WCHA 26-27 Season Thread

[Timothy A]

League Preseason Predictions

1. Ohio State (6) - 48
2. Wisconsin (2) - 44
3. Minnesota - 35
4. Minnesota Duluth - 32
5. Minnesota State - 23
6. St. Cloud State - 20
7. St. Thomas - 15
8. Bemidji State - 7

F - Joy Dunne, Sr., Ohio State
F - Caitlin Kraemer, Jr., Minnesota Duluth
F - Jocelyn Amos, Sr., Ohio State
D - Mira Jungåker, Jr., Ohio State
D - Chloe Primerano, Jr., Minnesota
G - Ève Gascon, Sr., Minnesota Duluth -

WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year: Milani

WCHA Preseason Player of the Year: Joy Dunne, Sr., F, Ohio State. The only other player to get votes on this was Kraemer.
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Thoughts......
Ya'll know I'm dying on the McNaughton is better than Gascon hill. The numbers don't lie. I conclusively pointed this out last season.
Milani ahead of Nela - what a joke.
Gorbotenko not on the first team and not a POTY candidate???? LOL. She should be ahead of Amos and Kraemer.
Kraemer POTY? Seriously? No WAY. Everyone is so wanting UMD to be something when they won't be anything but the 4th horse in a 3 horse race. She had 30 pts last year. 30!!!!!!!!! Gorbo had 50, Dunne 51 Svensson 52. There's your top 3.
WI has 4 D better than Primerano.

 

[Timothy A]

On the Kramer thing, I but Muzzy couldn't bring herself to vote for Gorbotenko, so she voted for Kraemer instead. She really made a sham out of the whole thing. Disgraceful.

 

[wildfire]

Rent free, as always. Lol

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

A lot of consternation over preseason predictions...

The disrespect for Caitlin Kraemer is ridiculus. Much like the poster who disrepected Tessa Janecke. Just an inaccurate take and Just like Janecke, I would love to have Kraemer playing on the team that I support.

 

[eastcoastgopher]

I'm still of the belief that if Lopusanova played for a North American national team (and as such didn't have the extra year/two to climb up the international points record) she wouldn't be viewed as highly by the media as she is. She brings a very exciting skillset but I'm fascinated to see how she'll handle not being the focus of all the offense right away. I expect there to be some transition period for that; if there isn't any and she's pulling off the same kind of moves from the jump then hey, I was wrong, maybe Kennedy and Salvian aren't overselling her. I'll own that.

My argument for Milani—dominant on a Canadian team that didn't have the depth of the year before and showing out again in the summer—would be that Minnesota needs more out of her than Wisconsin needs out of their freshmen. The proven play-driving forwards left on the team are… basically just Bella Fanale, who didn't get any all-WCHA votes. Milani will get a lot of chances right from the start. It's different even from the Primerano situation; when #8 joined the team they had Nelli Laitinen and Sydney Morrow ahead of her (and she outscored both as a freshman).

But looking at the voting: Milani got three votes, far from the six Primerano got when they voted for the same award preseason two years ago. It isn't a runaway by any stretch.

 

[Arreis]

Thoughts......
Ya'll know I'm dying on the McNaughton is better than Gascon hill. The numbers don't lie. I conclusively pointed this out last season.

What are these numbers you speak of?

WCHA only	Shutouts	Save %	Shots Per Game	Saves	GAA
McNaughton	6	0.939	20.03	641	1.35
Gascon	10	0.942	28.37	993	1.77

Yes, McNaughton does have a better GAA and she was the goalie for the team that won it all.

 

[Timothy A]

A lot of consternation over preseason predictions...

The disrespect for Caitlin Kraemer is ridiculus. Much like the poster who disrepected Tessa Janecke. Just an inaccurate take and Just like Janecke, I would love to have Kraemer playing on the team that I support.

30 points versus 50 is a heck of a gap for player of the year. Makes no sense. She'd have to jump Svensson, Dunne, Gorbo, Amos, Hall, Lindsay, Sappy, Fanalle and Cimorini based on last year's scoring.

 

[Timothy A]

I do think it would be great for the WCHA if a non big 3 player was a scoring machine and a threat to win POTY. To predict Kramer, however, defies logic.

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Logic...

Total goals last year for the top three teams in the WCHA...Then UMD.

Sinners - 213
Yuckers - 181
Tunnelers - 173
Dogs - 93

UMD does not have anywhere near the offensive talent that the top three teams do. They very much rely on there goaltending to keep them in low scoring games. So to compare a player's point totals from UMD to players on the sinners or yuckeyes is short-sighted.

Again, it is only a preseason predictition. Get over your butt hurt about sinner players, in particular, not being named. In the end, none of this matter until the real games start.

 

[Timothy A]

Logic...

Total goals last year for the top three teams in the WCHA...Then UMD.

Sinners - 213
Yuckers - 181
Tunnelers - 173
Dogs - 93

UMD does not have anywhere near the offensive talent that the top three teams do. They very much rely on there goaltending to keep them in low scoring games. So to compare a player's point totals from UMD to players on the sinners or yuckeyes is short-sighted.

Again, it is only a preseason predictition. Get over your butt hurt about sinner players, in particular, not being named. In the end, none of this matter until the real games start.

At least we are talking puck. I love it.

 

[Timothy A]

What are these numbers you speak of?

WCHA only	Shutouts	Save %	Shots Per Game	Saves	GAA
McNaughton	6	0.939	20.03	641	1.35
Gascon	10	0.942	28.37	993	1.77

Yes, McNaughton does have a better GAA and she was the goalie for the team that won it all.

