How did LSSU suddenly get juice on the recruiting trail? I am not an LSSU fan but I hope you guys put it together as I miss the old CCHA.
honestly perfect opportunity with the CHL rule change like the rest of the CCHA and the new money coming in boosting the recruiting budget. i even saw Mike York a week and a half ago at the Rookie Showcase walking through Sharks Ice with some other scouts, which is a newer recruiting ground for college coaches, so theyre keeping up w the trends.
Lake State has a BIG location advantage, more than even Maine/UVM/UNH with Quebec/Atlantic Canada kids- the ease of travel to the new high-value recruiting grounds. it's way easier to get to OHL games than USHL games in the midwest. Whitten mentions this point in that Sault Star article lakersparty linked on Cooper Foster. basically scouting any OHL team is as easy as looking when they play the Greyhounds and heading over the border. last year they played a regular season game at the Greyhounds home arena, im sure they have developed a good relationship with their organization. most high end players from Canadian Soo play in the OHL, like Calem Mangone last year and Foster this year, and im sure their families love to have them close by after multiple years away from home. instead of competing with the OHL for local players like they had been, they can be the next step up.
the CCHA as a whole is in prime location for the eastern provinces of the WHL and the OHL, but none more so than the Lakers, who were previously at a disadvantage. all credit to them for leveraging that advantage so well in this incoming class. last year only brought 3 CHL guys, and while Mangone was a slam dunk, the impact wasn't as immediate as it was for BGSU or Tech or even Bemidji. this year they have a lot of holes to fill and i like the additions for making an impact sooner than later
they aren't only going to the CHL of course, some high quality transfers, a bunch of USHL guys and even SJHL. international scouting deserves a shoutout too- this years team comes from US, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Japan, and France.
