LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

It's too bad Anzalone got fired. He had the ship sailing in the right direction. The first two years were down right ugly but improvement showed in year 3 and even more in year 4. Roque takes over and his best years were with Frank's players his first two years. After that, no improvement at all with only one winning season.

We must have patience with Damon just like Tech did with Mel and Bowling Green with Bergerson. We aren't going to have results right away. This isn't 1994 anymore.

[AnchorsAway]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

I've made the reasons for my guarded optimism with Coach W clear, however I do understand the skepticism others may have, especially as it pertains to the administration. However based on the rumors that have been bandied about on here, DW is the highest paid coach in Laker history, which to me is a sign of progress. I admittedly have no knowledge of the recruiting budget, but we are indisputably casting a much larger recruiting net and doing so in more premier leagues than we have been; which I chalk to one of two reasons (or a combo of both) : 1. We do have a larger recruiting budget and it is aiding in our recruiting efforts which have been far and wide or 2. Whitten and the assistants are working their tails off and making great pitches and getting these kids to commit with the limited time/budget they have to work with.

Either/Or of those reasons is another positive for me, so for the moment (and I hope it's not fleeting) I'd say the administration has handled some big tasks well during the Whitten administration. Anyone who has been on here for any length of time has read me be very critical of LSSU's administration over the years, so I do not make that admission lightly.

Where I do disagree is with those bemoaning Whitten due to the record of last years team; because as I have repeatedly said I don't think there is much of an argument to be made that that was a team that just didn't compare favorably at all to the Laker teams of the last decade or so (and those teams were ones that were not always packed with world-beaters). I also don't really get the complaints going back to the coaching search, as others have said there was not a star-studded pool of candidates, and keeping with my line of thinking, ANY of the coaches that were in the final running would have had a poor result last season with what they had to work with. So being that last season was destined to be a tough year, the best measure at this very early stage (that cannot be stressed enough) of this coach's tenure is recruiting, and any objective person would have to agree DW has done a promising job with that.

Certainly as time goes on Whitten's slack will be determined less by recruiting and more by on ice results, and rightly so. You can't reasonably expect to go from the bottom to the top in a year, however it appears as though we have found a goalie to build around and hopefully the returning players that earn their time can mesh with the incoming players and start to form an identity, and I would hope we see a team the second half of the year that is markedly more cohesive and stronger as a whole than at the beginning. There is a stretch from late November through mid January where 8 of the Lakers 12 games are at home (and 2 of the others are a holiday tournament) I would hope this would be a stretch where we see the team start to turn a corner. I think a reasonable expectation for this coming season would be a 5 to 7 win improvement which would leave the Lakers between 13 to 15 wins, which I would accept as a solid sign of progress, but definitely not a point to plateau at.

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

I've made the reasons for my guarded optimism with Coach W clear, however I do understand the skepticism others may have, especially as it pertains to the administration. However based on the rumors that have been bandied about on here, DW is the highest paid coach in Laker history, which to me is a sign of progress. I admittedly have no knowledge of the recruiting budget, but we are indisputably casting a much larger recruiting net and doing so in more premier leagues than we have been; which I chalk to one of two reasons (or a combo of both) : 1. We do have a larger recruiting budget and it is aiding in our recruiting efforts which have been far and wide or 2. Whitten and the assistants are working their tails off and making great pitches and getting these kids to commit with the limited time/budget they have to work with.

Either/Or of those reasons is another positive for me, so for the moment (and I hope it's not fleeting) I'd say the administration has handled some big tasks well during the Whitten administration. Anyone who has been on here for any length of time has read me be very critical of LSSU's administration over the years, so I do not make that admission lightly.

I think both your points on recruiting are a factor although the recruiting budget had already increased during Jim Roque's last season or two. I don't know if it has continued to increase after Damon Whitten was hired but I hope it has done so. The increase during Roque's tenure had allowed the Lakers to start looking at the BCHL again after having not recruited there for many years. Beyond that, I think Damon had already built up contacts and relationships with coaches in the BCHL, and maybe even more significantly the USHL, which has allowed the Lakers to make significant inroads in recruiting guys out of those leagues, and Laker fans have been wanting to see that for a long time.

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

So what can we discern from those three coaches previously pointed out? It takes time to turn any program around, regardless of how big they once were. And if you don't get the support from EVERYONE - administration, players, and fan base included - it's next to impossible to right the ship. So if you're indicting a coach on his first year record, you're incredibly short-sighted and don't understand the sport.

And I'm sure someone in this thread is going to bring up the tired argument about assistant coach records again.

