Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

[SmartAxe]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

The BCHL has generally been considered to be the top Junior A league in Canada in recent years. Now that we're starting to pick up some guys from there, it will be interesting to see how they pan out. A lot of good young players from the States and Ontario even go out there to play.

Roque spoke a bit about recruiting on this weeks Laker Hockey Show. He talked about the BCHL and how the league and it's coaches have gotten a reputation for trying to move kids along when the opportunity is there. Jr.A players are choosing the BCHL for that reason, regardless if they are from the US or many different areas of Canada. He had a lot of good things to say about the BCHL as a whole. He also said the USHL has become more money/business orientated. Their coaches would rather keep the kids until they max out, then move them on. He said if a NCAA coach is trying to recruit a kid with 2 years elegibility left, for the next season, that USHL coach will push the kid towards a different team that is trying to recruit him for 2 years out, so he can keep the player as long as possible. Granted this may not be the case in every recruiting situation but has been encountered more than once.

[Pink Pony]

Roque spoke a bit about recruiting on this weeks Laker Hockey Show. He talked about the BCHL and how the league and it's coaches have gotten a reputation for trying to move kids along when the opportunity is there. Jr.A players are choosing the BCHL for that reason, regardless if they are from the US or many different areas of Canada. He had a lot of good things to say about the BCHL as a whole. He also said the USHL has become more money/business orientated. Their coaches would rather keep the kids until they max out, then move them on. He said if a NCAA coach is trying to recruit a kid with 2 years elegibility left, for the next season, that USHL coach will push the kid towards a different team that is trying to recruit him for 2 years out, so he can keep the player as long as possible. Granted this may not be the case in every recruiting situation but has been encountered more than once.

Older freshman are better for smaller schools like LSSU to compete with the BIG.

[Bill]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

He also said the USHL has become more money/business orientated. Their coaches would rather keep the kids until they max out, then move them on. He said if a NCAA coach is trying to recruit a kid with 2 years elegibility left, for the next season, that USHL coach will push the kid towards a different team that is trying to recruit him for 2 years out, so he can keep the player as long as possible. Granted this may not be the case in every recruiting situation but has been encountered more than once.

I heard that too and that may be what Roque is personally encountering, but I don't think the evidence supports it as a blanket USHL/NCAA statement. Maybe it's more of an issue with small school programs. If you look at the recruiting web sites, you'll see that a lot of 19 year olds from the USHL, and a fair amount of 18 year olds, are moving on to Div 1 programs. They aren't maxing out to 20 years in the USHL. This is especially true for the kids that are being recruited by the big name schools. I don't know what the exact cut off is for birth dates and using up Junior eligibility, but in general kids with 93 birth dates (and maybe early 94) are the ones who are currently maxing out in Juniors. You'll see very few 93 birth dates on the recruit web sites for kids committing to Div 1 schools for next season from the USHL compared to those with 94 and 95 birth dates. Or to look at it from another angle, check the rosters of the USHL teams. They pretty much all have a few 20 year olds, but not many. If USHL teams were really trying that hard to hold on to their players until they max out, you would expect to see a lot more 20 year olds on their rosters.

[Truth Serum]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

There are certain things in life you just can't do !
If the players really are scared by JR, don't blame them

Jim Roque's Year 10 at the helm at Lake Superior will be the best one yet!

[Pink Pony]

Whatever happen to 3dognight ?

Time for an update.

[Bill]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Dommett is supposed to be back in the lineup tonight. Hopefully he's healed enough to be effective. Good skater.

[davyd83]

Oh good! When UAA went to Alabama the team got stuck down there for an additional week due to flight cancellations and such.

I believe that after Wisconsin they got stuck in Minneapolis, getting home just in time to sweep Mankato

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Dommett is supposed to be back in the lineup tonight. Hopefully he's healed enough to be effective. Good skater.

It will probably take him a couple games for him couple games for him to shake the rust off and get his legs back. Lakers must sweep this weekend and get at least a split next weekend.

[Truth Serum]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Time for an update.

He must be collecting money with the "unnamed investors"

[Pink Pony]

He must be collecting money with the "unnamed investors"

I bet it is from former LSSU NHLer's.

[Truth Serum]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

I bet it is from former LSSU NHLer's.

Haven't heard from 3roquenight in quite sometime or the usual Roque apologists, although there are still many on here and especially up at that college and in that town. Year 10 will be the best one yet for Lake Superior under Jim Roque!!!

[DopeyBaker]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Nice 5-3 win for the Lakers tonight. Ten different players chipping in with points. Lakers actually outshoot an opponent 32-26.

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Not the prettiest win, but I'll take it. Lakers need to cut down the goals against but at least they managed to keep UAA at a reasonable 26 shots. Also the PP did pretty good and Dommett had a goal in his first game back.

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Mankato beat Bemidji tonight which is good news for us standings wise.

[Bill]

Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

We really need to win again tonight for the sweep. That way we go into next weekend's series at Northern no worse than in a tie with UAF (and maybe Bemidji and possibly even Northern depending upon the outcome of their games tonight). If we lose tonight, we're still looking up at all the other teams except UAH.