KIRILL KAPRIZOV – Page 2 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Stay Tuned on Niko Medved, Gophers Basketball Recruiting

Posted on April 8, 2026April 8, 2026 by David Shama

There’s a buzz, including with potential recruits, around Niko Medved’s University of Minnesota basketball program. Don’t be surprised at the program’s success during the transfer portal period that started yesterday and ends April 21.

It’s believed Medved will have a program high of over $7 million to pay players for next season. This is a combined pot of athletic department revenue share money and dollars from donors for Name, Image and Likeness.

Athletic departments in the Big Ten and elsewhere don’t disclose NIL budgets to pay players for activities such as TV commercials, social media endorsements and personal appearances. However, it’s believed the Gophers NIL budget for the coming year could be at least $3.5 million, with a similar amount coming from the U athletic department. Bottom line is Medved will have more money to work with than his first season and word is his budgets from the two sources put Minnesota in the middle range among the Big Ten’s 18 men’s basketball programs.

Niko Medved, Gophers hoops coach, photo by David Shama — Niko Medved

A lot of fans, particularly older generations, bemoan the recent development of paying players in several different sports including men’s basketball and football. But the truth is this allows the Gophers to generally recruit higher level talent than in the past. The Gophers are financially competitive with Big Ten rivals and superior to mid-major programs ranging from Appalachian State to Wichita State.

Hired in March of 2025, Medved showed coaching and culture building skills that suggest promise of making the Gophers a conference contender. The likeable and principled Minnesota native is a big hit with fans including program donors.

Just as important, the players enjoy the program. Evidence of such are his starters with remaining eligibility who are committed to new compensation deals and playing for the 2026-2027 team.

What Medved is trying to do now is fill out the roster around guard Isaac Asuma, and forwards Bobby Durkin, Grayson Grove and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. It could be that transfers will include former Orono High guard Nolan Groves (Texas Tech) and guard Kyan Evans, who played for Medved at Colorado State prior to joining North Carolina.

Underline this prediction: in coming seasons the Gopher roster will include European players. Talent from overseas is becoming more prevalent in college basketball and Medved is a savvy recruiter with skills that include identifying under the radar talent.

Illinois’ roster included six European players this past season. The Illini made their way to the Final Four this spring. In an early top 25 teams for next season listing by The Athletic’s C.J. Moore, Illinois is No. 1.

The Gophers’ momentum in recruiting success and help for next season started months ago with a three-man recruiting class that 247Sports ranks No. 9 in the Big Ten. The talent meter will be going up with the 2026 freshmen class of four-star small forward Nolen Anderson (Wayzata) and two three-stars, center Chadrack Mpoyi (Crean Lutheran, Irvine, Calif.) and point guard Cedric Tomes (East Ridge).

Worth Noting

With its money and prestige, the Big Ten will be at the forefront of power teams in college football and basketball. Indiana won the national championship in football earlier this year and Michigan earned the national title in men’s basketball earlier this week.

In Moore’s top 25 for next year, he has Michigan No. 2 with Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa also highly ranked.

Gophers departing senior Cade Tyson, the team’s leading scorer, will participate in the 72nd-annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, April 15-18 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Tyson is one of 64 men’s basketball seniors selected for the event, which is a showcase for pro basketball scouts.

Twins right-hander Taj Bradley is among the hottest pitchers in baseball with a 2-0 record and 1.08 ERA. With 22 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, only six other pitchers have whiffed more batters.

Bradley, in his first full season with the Twins, has won two of the club’s five games and could be part of a high quality big three starting staff next season if Minnesota doesn’t trade Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez recovers from arm surgery.

In what figures to be a playoff atmosphere tomorrow night in Dallas, the Stars host the Wild in what is likely to be a preview of a post season matchup of Central Division power houses. The Wild has won two of the previous three games this season and home ice in the playoffs is likely on the line.

Left wing Matt Boldy (2-2=4) and right-wing Vladimir Tarasenko (1-3=4) lead the Wild with four points each in the series. Left wing Kirill Kaprizov has three points (1-2=3).

The University of St. Thomas hires quality coaches, and it looks like the Tommies hit the bullseye with Mandy Pearson as the new women’s basketball coach. She won Coach of the Year awards during stretches at Minnesota Duluth and St. Mary’s (Minnesota)—two challenging places to win. She was a first team All-American at Concordia College (Minnesota).

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Hockey Icon Lou Nanne Lauds Wild, U.S. Olympic Teams

Posted on March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by David Shama

When Minnesota icon Lou Nanne talks hockey, you listen. This morning, he spoke with Sports Headliners about the Wild, the men’s and women’s Olympic teams, and the Golden Gophers.

Does the Wild have the best personnel in its 26 seasons history?

Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizove — Kirill Kaprizov

“Oh, there’s no question about that,” Nanne said. “They’ve got three of the best players ever that the Wild have had. (Kirill) Kaprizov, (Quinn) Hughes and (Matt) Boldy are definitely as good a players as they’ve ever had, or better than they’ve ever had. You’ve got two forwards (Kaprizov and Boldy)…who can really score. They’re tremendous and they’ll be the best two productive scorers that’s ever been on that team. And they’ve got the best defenseman (Hughes) they’ve ever had.”

The talent, of course, goes deeper with other standouts like defensemen Jonas Brodin, Brock Faber and Jake Spurgeon, forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno, and goalie Jesper Wallstedt. “They’ve got a very, very good team,” Nanne said.

Only three NHL teams have more points than Minnesota’s 80 and there’s a consensus the club is a Stanley Cup contender. Asked specifically what makes the Wild special, Nanne said:

“The talent. They’ve got talent at every position. They got speed. They got goal scoring. Their goaltending has been good enough this year. Sometimes it’s been tremendous and their defense overall (when players are healthy)…is probably the best defense in the league.”

The NHL trade deadline is Friday and Nanne thinks GM Bill Guerin could make a move for a top center. “All depends on what the price is. If they can get somebody worth the price they want to pay, yeah, they’ll pick up somebody.”

The Predators’ Steven Stamkos has drawn speculation, but Nanne questions whether the Wild can afford him. The Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck is on the center rumor list and would come with a lesser salary cap hit.

Both the U.S. women’s and men’s teams won Olympic gold medals last month in riveting 2-1 overtime wins over Canada. The women’s team was not only talented but had a nucleus of young players.

Nanne predicts future gold for the women. “…The women’s team, frankly, is the best team in the world by a longshot. …I don’t think (in) the next two Olympics that anybody is going to come close to that women’s team. I think they’re going to be dominant.”

The women’s gold medal game attracted a viewing audience of over 5 million in the United States making it the most watched women’s hockey game in history. The men’s game had about four times the viewership in an electric classic for the ages featuring great players, intensity and drama. “It was just a wonderful thing to watch,” Nanne said.

Nanne was born in Canada in 1941 but had no mixed feelings about the game. He became a U.S. citizen long ago and he’s been a major contributor to U.S. hockey development for decades. He captained the 1968 U.S. Olympic team before going on to a career with the NHL North Stars as a player, coach, and front office executive.

Nanne’s alma mater, the University of Minnesota where he was an All-American defenseman, is having an atypical season. The Gophers, 11-20-2 overall and 7-14-1 in the Big Ten, are a longshot to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. “They’re very young and inexperienced…when you’re young and inexperienced…you’re not going to have a lot of success,” Nanne said.

Worth Noting

Per ESPN.com, the Vikings retained their high ranking in the latest annual NFL Players Association survey, finishing second for two years in a row. In 2023 the Vikings were No. 1 among the NFL’s 32 franchises in the survey asking players to grade their organization in a wide variety of categories ranging from ownership to food and dining. The Dolphins were No. 1 in the 2025 survey.

Interestingly, recently dismissed GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah received an A grade. Also of note was that defensive coordinator Brian Flores got a B+, while special teams coordinator Matt Daniels and head coach Kevin O’Connell both received A grades. In 17 categories, only ownership had an A+.

Former Gopher Nick Rallis, defensive coordinator of the NFL Cardinals, received a C+ in an organization whose ownership was given an F.

With Koi Perich gone to Oregon on what Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said was for a $2million deal, it’s freed up money to pay other Gophers. Perich likely could have received similar money to stay at Minnesota. His sophomore season at safety didn’t produce as many interceptions as his freshman year, five versus one. Why? At least partially because he had to support the cornerbacks.

Condolences to family and friends of former Roosevelt head hockey coach Clayton “Bucky” Freeburg who recently passed away. A tremendous defensive coach, he led the Teddies to three state tournaments and counted Reed Larson and Mike Ramsey among his outstanding players.

Hockey historian Dave Wright emailed that his first section public address announcer assignment was the 1978 game between “Bucky’s” Teddies and a Blake team coached by Rod Anderson, brother of former Minnesota governor Wendy Anderson. The Teddies won 7-0 and advanced to the state tournament for the last time in school history.

Wright is doing public address announcing for the 35^th year at the boys’ state hockey tournament this week. Later in the month he will do eight games at the boys’ basketball tournament.

Comments Welcome

Most Pressure to Win in This Town? It’s not the WNBA Lynx

Posted on September 26, 2025September 26, 2025 by David Shama

Our town demands little in terms of championships from its pro teams and the Golden Gophers. Maybe that’s part of why the championship cupboard is so bare.

Minnesota fans aren’t so nasty they would threaten a serious boycott of a team, or boo Santa Claus like the City of Brotherly Love once did.

With a population here raised on “Minnesota nice” and minds filled with sensitivity training, I question whether some state natives would even unanimously hiss and jeer Vladimir Putin!

The Lynx are favorites to win the WNBA title this fall but think again if you believe there’s public pressure on the Lynxers to win it all. Nope for a couple of reasons.

The Lynx have already produced four WNBA championships, and they keep exceeding expectations. Then, too, the public interest in the club isn’t as widespread, nor as deeply intense as for several other outfits in town.

The team that should be feeling the most pressure to rise ASAP to an elite level is the Twins. The struggling franchise that passed on the opportunity to take a step forward two years ago after exciting patrons with its playoff run has both pissed off and launched fans into anger and apathy.

The Twins close the regular season on Sunday as a franchise viewed by the public and media as in disarray. David Schoenfield, writing for ESPN.com Wednesday, graded the 30 MLB teams on their 2025 seasons. No one in Twins Territory should be surprised the Pohlad owned franchise was given an F.

Schoenfield wrote: “This is the kind of season that can set an organization back five years, where it kind of feels like the whole organization has given up. Ownership/management punted at the trade deadline, dealing away 10 players. …As always, the Pohlads never disappoint in their willingness to pinch pennies.”

It’s interesting that while the Twins head toward a final record of about 22 games under .500 (after plummeting with a second consecutive late season collapse), the Brewers from neighboring Wisconsin received the best grade of the season from Schoenfield. Playing in a similar size market, the Brewers will finish with close to 100 wins and easily the best runs differential in MLB.

The Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and Gophers football have no elite hardware to showcase this century, but they don’t face the scrutiny of the Twins who need a massive turnaround and pursuit of no less than an American league pennant.

Measure fan interest by game attendance, TV viewership, merchandise sales and sponsorship, and no one in this town likely comes close to the Vikings in decibel blowing devotion. On Sundays, it feels like only the newborn and comatose among us aren’t following the Purple heroes.

The franchise hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since Jimmy Carter was in the White House, but there’s not a win it all demand by the fanbase or “we’re done with you.” A competitive team, with entertaining players, is enough for the Skol-mad and beer fueled fans to rock all fall.

The Wolves and Wild claim no league titles in their histories which date back 35 and 25 years respectively. Yeah, Wolves fans would love to see coach Chris Finch hoisting the NBA championship trophy on a parade down Hennepin Avenue. But the fanbase of this mostly forlorn franchise is mesmerized by the last two springs when the club made the Western Conference Finals. Pressure to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy? Nah, not when the fanbase is honeymooning right now in unknown success.

The Wild fanbase is passionate and darn loyal, win or lose. Patrons would love a Stanley Cup but for starters many will welcome a deep playoff run next spring. Past post season success has been too minimal as has goal scoring. Disappointed fans have a way of returning for the next season and for now are preoccupied with seeing the contract of superstar Kirill Kaprizov extended. That’s where the franchise’s public pressure is for now. If Kaprizov departs and the club performs poorly for a season or two, then the pressure will be on like never before in the building we used to call the X.

Gopher football hasn’t shared a Big Ten championship since 1967. Minnesota couldn’t even win a division title earlier this century when it was grouped into the mediocre Big Ten West. Win-some, lose-some results in Big Ten games for a long time has driven away fans. Apathy hangs over this once proud program that during the first 70 years of the last century was a national power. A berth in the 12-team college football playoffs one day would bring a lot of fans out of the closet for the home state Division 1 football.

Not saying there isn’t pressure to win for this town’s teams, but nobody should be feeling it like the Twins! Santa Claus, though, probably wouldn’t get booed at Target Field. Tim Walz or Scott Jensen, maybe.

Worth Noting

Lindy’s Sports College Basketball Magazine is on newsstands and forecasts a 16^th place finish for Minnesota in the 18-team Big Ten standings. Concerns about coach Niko Medved’s first team at Minnesota include how well incoming players from mid-major programs will fare in the Big Ten.

The magazine’s top 10: Houston, Purdue, Florida, Michigan, Duke, Kentucky, St. John’s, Iowa State, Alabama and UConn.

The public is invited to a free men’s basketball Maroon and Gold Open Scrimmage at Williams Arena on Saturday, October 11. Start time will be 2 or 2:30 p.m., four hours before the start of the home football game with Purdue. That game time will be either 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. and decided later. Following the one-hour scrimmage, players will sign autographs near the Williams Arena court.

Fans can enter the arena through the Maturi Pavilion Daily Entrance, located at 1925 University Ave. Tailgate lots for the Gopher football game are scheduled to open at noon or 12:30 p.m. that day

News came yesterday that 6-8 forward Erick Reader, the sophomore forward from Bloomington and New Life Academy who played minimally in the past for the Gophers, is leaving the program to focus on academics. He is replaced by 6-3 walk-on guard RJ Spencer from Blaine and Totino-Grace.

Congratulations to hockey icon Lou Nanne who will be inducted Tuesday into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame at the JX Event Center in Stillwater. The former Gophers All-American, North Stars player, GM and president, has an impressive broadcast resume.

Nanne’s broadcast experience includes the Stanley Cup, Olympics, NCAA Frozen Four and the Boys’ State High School Hockey Tournament. He offered game commentary for 60 years of Minnesota high school state tournament games. He makes a KFAN radio appearance one day a week with Dan Barreiro.

Saint John’s senior defensive end Zach Frank and St. Olaf senior linebacker Noah Barret are semifinalists for the 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy® which is college football’s premier scholar-athlete award.

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