Nov. 26—In the basement of a secluded lake cabin in North Dakota, Maxon Vig sat on the edge of the couch as the 2025 NHL Draft wound down.
It was mid-afternoon on Saturday, June 28. Maxon was with a gaggle of friends he made growing up through Bismarck Century High School. His younger brother, Charlie, separated by one grade year, was upstairs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I was actually taking a nap," Charlie said with a laugh.
Two thousand miles away were their mom, Kate, and their sister, Macy, who was competing in a volleyball tournament in Orlando.
And then there was Mitch, who quipped he was "sitting all alone at home." The father of the Vig household was posted up in Bismarck, waiting to see if Maxon's name would pop up on NHL Network in the last round of the draft.
"I knew who had picks coming up," he said. "I knew Montreal had another one, so I decided to watch the seventh round. It was kind of surreal, as it was for him, to see his name come up on the screen."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen Maxon was selected with the 209th pick by the Canadiens, Charlie received an abrupt wake-up call.
"We all knew there was a chance, right?" he said. "I just woke up to screaming. I just kept thinking, no way, no way this happened. I came running down and Max was shaking. He was just yelling; he was so pumped. It couldn't have happened in a better spot with all of the boys there."
Five months after Maxon was selected, it was Charlie's turn to make headlines. He announced his commitment to Bemidji State for men's hockey on Oct. 28. He's scheduled to join forces with Maxon for the 2027-28 season, just like they did growing up in Bismarck.
For Mitch, the past year has been filled with full-circle moments as he watches his kids take similar paths to the one he took to get to college hockey. And this weekend, when the Beavers play a home-and-home series against No. 6 North Dakota, the former UND defenseman will surely experience more of them when he watches his oldest son play against his former team.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's 100% circled on my calendar. It's been circled since I committed two Februarys ago," Maxon said of playing against the Fighting Hawks. "To be honest with you, it was a big selling point. Those games are huge, and they're huge to the Bemidji community and the fans and the players and coaches. Those are games you want to win."
As the winter season's first big storm ripped through North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin on Tuesday, Mitch was filled with some moments of déjà vu.
From the time that Maxon, Charlie and Macy could tie their skates, Mitch flooded a personal hockey rink in the back yard once the conditions were cold enough to sustain ice.
For the Vig family, it became more than just an at-home hockey sanctuary. It also became an uncaged wrestling ring for Maxon, Charlie and their friends.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It was endless every night, just us playing against each other," Maxon said. "I have countless scars on my body from those games."
Charlie added: "I'll admit, he whooped my butt most of the time, but that's what makes you a good hockey player — getting whooped by your older brother. We have a younger sister as well, and she's out there with us a lot. I think that helped shape her as a hockey player, too."
When they weren't skating in the backyard, they were playing organized hockey in Bismarck. On the weekends, though, they made the 250-mile drive to Grand Forks to watch Mitch's alma mater play at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
"We had season tickets for a while. My aunt and uncle have a suite," Maxon said. "All I remember from my childhood was being a UND fan and going to as many games as we could."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFormer UND players who made their mark in the NHL shaped how the Vig brothers were raised through hockey. Maxon was partial to Johnathan Toews.
"He's the reason I cheered for the Blackhawks growing up," Maxon said.
Charlie, a Minnesota Wild fan, preferred Zach Parise.
"He was always my number one," Charlie said.
Growing up, kids like Maxon and Charlie dream of donning the iconic black and green North Dakota jerseys, playing in front of thousands of screaming fans in one of college hockey's most premier destinations.
Long before spectating the backyard brawls between his sons and their friends, Mitch was one of those kids, too.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bismarck native graduated from high school in 1992. He played two seasons in the United States Hockey League for Dubuque before enrolling at UND in 1994.
"Back then, there was an amateur draft," Mitch recalled. "I didn't know what junior hockey was. I remember my mom wondering why I was going to play junior hockey. She said, 'You're a smart kid, why don't you just go to school instead?'"
Mitch played four seasons with the formerly-named Fighting Sioux. The defenseman scored five goals and 27 assists in 115 games and was part of the 1997 national championship team as a junior.
