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Maine Offseason 2020: We Stay Home But Swayman Leaves

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Ma#1ne Hky said:
Well looks like this Horse race has a winner already with Guite in the winners circle....but hold on, after reading the article I don't think that Guite is a Shoe-in....nope...I have a long shot for all of you: Cam Ellsworth, former UMass-Lowell River Hawk assistant under Norm Bazin and now Head Coach at Norwich...Ellsworth recruited and was the goaltending coach @ UML...he went over to Norwich to gain Head Coaching experience to some day gain a Div.1 Head Coaching job...now lets turn this into a Poker Game and I am pushing all my chips in and betting that on May 8th Cam Ellsworth will be the New UMaine Hockey Coach.
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VERY interesting take. Ellsworth seems to tick an awful lot of boxes, and his family's adjustment to Downeast Maine probably wouldn't be such a huge issue, given his recent time spent at Norwich. Plus, I'm assuming it would be a pay raise for him if he were hired, which might not be the case for a lot of the other potential would-be candidates.

FWIW his name also sounds very Maine-ish to an outsider like me. So I'm gonna hedge my bets with half my chips on Guite, and the other half on Ellsworth.

Cam Ellsworth - Norwich (norwichathletics.com)
 
Ma#1ne Hky said:
Well looks like this Horse race has a winner already with Guite in the winners circle....but hold on, after reading the article I don't think that Guite is a Shoe-in....nope...I have a long shot for all of you: Cam Ellsworth, former UMass-Lowell River Hawk assistant under Norm Bazin and now Head Coach at Norwich...Ellsworth recruited and was the goaltending coach @ UML...he went over to Norwich to gain Head Coaching experience to some day gain a Div.1 Head Coaching job...now lets turn this into a Poker Game and I am pushing all my chips in and betting that on May 8th Cam Ellsworth will be the New UMaine Hockey Coach.
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Ellsworth is a proven recruiter and head coach. I wonder if he is on Ralph's list? The Maine position would definitely be a step up for him.
 
NorthMike said:
https://929theticket.com/ken-ralph-details-search-for-maine-hockeys-next-head-coach/

If you havent heard it and have 20 minutes this is a good interview with KRalph about the coach search. It left me much more encouraged that they are conducting a true and aggressive coach search. It seems Ken might bring good things to hockey eventually, not over night though, his hockey roots can certainly help.
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My first takeaway is when he insults last year's team it absolutely drives me crazy. He is the last person on earth who should be criticizing them after his failure for the team to hold games at the Alfond.

It was good to hear him be a little critical over the decision to get rid of FOMH. I don't understand all the compliance details but it sounds like that was a convenient excuse more than anything else.

I looked up Ellsworth and don't think he would be a great fit based on his record. UML declined quite a bit during his time there and even though he has had success at Norwich that was business as usual for them. Do we really want another coach with ties to UML? On top of that it seems like he is a defense first coach which isn't super exciting and honestly UML has played a lot of boring hockey under Bazin. I don't see that filling up the Alfond again.
 
Drew S. said:
I looked up Ellsworth and don't think he would be a great fit based on his record. UML declined quite a bit during his time there and even though he has had success at Norwich that was business as usual for them. Do we really want another coach with ties to UML? On top of that it seems like he is a defense first coach which isn't super exciting and honestly UML has played a lot of boring hockey under Bazin. I don't see that filling up the Alfond again.
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Um, what?

"Ellsworth was one of the driving forces behind UMass Lowell's rapid ascension to the top of the Division I hockey world, including winning three Hockey East Tournament titles. UMass Lowell made five NCAA Tournament appearances in Ellsworth's seven seasons, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2012-13.

UMass Lowell won 21 or more games in six of seven seasons, including a 19-win difference (five to 24) in Ellsworth's first season in 2011-12 with Norm Bazin.

The 2012-13 season was the best season in UMass Lowell's 34-year history at the Division I level. The River Hawks went 28-11-2, swept the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as made the only Division I Frozen Four appearance in program history." *From his bio on the Norwich site.

