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BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

BU Fan 84 said:
JFK was a much better player than Kevin Hayes through their first two college seasons. I think it is highly likely JFK would have had a better junior season, too.
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Centering a line with Jordan and eventually Brady would've made for a hell of a season for JFK. Him on our roster last year would've elevated that team to an elite level.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Definitely took a while for Hayes to put it all together. At their peak I doubt JFK could do what Hayes did/does but they are also simply different types of players.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

J.D. said:
Definitely took a while for Hayes to put it all together. At their peak I doubt JFK could do what Hayes did/does but they are also simply different types of players.
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I agree, but grant that he had some pretty good linemates that year too.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

J.D. said:
Thought there was more than one person who said it was looking like he would return to BU. No idea who his sources are but he still does a pretty good job for guys who report on this stuff.
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Now I'm just hoping that Mark Divver has some good sources and his comment about Ranta has merit. :D
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

defkit said:
Now I'm just hoping that Mark Divver has some good sources and his comment about Ranta has merit. :D
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Divver is pretty good on the recruiting front. But he also did not say Ranta would definitely end up at BU. Similarly, Cox did not say he'd confirmed Brady would return, his tweet said "all signs point to" Brady returning.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Heard Brady wasn’t the best teammate? If true, could this be a blessing?
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

brassbonanza said:
Divver is pretty good on the recruiting front. But he also did not say Ranta would definitely end up at BU. Similarly, Cox did not say he'd confirmed Brady would return, his tweet said "all signs point to" Brady returning.
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As of 2-3 weeks ago BU really thought Tkachuk was coming back...but it didn't happen.

Re: Mark Divver's tweet on Sampo Ranta...Mark is the best in the business. Ranta is having TOEFL issues at UW. Some schools have stricter policies than others regarding TOEFL scores. It's not a grades or credit issue. BU is one of several schools pursuing Ranta's services. He isn't 100% out on UW, but I'd expect him to land at a big time program. BU, North Dakota, Providence, etc.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

CollegeHockeyRinkReport said:
As of 2-3 weeks ago BU really thought Tkachuk was coming back...but it didn't happen.

Re: Mark Divver's tweet on Sampo Ranta...Mark is the best in the business. Ranta is having TOEFL issues at UW. Some schools have stricter policies than others regarding TOEFL scores. It's not a grades or credit issue. BU is one of several schools pursuing Ranta's services. He isn't 100% out on UW, but I'd expect him to land at a big time program. BU, North Dakota, Providence, etc.
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Wow, didn't think he was ready but maybe full time hockey will get him there faster
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

CollegeHockeyRinkReport said:
Re: Mark Divver's tweet on Sampo Ranta...Mark is the best in the business. Ranta is having TOEFL issues at UW. Some schools have stricter policies than others regarding TOEFL scores. It's not a grades or credit issue. BU is one of several schools pursuing Ranta's services. He isn't 100% out on UW, but I'd expect him to land at a big time program. BU, North Dakota, Providence, etc.
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So my read on the situation is that his TOEFL score was not high enough for UW, but is high enough for BU and others, and he is trying to decide if he should take it again to still get into UW. Sounds very similar to Letunov's situation.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

defkit said:
So my read on the situation is that his TOEFL score was not high enough for UW, but is high enough for BU and others, and he is trying to decide if he should take it again to still get into UW. Sounds very similar to Letunov's situation.
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I had no idea we had lower TOEFL requirements than other schools. :confused:
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Tkachuk's departure leaves a large hole in what was expected to be BU's top six. Earlier this summer, Albie had suggested a top line of Tkachuk-Bowers-Harper, making a likely second line of Farabee-Carpenter-Cockerill. So, how do the coaches rearrange the pieces? Who's the next man up? It would certainly help if grad transfer Willman can earn a top six spot.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Rogie21 said:
Tkachuk's departure leaves a large hole in what was expected to be BU's top six. Earlier this summer, Albie had suggested a top line of Tkachuk-Bowers-Harper, making a likely second line of Farabee-Carpenter-Cockerill. So, how do the coaches rearrange the pieces? Who's the next man up? It would certainly help if grad transfer Willman can earn a top six spot.
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No Greenway nor Tkachuk this season results in the forward corps being quite small. There's some size amongst the Freshmen (deBoer, Quercia), but they're expected to be depth pieces.

Willman was mostly a top-6 forward at Brown, but that was also at...Brown...But he does bring size and experience to a team that needs both.