"I never thought I'd get the chance to play for the University of North Dakota," Mitch said. "We watched them when we could back then on cable or whatever. I had a good first year of junior. I started getting recruited by (Gino) Gasparini and Jim Scanlan, and it started to become more of a reality. When I got there, I had a great experience. I played with a lot of great people and great players."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMitch tried his hand at professional hockey. He played two seasons in the ECHL after college before returning to Grand Forks. He made his way back to Bismarck and started a family, unknowingly blazing a similar trail Maxon and Charlie would take to get to Bemidji State.
"He's everything for us," Charlie said of Mitch. "He coached us since we started. Every other year, Max and I were on the same team, with Dad behind the bench, coaching. He's obviously been big for all three of us. We look up to him as a hockey player, but more as a dad. It's the same thing with our mom. She's so supportive of us. She's the biggest supporter in our lives. We have two pretty good parents, that's for sure."
At 15, Maxon was playing 15U AAA hockey for Team North Dakota as a freshman in high school. It was time for him to make a decision. He could leave his hometown and pursue privatized, high-level hockey outside of Bismarck, or he could stay through at least his junior year and play for Bismarck Century High School.
"He was playing in some North Dakota stuff and made some friends from other towns," Mitch said. "A few kids start leaving and going a different route. That FOMO starts kicking in. He wanted to get out of Bismarck, but his mom and I didn't want him to leave. I saw something in Max. I saw his drive. I knew if he was here or somewhere else, he was going to put the work in, and that's what he did."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt didn't take long for Maxon to realize it was the right decision for him. In 2023, he and Charlie played at the Ralph in North Dakota's state tournament. Maxon was also a three-sport athlete in high school, playing football through until his sophomore year and baseball until his junior season.
"I think the reason I didn't go play somewhere or anything like that is because of that high school atmosphere and experience," Maxon said. "My family was always really big on growing up in your hometown with your friends, playing other sports. I wanted to stay home with my friends and have that experience in my life. I feel like that built a good base for the person I am today, and it allowed me to leave my senior year.
"A lot of kids leave their house early and go play somewhere else, and then they start to lose the love for the game. I left at a good time when I knew what I wanted to pursue, but I still had a good base that I built throughout my high school career."
Maxon, now a 6-foot-2, 215-pound collegiate defenseman, played 48 games for the Patriots, scoring 24 goals and 45 assists before leaving for the North American Hockey League to play for the Oklahoma Warriors.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt's where he met Garrett Roth, who played for Bemidji State from 2004-07. Roth began his coaching career with the Aberdeen Wings as an assistant in 2010 before earning his first head coaching position with the Warriors in 2020.
"I like going where I'm wanted," Maxon said. "Oklahoma wanted me. To be honest, there weren't a lot of junior teams that wanted me coming out of high school. I knew I wanted to play junior my senior year. I tendered really late in the tender season, and I didn't know what to expect. I had some prior knowledge from Garrett Roth and what he's all about."
Maxon committed to Bemidji State on Feb. 26, 2024, amid his lone NAHL season. He scored eight goals and 19 assists in 61 games.
"When I came on my visit here, it was clear Bemidji State wanted me the most, hands down," Maxon said. "Regardless of the coaching style or how things are run here, in the world we live in now, you want to go where you're wanted and not just another number. Coming here and seeing what it was all about two years ago, meeting the coaches, it was a huge step in my decision to play here."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe following year, Maxon played for Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He played 65 games in the USHL and scored 10 goals and 22 assists under 26-year head coach Mark Carlson.
"It takes a certain kind of guy and a player to be successful there," Maxon said. "Carlson has high expectations and high demands. But that's also a reason you come here to Bemidji. Tom (Serratore) has those same expectations. It helped make the jump seamless, and I think that's why you've seen a lot of Cedar Rapids kids come to Bemidji and be successful."
One year after Maxon left for the NAHL, Charlie made a similar decision.
