UND's use of the transfer portal will change year-to-year

Oct. 13—GRAND FORKS — UND is bringing in seven transfers this season.

They are goaltender Ludvig Persson from Miami, defenseman Garrett Pyke from Alaska, defenseman Keaton Pehrson from Michigan, defenseman Bennett Zmolek from MSU-Mankato, defenseman Logan Britt from Sacred Heart, forward Cameron Berg from Omaha and forward Hunter Johannes from Lindenwood.

That's tied with Ohio State for the fifth-most in the nation, only behind Augustana (15), Robert Morris (10), Sacred Heart (eight) and Canisius (eight).

Miami, Michigan, MSU-Mankato, St. Thomas, Northeastern, Quinnipiac, Long Island and Stonehill brought in six.

Why did UND dip so heavily in the portal?

The Fighting Hawks had to replace a large number of players, losing 13 from last year's squad.

Mark Senden, Gavin Hain, Ty Farmer and Ryan Sidorski ran out of eligibility. Tyler Kleven, Ethan Frisch and Judd Caulfield turned pro. Luke Bast, Matteo Costantini, Nick Portz, Brent Johnson, Cooper Moore and Jakob Hellsten transferred.

"We had some guys turn pro," UND coach Brad Berry said. "We had some guys graduate after their fourth or fifth years. A couple guys transferred out of the program. I think we probably want a little more certainty having lower numbers."

UND's current recruiting board indicates this year will be an anomaly.

The Fighting Hawks have lined up excellent recruiting classes the next few years and will be using those players to largely fill voids.

For example, three defensemen are guaranteed to leave UND after this year — fifth-year seniors Pyke, Pehrson and Britt. The Fighting Hawks have three defenseman recruits who will be ready to come in — potential first-round NHL draft pick E.J. Emery, Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Andrew Strathmann and Jayden Jubenvill.

Up front, UND is guaranteed to lose Johannes, a fifth-year senior. It could lose fourth-year seniors Carson Albrecht and Griffin Ness. There are others who could sign pro deals like Riese Gaber, who shunned the opportunity this summer.

But the Fighting Hawks are set up with players like Calgary Flames draft pick Cade Littler, potential first-round NHL draft pick Sacha Boisvert, Cody Croal and Mac Swanson to fill the voids.

In net, highly touted recruit Caleb Heil will be eligible to come to campus when Persson's eligibility runs out.

"We've recruited some really good players," Berry said. "We want to invest in that side of it — bringing recruited players in. There are things you can control and things you can't, like signings. With the transfer portal, you might have to have some flexibility to bring transfers in. This is a year we needed 14 new players to come in. It's tough to bring in 14 freshmen and have success. That's why we have seven freshmen and seven transfers."

UND's use of the transfer portal has allowed some of its recruits to play an extra year of juniors.

Last season, it could have brought in Abram Wiebe, but opted to grab Ryan Sidorski from the portal for a year and allow Wiebe to stay at Chilliwack. Wiebe went on to win the British Columbia Hockey League's defenseman of the year honor.

This year, it could have brought in Strathmann, but UND instead added Logan Britt for a year to allow Strathmann to round out his defensive game while playing for United States Hockey League champion Youngstown.

"Part of the recruiting process is being very up front and very transparent in the process," Berry said. "Going to play college hockey from junior is a big step. If you're not ready for that step, it's not going to be a great experience for you. One of the things we talk about is that we like your game, we want you in the program, and at the end of the day, you want to play at North Dakota and play an impactful role. You've got to make sure your body of work substantiates that."

Berry said sometimes players come in a year earlier than planned, too, if development warrants it.

Shane Pinto and Jacob Bernard-Docker are two examples of players who came a year before initially scheduled.

"Shane Pinto was going to play two years of junior hockey," Berry said. "After the first half of his first season, he was doing well. In the second half, he was lights out and we said, 'You can make that adjustment into college.' He was lights out for us.

"Some guys need two years. Abram Wiebe played three. That extra year was a big deal for him."

279 Division-I men's players entered the transfer portal

216 D-I players ended up at new D-I schools

37 D-I players entered the portal but did not end up anywhere

13 D-I players entered the portal but signed pro contracts

12 D-I players are transferring to D-III

6 D-I players entered the portal but decided to stay at their current school

6 D-III players are transferring D-I

5 D-I players are transferring to Canadian colleges

1 D-I player entered the portal but is returning to junior hockey

1 D-I player is transferring to AHCA club hockey

Other transfer notes:

* Incoming transfers by league: Atlantic Hockey 43, CCHA 43, Hockey East 36, Big Ten 27, NCHC 27, Independents 24, ECAC 22.

* First-year D-I program Augustana (15) and returning D-I program Robert Morris (10) have the most transfers.

* Canisius and Sacred Heart (eight) has the most transfers for any team that played D-I hockey last season.

* Eight teams did not add a transfer — Denver, Cornell, Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale, Air Force and Army.