歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.

鈥淚t was nothing bad between me or North Dakota,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淚 kind of wanted to look for something new, maybe get a different opportunity or a better opportunity. That鈥檚 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.鈥�

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 歪歪漫画.

鈥淭he USHL, I鈥檇 say, is one of the hardest leagues to play in,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淢y first year wasn鈥檛 all sunshine and rainbows. I battled through a couple of months throughout the season where I was struggling. It鈥檚 helped me mature as a player and as a person. You have to get through those times mentally and physically.鈥�

Panzer plans to attend Bemidji State next year, an opportunity he likely wouldn鈥檛 have had at North Dakota, according to Fighting Hawks beat writer Brad Schlossman on Twitter.

鈥淲hen I was thinking about room (to play) next year, there were some other schools I also had in mind,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淏emidji offered me what I liked and what I was looking for. It was a pretty easy decision.鈥�

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

鈥淚鈥檝e always kind of wanted to be close to home to play college hockey,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淓ven when I was committed to UND, Bemidji State was always in the back of my head. I鈥檝e always thought it was a really good school. I鈥檝e always heard stuff about the coaches, especially Tom Serratore. When they gave me a call, it was pretty easy to tell them, 鈥業鈥檓 in.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檒l be able to have my parents at pretty much every home game. Whether it鈥檚 my parents, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, I鈥檒l have somebody I鈥檓 pretty close with at every home game. That鈥檚 important to me, and it made the decision pretty easy when Bemidji gave me the call.鈥�

Nick Nelson / Grand Forks Herald

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

鈥淚 have to give him a lot of credit,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淗e did absolutely everything for me and gave me everything I needed. Most guys don鈥檛 get second chances to (choose) a different school, and he鈥檚 helped me a lot. If it wasn鈥檛 for him, I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檇 get another chance like I did.鈥�

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

鈥淚 want to get better every year,鈥� Panzer said. 鈥淚 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鈥檛 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.鈥