Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

[Ruikka Task]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Is Millan going to leave to go pro? He needs to work on high shots, NU scored on him 4 times up high on Sunday. It's like he flinches on every shot above the chest. And I agree with chickod, it's not necessarily about winning championships to me, it's about providing a consistently entertaining product, which we have not had the last two years! Of course obviously we want the championships too. I'm not saying we should fire Parker but the athletic department needs to know that fans are NOT satisfied, we pay a lot of money for those tickets and the results must improve.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

-bc has had guys leave too (not just post-2001) after winning. gerbe left after 2008 and we all didn't appreciate just how special his was. joe whitney and ben smith had big drop-offs after losing him. and benn ferreiro had a long honeymoon season that followed too. after last year everyone "in the know" thought muse was gone. and while there was a big push for cam and jimmy haynes to go, there was a big benefit for jimmy knowing that his brother kevin was coming and he and cam stayed to play on the team with their brothers, a la gilroy. without a doubt one of those, "there but for the grace of god go i" situations.

A couple things here...I don't know who is "in the know", but I certainly never expected Muse to leave after last year. I don't even think that was talked about outside rumors on here. Put Gerbe on BC's 2008-2009 team and BC is a tourney team. That being said, he never played on a line with Ferriero, so I don't know that that was a big factor in Benn having a subpar season. It was just one of those years. I don't think anyone thought Whitney would match his freshman point total. What's more surprising is the "down" year he's having this year considering he scored 15-20 goals last year and both linemates returned. As for Smith, I predicted he would take a step back and maybe score 17-22 as a junior without Gerbe. He might have done that if it wasn't for an injury plagued season. Credit to him for fighting through it and rebounding with a very good senior year. So, even with the loss of Gerbe, that team flat out underachieved IMO. It happens.[/QUOTE]

 

[Federal League]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Is Millan going to leave to go pro? He needs to work on high shots, NU scored on him 4 times up high on Sunday. It's like he flinches on every shot above the chest.

I'm starting more and more to think no one will leave early. Warsofsky and Millan would be the two most likely, but it's clear to me that neither is NHL-ready. So it's just a matter of whether or not the B's/Avs are so concerned about signing them after next season that they push for them to leave this year. I can't imagine either one of them wanting to sit in the AHL all next season, but I guess you never know. Strait and Colby didn't really have any hope of seeing much NHL time when they left early, but I think they were both under pressure from their NHL teams. That would seemingly not bode well for Millan, but the Avs didn't pull Yip out early, so who knows.

ETA: And teams tend to be less likely to pull out goalies, so there's that too.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

And I agree with chickod, it's not necessarily about winning championships to me, it's about providing a consistently entertaining product, which we have not had the last two years! Of course obviously we want the championships too.

Come on, ultimately it IS about winning. If BU won a national title by playing the trap and winning games 1-0, 2-1...you wouldn't complain.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Yip was an 8th round pick and really hadn't progressed all that much from his freshman to junior year...Colorado probably wasn't in a rush to sign him.

From what I've seen, I wouldn't be in a rush to sign Millan either.

Warsofsky's the interesting one to me. The B's clearly targeted him as someone they thought could fill a need. Now, maybe that need has already been filled with the emergence of Kampfer...

 

[slurpees]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

What about Chiasson? I know nothing about the Dallas organization and how they handle college players, but there was definite improvement in his game this year from last. He's got NHL size, but needs to work on a few things still. Coyle would be a fool to leave now. He's a true freshman, has tons of raw skill but is nowhere near ready to play professionally, his situational decision making was terrible at times. Plus conditioning with Boyle could really put his physical frame on par with professional forwards. Him and Chiasson could both be dominant forwards next year in the league if they work on size, decision making and their shots. At 18, Coyle was already a dominant force down low along the boards, it was just that his subsequent play after establishing puck possession below the goal line was at times very good, but also very poor.

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that we don't have a Jason Lawrence-esque puck sniffer on this team, and that couldn't be more true. He was often knocked for tapping in passes from Higgins and Wilson, but what was overlooked was that he was so adept at getting himself in the correct position to receive the pass and have an easy goal. The one that sticks out to me is his goal against NU in the Beanpot that put us up 3-2. Higgins and Wilson are working along the far boards, and Lawrence notices all five NU skaters are on that one half of the ice puck watching Higgins, while he's behind them and out of their view. He skates directly to the net, and by the time so that all Higgins has to do is get the puck past one guy and it's an automatic goal. By the time anyone noticed Lawrence was at the net unguarded, the puck was a foot from his stick, about to be tapped in for an easy goal. Easy to look at that as a "cheap goal" while overlooking the awareness and alertness required to make that play happen. He was so frequently in the right position to receive the puck, or anticipate where it would end up, something sorely missed on this squad.

