Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

[druzy192]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

Sounds like some people are saying Wisconsin is having a hard time getting good recruits and that we don't have enough talent? Maybe I read that wrong.

In my opinion the talent is here right now. Not just the freshmen. And the speed. The team has the ability to win an NCAA championship if they get their dam heads straight and play right. Yeah I said that. More talent than the 2006 team. Yeah 2006 had more experience and that definitely counts. But this team top to bottom should win 2 out of every 3 games based on talent alone.

Goaltending may be a problem. Hard to say how good or bad they are bc they've been hung out to dry so many times.

Edit: this team can be fantastic if they get it together.

But again... quote from Dhoogie: "it be great to get a sweep"... or something similar. NO. God. Like the beautiful Bret Bielema used to say: "1-0". Just focus on the game in front of you.

[druzy192]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

And some have suggested that the talent is spread out so thin that the Badgers can't be as dominant as back in the day? I disagree. We got the location for good recruits (Wisconsin, Minny, Illinois is huge, Michigan), we got the facilities, we got the campus, and we got 10,000-15,000 that will pack the Kohl if this team gets consistantly good again. Penn State, OSU and Notre Dam should have nothing on us. Yet they do.

This program is a sleeping freaking giant.

[MadCityRich]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

Somebody please explain to me the success that North Dakota has year after year, decade after decade. 15,000 enrollment. Some say (not I) Greater Grand is a boring city and in the middle no where. Too many college hockey teams, talent spread out?

☆Well, "less" has not affected them.
☆4 coaches in 40 years.
☆The best hockey facility.
☆A WINNING culture with few gaps.
☆Average attendance 11,200 (97% capacity).

Like Joe Panos said, "Why not Wisconsin"?

[digitalbooya]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

Somebody please explain to me the success that North Dakota has year after year, decade after decade. 15,000 enrollment. Some say (not I) Greater Grand is a boring city and in the middle no where. Too many college hockey teams, talent spread out?

☆Well, "less" has not affected them.
☆4 coaches in 40 years.
☆The best hockey facility.
☆A WINNING culture with few gaps.
☆Average attendance 11,200 (97% capacity).

Like Joe Panos said, "Why not Wisconsin"?

One could also argue that the most talented teams don't win it all every year. See: Minnesota in 05-06. With the right system in place and at least a few great players, a team can win a championship.

[digitalbooya]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

Let's ****ing go boys, girls, and old farts! Game day is upon us! Kill the blue weasels!

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

the beautiful Bret Bielema

Now that’s a phrase you don’t see often.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

And some have suggested that the talent is spread out so thin that the Badgers can't be as dominant as back in the day?

I think it's pretty clear that it's the opposite. There is a lot more talent. But it's older, fully developed, talent that young skilled, but undeveloped players have to compete with.

A player like 18 yr old Turcotte would have been head and shoulders above most of the guys he faced and a dominant force on the ice several years ago when talent was more concentrated. And the guys on his level would have been much closer to him in age. Today though, he is not a more effective player than say, 24 yr. old Nate Sucese (PSU 6th overall in pts.) or 25yr old Devin Brosseau (Clarkson, 10th overall in pts) He just doesn't have the 6 more years of experience or the physical maturity they have, and the skill gap between him and them is not enough to overcome that deficiency on its own. Even though he will eventually be a much better player than either of those guys will ever be.

IMO, NCAA hockey is becoming the ECHL and that's not good. In the last 6 years there has been just one team to make the final with an average age of under 20 years 10 months. (The BU Fighting Jack Eichels - 20.7 yrs.) Six of the teams had an average age of nearly 22. The oldest was Q with an average age of 22.3. So older than having 100% traditional Seniors on the team.

By contrast in the preceding 6 years, 7 of 12 teams averaged under 20 years 10 months, and the oldest were senior laden teams Duluth and Miami at 21.5.

