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Apr. 15—GRAND FORKS — The Vegas Golden Knights have been busy signing their draft picks this offseason.
They inked Providence forward Trevor Connelly after a four-goal freshman season. They signed Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead after posting a .909 save percentage as a sophomore. They nabbed Michigan forward Jackson Hallum after a 17-point junior season.
But they'll have to wait for their defenseman from UND.
After weighing an NHL offer for two weeks, Abram Wiebe has decided to return to UND for his junior season.
"It's definitely been a whirlwind couple of weeks," Wiebe said. "It started off, obviously, with the head coaching change. I was very pumped that Dane Jackson was announced as the head coach.
"I had the opportunity, in talking with Vegas, to make the jump to the next level. I took two weeks to sit on it, think about it, talk to friends and family about what's best for my career. I relied on people close to me about what I should do — my teammates, Jax, Dillon Simpson, my advisor. I made the decision that coming back was best for me."
Wiebe, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, had a breakout sophomore season at UND. The 6-foot-3 defender from Mission, B.C., scored four goals and tallied 24 points in 38 games.
His return solidifies UND's defensive corps.
All-American Jake Livanavage
said he plans to return.
First-round NHL Draft pick E.J. Emery
said he will, too.
Lockdown defender Bennett Zmolek
will be back
after suffering a season-ending injury Game 1 last season.
Freshmen Andrew Strathmann and Jayden Jubenvill are expected to return after promising rookie seasons.
The only defender UND has lost is sophomore Caleb MacDonald,
who signed with the Columbus
Blue Jackets.
"I think we have all the pieces to the puzzle on the back end — guys that play the right way," Wiebe said. "You look at Livanavage, he's an unbelievable player. You've got Zmolek, who is an unbelievable penalty killer, maybe the best in college hockey. It's huge to have him back next season.
"The freshmen — Jubenvill, Strathmann and Emery — all had great seasons, especially in the second half. I'm really excited to work with all these guys next season and see those young guys take the next step and build confidence throughout the season."
Wiebe said he was excited that Detroit Red Wings second-round pick Dylan James, a winger,
decided to return to school
instead of going pro.
The Fighting Hawks are still filling out their forward ranks after losing six to graduation and
three to the transfer portal.
They have
added Anthony Menghini from Minnesota Duluth
out of the NCAA transfer portal. The freshman forward class is expected to include United States Hockey League goal-scoring champion Will Zellers, center David Klee and winger Josh Zakreski.
Wiebe said there are high hopes for UND's first season under Jackson.
"He's a great coach," Wiebe said. "I've worked with him for two years. He's a great guy, easy to get along with. All the guys love him. I'm super excited that North Dakota trusted him and gave him an opportunity to lead this team. Every guy in the room is pumped to play for him and put that jersey on and grind for each other.
"It starts now. We're grinding right now. We're super excited to prove to everyone that we're going to be very good next season. We have a lot of good players coming in and returning."
Continue reading...
They inked Providence forward Trevor Connelly after a four-goal freshman season. They signed Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead after posting a .909 save percentage as a sophomore. They nabbed Michigan forward Jackson Hallum after a 17-point junior season.
But they'll have to wait for their defenseman from UND.
After weighing an NHL offer for two weeks, Abram Wiebe has decided to return to UND for his junior season.
"It's definitely been a whirlwind couple of weeks," Wiebe said. "It started off, obviously, with the head coaching change. I was very pumped that Dane Jackson was announced as the head coach.
"I had the opportunity, in talking with Vegas, to make the jump to the next level. I took two weeks to sit on it, think about it, talk to friends and family about what's best for my career. I relied on people close to me about what I should do — my teammates, Jax, Dillon Simpson, my advisor. I made the decision that coming back was best for me."
Wiebe, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, had a breakout sophomore season at UND. The 6-foot-3 defender from Mission, B.C., scored four goals and tallied 24 points in 38 games.
His return solidifies UND's defensive corps.
All-American Jake Livanavage
said he plans to return.
First-round NHL Draft pick E.J. Emery
said he will, too.
Lockdown defender Bennett Zmolek
will be back
after suffering a season-ending injury Game 1 last season.
Freshmen Andrew Strathmann and Jayden Jubenvill are expected to return after promising rookie seasons.
The only defender UND has lost is sophomore Caleb MacDonald,
who signed with the Columbus
Blue Jackets.
"I think we have all the pieces to the puzzle on the back end — guys that play the right way," Wiebe said. "You look at Livanavage, he's an unbelievable player. You've got Zmolek, who is an unbelievable penalty killer, maybe the best in college hockey. It's huge to have him back next season.
"The freshmen — Jubenvill, Strathmann and Emery — all had great seasons, especially in the second half. I'm really excited to work with all these guys next season and see those young guys take the next step and build confidence throughout the season."
Wiebe said he was excited that Detroit Red Wings second-round pick Dylan James, a winger,
decided to return to school
instead of going pro.
The Fighting Hawks are still filling out their forward ranks after losing six to graduation and
three to the transfer portal.
They have
added Anthony Menghini from Minnesota Duluth
out of the NCAA transfer portal. The freshman forward class is expected to include United States Hockey League goal-scoring champion Will Zellers, center David Klee and winger Josh Zakreski.
Wiebe said there are high hopes for UND's first season under Jackson.
"He's a great coach," Wiebe said. "I've worked with him for two years. He's a great guy, easy to get along with. All the guys love him. I'm super excited that North Dakota trusted him and gave him an opportunity to lead this team. Every guy in the room is pumped to play for him and put that jersey on and grind for each other.
"It starts now. We're grinding right now. We're super excited to prove to everyone that we're going to be very good next season. We have a lot of good players coming in and returning."
Continue reading...
