UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

BU was in on Wyse and he chose UNH over them.

Nice. Also seems like a kid who might have fit Coach Bazin's profile at UML (obligatory Normie pandering).

[CatsFan1983]

BU was in on Wyse and he chose UNH over them.

This is correct.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Nice. Also seems like a kid who might have fit Coach Bazin's profile at UML (obligatory Normie pandering).

I'm not going to doubt Regal's post - as I can see how he might be connected to Wyse - but here is BU's defense for next season...

Fortunato/Hickey
McAvoy/Somerby
Krys/Fabbro
MacLeod/Switzer
Diffley

Unless they KNOW they're losing someone, its hard to see where Wyse fits on a roster that already has nine defensemen let alone what they'd have to offer $$$-wise. Its nice to hear that BU liked him, but its all about what they do when they get to Durham. I'd rather have Saviano's career than Caron's.

The bottom line is UNH needs a lot more and its way past time to start being more aggressive...

[CatsFan1983]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I'm not going to doubt Regal's post - as I can see how he might be connected to Wyse - but here is BU's defense for next season...

Fortunato/Hickey
McAvoy/Somerby
Krys/Fabbro
MacLeod/Switzer
Diffley

Unless they KNOW they're losing someone, its hard to see where Wyse fits on a roster that already has nine defensemen let alone what they'd have to offer $$$-wise. Its nice to hear that BU liked him, but its all about what they do when they get to Durham. I'd rather have Saviano's career than Caron's.

The bottom line is UNH needs a lot more and its way past time to start being more aggressive...

No need to doubt Regal, he is 100% correct. Also, I think Somerby might move on after this year.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Would love some more insight from posters like, Bomber and CatsFan1983 (who appear to have insight into the Souza led staff), on what the recruiting efforts/philosophies have been/will be?? How aggressive have they been, etc? What's their sales pitch? Are Wyse, Green, MacAdams the guys they wanted above all others? Or are they lesser financial commitments viewed as support pieces to bigger TBD fish....?? I certainly wouldnt expect to hear that Player X is on campus today, they offered Player Y this amount, etc. But some encouraging general information would be welcome and hopefully...encouraging...

Agree. This is different than what I had hoped for in a transition -- a press conference with new coach, and then a couple of "wows" that sent a signal to the rest of the hockey world. Instead, it seems this year has been a treading water year, not making any big splashes, tinkering around the edges. (But enough beating the dead horse about the gradual transition.)

I earlier posted about how unclear Souza's track record is, so we don't know about how he feels on early commits. White was the main guy at Brown when they got early commits from Kevin Roy and Miles Wood. Cavanaugh had the connections when UConn got early commits from the Minny kids, which lead to elite kid Mayer. However, UConn waited and got late bloomers Tage Thompson and Karasuk, so this might be what Souza thinks he can do -- wait for the late bloomers. (Lowell is doing this, and has only a minimal amount of recruits -- view their recruiting thread to see their distress, tempered at least by their on-ice succerss and thereby trust in Bazin.)

What we know of the bigger guys they actually are targeting are Cam Hillis (00) and Jason Cameron (99). I speculated that UNH might be getting other Ontario kids on campus during their school president's day breaks (late Feb).

Update on status

All-Hockey East Recruits
...........................98........99........00. .......01.........02
BU (18).....................8..........3..........4.. .......3.........0
Notre Dame (16).........6..........5..........4..........1... ......0
BC (15).....................8...........3.........3.. ........2..........0
Maine (12).................6...........6.........0...... ...0..........0
Vermont (11)..............4..........6.........0.........0 ..........1
Northeastern (11)........7..........4.........0.........0...... ....0
Providence (11)...........4..........7.........0..........0.. .......0
U.Conn (6).................3..........1.........2........ ..0..........0
U.Mass (6).................4..........2.........0........ ..0..........0
Merrimack (3)............1..........2..........0..........0. .........0
Lowell (2)..................2..........0..........0...... ....0..........0
UNH (2).....................1.........1..........0.... ......0..........0

[CatsFan1983]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Would love some more insight from posters like, Bomber and CatsFan1983 (who appear to have insight into the Souza led staff), on what the recruiting efforts/philosophies have been/will be?? How aggressive have they been, etc? What's their sales pitch? Are Wyse, Green, MacAdams the guys they wanted above all others? Or are they lesser financial commitments viewed as support pieces to bigger TBD fish....?? I certainly wouldnt expect to hear that Player X is on campus today, they offered Player Y this amount, etc. But some encouraging general information would be welcome and hopefully...encouraging...

Not to sound simplistic, but bringing in size AND speed that can play is becoming a priority. Teams like BC, BU and Notre Dame are flat out bigger, stronger and faster currently and to compete at the national level with these teams and others the roster needs to evolve in that same direction. This isn't to say that the smaller guys like TyK will not longer be on the table, but a better mix throughout the roster may be more of the vision.

[NCAA watcher]

Not to sound simplistic, but bringing in size AND speed that can play is becoming a priority. Teams like BC, BU and Notre Dame are flat out bigger, stronger and faster currently and to compete at the national level with these teams and others the roster needs to evolve in that same direction. This isn't to say that the smaller guys like TyK will not longer be on the table, but a better mix throughout the roster may be more of the vision.