His last year there they weren't great. His second to last year, they won 27 games, a HE title, and lost the regional final in OT. I have seen Ellsworth's teams play quite a bit, and he is definitely a defense-first coach; a really, really good one. An 11 game shutout streak (13 SOs in 14 games too) over the end of 19-20 and the start of 20-21(3 different goalies). Maybe not exciting hockey per your definition, but you know what will fill the Alfond more than anything? Winning.
 
walrus said:
https://bangordailynews.com/2021/04/...5gxWdVojYP-rJ4 May 8th is the deadline, sounds like Guite to me
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Article was actually a little eye-opening in terms of the stated commitment of a search committee, but there is a little contradiction to me. On one hand they're casting a wide net, but on the other, they plan on hiring a coach within the next week+. Odd.

Jack Capuano figures to be an interesting candidate for the job, as a Bangor native. The Senators season figures to be wrapping up shortly and his NHL ties may be a valuable recruiting tool. Ellsworth is a very interesting name to watch. I'm pleased that they at least called Monty. Ben Barr would also be my top choice, but as Chuck has stated, he'll have his pick of the litter so Orono may not be his top destination.

Regardless, I'm thrilled to hear about their plans to do a national search; however the cynic inside of me says it's all a big show and is prepared to be let down with the "we interviewed a bunch of candidates, but still determined Ben Guite is the best person to lead our program into the future" conclusion...
 
KrbFlint said:
Um, what?

"Ellsworth was one of the driving forces behind UMass Lowell's rapid ascension to the top of the Division I hockey world, including winning three Hockey East Tournament titles. UMass Lowell made five NCAA Tournament appearances in Ellsworth's seven seasons, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2012-13.

UMass Lowell won 21 or more games in six of seven seasons, including a 19-win difference (five to 24) in Ellsworth's first season in 2011-12 with Norm Bazin.

The 2012-13 season was the best season in UMass Lowell's 34-year history at the Division I level. The River Hawks went 28-11-2, swept the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, as well as made the only Division I Frozen Four appearance in program history." *From his bio on the Norwich site.

His last year there they weren't great. His second to last year, they won 27 games, a HE title, and lost the regional final in OT. I have seen Ellsworth's teams play quite a bit, and he is definitely a defense-first coach; a really, really good one. An 11 game shutout streak (13 SOs in 14 games too) over the end of 19-20 and the start of 20-21(3 different goalies). Maybe not exciting hockey per your definition, but you know what will fill the Alfond more than anything? Winning.
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I think you missed my point. UML has clearly had success during the Bazin regime. What I'm talking about is that they, at least in my opinion, were more successful at the start when they had some of Blaise's guys versus when it was all Norm/Cam's guys. One thing Ken Ralph said which I strongly agree with is that they want to hire someone who can have sustained success over the long term. If you look at Norm/Cam's time at UML they've gone from very successful to fairly mediocre(I'm including the years after Cam left for Norwich) which is a pretty big red flag for me.

On top of that Cam never played in the NHL and as far as I'm aware has never won a championship anywhere. Those are two things Ben has which I rate as pretty important. Also how is he going to sell Maine where he doesn't have any ties to the school or state(that I'm aware of)?
 
krbflint said:
um, what?

"ellsworth was one of the driving forces behind umass lowell's rapid ascension to the top of the division i hockey world, including winning three hockey east tournament titles. Umass lowell made five ncaa tournament appearances in ellsworth's seven seasons, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2012-13.

Umass lowell won 21 or more games in six of seven seasons, including a 19-win difference (five to 24) in ellsworth's first season in 2011-12 with norm bazin.

The 2012-13 season was the best season in umass lowell's 34-year history at the division i level. The river hawks went 28-11-2, swept the hockey east regular season and tournament titles, as well as made the only division i frozen four appearance in program history." *from his bio on the norwich site.

