North Dakota

Anchorage’s Mac Swanson charges into Frozen Four with University of North Dakota

Published

5 days ago

April 7, 2026

Anchorage’s Mac Swanson charges into Frozen Four with University of North Dakota

Universtiy of North Dakota’s Mac Swanson, of Anchorage, skates with the puck during a game against Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Photo by Russell Hons / North Dakota Athletics)

Coming into his sophomore season at the University of North Dakota, Mac Swanson was facing more uncertainty than at any point in his young hockey career.

By his own admission, Swanson, 20, struggled at times on the ice as a freshman. And after the 2024-25 season, the Fighting Hawks had replaced their head coach, introducing another variable.

But first-year coach Dane Jackson has now led UND to a 29-9-1 record, and Swanson has added multiple dimensions to his game in his second year of college hockey.

Now Swanson and UND are among the final quartet of teams playing for a national championship this weekend at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas.

The Hawks take on Wisconsin on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Alaska time with a chance to advance to the championship. That game will be preceded at 1 p.m. by the first semifinal, pitting Michigan against Denver, which is coached by Anchorage’s David Carle. Both games are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2.

A mainstay on UND’s second line, Swanson has added strength, improved his scoring and taken on more responsibility on defense.

“I felt confident throughout the year,” Swanson said. “My goal-scoring has improve and obviously we have a great team this year. It’s easy to play with those guys.”

When UND announced it was replacing longtime coach Brad Berry, Swanson said players were in a holding pattern. But Jackson, who was on the UND staff for nearly two decades before taking the head coaching role, helped maintain continuity for the players after a couple weeks of wondering who would lead the team.

“There was a lot of uncertainty in the program for the first time in a while,” Swanson said. “It was definitely a weird time for all of us that were kind of deciding whether to stay or transfer out. But when coach Jackson got the job, we all felt pretty confident in him and his abilities, so we really did think that we would have a good team this year.”

University of North Dakota’s Mac Swanson, of Anchorage, looks for an open teammate during a game between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Fighting Hawks at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Photo by Russell Hons / North Dakota Athletics)

Swanson described Jackson as a “hard but fair coach” and said the announcement secured his future with UND.

“I love my time here,” he said. “I love playing at The Ralph (Engelstad Arena), and I didn’t really want to leave at all. So I’m happy with where I’m at.”

Swanson’s production this season has been consistent. He’s seventh on the team in scoring, with 11 goals and 17 assists in 39 games. He showed a major uptick in his goal-scoring ability, after notching just two as a freshman.

Swanson believes his progression at UND is similar to what he was able to accomplish with the Fargo Force, where he played before signing with the Fighting Hawks. There he developed into a much more dynamic offensive player in his second season with the USHL team. Swanson has been especially effective the last half of the season with 13 points in his last 15 games.

“I think (my game) has evolved a little bit,” he said. “I’ve really tried to round out my two-way game. I started penalty killing this year too, which just adds another dimension to my game and makes me more valuable to the team.”

Mac’s dad, Brian, had a standout hockey career at Colorado College and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 1999. Having his dad as a sounding board has been invaluable as he’s progressed through his college career.

“He’s always there for me,” Swanson said. “But he never forces anything upon me, which I think is a good thing. He obviously is there for me whenever I need to talk or just a quick text before or after a game. … It’s great to have someone who’s been through everything I’m going through.”

Part of Swanson’s offseason mandate was to add strength. In Alaska over last summer, he worked out independently as well as at Mac’s Strength & Power in Eagle River, operated by his cousin.

“It gave me a good opportunity to grow in some areas I needed to,” he said.

The Frozen Four is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in recent history. The four teams have the four most NCAA championships in history, led by Denver’s 10 and followed by Michigan (9), UND (8) and Wisconsin (6).

“It’s really cool it’s kind of all these blue-blood programs,” he said. “Obviously we’ll try not to focus on too much of the stuff going on in Vegas and just focus on us.”

UND was dominant in reaching the Frozen Four, winning a pair of games by a combined 8-0 score in the Regional at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He had family in attendance for those games and in the week and a half since has received plenty of messages from friends and family.

“Obviously you feel that support being from Alaska,” he said. “When someone is doing well, everyone is happy for them, which I think’s pretty cool about the hockey community back home.”

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Related Topics:2025 action arena bulldogs College conference Dakota duluth engelstad Featured fighting forks Grand Hawks Hockey Home Mac Swanson minnesota NCHC north ralph REA Sports white jersey

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North Dakota

Griffins Add Former North Dakota Senior | Detroit Hockey Now

Published

1 hour ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Griffins Add Former North Dakota Senior | Detroit Hockey Now

The Grand Rapids Griffins are adding another new face to the room at the end of their regular season. Dylan James is joining the team on an amateur tryout for after signing a two year entry level contract with the Red Wings beginning with the 2026-27 season.

The now 22-year-old forward was named rookie of the year in the USHL after a standout season in his draft year, and was taken by the Red Wings 40th overall in the 2022 draft. James joins a handful of other Red Wings second round picks in Grand Rapids, including Trey Augustine (42, 2023) and Eddie Genborg (44, 2025) as they make their Calder Cup Playoff run.