[gfmorris]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

You aren't just entitled to support by everyone just because you are the new coach, you have to earn it and gain respect, most importantly with the players. If you don't think that has to be earned, you're incredibly short-sighted and don't understand the sport.

So LSSU should fire Whitten either now (or after another tough year next year if the Lakers miss the playoffs)? If you are bewailing the candidate pool of guys hanging around to replace Whitten, who do you think is going to want to come to the Soo just two years after they ran a guy who — in your sentiment — was unqualified to get the job in the first place? Do you think that getting rid of a guy before the generally agreed-upon planning horizon for college hockey coaches coming into struggling programs — 3-4 seasons — is going to somehow get you a better group of candidates (again going with your sentiment that argues that the candidate set was a poor one).

If you want to keep going here, I'll do some more contextual history and do the work to show the "generally agreed-upon planning horizon". That would be the extent of my desire to continue dialogue with you, though. It's already really hard to take you seriously given your disrespect for your coach's name.

GFM

[InterestedLakerFan]

I've made the reasons for my guarded optimism with Coach W clear, however I do understand the skepticism others may have, especially as it pertains to the administration. However based on the rumors that have been bandied about on here, DW is the highest paid coach in Laker history, which to me is a sign of progress. I admittedly have no knowledge of the recruiting budget, but we are indisputably casting a much larger recruiting net and doing so in more premier leagues than we have been; which I chalk to one of two reasons (or a combo of both) : 1. We do have a larger recruiting budget and it is aiding in our recruiting efforts which have been far and wide or 2. Whitten and the assistants are working their tails off and making great pitches and getting these kids to commit with the limited time/budget they have to work with.

Either/Or of those reasons is another positive for me, so for the moment (and I hope it's not fleeting) I'd say the administration has handled some big tasks well during the Whitten administration. Anyone who has been on here for any length of time has read me be very critical of LSSU's administration over the years, so I do not make that admission lightly.

Where I do disagree is with those bemoaning Whitten due to the record of last years team; because as I have repeatedly said I don't think there is much of an argument to be made that that was a team that just didn't compare favorably at all to the Laker teams of the last decade or so (and those teams were ones that were not always packed with world-beaters). I also don't really get the complaints going back to the coaching search, as others have said there was not a star-studded pool of candidates, and keeping with my line of thinking, ANY of the coaches that were in the final running would have had a poor result last season with what they had to work with. So being that last season was destined to be a tough year, the best measure at this very early stage (that cannot be stressed enough) of this coach's tenure is recruiting, and any objective person would have to agree DW has done a promising job with that.

Certainly as time goes on Whitten's slack will be determined less by recruiting and more by on ice results, and rightly so. You can't reasonably expect to go from the bottom to the top in a year, however it appears as though we have found a goalie to build around and hopefully the returning players that earn their time can mesh with the incoming players and start to form an identity, and I would hope we see a team the second half of the year that is markedly more cohesive and stronger as a whole than at the beginning. There is a stretch from late November through mid January where 8 of the Lakers 12 games are at home (and 2 of the others are a holiday tournament) I would hope this would be a stretch where we see the team start to turn a corner. I think a reasonable expectation for this coming season would be a 5 to 7 win improvement which would leave the Lakers between 13 to 15 wins, which I would accept as a solid sign of progress, but definitely not a point to plateau at.

. What is DW's salary anyways?

[AnchorsAway]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

. What is DW's salary anyways?

If you want inside info on stuff like that, I am not your guy. Being a publicly funded university it seems as though his salary information should be able to be obtained somehow, but how to go about it I have no clue.

[Laker Dude]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

. What is DW's salary anyways?

I think it was posted on here last year, that he is making 100,000 per year. I believe that Roque was around 80,000 when he left.

[InterestedLakerFan]

I think it was posted on here last year, that he is making 100,000 per year. I believe that Roque was around 80,000 when he left.

considering the position is based in the Soo I suppose that's not bad. That said I have to hand it to julia for maintaining professionalism this past season/academic school year. She was always supportive to the players and their families when jr was there. You would not see her hanging out at the local watering holes without her husband, that's for sure.

[PerkyforPrez]

considering the position is based in the Soo I suppose that's not bad. That said I have to hand it to julia for maintaining professionalism this past season/academic school year. She was always supportive to the players and their families when jr was there. You would not see her hanging out at the local watering holes without her husband, that's for sure.

Have you ever sat around Julia during a hockey game ? Your pitiful.

