MSU Spartan recruiting

[jnacc]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Honest question here....what is your sense of M.S.U.'s recruiting in the past few years? Do you feel it has kept up to the other big powers like Michigan, Minnesota and the like?

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Honest question here....what is your sense of M.S.U.'s recruiting in the past few years? Do you feel it has kept up to the other big powers like Michigan, Minnesota and the like?

We seem to be losing more legacy recruits - kids from families with connections to MSU or Spartan hockey - and we've had our share of big-name verbal commitments bolt elsewhere prior to signing a letter of intent.

We've had our share of busts, too - Conboy was a feisty and heralded defenseman coming in, but, well, we know what happened there. Leveille's been rather underwhelming for a first round pick, and if he doesn't break out this season, I doubt he ever will.

We're obviously not on-par with Michigan or Minnesota, but, well, let's face it... nobody is, and frankly, not one team has caught either of those two programs in recruiting for a while now.

Frankly, I'm not too jazzed over this year's incoming class. There are a couple of kids with decent talent, but it's not necessarily elite-level ability. Yanakeff's probably the best player coming in this season, but he had a particularly rough time in the USHL last season (granted, while nursing an injury), and he's had behavioral problems in the past.

That said, I'm pretty high on Sorenson, Gunn and Boucher - I think these three are going to be superstars in this league. But, again, can we close the deal? I think we might have kept Gunn in juniors for a year too long, and we'll have to stay extremely vigilant to keep Boucher and Sorenson from jumping. (In the case of Boucher, the potential danger is a jump is to major juniors. For Sorenson, the danger lies with potential suitors from the WCHA's top five programs.)

But it's not as if we haven't found success. Grant's been great. Dean Chelios has a ton of potential. Krug's going to be a star - actually, defensively, we look pretty strong all-around. Palmisano has his quirks, but still possesses quite a bit of raw talent.

The way I see it, we're not pulling in the talent to compete for league championships. But we are pulling in talent that will keep us in the upper-third of the league.

[wsummers]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Honest question here....what is your sense of M.S.U.'s recruiting in the past few years? Do you feel it has kept up to the other big powers like Michigan, Minnesota and the like?

Looking only at the last two years...(sr classes of all D-I schools are missing their top players to the pros)

For upcoming Junior class -- Underwhelming class made up mostly of 3rd and 4th line/practice players. Leveille and Palmisano were thought to be the stars of the class Leveille has yet to develop into a real goal scoring threat. Palmisano has been good, but not great. Perlini came on strong near the end of last year and has the potential to develop into a top scorer this year. At this point, I'd give the class a C, with the potential to be revised upwards.

Last year's freshman class was older, and worked harder than the above class. Josepher, Chelios, Krug, Grant, Forfar, Walrod, and Grazzi will be largely responsible for MSU's success this coming year. I'd give this class a B+ at this time.

On paper this year's recruiting class looks to be as good as last year's.

Overall -- I'd say, MSU has enough talent to be competitive with the two U of M's. We'll see how it plays out on the ice.

[gomsuman]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Frankly, I'm not too jazzed over this year's incoming class. There are a couple of kids with decent talent, but it's not necessarily elite-level ability. Yanakeff's probably the best player coming in this season, but he had a particularly rough time in the USHL last season (granted, while nursing an injury), and he's had behavioral problems in the past.

That said, I'm pretty high on Sorenson, Gunn and Boucher - I think these three are going to be superstars in this league. But, again, can we close the deal? I think we might have kept Gunn in juniors for a year too long, and we'll have to stay extremely vigilant to keep Boucher and Sorenson from jumping. (In the case of Boucher, the potential danger is a jump is to major juniors. For Sorenson, the danger lies with potential suitors from the WCHA's top five programs.

Don't forget Jake Chelios, who got great reviews at the red wings prospect camp

[Arwen22266]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Frankly, I'm not too jazzed over this year's incoming class. There are a couple of kids with decent talent, but it's not necessarily elite-level ability. Yanakeff's probably the best player coming in this season, but he had a particularly rough time in the USHL last season (granted, while nursing an injury), and he's had behavioral problems in the past.