Wisconsin has an average age of 20 years, 10 months although the oldest players don't/rarely play. They have 9 regular skaters that are 19 or younger. The oldest skaters are the five '97 born players. By contrast #1 MnSt has 15 players that are '95 and '96 born, 5 or 6 years older than the majority of our skaters. This trend toward older and older players combined with the fact that the talent gap between the best drafted NCAA bound players and the top undrafted 21 year olds coming in to NCAA, is much less than it used to be by quite a bit, has created much less of an advantage, (in fact it may very well be a large disadvantage) for the bluebloods that continually bring in young high draft picks, and then lose them after a year or two. Which used to be 2 or 3 or 4 yrs. much more often, but thanks in large part to the NHL CBA that incentivises teams for bringing in younger players, that has changed as well.

Whether any of the teams like BC, BU, MN, MI or UW will be able to compete regularly at the top now or in the future with 18 yr old stars is pretty uncertain. Especially when they can't hang on to them.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

Somebody please explain to me the success that North Dakota has year after year, decade after decade. 15,000 enrollment. Some say (not I) Greater Grand is a boring city and in the middle no where. Too many college hockey teams, talent spread out?

☆Well, "less" has not affected them.
☆4 coaches in 40 years.
☆The best hockey facility.
☆A WINNING culture with few gaps.
☆Average attendance 11,200 (97% capacity).

Like Joe Panos said, "Why not Wisconsin"?

I think ND has always had a system of recruiting a lot of overage Canadians. (so has DU) Which has benefited them as really good older players have become more common. They have maintained a great pipeline into Canadian Juniors, and have always just mixed in a few young stars, which is the formula most everybody thinks is the correct one now days. And they have had more success in retaining some of their stars longer. That has all probably helped them maintain much better class balance, something most all the other traditional powers have really struggled with. That in addition to having a great program and facilities and virtually no admissions restrictions and strong continuity and great coaching. They haven't had to adjust much of what they have done all along.

[solovsfett]

I think ND has always had a system of recruiting a lot of overage Canadians. (so has DU) Which has benefited them as really good older players have become more common. They have maintained a great pipeline into Canadian Juniors, and have always just mixed in a few young stars, which is the formula most everybody thinks is the correct one now days. And they have had more success in retaining some of their stars longer. That has all probably helped them maintain much better class balance, something most all the other traditional powers have really struggled with. That in addition to having a great program and facilities and virtually no admissions restrictions and strong continuity and great coaching. They haven't had to adjust much of what they have done all along.

North Dakota, Denver, Boston College, 3 premier programs who don’t need excuses like the landscape has changed etc. Jeff Jackson as well. Successful at LSSU and at Notre Dame.

At some point whatever the excuse(s) on the table, it needs to stop and accountability followed by consistent winning needs to happen.

what’s happened for 25 years in Madison for men’s hockey is a joke. Start winning or run the coach and AD out.

[MadCityRich]

AGAIN...... Why not Wisconsin?

Why hasn't UW developed pipelines?

Where's their continuity over the years?

Wisko, I agree about college hockey becoming the ECHL.

Same thing with high school and major midget AAA hockey. Kids USED to make their runs there, THEN they would go USHL or in some cases NAHL. These days good 16 year olds are heading to the USHL.

[Wisko McBadgerton]

Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2019-2020: Time to Get Offensive

With the return of TPB after 4 games, all hands are on deck for the first time in a long time for the Badgers. Let's keep it that way for awhile, fellas.

New lines hopefully bring a new focus.

Up front:

Achan Turc Dhooghster

Linus Holloway Goal

Bakes TPB Lindy

Maxie, Mickey, Rydes, & Dominicky


Out Back:

Wyatt & Ty E.

Big K & Young Mike

Ty I. & Josh E.

THE FINNISH HAMMER NAILS DOWN THE NET.

Let's GO RED!!!

[digitalbooya]

Thought Berry would get the start.