 

[mpereira]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

What about Chiasson? I know nothing about the Dallas organization and how they handle college players, but there was definite improvement in his game this year from last. He's got NHL size, but needs to work on a few things still. Coyle would be a fool to leave now. He's a true freshman, has tons of raw skill but is nowhere near ready to play professionally, his situational decision making was terrible at times. Plus conditioning with Boyle could really put his physical frame on par with professional forwards. Him and Chiasson could both be dominant forwards next year in the league if they work on size, decision making and their shots.

I agree with you about Chiasson and Coyle. Coyle needs another year for sure and the only scary thing about Chiasson is that he is currently the top forward prospect in the Dallas system according to hockeysfuture.com and #4 prospect overall. Obviously this is the website's opionion and not the organization but he showed significant improvement from last year to this year for sure and obviously has the size for the NHL. The other thing with Dallas is their youngest RW on the roster is 27 and the three RWs are on their AHL team(Texas Stars) are 28, 26, and 20. the 20 year old(Tomas Vincour) has struggled as you would imagine with six points in 21 games this year. I don't know if lack of depth at a position would be a factor here but it certainly isn't comforting. Not like the Stars are lighting it up at 8th in the west currently. They have Langenbrunner at RW with 29 points but no one else even over 15 points. It just seems like they could use Chiasson's help at RW.

Millan is ranked by the same website as the #12 overall prospect for Colorado but the third goalie on that list so I would think FL and JD are right and he stays. I would imagine Warso and Coyle do as well but I didn't think Shattenkirk would leave last year after his year so it wouldn't catch me totally off-guard if Warso left.

 

[sterlippo1]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

And I'll be one of the first to offer congrats if the Eagles win again. As I said before, I understand the "rivalry" (obviously, I went to BU) - I don't understand the "hatred." I know there are plenty of people who would shoot me for this, but I would rather see BC win than, say, Michigan or North Dakota. I think that it's prestigious for the league and ultimately helps recruiting and, therefore, raises the level of play and competitiveness. I'm not saying we necessarily have to be "good-natured" about it -it is an emotional topic and all that. And somehow I thought that BC's success would serve as greater motivation for our program...apparently it hasn't worked out that way, or maybe it's just that we are both trying to do the same thing and they're better at it, just as we were in the 70s and 80s. These things DO go in cycles, and that's why I don't have this obsession about being in the "Top 5 every year," but would just like to see some changes to make us more competitive. BTW, sterlippo, my uncle (UNH grad) lives in Bradford (Lexington Ave) - nice area.

thanks for responding. i absolutely agree that it goes in cycles and i admire your take on the rivalry but do understand all the emotion that others on both sides feel and aren't so pragmatic but in it's own way, that's a great thing too, less the nastiness. and thanks, it is a nice area up here

 

[Ruikka Task]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Come on, ultimately it IS about winning. If BU won a national title by playing the trap and winning games 1-0, 2-1...you wouldn't complain.

Well I mean obviously I wouldn't complain about having the championship but you also can't deny that you would be much more satisfied with a season that ended early if BU consistently looked like they were playing with their butts on fire and were giving it all they had on a consistant basis.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Wow, this has turned into an entertaining thread...

Regardless of the going back and forth about weather BU had the 5th, 8th or whatever best decade, I think everyone agrees that taken as a whole, the results over the past decade are not quite where we would all want them to be. The big difference is that there are a lot of us, who dont think the first solution is to run the coaching staff out of town.

It's funny to me to hear how the 09 championship is almost becoming disregarded here because the team was loaded with talent, etc etc.... really... has there been a national championship team that wasn't loaded with talent? I mean, a high talent leval is kind of a pre-requisite for winning the NCAA. And the "what if's" seem funny too... what if Millan didn't have a great game etc? The what if's can go both ways I guess though... what if we had anyone other then the Bennett/Gillespe tandem in 08? What if Curry didn't tear his labrum in 07? etc etc

With regards to this past years team, I don't feel quite the dissapointment or frustration as some on here. With the dismissals, departures etc, I really didn't expect a whole lot more than what we got. I told the people I sit with that 10-11 was going to be a rough year, but we can look forward to 11-12... and I still feel that way. I guess the one single biggest dissapointment for me this year, was the loss to Harvard. Never should have happened. And looking back, that is the game that kept us from a 20 win season, and is probablly the game that is keeping us from any realistic chance at making the NCAA's.... the fact that it also meant a 4th place finish in the beanpot, is kind of like the salt in the wound there.

I'm optimistic for next year... I think the team has a chance to be really really strong.