That said, I'm pretty high on Sorenson, Gunn and Boucher - I think these three are going to be superstars in this league. But, again, can we close the deal? I think we might have kept Gunn in juniors for a year too long, and we'll have to stay extremely vigilant to keep Boucher and Sorenson from jumping. (In the case of Boucher, the potential danger is a jump is to major juniors. For Sorenson, the danger lies with potential suitors from the WCHA's top five programs.)

But it's not as if we haven't found success. Grant's been great. Dean Chelios has a ton of potential. Krug's going to be a star - actually, defensively, we look pretty strong all-around. Palmisano has his quirks, but still possesses quite a bit of raw talent.

The way I see it, we're not pulling in the talent to compete for league championships. But we are pulling in talent that will keep us in the upper-third of the league.

Let's try to stay grounded in reality and remember that, for all intents and purposes, this conversation is a Hot Stove League. The production these young men have turned in at other levels is, for now, on paper. What they accomplish once they put on an MSU uniform remains to be seen, and what they find within themselves to put on the ice - and in the net - remains to be seen. I've never played hockey, so I don't feel comfortable critiquing a player's ability without having seen them.

MSU may not be recruiting the perceived top-drawer players, but geez, do you think four straight years of missing the CCHA finals might have something to do with it? I would guess there is a perception that this program doesn't have what it takes to finish, and maybe people don't want to sign on to that.

In addition, Michigan (see = Jack Campbell) and Minnesota (see = Jordan Schroeder) have lost their share of big-time recruits or had players leave early. Until the season starts and the games are for real, no one has any idea how things will shake out.

[Nevergoodenough]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

We've had our share of busts, too - Conboy was a feisty and heralded defenseman coming in, but, well, we know what happened there. Leveille's been rather underwhelming for a first round pick, and if he doesn't break out this season, I doubt he ever will.

You lost a little in the expert status as Conboy never has, nor will he ever be a defenseman. And you cannot question his willingness to do whatever it took to win a game. He wasn't the instigator, nor the main character in "the incedent" at Yost. I tell you, if we had four more players with Conboy's game intensity we would be probably higher in the standings at any given time. Instead we have some guys who only care about themselves a bit too much. Now, the college game didn't really fit Andrew as much as the pro game does, but he is one tough-nosed player and we could use a few more like him. (unless we like seeing scUM pushing our players around and being the tough guys, which seems to work pretty well for them...)

[gomsuman]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

You lost a little in the expert status as Conboy never has, nor will he ever be a defenseman. And you cannot question his willingness to do whatever it took to win a game. He wasn't the instigator, nor the main character in "the incedent" at Yost. I tell you, if we had four more players with Conboy's game intensity we would be probably higher in the standings at any given time. Instead we have some guys who only care about themselves a bit too much. Now, the college game didn't really fit Andrew as much as the pro game does, but he is one tough-nosed player and we could use a few more like him. (unless we like seeing scUM pushing our players around and being the tough guys, which seems to work pretty well for them...)

agree totally

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

You lost a little in the expert status as Conboy never has, nor will he ever be a defenseman. And you cannot question his willingness to do whatever it took to win a game. He wasn't the instigator, nor the main character in "the incedent" at Yost. I tell you, if we had four more players with Conboy's game intensity we would be probably higher in the standings at any given time. Instead we have some guys who only care about themselves a bit too much. Now, the college game didn't really fit Andrew as much as the pro game does, but he is one tough-nosed player and we could use a few more like him. (unless we like seeing scUM pushing our players around and being the tough guys, which seems to work pretty well for them...)

WING, WING, WING. Center at times, too. Don't know how I glossed over that when I made the initial post.

Anyway... was Conboy a tenacious, intense, hard-nosed policeman on the ice? Yes. Did that reckless abandon transfer over to his play? Sure, but that was a two-way street.