I can't recall all the metrics, but head to head, McNaughton is 10-1-1 with a 1.41 gaa. Gascon is 1-1-10 with a 3.16 gaa. You'd think the 3 time goalie of the year could with tight D in front of her beat UW more than once. More telling she's given up 4 or 5 goals in 5 of those games.

 

[Arreis]

I can't recall all the metrics, but head to head, McNaughton is 10-1-1 with a 1.41 gaa. Gascon is 1-1-10 with a 3.16 gaa. You'd think the 3 time goalie of the year could with tight D in front of her beat UW more than once. More telling she's given up 4 or 5 goals in 5 of those games.

That is a good pointy but I don't think the"uneducated" coaches dig that deep for these preseason accolades. Most of these just seem to isolated stats based selections not influenced on game outcomes. The question is will either of them come back for a fifth year or do they move on to the PWHL?

 

[Timothy A]

That is a good pointy but I don't think the"uneducated" coaches dig that deep for these preseason accolades. Most of these just seem to isolated stats based selections not influenced on game outcomes. The question is will either of them come back for a fifth year or do they move on to the PWHL?

I completely agree. They vote for Gascon because they voted for her before. They probably don't give two rats buttocks about this preseason poll thing anyway.

Whether or not they come back for a 5th year is very interesting question. I think it depends on the depth in the league at goalie. I have to believe both of those players are plug and play starters in the pwhl. Would Gascon wanted to end up in a big three and try to get a natty? I don't know how important that is to her. It certainly feels like McNaughton has nothing left to prove in college.

 

[TJ77]

The question is will either of them come back for a fifth year or do they move on to the PWHL?

It is going to be an interesting spring/summer next year. Will schools tell seniors they have no money or a roster spot for them to play a 5th year. The Badgers have 5 seniors. They have 8 committments for next year. Do you keep players for just 1 more year and lose players that you would have for 4 years? It would not be a good situation to start telling recruits we don't have room for you. The portal seemed to settle down a bit this year. I have a feeling it is going to be crazy again next year.

 

[Arreis]

I completely agree. They vote for Gascon because they voted for her before. They probably don't give two rats buttocks about this preseason poll thing anyway.

Whether or not they come back for a 5th year is very interesting question. I think it depends on the depth in the league at goalie. I have to believe both of those players are plug and play starters in the pwhl. Would Gascon wanted to end up in a big three and try to get a natty? I don't know how important that is to her. It certainly feels like McNaughton has nothing left to prove in college.

How would you feel if McNaughton commits to the PWHL and Gascon transfers to UW for a fifth season?

 

[robertearle]

It is going to be an interesting spring/summer next year. Will schools tell seniors they have no money or a roster spot for them to play a 5th year. The Badgers have 5 seniors. They have 8 committments for next year. Do you keep players for just 1 more year and lose players that you would have for 4 years? It would not be a good situation to start telling recruits we don't have room for you. The portal seemed to settle down a bit this year. I have a feeling it is going to be crazy again next year.

Ohio State volleyball coach had very much that same 'situation' coming out of COVID. Four or five 'all-conference' players who had an extra COVID year, and four or five well-regarded recruits coming in. She felt like she needed to honor the commitment to the recruits, met with the COVID seniors, and they all "parted as friends", but they all transferred. At the time, Ohio State was top five or six in the Big Ten (no small feat, B1G volleyball is as good as it gets), but unfortunately for her, that recruiting class hasn't worked out well, and they have dropped to near the bottom of the conference.

 

[ARM]

30 points versus 50 is a heck of a gap for player of the year. Makes no sense.

That's not how the coaches look at it. They know the players on the rosters around the league. They've scouted them as teens, watched film of their college games, and coached against them.

 

[eastcoastgopher]

I completely agree. They vote for Gascon because they voted for her before. They probably don't give two rats buttocks about this preseason poll thing anyway.

Whether or not they come back for a 5th year is very interesting question. I think it depends on the depth in the league at goalie. I have to believe both of those players are plug and play starters in the pwhl. Would Gascon wanted to end up in a big three and try to get a natty? I don't know how important that is to her. It certainly feels like McNaughton has nothing left to prove in college.

Let me put this out into the air because I don't think anyone has.

Gascon turns 24 in May. I *think*, based on what I've read on the new eligibility rules, she wouldn't be eligible for a fifth year.

 

[9lives]

I can't recall all the metrics, but head to head, McNaughton is 10-1-1 with a 1.41 gaa. Gascon is 1-1-10 with a 3.16 gaa. You'd think the 3 time goalie of the year could with tight D in front of her beat UW more than once. More telling she's given up 4 or 5 goals in 5 of those games.

Are you comparing Gascon's record vs a team stacked with Olympians with McNaughton's record with a team of olympians in front of her vs a much less stacked team? They are both facing very different situations/shot quality/shot quantity.

At the end of the day, they are both great goalies. Not to take away from McNaughton, but a goalie on a weaker team that maintains that save percentage is way more impressive to me. McNaughton might get the championships, but Gascon deserves her individual accolades.

 

[robertearle]

Let me put this out into the air because I don't think anyone has.

Gascon turns 24 in May. I *think*, based on what I've read on the new eligibility rules, she wouldn't be eligible for a fifth year.

The five-year clock starts either upon college enrollment, or the academic year after the person's 19th birthday. She started at Duluth in the fall of '23. But she turned 19 in May of 2022. So, I think her five-year clock started in the fall of 2022, despite her not being in college that year. . So, yes, the 2026-27 would be the fifth year on her clock.

I think, LOL