What's new
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

UNH Hockey Off Season Thread 2026

Sounds like Zebeski could in the future serve as the 3rd guy on a top two line. The one that does the dirty work to get the puck for the scorers.
 
Gotta have a real bonafide playmaker...should be top on the list.
This guy looks legit....

Date of BirthFeb 17, 2006
Age20
Place of BirthRedding, CT, USA
NationUSA
Youth Team-
PositionRW
Height188 cm / 6'2"
Weight90 kg / 198 lbs
ShootsR
Contract-
Player Type
Heavy Shooter
Power Forward
Sniper
AgencyNewport Sports Management
NHL Draft
Prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft
Rankings
Ranked #81 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skater
 
Gotta have a real bonafide playmaker...should be top on the list.
  • Egor Barabanov (F, Saginaw Spirit, OHL): A pure playmaker who has seen a massive production surge this season, recording 63 assists in 68 games. He excels at anticipating plays and capitalize on defensive mistakes.
  • Matias Vanhanen (LW, Everett Silvertips, WHL): Currently sits near the top of the WHL in assists, averaging more than one per game. He is regarded as one of the best "play connectors" in the league.
  • Landon McFadden (W/C, Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL): A slippery, elusive offensive threat who is highly decisive with his puck touches and rarely makes the wrong read. He remains uncommitted despite a breakout 30-goal season.
  • David Rozsival (F, Green Bay Gamblers, USHL): A 2007-born prospect with high-end tools who is among the top uncommitted skaters to watch in the USHL. [1, 2, 3, 4] Here's a few still not committed but it's probably a long shot to get any of them ,but you never know.
 
This guy looks legit....

Date of BirthFeb 17, 2006
Age20
Place of BirthRedding, CT, USA
NationUSA
Youth Team-
PositionRW
Height188 cm / 6'2"
Weight90 kg / 198 lbs
ShootsR
Contract-
Player Type
Heavy Shooter
Power Forward
Sniper
AgencyNewport Sports Management
NHL Draft
Prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft
Rankings
Ranked #81 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skater
Not to burst any bubble, but I saw the video of all of Sam Oliver's goals too... that translated to 2 in the NCAA. Granted, he is smaller, but he was a non-factor all season.
 
Whoever asked if Sam Oliver was a latter day version of Travis Banga was spot on. At least to this point.
That's a pretty harsh comparison :LOL: Oliver already has Banga beat by eight points..lol. I get where your coming from and agree, Banga did go on to become a decent Division 3 player as he had a 70-64-64-128 line at New England College and played after that for eleven years in lower tier leagues .
 
That's a pretty harsh comparison :LOL: Oliver already has Banga beat by eight points..lol. I get where your coming from and agree, Banga did go on to become a decent Division 3 player as he had a 70-64-64-128 line at New England College and played after that for eleven years in lower tier leagues .
That's a fair take RB. As I said it was somebody else who posted that early in the season. Not so sure I would have thought of it on my own. But I have a lot of respect for Dan's analysis of prospects and he has Oliver penciled in as a fourth liner.

Dan's comment about top six skaters above was soooo spot on.
 
Yep...and the numbers bore this out. Worst finishing rates in the country, at least earlier in the year.
Where did you find that stat? I haven't come across it, and it is a good one.

I keep coming back the system. I was so impressed with how Denver generated offense particularly against Cornell. Lots of planned tip plays. (some luck on those at times too). Sometimes finishing is less about picking a corner, particularly if you don't have a number of players with highly accurate dynamic shots. Same sort of thing from Wisco against Tre Augstine, they knew they weren't likely to beat Augstine with a sniper shot so they did other things to manufacture goals.
 
Not to burst any bubble, but I saw the video of all of Sam Oliver's goals too... that translated to 2 in the NCAA. Granted, he is smaller, but he was a non-factor all season.
Just for the record, Oliver only averaged 14 minutes of ice time per game in a defense first minded offense. He averaged less than 1.5 shots per game. Tough to score under those circumstances. Coaching may have had something to do with not maximizing his full potential (i.e. MacPherson).
 
Where did you find that stat? I haven't come across it, and it is a good one.

I keep coming back the system. I was so impressed with how Denver generated offense particularly against Cornell. Lots of planned tip plays. (some luck on those at times too). Sometimes finishing is less about picking a corner, particularly if you don't have a number of players with highly accurate dynamic shots. Same sort of thing from Wisco against Tre Augstine, they knew they weren't likely to beat Augstine with a sniper shot so they did other things to manufacture goals.
This tweet. Very early in the year but, as we all know, scoring only got worse for the team.

EDIT: Update from March. They finished last.
 
Looks like Banga is head coach of NEC golf now. Must have enjoyed his time in Henniker.
One of the comments from McCloskey, I think to the FoH years ago. There is something about UNH and even UMaine that feels like British Columbia. So even thought it is so far away, many of the players got on campus and felt comfortable and that was on the list of reason to pick these schools. Example UND does not feel like British Columbia. It is also why some players don't want to play for NU, BU, BC they don't want the city. Wonder if this is at play too, Henniker has always felt comfortable.
 
Last edited:
Just for the record, Oliver only averaged 14 minutes of ice time per game in a defense first minded offense. He averaged less than 1.5 shots per game. Tough to score under those circumstances. Coaching may have had something to do with not maximizing his full potential (i.e. MacPherson).
From my perspective the most relevant criticism of the UNH coaches is the lack of development of players over the course of their careers at UNH. There's no Saviano, Thompson or Butler. In fact, some players seemed to regress a bit.
 
That's a fair take RB. As I said it was somebody else who posted that early in the season. Not so sure I would have thought of it on my own. But I have a lot of respect for Dan's analysis of prospects and he has Oliver penciled in as a fourth liner.

Dan's comment about top six skaters above was soooo spot on.
I think Oliver is a skilled player with a heavy shot, his style just might not be a fit for UNH.Take Stiven Sardarian, goes to Michigan tech and scores 79 points in 72 games, CCHA forward of the year and more than likely 1st team All American.
 
Back
Top