After being drafted by the Red Wings, James spent the next four years developing at the University of North Dakota, helping the Fighting Hawks to become the NCHC regular season champions twice in his college career, as well as reaching this year’s Frozen Four. James and the Fighting Hawks were knocked out by the Wisconsin Badgers in the quarterfinal, however.

The senior forward was named as one of the team’s alternate captains this year, and collected 32 points across 40 games with 21 goals and 11 assists, bringing his UND career totals to 89 points with 52 goals and 37 assists.

Standing at 6’1″ and 192lbs, James is known for his puck security and willingness to make the extra step as a defender in addition to his offensive capabilities. The Griffins, now with several Red Wings prospects on the roster, will look to get further than last year’s first round exit.

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North Dakota

North Dakota State’s Head-Turning QB Fact Amid Draft Dominance

Published

13 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

North Dakota State’s Head-Turning QB Fact Amid Draft Dominance

Getty

Carson Wentz was an exception among the quarterbacks drafted by NDSU and other top quarterback-producing schools in the past decade.

Much is being made of North Dakota State soon tying Ohio State, along with Alabama, for the most quarterbacks drafted since 2016.

NDSU will have five after the upcoming NFL Draft with Cole Payton poised for late-round selection. Alabama will have a fifth with Ty Simpson going sometime early in the draft. Ohio State won’t have a quarterback going this year since Julian Sayin is playing another year in Columbus.

Among those three schools, only NDSU has produced a quarterback who played a major role with a Super Bowl-winning team and contended for MVP. That’s former Bison quarterback Carson Wentz, who went No. 2 in the 2016 draft. He helped the Philadelphia Eagles earn the No. 1 seed amid 13 starts as a serious MVP candidate in 2017 before an ACL tear. The Eagles eventually won the Super Bowl that season with backup Nick Foles.

Only former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe has been with a Super Bowl winner but as a backup with the Seattle Seahawks in 2025. No other quarterback drafted from those three schools has played for a Super Bowl winner. The only playoff quarterbacks include former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and former Alabama quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa, Bryce Young, and Mac Jones.

Why NDSU is Producing NFL Quarterbacks Frequently

GettyCarson Wentz hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in 2018.

Every primary Bison starter from Wentz to Cam Miller has made it to the NFL, and Payton is next in line.

NDSU was an FCS program from 2004 to 2025 before the Bison moved up to the FBS. Smaller schools seldom produce one NFL quarterback. Past exceptions have included late Alcorn State star Steve McNair, former Northern Iowa star Kurt Warner, and former Eastern Illinois star Tony Romo.

The Bison were already a dominant Division II team when moving up to the FCS, but the Herd never produced an NFL quarterback before that move. Things took off with former Bison quarterback Brock Jensen, who led the team to three-consecutive FCS national championships between 2011 and 2013.

Jensen participated in the Miami Dolphins‘ training camp in 2014, but he didn’t make the team and opted for a career in the CFL. Wentz waited behind him for three seasons before he became the starter and ascended to a highly-touted draft prospect.

Behind the scenes, former NFL quarterback and Bison quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg helped develop Wentz and the NFL-bound signal callers who came after him. NDSU also runs a pro-style offense, which has quarterbacks more ready for the next level versus other college offensive systems.

There likely could be more to come with NDSU playing the FBS. Current Bison quarterback Nathan Hayes will get his lone shot as the starter this fall in hopes to continue the draft lineage.

Top QB-Producing Schools Haven’t Produced Top QBs

GettyCarson Wentz became a career backup after failed attempts as a starter.

While the three aforementioned schools can claim the most quarterbacks drafted, they can’t claim the most successful ones.

Only Stroud and former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young are starters among quarterbacks from those schools. Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields didn’t pan out as a starter in his first three stops. Jones didn’t last in New England, Tagovailoa didn’t work out in Miami, and Wentz became a backup after three failed stints.

Former Bison quarterback Trey Lance also fell short with the San Francisco 49ers and has been a backup since. Fellow former Bison, Miller and Easton Stick, have only been backups, and Payton is projected to be a backup.

Former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is a backup, Cardale Jones was a backup, and the late Dwayne Haskins Jr. was briefly a starter for the Washington Commanders before his untimely death.

Matthew Davis covers the NFL, WNBA and college sports for Heavy.com. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis

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North Dakota

Man arrested in North Dakota six months after Durham County murder

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested in North Dakota six months after Durham County murder

A man was arrested in North Dakota in connection with a November murder in Durham County.

Deputies said 28-year-old Alberto Flores died after he was shot on Sunday morning outside of a business on Guess Road.

Carlos Anuel Medina Robles was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Luis Alberto Flores. The Durham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigative Division and the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Marshals Service were able to track Robles down.

On Thursday, the U.S. Marshals Service found Robles in Ward, North Dakota. He was taken into custody.

Extradition proceedings are pending.

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