Wisconsin Hockey 22-23 Empty Dreams & Empty Seats

[Timothy A]

https://twitter.com/jaypo1961/status...10373758103552 Buyout cost updated so went from $2.4M to $1.0M. And buyout goes up after 6/30/23, so he gets 1 year to turn the ship around.

So basically we have to root for sucktitude this season to get a fresh start.

Interesting salary hiker of $25000 every year they make the ncaa next year, which seems reasonable. He gets $25000 every season they finish over .500 after that, which sets the bar WAY too low. If our goal is .500 hockey, shoot me now.

[WiscTJK]

So basically we have to root for sucktitude this season to get a fresh start.

Interesting salary hiker of $25000 every year they make the ncaa next year, which seems reasonable. He gets $25000 every season they finish over .500 after that, which sets the bar WAY too low. If our goal is .500 hockey, shoot me now.

I saw that. Make it $50k to make the ncaa and not the stupid greater than .500 bonus. That should be a given.

[sunprairie]

So basically we have to root for sucktitude this season to get a fresh start.

Man, this thread is already toxic. If this board is just going to be another year of rooting against this team and coaching staff, I’m out for good. I won’t be part of a fan group that doesn’t at least start with optimism into a new season. Come on!

[digitalbooya]

Man, this thread is already toxic. If this board is just going to be another year of rooting against this team and coaching staff, I’m out for good. I won’t be part of a fan group that doesn’t at least start with optimism into a new season. Come on!

There is definitely some "glory years" badger fans that come here to hammer home their negativity. Timothy A is not one of them. In fact, Timothy A has been one of the most enjoyable posters to interact with.

[WiscTJK]

There is definitely some "glory years" badger fans that come here to hammer home their negativity. Timothy A is not one of them. In fact, Timothy A has been one of the most enjoyable posters to interact with.

Agreed. Like many of us, this staff and poor year to year performance has killed any optimism.

[Timothy A]

There is definitely some "glory years" badger fans that come here to hammer home their negativity. Timothy A is not one of them. In fact, Timothy A has been one of the most enjoyable posters to interact with.

Thanks for the kind words. I hung onto positivity for a lot of last season, then it died.

[sunprairie]

Thanks for the kind words. I hung onto positivity for a lot of last season, then it died.

Keep hope alive. I am. On Wisconsin!

[WiscTJK]

Andy Brandt is the new assistant. Someone outside of UW would have been my preference. But for a UW alum, Andy had to be near the top. He seems to be an up and comer and learned from the best with Coghlin at St Norbert.

https://twitter.com/ToddMilewski/sta...64713306378240

[digitalbooya]

Andy Brandt is the new assistant. Someone outside of UW would have been my preference. But for a UW alum, Andy had to be near the top. He seems to be an up and comer and learned from the best with Coghlin at St Norbert.

https://twitter.com/ToddMilewski/sta...64713306378240

As a UWSP alum, I strongly dislike St Norbert. Hard to argue against their success though...

[WiscTJK]

As a UWSP alum, I strongly dislike St Norbert. Hard to argue against their success though...

My sister went there and I saw many games while she was there when they had 3 titles in a row and 4 titles in 5 years. So I also have a soft spot for them. Tim Coghlin is literally the Bo Ryan of college hockey. I am sure Andy Brandt learned a ton there in 5 years.

[Timothy A]

My sister went there and I saw many games while she was there when they had 3 titles in a row and 4 titles in 5 years. So I also have a soft spot for them. Tim Coghlin is literally the Bo Ryan of college hockey. I am sure Andy Brandt learned a ton there in 5 years.

So if the hope meter was at 1 prior to the hire (0 being none and 10 being winning the ncaa next season), Watts is it now? If he was the head coach? 7. As the lowest assistant? 2.5?

He's gotta have a a lot of confidence hooking his raft to the SS Granatotic

[WiscTJK]

So if the hope meter was at 1 prior to the hire (0 being none and 10 being winning the ncaa next season), Watts is it now? If he was the head coach? 7. As the lowest assistant? 2.5?

He's gotta have a a lot of confidence hooking his raft to the SS Granatotic

Some of the quotes from Todd M article and his video interview, he thinks they can win with the guys they have. I hope he is given some free reign to make some changes. I like what I heard / read, but the proof will be this season. Coghlin says he is ready for the challenge and he grinds as coach, just like he did in college on my favorite line from the NCAA title year.

[Timothy A]

Some of the quotes from Todd M article and his video interview, he thinks they can win with the guys they have.

If a guy with NHL coaching experience can't figure out how win with these guys (and a former D1 H/C on the staff), I'm not sure how Brandt can. TG needs to give him full reign and just stay out of the way. Maybe since he's younger he can relate/communicate better and find the right way to push the button. Watts is your hope meter number?

[WiscTJK]

If a guy with NHL coaching experience can't figure out how win with these guys (and a former D1 H/C on the staff), I'm not sure how Brandt can. TG needs to give him full reign and just stay out of the way. Maybe since he's younger he can relate/communicate better and find the right way to push the button. Watts is your hope meter number?

Low side 2, high side 5. That's where I'm at today.

Andy is coming from D3 where player development, chemistry and system are so so important. It will be interesting to see if those things improve with Andy coming in. Also, he will likely handle the powerplay as MS did that and look for changes there as well. Like I said before, I hope he is given a lot of leash and can be in TG and Oz ears with things that can improve.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

If a guy with NHL coaching experience can't figure out how win with these guys (and a former D1 H/C on the staff), I'm not sure how Brandt can.

Let’s ask ourselves how important it actually is for a coach to have NHL or D-I HC experience.

All other things being equal, I’ve no doubt that it matters a lot.

But Granato clearly has some deficiencies in player development^. Oz has clearly lost a lot when it comes to what his strengths were under Eaves (developing high end defensemen).

Brandt doesn’t necessarily fix those deficiencies but his experience (such that it is) does address three key shortcomings of the team:

1. Special Teams - he was the special teams guy at SNC, where they had a 24.8% PP last year
2. Grit, hard work, and responsibility - UW has been softer than some teddy bears on this front, and those are qualities he had IN SPADES at UW. By all accounts he’s approached coaching the same way.
3. Player development. We haven’t seen a lot of year-over-year improvement on this team under Granato. As WiscTJK noted: that’s kind of how you get a good team at the D-III level.

No guarantees, of course. But if we had to grab an alum for this role, there really wasn’t a better choice out there. Young, Lots of potential for growth, fills some key areas of deficiency in the current coaches… my socks aren’t blown off but it feels like an otherwise solid hire.

^ I’d also argue that he’s garbage when it comes to calling people out to the media, which I think is a very strange thing that he’s done, but I suppose I also don’t know how he handles those moments behind closed doors.