For some reason, the NHL Playoffs always get me really excited for the next Brown season. Too bad it's still 6-7 months away.
Here's to hoping we can put a somewhat disappointing 2011-2012 season behind us and take a big step forward. I may have unfairly criticized Whittet in the heat of this frustrating past season, but I think he might be able to get this team to adopt a team-oriented mentality, since it has no true superstar like Harry Z or Jack Mac to carry it. While I loved those guys, they were relied on to carry the load far too much, and we need more balanced scoring. I think Zaires needs to step up and be a leader, as he is the most offensively-talented senior on the roster. The current freshman and sophomore classes will continue to grow and develop, and they have plenty of experience since the team has been so young the last two years. The incoming class will have to contribute as well, and if that Roy kid is everything we hope he's going to be, we could have a very fun team to watch.
Hopefully our defensive depth improves, as well. We have one of the better pairings in the league in Robertson and Wahl, but that was about it last year. DeConcylis (sp?) showed plenty of promise, but made a lot of mistakes, and Quick never truly earned Whittet's trust enough, especially late in the season, to see substantial time. Crowley should provide good leadership and a be solid 3rd defenseman; the only question is who his partner will be as part of the 2nd unit.
Goaltending is perhaps the biggest concern. Marco looked good for a few games in the middle of the season, but absolutely crumbled down the stretch and lost Whittet's trust to the point where he refused to give an overworked and underachieving Mike Clemente a rest. Borelli has never seen significant playing time and is likely not the answer. Unless there is some stud freshman coming in, it would appear the job is DeFillippo's to lose- and that's a scary thought, given his inconsistency.
All in all, this is a big year for Brown hockey. It's certainly not do or die, but I think it would be very important to get home ice for recruiting and morale purposes. And I think we have a decent shot of achieving that.