Grand Forks Central grad Lucas Kanta returning home to take on UND with Army

Oct. 11—GRAND FORKS — Army coach Brian Riley was still recruiting Lucas Kanta when he dropped a tidbit to the former Grand Forks Central standout.

If Kanta chose to play college hockey for the Black Knights, he would get an opportunity to play against UND in Ralph Engelstad Arena as a sophomore.

"I'm sure he had a lifelong dream of playing at North Dakota," Riley said. "I told him he can do that with us."

Kanta committed to Army and this weekend, he'll get a chance to play back in his hometown. Army will take on UND at 7:07 p.m. Friday in the opener of the Ice Breaker Tournament.

"I've had this circled for a while," Kanta said. "I'm excited. It's a big deal. If you don't play for them, you want to play against them and be the villain. I'm excited to be home. My parents don't get to come out too much. It's not easy to get to."

On Saturday, UND will host Wisconsin at 6:07 p.m., while Army plays at Bemidji State.

Kanta's parents, Darcy and Karen, and siblings, Boone and Jamie, are planning to attend. An aunt and uncle also are expected to fly in from Arizona.

Kanta was a decorated prep player at Central.

He played three varsity seasons for the Knights and won three North Dakota state championships. Central went 76-1-2 during his career and finished on a 42-game winning streak.

"He's a tough guy to play against," UND coach Brad Berry said. "He's a big body. He skates very well and he makes a lot of things happen."

Seven of Kanta's Central teammates are playing Division-I hockey this season — Kaleb Johnson (UND), Cole Hanson (Maine), Brandon Holt (Maine), William Lawson-Body (Alaska), Cole Spicer (Minnesota Duluth), Will Howard (Augustana) and Tucker Hodgson (Bentley).

Army was the first team to begin recruiting Kanta during his final year of junior hockey. Eventually, seven or eight others jumped in the race.

"I didn't know anything about Army right away," Kanta said. "I had to do a lot of research."

He liked what he learned and enjoyed his visit to West Point.

"The benefits are so much higher than going pretty much anywhere else," Kanta said. "The benefits here are better than the Ivy Leagues. I liked the coaching staff. When you go through the recruiting process, a lot of coaches. . . I don't want to say they're liars, but they yank you around a little bit. Army shot me straight the entire time I was talking to them."

Riley was happy to secure Kanta's commitment.

"He's exactly the type of young man we want in our program," said Riley, who is in his 20th season as Army's head coach. "For us, it's not just about hockey. It's about someone who will represent the program how you want to be represented."

At West Point, schedules can be demanding.

Kanta, a Systems and Decision Sciences major, wakes up at about 6:20 a.m. and is at morning formation by 6:55 a.m. Breakfast at the mess hall is 7 a.m.

At 7:40 a.m., Kanta begins class. It takes him through lunch at noon. After lunch, Kanta takes an hour off before going back to class from 1:15-3:05 p.m.

The hockey team's daily warmup begins at 3:35 p.m. Then, it's practice, a workout and a stretch. Hockey activities are usually done between 6:30-7 p.m.

After that, it's time for dinner and homework.

"They're just in survival mode here at West Point in their first year," Riley said.

As a freshman last season, Kanta started on the fourth line but worked his way into the top two lines by the end of the season. He finished with five goals and eight points in 33 games.

Riley is expecting the 6-foot-2, 195-pound winger to take another step as a sophomore.

During Army's season-opening loss to Union, Kanta played left wing on the second line alongside last season's leading scorer, Max Itagaki.

"He's so much more relaxed because he understands the school," Riley said. "He knows what's going to come at him every day. With that comes a feeling of being comfortable here. When he comes to the rink, you see more consistency in his play. We need him to make a step, because he's one of the guys we're going to rely on."

Friday will mark Kanta's first competitive game in Ralph Engelstad Arena since the 2018 North Dakota state championship game. Kanta and Johnson were teammates in that game.

They'll be on opposite benches this weekend.

"I hope Kaleb plays, I really do," Kanta said. "I don't know if he's going to, but I hope he does. We're really good buddies. We hang out all the time when I'm back. Dane (Montgomery) and I run skates together in the summer. I know Jackson (Kunz) really well, too. I know all those guys. They're good guys."

Friday: Army at UND, 7:07 p.m.; Wisconsin at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.

Saturday: Wisconsin at UND, 6:07 p.m.; Army at Bemidji State, 6:07 p.m.

TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD), UND games only.

Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM), UND games only.

Webcast: NCHC.tv., UND games only.

Kaleb Johnson, G, UND

Lucas Kanta, F, Army

Cole Hanson, F, Maine

Brandon Holt, D, Maine

William Lawson-Body, F, Alaska

Cole Spicer, F, Minnesota Duluth

Will Howard, F, Augustana

Tucker Hodgson, D, Bentley