UNH Off Season Thread 2011

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Just like to remember all the people on here who said he would do nothing in the NHL and was overrated. Shows how much they really know.

I am really pleased that I was not one of those people, as I loved the way that JVR skated from the moment he took the ice at Lake Whitt, and he certainly skated in the B's win last night. If JVR scores a few more goals but the B's still win the series, I will be fine with that. The guy is simply fun to watch on the ice.

[unh_hockey]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Just like to remember all the people on here who said he would do nothing in the NHL and was overrated. Shows how much they really know.

you dont step into the NCAAs as an 18 year old and do what he did and still be considered overrated. The parts of his game that needed work were workable ( you can teach grit, you cant teach talent). he's going to be a dominant player now that he is approaching his early/mid 20s. He made chara and ference look flat out bad on a few plays.

[Nifty16]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

I am really pleased that I was not one of those people, as I loved the way that JVR skated from the moment he took the ice at Lake Whitt, and he certainly skated in the B's win last night. If JVR scores a few more goals but the B's still win the series, I will be fine with that. The guy is simply fun to watch on the ice.

Same here, loved to watch him skate was so smooth, made it look so easy, which of course had some people whinning he was lazy, to me he was just that good.
Agree 100% love to see him do well and shut people up, but of course lose at the same time

[Bomber]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

He was the 2nd best player on the ice tonight (behind Thomas). There were stretches where he was simply dominant and it was fun (and as a Bruins fan scary) to watch. Glad to see him play well and lose in this case!

I didn't see much of that when he was a Wildcat. Just not interested in the college game? He sure has turned into a very solid NHL player. Good to see. Good for all of Hockey East.

[JB]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Same here, loved to watch him skate was so smooth, made it look so easy, which of course had some people whinning he was lazy, to me he was just that good.
Agree 100% love to see him do well and shut people up, but of course lose at the same time

At UNH he was lazy. Rarely saw that sort of play out of him, in 2 years he is that good and grew that much as a pro? Nah he was lazy in college because he could be.

My guess is he knew (smart kid) he needed more time in the weight room to make the NHL. So he had 2 options:
1) go major junior play ~80 games in a more physical, looser ref'ed league and have less practice time
or
2) go to college play ~40 games in a less physical, tighter ref'ed league, and have more time for practice & weight room

I'd take #2 every time less chance of injury, simply just protect the investment (his body) which is also why he didn't play as hard (= lazy).

[UNHhockey29]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

At UNH he was lazy. Rarely saw that sort of play out of him, in 2 years he is that good and grew that much as a pro? Nah he was lazy in college because he could be.

My guess is he knew (smart kid) he needed more time in the weight room to make the NHL. So he had 2 options:
1) go major junior play ~80 games in a more physical, looser ref'ed league and have less practice time
or
2) go to college play ~40 games in a less physical, tighter ref'ed league, and have more time for practice & weight room

I'd take #2 every time less chance of injury, simply just protect the investment (his body) which is also why he didn't play as hard (= lazy).

I also feel like he needed some one more talented to play with. It always seemed to me like other kids on the team couldn't keep up with him.

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

James van Riemsdyk
Freshman Season:
31 GP, 11G 23A 34 Pts, 108 SOG, +14.
Sophomore Season:
36 GP, 17G 23A 40 Pts, 138 SOG, +14.

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

During his first season in the NHL, JvR learned that if he wanted to survive and possibly thrive as a professional, he needed to build up his strength and endurance. This season, particularly over the last couple of months, he has become a true, NHL power forward - frequently throwing body checks, attacking the net, and camping out in front of the opposing goalie on power plays. He started out as a very good college player and is on a path to become a very good NHL player.

UNH rarely gets a first round draft pick to come play in Durham (the last one, before JvR, was Norm Lacombe in 1981). I don't think it is accurate to describe JvR's play at UNH as lazy. I also don't understand what can be gained, two years later, by calling him lazy.

[Darius]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Being generous, JVR plays to the level of his competition.

[RockTheWhit]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

I sure wouldn't mind a few kids coming in this fall, staying for two years, playing "lazily" and putting up 74 points in two seasons. In today's college hockey landscape, the teams that win national championships have to have bluechippers (JVR) that are threats to leave early for the pro's. However, they combine those guys with four year guys that get better each year and provide leadership (Collins, Campanale, Borisenok etc). The last three UNH teams have fallen just short of the Frozen Four because they had too many of the latter's and not enough of the former's.

[unh_hockey]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

I’ll take a few lazy kids who can dangle/snipe/ wheel big instead of a few guys who work their asses off, but use all the team budget to tape their god awful ankle bend. Lets face it. You can’t teach what some of these guys got. Calling JVR lazy is counterproductive. He put up points, and helped to win games. In hockey that’s all that matters. Now he’s in the show, and if game 2 is any indication of what this kid will do in the NHL - he is anything but lazy.

Who would you rather have on the Manhattan project? A few kids who work their asses off and struggle with differential calculus, or a lazy version of Bohr, Einstein, Teller etc?

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

I also feel like he needed some one more talented to play with. It always seemed to me like other kids on the team couldn't keep up with him.

Good point, which is the reason that I think JvR glided instead of racing around, so as to let others get in position, etc. He seems to be doing much the same on the Flyers now, but is also shooting more. Mike Sislo was certainly a benefactor for a lot of JvR's passes over those two years.

[thecomicbookguy]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Slight change of topic:

This Sunday I will be participating in the 2nd annual 24 Bowl to benefit The Travis Roy Foundation, and I am looking for sponsors. I know times are tough, and I'm not going to guilt trip you, but I will say this: last year, my 3 teammates and got mostly small donations (less than $25), and still raised over $2,000. So, small donations are just as welcome as large ones; anything you can donate would be appreciated.

Click here to donate! Thanks!

[WildShawn]

Re: UNH Off Season Thread 2011

Interesting...
http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/...80%99s-hockey/

[GoUNH]

Interesting...
http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/...80%99s-hockey/

That would be a lot of fun. I went to the BC/BU game at Fenway and had a blast. The sight lines are awful, I ended up watching most of the game on the jumbotron, but regardless of that it was a gathering of Hockey East fans celebrating the great game of college hockey.