GRAND FORKS — UND sophomore forward Nick Portz has entered the NCAA transfer portal.
Portz played in 27 of UND’s 39 games this season, tallying two goals and nine points.
The 5-foot-11, 174-pound forward from St. Cloud, Minn., was an effective bottom-six winger for the Fighting Hawks, giving them a mix of physicality, dependability and playmaking.
But his minutes tailed off at the end of the season as players like Jackson Kunz, a Vancouver Canucks draft pick, assumed a larger role.
Portz was the 19th skater during the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs and his ice times ranged between 39 seconds and 4:15 per game.
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Playing time was in question for next season, too, with wingers Riese Gaber and Judd Caulfield confirming their intent to come back for 2023-24.
UND has only lost two forwards from its postseason lineup — fifth-year seniors Mark Senden and Gavin Hain.
Buffalo Sabres draft pick Matteo Costantini, who was scratched at the end of the season, also entered the NCAA transfer portal.
The Fighting Hawks will bring in at least two freshman forwards in Jayden Perron and Michael Emerson of the United States Hockey League’s Chicago Steel. Both are NHL Draft-eligible this summer.
UND will bring in at least one transfer up front.
Portz came to UND after a strong junior hockey career.
In 2019-20, he moved from the North American Hockey League to the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, tallying 38 points in 42 games.
In 2020-21, Portz was traded from Tri-City to Muskegon. He tallied 37 points in 48 games that season.
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Portz helped UND win the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions in 2021-22, tallying two goals and seven points in 39 games. He was one of just three players on the roster who suited up in every game that season. The others were Caulfield and Jake Schmaltz.
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