[PaulVanWagoner]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

have we really got to the point where all we can do and have to talk about are coach's wives. Sick, and sad. Here ... I'll help. Here is a podcast of a chat I had with rich Metro a couple of weeks ago. Let's see if we can be constructive.

http://paul.30below.com/Soo%20Mornin...tro%20LSSU.mp3

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

have we really got to the point where all we can do and have to talk about are coach's wives. Sick, and sad. Here ... I'll help. Here is a podcast of a chat I had with rich Metro a couple of weeks ago. Let's see if we can be constructive.

http://paul.30below.com/Soo%20Mornin...tro%20LSSU.mp3

Thanks Paul. Nice interview. As to the other topic, you can thank our red lettered "fans" for that.

[RealLaker94]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

I totally agree with Paul about some of these posts becoming sick and sad. One very good reason I don't visit here much anymore, which is too bad. I'm simply an Alumni and a fan. I have no control over who the coach is or who the players are. The only thing I can control, is being in the stands every game that I can with my kids and cheering on MY team, MY school. I was in the stands in St. Paul in 1994 watching the Lakers win a championship, and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't support the team now. If the Lakers lose, I still have the benefit of enjoying the game with my kids and building memories.
Division I college sports is a business, so sometimes good people lose there jobs. I really hated to see Tim Christian let go, because he and his wife were so involved in the community and Little League Baseball (we all served on the board of directors), but that's business and that's life. I have yet to meet coach Whitten, but have no reason to think anything derogatory about him. The man is trying to bring a winning tradition back to our school, so I still don't understand why 'fans' can't support him. Yes, last season counts on his record, but to judge a coach on his first season, with so many freshman in key positions, is just plain ignorant.
With all the new recruits, we're bound to see more current players leave for one reason or another. Does not mean that they are not good kids or even good players, just that they might not fit into the program the new coach is instilling in the team. It may suck, but that's life. I'm confident they'll move on and play somewhere else either college or pro.
As far as the coaching and administration stuff goes, we ran into Anzalone in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago. He stated that in order to have a successful program, they need to have full support of the president, and financial help from the hockey alumni. He said Arbuckle was the last president to fully support the program, though I haven't met or heard anything about the new president. As far as alumni go, Doug Weight is the only one I'm aware of the has given back to the program.
In closing...I'll support my team no matter who the coach is, or who the players are. I'm a Laker.

[Bill]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

I totally agree with Paul about some of these posts becoming sick and sad. One very good reason I don't visit here much anymore, which is too bad. I'm simply an Alumni and a fan. I have no control over who the coach is or who the players are. The only thing I can control, is being in the stands every game that I can with my kids and cheering on MY team, MY school. I was in the stands in St. Paul in 1994 watching the Lakers win a championship, and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't support the team now. If they Lakers lose, I still have the benefit of enjoying the game with my kids and building memories.
Division I college sports is a business, so sometimes good people lose there jobs. I really hated to see Tim Christian let go, because he and his wife were so involved in the community and Little League Baseball (we all served on the board of directors), but that's business and that's life. I have yet to meet coach Whitten, but have no reason to think anything derogatory about him. The man is trying to bring a winning tradition back to our school, so I still don't understand why 'fans' can't support him. Yes, last season counts on his record, but to judge a coach on his first season, with as many freshman in key positions, is just plain ignorant.
With all the new recruits, we're bound to see more current players leave for one reason or another. Does not mean that they are not good kids or even good players, just that they might not fit into the program the new coach is instilling in the team. It may suck, but that's life. I'm confident they'll move on and play somewhere else either college or pro.
As far as the coaching and administration stuff goes, we ran into Anzalone in Grand Rapids a couple of years ago. He stated that in order to have a successful program, they need to have full support of the president, and financial help from the hockey alumni. He said Arbuckle was the last president to fully support the program, though I haven't met or heard anything about the new president. As far as alumni go, Doug Weight is the only one I'm aware of the has given back to the program.
In closing...I'll support my team no matter who the coach is, or who the players are. I'm a Laker.

Good post. Frank Anzalone was the guy who got Doug Weight to make a big financial commitment to the program. Frank was also working on getting other hockey alumni to make financial commitments but that effort was cut short by his firing.

[Laker54]

Re: LSSU Lakers 2015 off-season thread

have we really got to the point where all we can do and have to talk about are coach's wives. Sick, and sad. Here ... I'll help. Here is a podcast of a chat I had with rich Metro a couple of weeks ago. Let's see if we can be constructive.

http://paul.30below.com/Soo%20Mornin...tro%20LSSU.mp3

Thanks Paul. I really enjoy hearing what is happening in the Laker Hockey world.