Here's my point: Conboy possessed decent talent when he was here at MSU in 2008-2009, but we were taking an enormous risk when we recruited him. He had a boatload of PIM in juniors. His temper was well-known during the recruiting process. Also, Andrew's brother Tim was a problem child at St. Cloud and obviously didn't change much upon entering the pros.

Hell, Conboy picked up three penalties at the intra-squad scrimmage, and none of those penalties were ticky-tack. (Yes, I know, that's post LOI information, but I think you see the recurring issue.)

We should have known what we were getting with Conboy: A hot-head with promise, good size, and the potential to become a solid scorer. Comley tried to refine the beast, but ultimately failed - that's not to bash Rick, but that's ultimately what the situation became.

That's why Conboy was a bust - not really a statistical bust, as he had marginal offensive output on a team that sorely needed any offensive output from anybody. Conboy was a character judgement bust - his attitude worsened as the season progressed and the tipping point was at Yost.

I'm not denouncing the role of an enforcer on a hockey team - it's needed, I know. Yes, given that our team's relatively small compared to the rest of the league, we could use a solid enforcer right now. But we do not need more Andrew Conboys, much less four of them. This isn't the Slap Shot or the ECHL - we don't need to fill our team with proven goons to be competitive.

I like aggression, I like chutzpah, I like grittiness, and I like to see a passion for the game. However, I don't like cancer, and that's what Conboy was.

[owslachief]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

WING, WING, WING. Center at times, too. Don't know how I glossed over that when I made the initial post.

Anyway... was Conboy a tenacious, intense, hard-nosed policeman on the ice? Yes. Did that reckless abandon transfer over to his play? Sure, but that was a two-way street.

Here's my point: Conboy possessed decent talent when he was here at MSU in 2008-2009, but we were taking an enormous risk when we recruited him. He had a boatload of PIM in juniors. His temper was well-known during the recruiting process. Also, Andrew's brother Tim was a problem child at St. Cloud and obviously didn't change much upon entering the pros.

Hell, Conboy picked up three penalties at the intra-squad scrimmage, and none of those penalties were ticky-tack. (Yes, I know, that's post LOI information, but I think you see the recurring issue.)

We should have known what we were getting with Conboy: A hot-head with promise, good size, and the potential to become a solid scorer. Comley tried to refine the beast, but ultimately failed - that's not to bash Rick, but that's ultimately what the situation became.

That's why Conboy was a bust - not really a statistical bust, as he had marginal offensive output on a team that sorely needed any offensive output from anybody. Conboy was a character judgement bust - his attitude worsened as the season progressed and the tipping point was at Yost.

I'm not denouncing the role of an enforcer on a hockey team - it's needed, I know. Yes, given that our team's relatively small compared to the rest of the league, we could use a solid enforcer right now. But we do not need more Andrew Conboys, much less four of them. This isn't the Slap Shot or the ECHL - we don't need to fill our team with proven goons to be competitive.

I like aggression, I like chutzpah, I like grittiness, and I like to see a passion for the game. However, I don't like cancer, and that's what Conboy was.

Conboy are not Spartan anymores.

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Conboy are not Spartan anymores.

Can I haz cheezburger?

Also, you may now return to your regularly scheduled all-purpose recruiting thread.

[Hammer]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

Can I haz cheezburger?

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

[owslachief]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

The bigger surprise would have been Czarnik re-committing to Michigan State. An only slightly lesser surprise - he's now committed to Miami for 2011.

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

The bigger surprise would have been Czarnik re-committing to Michigan State. An only slightly lesser surprise - he's now committed to Miami for 2011.

... grumble.

[mcfarljd]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

... grumble.

*****http://www.therxforum.com/images/smilies/toast.gif******

[aallenpollreisz]

Re: MSU Spartan recruiting

I'm not going to say much else, as I'd rather not p*** off any other Spartans in this thread, but I will say this...

Comley needs to stay very diligent to make absolutely sure Boucher, Gunn and Sorenson don't jump elsewhere.

I'm furious - this ripped open old wounds like nothing other.

That is all.