With Nick Schmaltz departing for the Chicago Blackhawks, UND now has some choices to make regarding its first line composition. Austin Poganski, Brock Boeser,and Tyson Jost are three of the best players UND has and all play a very complimentary game to one another. This would be,like a PB&J sandwich, and award winning combination for UND.

To start,Austin Poganski is a two way forward that plays a very physical game. He is an expert at screening the goalie and providing tip in goals while making it easier for defenseman to fire clean shots on net. Defensively he goes to the tough areas routinely,and wins puck battles to help start the transition back to offense. On power plays, Poganski routinely takes the attention of one or more defenseman in front of the net. He is a good box disruptor,and allows others cleaner shots on goal.

Next, Brock Boeser  is an outstanding goal scorer. His shot is the best in college hockey. Coming into this season,Brock is a prime candidate to win the Hobey Baker Award. The Minnesota native is a game-changing talent that has helped UND win games it had no business winning. The best example is the Frozen Four game against Denver last season. Boeser won the key face off that lead to Nick Schmaltz scoring the rebound goal to vault UND into the National Championship. Brock benefited from having Drake Caggiula on his line last year. Drake is an all around strong forward that provides a physical presence when needed.

Finally, Tyson Jost is a fantastic two way forward. He routinely makes outstanding passes to his linemates and makes his whole forward line better. The Canadian forward was Canada’s best skater throughout the U18 World Championships in Grand Forks, ND. Jost routinely makes Schmaltz-esque passes and sets up all those around him to generate great chances. Unlike Schmaltz, Jost seems to shoot the puck a bit more, and is not shot averse at times.

The combination of Poganski to screen defenders, and Jost to pass the puck to Boeser is an excellent one. NCHC teams cannot key in on any one player. All three can score twenty goals or more a season. The trio could combine for 100 points or more. They all work in harmony with one another, and play well off one another’s strengths. If this line is assembled and plays up to its potential, it could have North Dakota talking about the PB&J line  like they will forever talk about the CBS line.