"I wouldn't trade my youth days and high school days for anything," he said. "That's the most fun you have in sports with the boys you grew up with. I hope some younger kids can look at Max and I and see that staying and playing North Dakota high school hockey or youth hockey can still lead you to D-I. You can stay and play and still get there. It worked for both of us, and I hope younger generations see that."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-foot-3, 180-pound forward spent 26 games playing for the Bismarck Bobcats in the NAHL last season. He also played four games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Now in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers, he's scored two goals and eight assists in 29 games.
An offer was on the table to commit to Bemidji State. Charlie had the same line of thinking Maxon did when he chose to become a Beaver.
"You always want to go to where you're wanted," Charlie said. "I've had numerous conversations with Coach (Travis) Winter and Coach Tom. I've had a lot of talks with Winter over the years. When a team wants you, they want you. That's the biggest thing in picking where to go."
Maxon admitted he slightly nudged Charlie in his preferred direction.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Selfishly, I wanted him here because I know he's a really good hockey player," Maxon said. "I was really supportive, but I didn't push him, to be honest with you. I wasn't calling him, saying this is the right spot. I just told him to trust his gut and make the right move for him. I just want what's best for him and his career.
"He could've gone to the Gophers, as much as I've never been a fan of them. But if they were the best for him, then I would've supported him because I want what's best for him. But I'm glad he's going to be a Beaver. Getting to Division I hockey is the goal. It's a stepping stone to fulfilling your childhood dreams."
Charlie's commitment comes with some relief for the Vig family apparel fund.
"We knew Bemidji watched Charlie a handful of times and there was interest there," Mitch said. "When they offered him, I told him to talk to his brother, ask him about his experiences. Talk about if you want to play together. I kind of knew the answer; they've always been tight. They're only a year apart in school. They were always beating each other up with their buddies on the backyard rink. I think that helped Charlie.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"It's going to be awesome. I told Charlie that it's his decision, but Bemidji is the second closest D-I school to Bismarck, and he'd save us a lot of money on hoodies and hats."
Charlie added that it's been a goal for him and Maxon to play college hockey together since they were little. Now, the goal is to get Macy to play for the Bemidji State women's hockey team after she graduates from Century in 2028.
"My brother texted the family group chat a couple of weeks ago and said something about having all of the Vigs playing for the same team," Charlie said. "They put up pictures of the college players at our home rink in Bismarck. It'd be pretty cool if we could get a third one up there."
Maxon is one of three BSU players with strong North Dakota ties.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSenior captain Kirklan Irey trains with Maxon in the offseason away from Bemidji. Sophomore forward Jaksen Panzer's dad, Jeff, and uncle, Jay, played with Mitch on the 1997 national championship team at UND. The Vigs and the Panzers carpooled to Duluth for the Beavers' road game against the Bulldogs in October.
Having the connection to North Dakota comes with some added excitement — and nerves — when Bemidji State squares off against the Fighting Hawks.
"We've been to countless UND hockey games," Charlie said. "For Max, it's going to be so surreal playing in that building. For him to play in that building against the team he grew up rooting for, it's going to be awesome for him. That game will probably be the most surreal thing for me, too. We played in a state tournament in that building. It's all coming full circle."
Mitch said: "We're just excited, and I know Max is excited, too. Every time we get to watch our three kids play hockey, it's just a joy. This weekend, we'll have some family there. And with my history at North Dakota, we're just going to enjoy the experience. North Dakota was a big part of my past and still means a lot to me. It'll be fun to see my own kid on the ice on Saturday in that rink competing against that team."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaxon said he doesn't know how many friends and family will be in attendance on Saturday for the 6:07 p.m. start. He just knows it's going to be a lot.
"I'm going to try and drown out the noise until the game is over and everything is settled," Maxon said. "I know I'll have a lot of family and friends coming. I also have a lot of friends at UND who are staying there for the weekend just so they can watch the game."
In two years, Charlie and Maxon will make the trip to Grand Forks together, just like they envisioned in the backyard growing up.
"We've talked about this since we were little," Charlie said. "We've wanted this since we decided we were going to try and play college hockey. To be in the community and on the ice with him, it's awesome. It'll be like growing up with him on the outdoor rinks. That's unreal. I'm so excited for it."
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