The NCAA drives a hard bargain with most Div. I undergraduate transfers in the big sports. Want your fresh start? Hurry up and wait.

Chris Wilkie, who transferred from North Dakota to Colorado College in 2017, is a month away from seeing his patience rewarded.

“I’m not going to lie to you and say it was easy,” Wilkie said of his mandatory transfer year. “There were definitely a lot of down moments, but coach Haviland and the rest of the guys on the team kind of helped bring me along and stay positive throughout the year.

“Now that it’s over, looking back on it, it was a good thing for me to kind of take a step back and regroup after what happened my first two years in college.”

When he announced his transfer, Wilkie said his two seasons with North Dakota weren’t “statistically” what he wanted. He put up six goals and 13 assists in 62 games. The Florida Panthers’ 162nd overall pick in the 2015 draft sought another National Collegiate Hockey Conference landing spot.

One incentive for the transfer was playing with younger brother Coltan, who is set to join the team in 2019-20. Chris has two years of eligibility remaining.

Coltan, who will be underway with the Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League soon, was sidelined as well last season for a very different reason. He broke his neck and tore his MCL, PCL, and meniscus in his knee in a collision and underwent many months of rehabilitation.

“Our parents would joke that this was the first year they never had anyone to watch,” Wilkie said.

The year off gave Chris time to work on necessary areas in practice and hit the gym. He said the situation really started to wear on him after Christmas.

“I was like, ‘all right, I’ve had enough of this,’” he said. “I just want to start playing now.”

“Now” is nearly here. Colorado College drops the puck against Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 6.

“I think he’s chomping at the bit a little bit,” senior Mason Bergh said. “I’m really excited for him, to see what he can do, and I know he’s going to be ready.”

Wilkie brings a pattern of success and another multigenerational hockey family into the fold at CC. Wilkie thrived in the USHL, was a bronze medalist with Team USA at the U17 world championships and won a national championship as a UND freshman.

His father, David, spent parts of six seasons with three NHL teams in the 1990s.

Wilkie said he’ll have chemistry with whoever he winds up playing with on the “tight-knit” Tigers.

“I have a shoot-first mentality. I think that’s one of my best assets. I let the other guys kind of do the work with the puck and I just try and find the open spots and get a shot off,” he said with a laugh.

Bergh is fine with this arrangement.

“He’s going to step in and be really good for us right away,” Bergh said. “I think fans will like his shot — he’s got the hardest shot on the team, probably.

“Just another element of offense that our team could use.”

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