BEMIDJI — Jaksen Panzer wants to play college hockey close to home.

No school is closer than North Dakota, the institution he was previously committed to since April 2, 2019. Panzer, a Grand Forks, N.D., native, grew up at Ralph Engelstad Arena watching the Fighting Hawks in his backyard. It’s the program his father, Jeff, and uncle, Jay, played for, winning national championships in 2000 and 1997, respectively.

Panzer committed to North Dakota in eighth grade and was one of the youngest UND commits in program history.

Now, he’s set to play for Bemidji State. Panzer expressed his desire to decommit from UND, and North Dakota released him from his National Letter of Intent earlier this week. Panzer announced his new commitment on Instagram Thursday afternoon.

“It was nothing bad between me or North Dakota,” Panzer said. “I kind of wanted to look for something new, maybe get a different opportunity or a better opportunity. That’s where I stood. I informed UND of that, and they were very understanding of me. They worked very well with me, my family and my advisor to get that done as soon as possible.”

Panzer is in his second full season with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound forward has 15 goals and 17 assists in 53 games. He had 13 goals and 15 assists in his first full season and three goals and eight assists for the Stampede in 18 games following his junior season at East Grand Forks High School.

“The USHL, I’d say, is one of the hardest leagues to play in,” Panzer said. “My first year wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I battled through a couple of months throughout the season where I was struggling. It’s helped me mature as a player and as a person. You have to get through those times mentally and physically.”

Panzer plans to attend Bemidji State next year, an opportunity he likely wouldn’t have had at North Dakota, according to Fighting Hawks beat writer Brad Schlossman on Twitter.

“When I was thinking about room (to play) next year, there were some other schools I also had in mind,” Panzer said. “Bemidji offered me what I liked and what I was looking for. It was a pretty easy decision.”

Wanting to stay relatively local, Panzer committed to play for the Beavers 110 miles from his hometown.

“I’ve always kind of wanted to be close to home to play college hockey,” Panzer said. “Even when I was committed to UND, Bemidji State was always in the back of my head. I’ve always thought it was a really good school. I’ve always heard stuff about the coaches, especially Tom Serratore. When they gave me a call, it was pretty easy to tell them, ‘I’m in.’

“I’ll be able to have my parents at pretty much every home game. Whether it’s my parents, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, I’ll have somebody I’m pretty close with at every home game. That’s important to me, and it made the decision pretty easy when Bemidji gave me the call.”

Panzer noted the importance of East Grand Forks head coach Tyler Palmiscno and his guidance throughout the recruiting process.

“I have to give him a lot of credit,” Panzer said. “He did absolutely everything for me and gave me everything I needed. Most guys don’t get second chances to (choose) a different school, and he’s helped me a lot. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d get another chance like I did.”

Panzer is eager to finish the rest of his USHL stint with a clear vision of his future. He’s even more excited to build on a MacNaughton Cup-winning season for the Beavers starting in the fall of 2024.

“I want to get better every year,” Panzer said. “I want to be better as a sophomore than I was as a freshman, then continue that chain. I want to come in and help the team win. I don’t care if I score or get a point, I just want to win. (BSU) has had a lot of success this year, and I want to help keep that going.”