One last thing.... be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. Let's say Parker decides he's had enough. Who does come in to take the reigns? I've heard Quinn, Sullivan, Bavis all thrown out there as candidates... any one of them could quite possibly come in and do a nice job... or, they could come in and be the BU Hockey equivalent of UNC's Matt Doherty. Don't get me wrong, I like all of the above, but I'll play devils advocate and throw out some red flags with for of them. Bavis has been here as an assistant here all along... if he has some magic to work, why isn't he doing it now? Sully basically seems like an NHL coach now, can he make the transition to coaching college kids and having to balance academics, college life issues etc etc? Quinn has been said to be one of the best minds in college hockey... well, if that's ture, why is he not in college hockey, but instead muddling around out in Lake Erie, on the verge of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row?

BU Hockey: The glass is half full!

 

[Ruikka Task]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

I'm starting more and more to think no one will leave early. Warsofsky and Millan would be the two most likely, but it's clear to me that neither is NHL-ready
ETA: And teams tend to be less likely to pull out goalies, so there's that too.

This is true about the goalies. And like I said Millan really needs to work on his up high game. I think Warsofsky is probably the most likely because even though he didn't have quite the year many of us were hoping for we still saw his potential especially at last years World Juniors against top level competition so we know the talent is there for him to succeed in the NHL.

 

[ericredaxe]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

By the way... where is the 2011 equivalent of 3Hock? The past few years, by now we have known the full deal on who's staying, who's going etc etc!

Somebody really in the know... give us the inside scoop!

 

[Ruikka Task]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Millan is ranked by the same website as the #12 overall prospect for Colorado but the third goalie on that list

This is very interesting. I did not know that he was Colorado's third goalie prospect. Well that is good news for Boston University and bad news for the rest of Hockey East haha! Millan still has room to improve but is obviously one of the top goalies at this level and with another year I really think he can shine.

 

[smyler3]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Am I correct in thinking that Coyle cannot play in the AHL next year, as he won't be 20 yet? Or does that rule not apply for college players? If so, unless the Sharks think he's NHL-ready (no) or he's going to juniors for a year, he's staying.

Interesting info about the Stars' system. I think Chiasson has a real chance to dominate if he stays another year.

 

[smyler3]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

This is very interesting. I did not know that he was Colorado's third goalie prospect. Well that is good news for Boston University and bad news for the rest of Hockey East haha! Millan still has room to improve but is obviously one of the top goalies at this level and with another year I really think he can shine.

Assuming you mean that the rest of hockey east hates fat, juicy rebounds. Millan has been as frustrating as the rest of them. As someone said upthread, he'll make some spectacular saves, but he'll also seemingly go on frequent brain vacations. Maybe being a senior will cure him of that.

 

[Ruikka Task]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Assuming you mean that the rest of hockey east hates fat, juicy rebounds. Millan has been as frustrating as the rest of them. As someone said upthread, he'll make some spectacular saves, but he'll also seemingly go on frequent brain vacations. Maybe being a senior will cure him of that.

Well it's true but like I said with Warsofsky we see what he can do at the top of his game, the biggest issue is getting him to do it all the time. That's what is so frustrating about this team because we see just how good they can be but they never fully get to a consistant level that will allow them to succeed. I mean maybe it's coaching but Jack Parker has been to the top so we know he can be successful at the top of HIS game.

Maybe there's something in the water lately?

 

[bantam75]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Hey Defkit. I need you to contact me directly. Check your messages - i sent you one.

 

[buoldtimer]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

By the way... where is the 2011 equivalent of 3Hock? The past few years, by now we have known the full deal on who's staying, who's going etc etc!

Somebody really in the know... give us the inside scoop!

My guess is that 3Hock knew someone very well who was a player. That player departed, maybe 2 seasons ago. Consequently, 3Hock no longer has access to the locker room. Just a guess.

 

[bantam75]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

To answer a couple of questions. Yes, BC's incredible run has exacerbated BU's shortcomings but still we are looking at a program that is underachieving -- bottom line. BC's success aside, BU is not performing well even to their history.

Exactly point I've been making the past year. Winning in 2009 was great, but it means we have Parker as long as he wants to stay. Quinn is arguably the best assistant with skills to replace Jack since Blaise left. Bavis is great recruiter and asst, but don't think he is answer. Buddy Powers? Forget it.

 

[J.D.]

Re: Boston University Part IV: Off-Season or New Season?

Am I correct in thinking that Coyle cannot play in the AHL next year, as he won't be 20 yet? Or does that rule not apply for college players? If so, unless the Sharks think he's NHL-ready (no) or he's going to juniors for a year, he's staying.

I thought that only applied to players from Canadian major junior teams? If Coyle leaves and doesn't make the big club, where else could they send him besides the AHL? They can't just choose a junior team (unless he entered the draft a few years ago and some team still holds his rights).

Assuming you mean that the rest of hockey east hates fat, juicy rebounds. Millan has been as frustrating as the rest of them. As someone said upthread, he'll make some spectacular saves, but he'll also seemingly go on frequent brain vacations. Maybe being a senior will cure him of that.

Ya, not sure Millan is striking fear in anybody. Great freshman year with a great team in front of him, but nothing special since then.