The Minot State men’s hockey team might be off for the holiday season, but Monday the Beavers scored big.

Head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk is pleased to announce the addition of a local star who will join the team as a freshman on the ice and in the classroom in January, as former Minot Minotauros forward Jay Buchholz has signed a Letter-of-Intent to play for the Beavers.

“We are excited to welcome Jay into our family here at Minot State,” coach Waselenchuk said. “Jay is a kid that you know what you’re going to get out of him every single day – that’s a work ethic that never fails.”

The 5-foot-10, left-handed forward from Fargo spent the past three seasons in the minors winning championships and climbing to the top tier of junior hockey, playing 15 games for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL) during the 2020-21 season before finishing that season with the Minotauros.

Buchholz had two goals and assisted on four others in his time in Sioux Falls before scoring seven goals and adding 17 assists in 43 games in Minot, which included five playoff games.

“Coach Waz and I have grown a strong relationship in the last year-and-a-half while he coached me with the Tauros and it was just an easy yes once he asked me to come play for him,” said Buchholz, who also played the full 2019-20 season with the Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). “The Beavers have a great program and I can’t wait to get started.”

A graduate of Fargo Davies High School, Buchholz started his junior career with the Portage Terriers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) where he scored 25 goals and had 35 assists in 74 games, including eight goals and five assists in 15 playoff games as the Terriers won the MJHL championship in 2018-19 and went on to claim the Anavet Cup as champions of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Buchholz also was named to the MJHL All-Rookie Team that season.

Buchholz moved on to Minot for the 2019-20 season, then returned to the Tauros lineup for the conclusion of the 2020-21 season. He was named a team captain for Minot in 2020-21, and also was selected for the NAHL 2021 Top Prospect Game.

After his final season at the junior level, COVID cancelations by NCAA Division I programs initially hampered his chances to play college hockey but opened the door for him to land at Minot State.

“Jay’s season was an unfortunate one due to COVID,” said Waselenchuk, who as an assistant coach with the Tauros got the chance to work with Buchholz. “The opportunity to find an NCAA D-I home was very tough to come by and he just fell into the mix of very good hockey players without that opportunity.

“He was a leader for us with the Tauros, and someone that made all of those around him better,” Minot State’s coach added. “Above all else, he’s a fantastic young man. I know he is going to fit right in with our group we have here, and I am ecstatic that he has chosen to come back to the Magic City.”