Given the current roster, I see the lines being:

Farabee - Bowers - Harper
Cockerill - Wise - Carpenter
Curry - Amonte - Willman
Quercia - deBoer - Chabot
Cheremeta - Witkowski

What was originally thought to be a strength (depth) early in the offseason is now a concern. Crone returning to USHL/transfer to Denver, Tironese not further pursuing hockey, Tkachuk turning pro, and uncertainty over Cloonan's spot on the roster. Quercia had to be brought in a year ahead and Cheremeta a late-addition.

If Ranta wants to come to BU and is admitted, I can see him playing on the 2nd or 3rd line, and potentially on a PP unit. BU has the need, $, so it's just a matter of his interest and BU Admissions at this point.
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

Do you think that team is better or worse than last year?
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

J.D. said:
Do you think that team is better or worse than last year?
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Unclear. Talent top to bottom, probably a tad behind. Don't forget last year's team was very overrated in preseason rankings, which then lead to unreasonable expectations. Their eventual finish - HE title, regional final loss - is right around where most who honestly evaluated the roster would've expected. The path to that result was certainly unexpected though.

But the answer depends on a few questions:

- Does Oettinger have another semester-plus stretch of inconsistent play?
- Is Harper able to return to full form an be an elite forward?
- Do Bowers and Cockerill take steps forward toward becoming elite forwards?
- Do Fabbro and Krys take steps foward toward becoming elite D and leaders of the team?
- Are Curry, Chabot, Amonte, and others able to provide a reasonable scoring threat on the 3rd and 4th lines?
- Are Farabee and Wise as good as advertised and able to step in and contribute immediately?
 
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Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

brassbonanza said:
Unclear. Talent top to bottom, probably a tad behind. Don't forget last year's team was very overrated in preseason rankings, which then lead to unreasonable expectations. Their eventual finish - HE title, regional final loss - is right around where most who honestly evaluated the roster would've expected. The path to that result was certainly unexpected though.

But the answer depends on a few questions:

- Does Oettinger have another semester-plus stretch of inconsistent play?
- Is Harper able to return to full form an be an elite forward?
- Do Bowers and Cockerill take steps forward toward becoming elite forwards?
- Do Fabbro and Krys take steps foward toward becoming elite D and leaders of the team?
- Are Curry, Chabot, Amonte, and others able to provide a reasonable scoring threat on the 3rd and 4th lines?
- Are Farabee and Wise as good as advertised and able to step in and contribute immediately?
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With the current roster, the team should still be good enough to finish top-4 in HE, get to the Garden, and make the NCAAs. Prior to the coaching change and roster attrition (Crone, Tkachuk, Tironese), I thought this year's BU team based on what was known at the time was on the short list of Frozen Four favorites.
 
brassbonanza said:
Unclear. Talent top to bottom, probably a tad behind. Don't forget last year's team was very overrated in preseason rankings, which then lead to unreasonable expectations. Their eventual finish - HE title, regional final loss - is right around where most who honestly evaluated the roster would've expected. The path to that result was certainly unexpected though.

But the answer depends on a few questions:

- Does Oettinger have another semester-plus stretch of inconsistent play?
- Is Harper able to return to full form an be an elite forward?
- Do Bowers and Cockerill take steps forward toward becoming elite forwards?
- Do Fabbro and Krys take steps foward toward becoming elite D and leaders of the team?
- Are Curry, Chabot, Amonte, and others able to provide a reasonable scoring threat on the 3rd and 4th lines?
- Are Farabee and Wise as good as advertised and able to step in and contribute immediately?
Click to expand...
All good questions and I think it’s also worth noting that Hockey East should be a stronger conference this year.
 
J.D. said:
Do you think that team is better or worse than last year?
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Depends on d and g

Hey were spotty last season, a bit of a drop from the year before. If they step it up the team can be better (2-1 final scores perhaps? :))
 
Re: BU offseason thread - this begs some questions!

mookie1995 said:
Depends on d and g

Hey were spotty last season, a bit of a drop from the year before. If they step it up the team can be better (2-1 final scores perhaps? :))
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Oettinger was disappointing 1st half of last season. He's the team's most important player by far and as with last season, the team's success will hinge on his performance.

The D didn't necessary help Oettinger at times last season. I thought Hickey had a sub-par year and the other Senior D (MacLeod, Diffley) had minimal impact on the team. I think what may be even more important than Fabbro and Krys' stepping up is how much the Sophomore D improve.
 
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