Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Thanks FSN for picking up a couple more games. Still need someone to pick up BC.

And while mid-summer I had that 'can't-lose' confidence for this team, I am a little tempered as season approaches. For one thing, While the forward firepower should improve on an already good product, I think D might have occasional slips. Marshall, Reilly and Skjai obviously will be potent. (I'm not a Marshall hater.) But while the freshman D did well last year, it's not like they were as good as the two freshman D before them. Brodzinski was still making freshman mistakes at the end of the year. And the freshman D this year obviously have talent, but will be freshman playing D. I am not predicting problems, so don't jump all over me. I realize there is a ton of potential and they should be fine. Just that between Forward, D and G, D is the least strong and probably the most susceptible if a player went down for awhile. I just think they are a little less mature than last year, where the sophomores were essentially like Upperclassmen.

And the team would have been a sure NC champ this year if only Bridstedt had been drafted!

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Exactly. Not like the guy is a Senior, was 2nd in pts last year, tied for 2nd in goals, had the highest shot percentage or the highest plus minus on the team and Big-10 honorable mention honeree. Oh.....wait.......never mind.

Fasching was an honorable mention as a freshman. Kloos was first in goals and had two fewer points as a freshman. Both had more conference points. +/- is rarely ever taken seriously. These two are almost as good or better overall than Warning already. But ya, they're not seniors.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I don't know how Warning is a player to watch over Kloos and Fasching.

Exactly. Not like the guy is a Senior, was 2nd in pts last year, tied for 2nd in goals, had the highest shot percentage or the highest plus minus on the team and Big-10 honorable mention honeree. Oh.....wait.......never mind.

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Warning is a guy that can produce with the best of them when he is on his game... it is a matter of finding that consistency. Hence, I can see looking at him as a key "X factor" of sorts.

[Driftryder]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Hey, Gophs.

What are you guys hearing on your end (if anything) about why Nick Seeler bailed here and transferred there about 3 weeks ago? I couldn't find a single mention that it had even happened here in this thread or on Gopher Puck Live.

I've asked around about this here and its almost like when Coach Blais kicked team captain Alex Hudson off the team a couple seasons ago midway through his senior season. Nobody seems to want to discuss it and won't look you in the eye when you ask about it.

Here is the thread about Seeler's departure at Mavpuck:

http://www.mavpuck.com/mpboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9692

I was at the game mentioned in this thread. Seeler's behavior in this "incident" (whatever it was) was on the bizarre side, to say the least. He just took off and wasn't seen from, again. And he was suspended the following night, as mentioned in the Mavpuck thread, so that was effectively the end of his career at UNO since our season ended the night of his suspension.

This is concerning to me because this seems to be becoming kind of a recurring theme around here. Guys disappearing for what have turned out to be odd or just plain BS reasons once all the facts have come out, like the aforementioned Alex Hudson matter, as well as the Matt White/Preston Hodge headscratcher the following season after Hudson's. I know, definitively, the ridiculous reason why Hudson got booted and the White/Hodge thing played out in the papers here after they got tossed from school in a gross overreaction by the school to the entire matter.

Anybody have any skinny?

This is the only thing I saw on it.

From Star Trib - Russo's Rants section

-- Nick Seeler, a fifth-round pick by the Wild in 2011 and former Eden Prairie High defenseman, has transferred from the University of Nebraska-Omaha to the University of Minnesota, according to sources. @hammyhockey on Twitter was the first to report the news last week.

Seeler left UNO last month. He will have to sit out this season for the Gophers but will be allowed to practice. Not playing for a year obviously isn’t the most ideal scenario for his development, but it is what it is and he’ll at least be able to practice daily with one of the best college programs in the country and work with Don Lucia, Mike Guentzel and Grant Potulny.

Seeler is 21, so he is too old to play junior. So his options were to sign with the Wild and play in Iowa, play in Europe or transfer schools and sit out a year. From talking to the Wild, it was pretty clear early on that getting his education was very important to Seeler and his family, so this route makes sense.

Gopher fans should like Seeler next year. Real good player and brings a nastiness that intrigues that Wild and should make him a fan and coaching favorite at the U. Here's his bio.

[state of hockey]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Warning is streaky. Players like that sometimes freak coaches out, including their own.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I don't know how Warning is a player to watch over Kloos and Fasching.

Maybe just a case of giving the nod to a senior?

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I don't know how Warning is a player to watch over Kloos and Fasching.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Nice pre-season spread in the StarTribune this morning, with five Gophers named to the "Players to Watch" list:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/go...277016871.html

Also, in case you missed it, FSN has confirmed their broadcast schedule, which happily exceeds the poor coverage that was rumored earlier:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/276973921.html

[state of hockey]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

Bristedt will miss the beginning of the season due to eligibility issues. Sounds like the NCAA doesn't like one of the junior teams he played for in Sweden. Should be back by the end of October, though.

Edit: A MINNESOTAN WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PLAY RABBLE RABBLE!

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

WHOOOOOOOO!!!!! Holl just scored with 0.6left, shorthanded, to knock the Whoiux out.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I do in general, but my first U experience was basketball so I love Williams with a passion, and I'd rather the Wolves succeed than fail.

Oh, and poor showing by Wolves just means less of their taking up newsprint and fan interest in the winter, so I am fine with them doing poorly.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

TV coverage not as bad as first sounded, but pretty slim from Nov-Jan.

[Slap Shot]

I have zero interest in bouncy-ball.

I do in general, but my first U experience was basketball so I love Williams with a passion, and I'd rather the Wolves succeed than fail.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offseason Thread 2014 - Quick, Reload!

I have zero interest in bouncy-ball.

Yeah, for me it's a negative number.