His last year there they weren't great. His second to last year, they won 27 games, a he title, and lost the regional final in ot. I have seen ellsworth's teams play quite a bit, and he is definitely a defense-first coach; a really, really good one. An 11 game shutout streak (13 sos in 14 games too) over the end of 19-20 and the start of 20-21(3 different goalies). Maybe not exciting hockey per your definition, but you know what will fill the alfond more than anything? Winning.
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ding ding ding !!! +1
 
Drew S. said:
I think you missed my point. UML has clearly had success during the Bazin regime. What I'm talking about is that they, at least in my opinion, were more successful at the start when they had some of Blaise's guys versus when it was all Norm/Cam's guys. One thing Ken Ralph said which I strongly agree with is that they want to hire someone who can have sustained success over the long term. If you look at Norm/Cam's time at UML they've gone from very successful to fairly mediocre(I'm including the years after Cam left for Norwich) which is a pretty big red flag for me.

On top of that Cam never played in the NHL and as far as I'm aware has never won a championship anywhere. Those are two things Ben has which I rate as pretty important. Also how is he going to sell Maine where he doesn't have any ties to the school or state(that I'm aware of)?
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Come on give me a break that the reason that UML went on a tear was because Bazin was aided by McDonalds players...things changed big time when Bazin took over on the ice and UML in general decided to push hockey....and with that would you rather have years of Gendron/Guite then Bazin/Ellsworth...? Even during your so called decline had Maine had that it would have been a high light reel deal Maine.
 
Drew S. said:
I think you missed my point. UML has clearly had success during the Bazin regime. What I'm talking about is that they, at least in my opinion, were more successful at the start when they had some of Blaise's guys versus when it was all Norm/Cam's guys. One thing Ken Ralph said which I strongly agree with is that they want to hire someone who can have sustained success over the long term. If you look at Norm/Cam's time at UML they've gone from very successful to fairly mediocre(I'm including the years after Cam left for Norwich) which is a pretty big red flag for me.

On top of that Cam never played in the NHL and as far as I'm aware has never won a championship anywhere. Those are two things Ben has which I rate as pretty important. Also how is he going to sell Maine where he doesn't have any ties to the school or state(that I'm aware of)?
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I don't think I missed your point; I just disagree with it. Norm/Cam's time (7 years together) at UML, in my opinion, showed sustained success. Great in Year 2, and great in year 6. As far as most recently (post-Ellsworth), they lost a 1-0 game to the national champ in the HE final. I'd be thrilled to see the Bears back in the final, personally.

Playing in the NHL is now part of the job? Respectfully, that seems like a silly thing to say. Plenty of highly successful coaches haven't played in the NHL, and plenty of failed head coaches have. As far as championships go, Red (RIP) was part of multiple national titles, yet here we are. Finally, Cam Ellsworth didn't have any ties to Lowell or Vermont prior to taking those jobs and it hasn't seemed to hurt his recruiting at either place. He's developed pros at both schools too, in case that was the concern.

Listen, I love watching Norwich play hockey, so I hope Ellsworth stays put. BUT, I also have a Maine 1993 National Champs Coke bottle on my desk, so I want the Black Bears to get back to relevancy (for now; bigger goals later). I'm not advocating for Ellsworth to get the job, but dismissing him out of hand is foolish.
 
Drew S. said:
I think you missed my point. UML has clearly had success during the Bazin regime. What I'm talking about is that they, at least in my opinion, were more successful at the start when they had some of Blaise's guys versus when it was all Norm/Cam's guys.
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Wow, who knew? Blaise MacDonald, deserving of some credit for Bazin's early results at UML.

Or maybe Bazin/Ellsworth coached up a lot of the same players from 5 wins to 24 wins in a season?

I'm pretty sure Hellebuyck didn't arrive until a year or so after the coaching change ...
 
Drew S. said:
On top of that Cam never played in the NHL and as far as I'm aware has never won a championship anywhere. Those are two things Ben has which I rate as pretty important. Also how is he going to sell Maine where he doesn't have any ties to the school or state(that I'm aware of)?
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He's coached a team that has won a game in a conference tournament before. Has Ben Guite done that?
 
Why do folks think Cam is on the short list?
Pure speculation?
I thought Moore would have interest, surprised in his cold pass.
 
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Chuck Murray said:
Wow, who knew? Blaise MacDonald, deserving of some credit for Bazin's early results at UML.

Or maybe Bazin/Ellsworth coached up a lot of the same players from 5 wins to 24 wins in a season?

