Apr. 11—GRAND FORKS — When Anthony Menghini entered the NCAA transfer portal, he told his advisor he wanted to play in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference or the Big Ten.
He had options to do both.
Menghini's phone began buzzing right away with teams looking to sign the forward, who scored 12 goals as a sophomore for Minnesota Duluth. More than 20 teams reached out. Some were offering Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals.
But Menghini got the one call he had hoped for.
"Once North Dakota called, I knew that was the place I wanted to be," Menghini said.
Playing for UND has long been Menghini's dream.
He grew up in Baxter, Minn., as a big UND hockey fan.
His grandparents, Doug and Carla Vigen, live in Grand Forks. Anthony regularly attended games in Ralph Engelstad Arena. He traveled to the Twin Cities for the annual conference tournament. He was in Tampa when UND won the 2016 NCAA national championship.
His favorite hockey player growing up was Matt Frattin. He has a signed Evan Trupp stick in his bedroom along with Danny Kristo's hockey bag and Andrew MacWilliam's gloves.
"My whole bedroom was North Dakota," Menghini said. "I had Sioux birthday parties. I went to hockey camp there every year. I've been a huge Sioux fan my whole life."
UND showed interest in Menghini while he was playing junior hockey, but did not offer him a spot on the team.
The 5-foot-10, 187-pound winger committed to Minnesota Duluth.
"(UND) told me they didn't have room," Menghini said. "I was a little disappointed, but Duluth was a great place for me, too."
When Menghini entered the portal Monday, new coach Dane Jackson called him and said, "We missed on you the first time. We're not going to let this slip again."
Menghini quickly zoned in on UND and signed with the Fighting Hawks on Friday.
He will live out his dream for the next two seasons, playing for UND in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
"It's going to be the best feeling in the world," Menghini said. "It's going to be like walking into a candy store every day. You dream of it as a kid. I can't wait to get there, meet the guys, get everything started and work hard."
At his introductory press conference last week, Jackson described the style of player he wants to recruit: hard-working, skilled players who compete and are passionate about UND.
That sums up Menghini.
Although he's only 5-foot-10, he's a physical presence and throws big hits. He's also responsible defensively. Menghini led Minnesota Duluth in plus-minus as both a freshman and sophomore.
He's also got skill and a knack for scoring goals.
Menghini scored 11 of his 12 goals in NCHC play. If Western Michigan's Alex Bump signs with the Philadelphia Flyers after the NCAA Frozen Four, Menghini will be the top-returning goal-scorer in NCHC (in league games).
Menghini had a hat trick against UND in November in Duluth.
"Anthony plays a very competitive, hard game coupled with his elite skating ability," Jackson said. "We are excited to add that to our locker room. Any time you can add someone who has deep-rooted family connections to our program, it can only elevate those around him both on and off the ice."
During his two seasons with the Bulldogs, Menghini scored 20 goals and tallied 29 points in 72 games. As a sophomore, he tallied 19 points.
He has previously been teammates with three UND players.
He suited up with Ben Strinden and Cody Croal at Northstar Christian Academy in Alexandria, Minn. Menghini and Strinden were linemates.
He also played with Mac Swanson for the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey ...