Grand Forks, ND — The transfer portal is open. Well, several of them are open. But what does that mean for sports on campus?
What to Know About the Portal
Over the past few years, the transfer portal has become increasingly polarizing. For schools like UND, the portal has become an increased threat in the wake of NIL contracts, as players leave to pursue offers from larger schools.
As many as 16 portals can be open at the crest of transfer season, though few schools (if any) charter enough sports to have the transfer mayhem that would stem from a 16-sport portal on May 1. At UND, three portals are currently open.
Men’s basketball and ice hockey portals opened on April 7 and 13, respectively, while the women’s basketball portal opened on April 6. It is worth noting that if a player enters the portal and does not find a team by the time it closes, they can seek a return, though many coaches see entering the portal as a one-way street.
With all three portals due to close soon, changes are underway in the corresponding programs.
Women’s Basketball
Dennis Hutter has been forced to put out a lot of fires in the offseason. His team struggled in the regular season, going 3-13 in conference and 7-24 overall, winning just over 22% of games in the 2025/26 season.
Only one of the top four scorers on the team would have been eligible to return: Ava Miller (F, So.). She entered the portal on April 17, putting the team in an even harder position.
Apart from Miller, most of the team stayed, with Skyler Volmer (G, So.) making up the only other portal exit.
As of writing, the Hawks have only managed to bring in one player from the portal: junior guard Ciona Wells (Western Oregon).
The portal for women’s basketball closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 20.
Men’s Basketball
By far the most turnover in the current window has been in the men’s basketball program. In recent years, Paul Sather has been one of the most affected coaches at UND, with three season-high scorers leaving in three consecutive windows.
Greyson Uelmen (G, Rs. Fr.), who led the Hawks in scoring this season (587 pts), entered the portal on March 23. He has not committed to a new school as of writing.
Two of Uelmen’s fellow starters were seniors, while the two others have stayed with the team.
As far as the rest of North Dakota’s depth goes, George Natsvlishvili (F, Jr.) is in the portal, as are brothers Micah and Marley Curtis (F, Fr.), among others.
It appears as though Paul Sather has been doing work in the shadows in the final days of the portal, but very few rumors have circulated concerning personnel joining the team. The Hawks’ single commitment so far is Luke Winkel (G, Jr.) from St. Cloud State. The First Team All-NSIC guard averaged 18.7 PPG this season.
The portal for men’s basketball closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 21.
Hockey
After the season’s disappointing end in Las Vegas, many knew that the season was not totally over yet. Since the transfer window’s opening date was moved back to after the Frozen Four, work was still to be done in the weeks that followed the tournament.
Early on the morning of April 13, the portal opened. Hours later, the day had already outpaced last year’s single-day portal entry high, a new record for NCAA hockey. By the time many in Grand Forks were going on their lunch breaks, several North Dakota players were in the portal.
Dalton Andrew (F, Jr.) was one of the first to leave the Fighting Hawks in an expected move. His change of scenery? Long Island. Jayden Jubenvill’s (D, Jr.) move came shortly after, committing to conference foe Omaha out of the portal.
North Dakota got stuck into a bit of its own transfer action later that night, bringing in Arizona State defenseman Brasen Boser (Jr.) — a Minot native and 2024 Clark Cup winner with the Fargo Force.
One of the most unexpected exits came on April 14, when Andrew Strathmann (D, Jr.) was announced to be heading east to Quinnipiac. The blueliner had made 38 appearances (1-5—6) as a Fighting Hawk this season, finding his fit in the North Dakota defensive structure. Another departure, David Klee (F, So.), followed Strathmann east, but stopped in South Bend, Ind., to join Notre Dame. The forward played a part in 22 games (3-3—6) as a freshman before struggling with injury and illness.
April 15 was silent on all fronts in Grand Forks, though the chaos continued elsewhere. North Dakota’s signing blitz came the next day, when forwards Gavin Lindberg (Jr., Colorado College) and Kasper Magnussen (Sr., Bemidji State) joined the side.
On April 18, Cade Littler’s (F, Jr.) move to Arizona State was confirmed, taking the Calgary Flames pick down to Tempe for next season.
Two North Dakota players remain in the portal as of writing: Gibson Homer (G, Gr.), who has a year of eligibility remaining, and Ian Engel (D, So.), who struggled to break into a competitive defensive corps.
The portal for men’s ice hockey closes at 11:59 p.m. on April 27.
Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and on X @adillettgf.