Maine recruited to get bigger and stronger, but couldn't put the puck in the ocean and is below UNH. Providence is smaller and more skilled. BC and BU are more skilled, regardless of size as they get the most talented from 5'6 Gaudreau to 6'4 Tuch. LOok at the d they are bringing in 5-10 McInnis, Moore and Mantilla. Forwards are 5'7 Tortela, hutsko, 5'8 Grando, 5'8 Moynihan, 5'9 Walsh, 5'11 Graham. BU has 5'10 Tkachuk, 5'8 Cockrill, 5'8 Harper, 5'8 Crone, 5'8 Farabee, 5'7 Mastrosimone, 5'10 Doyle, 5'11 Weiss. PC Scott Conway 5'11, Jay O'Brien Josh Wilkins 5'10 John Mulera 5'7, Chase Zieky 5'10 Jordan Kawaguchi 5'8 Ben Mirageas 5'10 Ryzek 5'10, Vimal Sukumaran 5'10 Jacob Bryson 5'8 Riley Prattson 5'8 Matt Allen 5'11 Matt Alvaro5'8 Spenser Young 5'10. These top 4 hockey east team teams realize its not about getting bigger, its that about getting more skilled.

Its schools that can't compete for real talent, like Lake Superior, Merrimack, or Lowell that chose to go for big teams to wear down the opposition. Please don't go down that road of thinking you can't compete for skill against the good teams.

UNH loses puck battles because the cannot control pucks when they have them or d that can create a second in which to make good break outs, or forwards on whom the other teams d can collapse because they are not a threat to break into the clear because they lack size (senior line which has size but no puck skills). Building a team to defend means you will defend more.

Someone please send Souza a 98-99 roster reminding him that his line mates were 5-8 Haydar and 5-10 Krog 5-11 Mowers and the d was led by 5-11 Stafford

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Maine recruited to get bigger and stronger, but couldn't put the puck in the ocean and is below UNH. Providence is smaller and more skilled. BC and BU are more skilled, regardless of size as they get the most talented from 5'6 Gaudreau to 6'4 Tuch. LOok at the d they are bringing in 5-10 McInnis, Moore and Mantilla. Forwards are 5'7 Tortela, hutsko, 5'8 Grando, 5'8 Moynihan, 5'9 Walsh, 5'11 Graham. BU has 5'10 Tkachuk, 5'8 Cockrill, 5'8 Harper, 5'8 Crone, 5'8 Farabee, 5'7 Mastrosimone, 5'10 Doyle, 5'11 Weiss. PC Scott Conway 5'11, Jay O'Brien Josh Wilkins 5'10 John Mulera 5'7, Chase Zieky 5'10 Jordan Kawaguchi 5'8 Ben Mirageas 5'10 Ryzek 5'10, Vimal Sukumaran 5'10 Jacob Bryson 5'8 Riley Prattson 5'8 Matt Allen 5'11 Matt Alvaro5'8 Spenser Young 5'10. These top 4 hockey east team teams realize its not about getting bigger, its that about getting more skilled.

Its schools that can't compete for real talent, like Lake Superior, Merrimack, or Lowell that chose to go for big teams to wear down the opposition. Please don't go down that road of thinking you can't compete for skill against the good teams.

UNH loses puck battles because the cannot control pucks when they have them or d that can create a second in which to make good break outs, or forwards on whom the other teams d can collapse because they are not a threat to break into the clear because they lack size (senior line which has size but no puck skills). Building a team to defend means you will defend more.

Someone please send Souza a 98-99 roster reminding him that his line mates were 5-8 Haydar and 5-10 Krog 5-11 Mowers and the d was led by 5-11 Stafford

AMEN.

I hope that size is only part of the strategy - because this is NOT the NHL. Skill, puck-possession and ability are what matters at the college level. The slow pace to recruiting and the apparent strategy are raising some serious doubts for the Souza era to come. Its time for Mike to really kick it in the *** and get some TALENT. Tall statuesque defensemen with stones for hands and a bunch of grinding upper-class forwards will get you tenth place in Hockey East. He just watched it happen, we can only hope he was paying attention...

BTW Mike, you may have been the biggest forward on your 98-99 line - but you were MADE by your munchkin line-mates...

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Like I wrote on the other thread, put TyK and Pots on the first two blueline pairs next season. It is pointless to waste them on a forward line.

[CatsFan1983]

Not to sound simplistic, but bringing in size AND speed that can play is becoming a priority. Teams like BC, BU and Notre Dame are flat out bigger, stronger and faster currently and to compete at the national level with these teams and others the roster needs to evolve in that same direction.

Quoting myself. Size AND speed that can play.

[Dan]

Quoting myself. Size AND speed that can play.

That's fine, but skill needs to be the more important priority. And it's way past due to start adding some of that skill...

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I know, and we are somewhat reactionary. But you emphasize the size in each of your three points. Just get us the 5'9 Mitchell and 5'9 Hillis and we'll get off your back

[CatsFan1983]

That's fine, but skill needs to be the more important priority. And it's way past due to start adding some of that skill...

Everyone talks about the bigger guys that can't play on the roster. Most of them being on the backend. I believe Cleland is the only scholarship player on the blue line. Might be time to change that philosophy.

[Snively65]

Like I wrote on the other thread, put TyK and Pots on the first two blueline pairs next season. It is pointless to waste them on a forward line.

Un-quoting myself, "pointless" was a bad word choice; "useless" would be better.

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Everyone talks about the bigger guys that can't play on the roster. Most of them being on the backend. I believe Cleland is the only scholarship player on the blue line. Might be time to change that philosophy.

If that's true, than that is incredible neglect from Borek and absolutely needs to change...

If they're looking for size and skill then here are some kids to offer immediately:

http://stats.ushl.com/ushl/ushl/en/s...yer.php?id=496
http://stats.ushl.com/ushl/ushl/en/s...yer.php?id=143
http://bchl.ca/player?playerId=3970&season=25

But that shouldn't keep them from taking long looks at Hillis, Mitchell - as Watcher mentioned - or Harrison (5-9), Sandhu (5-7), Ward (5-9), etc...

Are they after guys aggressively, or are they as hesitant and indecisive to offer/pull the trigger as it seems. If they are being aggressive, are they losing or just waiting on extended offers?