsburgh Penguins pick).
Whether there's more roster shifting or not, it's starting to become clear what UND will need to target in the transfer portal.
The
portal currently has a little more than 150 uncommitted players
in it.
Which types of players will catch UND's eye?
1. A starting goaltender: The only goalie left on the roster is Kaleb Johnson. The Fighting Hawks could bring in recruit Hobie Hedquist, but they're going to want to get a veteran starter out of the transfer portal.
Right now, there are six goaltenders in the portal who were primary starters in 2022-23: UMass sophomore Luke Pavicich (.920 save percentage), Clarkson junior Ethan Haider, a Nashville Predators draft pick (.906), Miami junior Ludvig Persson (.891), Wisconsin senior Jared Moe, a Winnipeg Jets draft pick (.898), Canisius senior Jacob Barczewski (.918) and Sacred Heart senior Luke Lush (.899).
2. At least two defensemen: The Fighting Hawks have lost seven of their eight defensemen from the 2022-23 roster. While they have a lot of recruits in junior hockey who are ready to come to college, UND needs to complement them with veterans who can play big minutes and against opponents' top players.
The biggest minute-eaters in the portal right now are Dartmouth captain Tanner Palocsik (27:31 per game), Air Force senior Brandon Koch (24:46), Boston College captain Marshall Warren (23:58) and Alaska captain Garrett Pyke (23:20).
3. Possibly a center: UND may have had room for a winger out of the transfer portal if Gaber or Caulfield turned pro. But both are back and the Fighting Hawks are loaded at wing for next season.
UND doesn't necessarily need a forward out of the portal, but if the coaching staff sees a potential top-six center jump in, that could be a fit.
The most intriguing centers in the portal right now are Omaha's Cameron Berg (New York Islanders draft pick), Cornell's Jack Malone (Vancouver Canucks draft pick) and Northeastern's Jack Hughes (Los Angeles Kings draft pick). Berg, notably, is from West Fargo.
The
portal
is still lively with activity. Ten new players entered Monday by 2 p.m. More are likely coming this week.
The number of Olympic-sized ice sheets in college hockey is continuing to shrink.
Northern Michigan is the latest team to announce it's ditching its 100-foot wide rink.
The Wildcats won't go all the way down to an NHL sheet (85 feet wide), though. The ice at Berry Events Center is going to be a hybrid at 94 feet wide.
Most arenas that have ditched their Olympic sheets have gone to hybrids.
Minnesota's Mariucci Arena also will be shrinking its Olympic sheet this offseason. Mariucci is expected to be 89 feet wide.
Last summer, the University of New Hampshire's Whittemore Center shrunk to 90 feet wide.
The only true Olympic rinks left in college hockey are the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud and the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. Wisconsin's Kohl Center is at 97 feet wide. UMass's Mullins Center and Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena are both 95 feet wide.
The Olympic-sized ice sheets became a fad after the U.S. won Olympic gold in 1980. The majority of college ice rinks built in the 20 years after the Miracle on Ice were Olympic-sized.
But since 2000, the trend has reversed back to NHL sheets.
Former UND defenseman Ethan Frisch made his pro hockey debut over the weekend for the American Hockey League's San Jose Barracuda.
Frisch played in two games for the Barracuda.
Frisch played 16:12 and 17:58 in the games, registering a minus-1. The Barracuda split against the Bakersfield Condors.
Former UND forward Mark Senden (AHL Charlotte Checkers), defenseman Chris Jandric (AHL Rochester Americans), defenseman Tyler Kleven (NHL Ottawa Senators) and defenseman Ryan Sidorski (AHL, Milwaukee Admirals) all have signed but have yet to make their pro debuts.
The Idaho Steelheads have a shot to set the record for most wins ever in an ECHL season.
Idaho, on a nine-game winning streak, needs to win six of its last nine to break a record set by the Louisiana Ice Gators (56 wins) in 2001-02.
The Steelheads also have a shot at setting ECHL records in several other categories — most home wins, most road wins, most points, longest home winning streak, most shutouts and fewest goals against.
Idaho is loaded with players with
North Dakota connections
— Casey Johnson (UND/Grand Forks), Jade Miller (Minto, N.D.), Cody Haiskanen (Fargo), Jordan Kawaguchi (UND) and Adam Scheel (UND).
Kawaguchi tallied his first pro hat trick Saturday night against Allen. Kawaguchi had five points in the game.
* Minnesota Whitecaps defender Patti Marshall of Thief River Falls finished runner-up in the Premier Hockey Federation. The Whitecaps lost to Toronto in overtime in the Isobel Cup Final.
* Former East Grand Forks Senior High forward Jaksen Panzer is heating up in the United States Hockey League. Panzer scored a goal and tallied three points Sunday for Sioux Falls. He is up to 14 points in the last 10 games for the Stampede. Panzer is expected to return to junior hockey next season.
* Notre Dame announced two of its best players plan to use their fifth year — second-leading scorer Trevor Janicke (an Anaheim Ducks pick) and Mike Richter Award finalist Ryan Bischel (.931 save percentage).
* Western Michigan's top-line center Max Sasson signed with the Vancouver Canucks, giving up his final two years of college eligibility. The Broncos have several other undrafted players who NHL teams have interest in signing, including Hobey Baker Award finalist and the NCAA's leading goal-scorer Jason Polin, forward Ryan McAllister and defenseman Aidan Fulp.
