Oct 13, 2008 - 04:05:18 CDT
GRAND FORKS (AP) - University of North Dakota hockey coach Dave Hakstol says he's heard a lot of talk about the NHL "stealing" players from college during the past few summers.College hockey is losing underclassmen in record numbers, but theft is not the way Hakstol looks at it.
"It's something that we should celebrate," he said. "We had two players (after last season) who decided to move on before graduation, after their junior year. They were ready to go. Both of them were great members of our program and were excited about being part of that development.
"T.J. Oshie, I'd say, has a 99 percent chance of starting out in St. Louis," Hakstol said. "And there's a very good chance that Taylor Chorney will do the same thing with Edmonton."
In the basement of Ralph Engelstad Arena, it's apparent that the Sioux are eager to embrace the NHL connection to the program. An NHL dedication wall was completed recently in the hallway just outside the Fighting Sioux locker room.
On one side of the hallway there are logos for every NHL team. There also are the names of every former Sioux player who played on that team. Photos of Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise in their UND days are faded in the background of the wall.
On the opposite side of the hallway, there is a Stanley Cup dedication, plaques for every NHL major award winner and an NHL draft board.
"It's a great reminder, every day, of the people who came through this program, built the program and spent some very important developmental years here," Hakstol said.
The first day the mural was up, Hakstol said, one player saw Troy Murray's plaque for winning the Selke Trophy in 1986 and commented that he didn't know Murray played at UND.
"It's a great history lesson for our players and it's something we're very proud of," Hakstol said. "It's a good reminder of the mentality of our program."
Hakstol said something else that has been overlooked is the number of players who were being pushed to sign NHL contracts but instead decided to come back. UND seniors Ryan Duncan, Joe Finley and Andrew Kozek all have had chances to sign.
"It's not just at the University of North Dakota," Hakstol said. "A lot of good players chose to come back to this league. We had two that moved on (after last season), but others who were pulled by NHL teams but they made the choice to come back.
"That's a story we need to start telling."
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