I'm pretty sure Hellebuyck didn't arrive until a year or so after the coaching change ...
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Norm and Cam absolutely deserve a ton of credit for the COACHING they did at UML. I guess for me I view that as a distant second in importance to recruiting at Maine. Honestly I don’t think bad coaching has been much of an issue for Maine the last 15 years.

I posted this a while ago but if you go back Maine’s recruiting fell of a cliff from 2003 to 2004 and then again from 2004 to 2005. Since then they’ve had one great class, a few good ones, and lots of mediocre ones. To turn things around the new coach is going to have to bring in good players year in and year out. Maybe Cam can do that but for me I don’t see that based on his track record at UML.

I think Ben has a really good recruiting pitch. He can tell kids he came to Maine, won a national championship, met his wife, and then went on to have a really solid NHL career. I’m not really sure what Cam has to sell. There is a reason alums are more successful than non alums.
 
Drew S. said:
Norm and Cam absolutely deserve a ton of credit for the COACHING they did at UML. I guess for me I view that as a distant second in importance to recruiting at Maine. Honestly I don’t think bad coaching has been much of an issue for Maine the last 15 years.

I posted this a while ago but if you go back Maine’s recruiting fell of a cliff from 2003 to 2004 and then again from 2004 to 2005. Since then they’ve had one great class, a few good ones, and lots of mediocre ones. To turn things around the new coach is going to have to bring in good players year in and year out. Maybe Cam can do that but for me I don’t see that based on his track record at UML.

I think Ben has a really good recruiting pitch. He can tell kids he came to Maine, won a national championship, met his wife, and then went on to have a really solid NHL career. I’m not really sure what Cam has to sell. There is a reason alums are more successful than non alums.
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I'll ask the obvious question...why hasn't Guite been able to do that - consistently - the last few years then? By your admission, recruiting has been mediocre at best. And Ben Guite has been the lead recruiter.
 
I relistened to the Ken Ralph interview with 92.9 and I'm a little concerned, given that I agreed with almost 100% of what he said. He was very insightful and said everything I would hope for my AD to say about the honest state of the program and hopes for the future; however I'm hesitant because this is the same guy that was about to retain Gendron for at least one more season. I want to believe we're going to turn over every metaphorical stone, and truly revitalize the program in the way that he laid out, but also fully expect him to just hire Ben Guite and move forward from there.

I would highly recommend anyone listen to that 20 min interview though, very interesting to say the least.
 
Drew S. said:
I think Ben has a really good recruiting pitch. He can tell kids he came to Maine, won a national championship, met his wife, and then went on to have a really solid NHL career. I'm not really sure what Cam has to sell. There is a reason alums are more successful than non alums.
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Walshy and Standbrook did OK in selling Orono to kids far and wide, despite being non-alums.

Ellsworth did OK selling Lowell and Norwich to recruits, despite not being an alum at either place.

UNH's best recruiter (McCloskey) wasn't a UNH alum, but Souza IS an alum. How's that working?

Neither Carvel nor Barr are UMass alums (undergrad anyway; Carvel may have a grad degree?).

Jerry York may be an example of a successful alum hire ... but he also won a D-1 title for BGSU.

A good coach can win anywhere. It probably just so happens that if you're a good college coach, your personal goal may be to coach for your alma mater at the peak of your career. There is no guarantee that any random alum hire produces a better result than a non-alum.
 
Chuck Murray said:
Walshy and Standbrook did OK in selling Orono to kids far and wide, despite being non-alums.

Ellsworth did OK selling Lowell and Norwich to recruits, despite not being an alum at either place.

UNH's best recruiter (McCloskey) wasn't a UNH alum, but Souza IS an alum. How's that working?

Neither Carvel nor Barr are UMass alums (undergrad anyway; Carvel may have a grad degree?).

Jerry York may be an example of a successful alum hire ... but he also won a D-1 title for BGSU.

A good coach can win anywhere. It probably just so happens that if you're a good college coach, your personal goal may be to coach for your alma mater at the peak of your career. There is no guarantee that any random alum hire produces a better result than a non-alum.
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How could you not mention Gordon (Red) Berenson, Chuck? :-)
 
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