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Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

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Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Ok what i meant by vet is that soloman has been around for a couple years now, and while he hasnt played much he has been on the team for some time, many teams look to the older guys for leadership regardless of their talent level, and while I agree you should try to incorporate the freshman and younger guys, you need an older presence on a line thats sole objective is to grind.

A perfect example would be Dekastroza(sp?) he didnt play much the first two years, and then was a grinder for the team his junior year, helping him to emerge as a player in his senior season. If they hadnt stuck with him despite lack of playing many games and lack of stats, he may never have become a strong contributor to a top two line, and score huge goals for the team in the Hockey East tourney
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Goblackbears09 said:
Ok what i meant by vet is that soloman has been around for a couple years now, and while he hasnt played much he has been on the team for some time, many teams look to the older guys for leadership regardless of their talent level, and while I agree you should try to incorporate the freshman and younger guys, you need an older presence on a line thats sole objective is to grind.

A perfect example would be Dekastroza(sp?) he didnt play much the first two years, and then was a grinder for the team his junior year, helping him to emerge as a player in his senior season. If they hadnt stuck with him despite lack of playing many games and lack of stats, he may never have become a strong contributor to a top two line, and score huge goals for the team in the Hockey East tourney
Click to expand...

OK, it sounds like you've been following this team for about 18 months or so by the way you're talking up the likes of DeKastrozza, Soloman, and Swallow. OK..maybe not talking them up, but anyone who says Swallow had a ROLE on a Maine hockey team has got to be a newbie.

First of all....there will be about 12 or 13 other junior or seniors on the squad next year....so I'm sure the new guys will survive even if they don't have Kyle Soloman there to look up to.

Secondly....DeKastrozza "didn't play much the first two years" because it was actually somewhat challenging to crack the lineup his freshman year, and then in his sophomore year when it CERTAINLY wasn't hard to crack the lineup, he was hurt and only played 8 games.

Most people thought he was going to be our 2nd most decent forward from that class behind Teddy...and he has a big body....so I anticipated seeing what he could do when finally given a real chance his junior year.... and he sucked....was terribly ineffective....so between sucking (and having talented freshmen wanting to play) and dealing with a couple more nagging bumps....he once again only dressed for about half the games. And when he did play, I hope by "grinder" you meant "We dont have anyone else good enough to crack the lineup instead so you're in...but you'd clutter up our top 2 lines"

Going into his senior year he ran a 49GP 0-5--5 line. Just because he wasn't our most ineffective player by the last 2 1/2 months of his college career doesn't mean he's some sort of great product of stick withitness. He found linemates in Abbott and Dee that really made him look better than he was, to boot, and for once in 4 years he actually TRIED playing bodies. Wasn't awesome at it, but he tried.




We need more than WARM BODIES....and if you want to invest in sustained success....you expose those younger kids with potential to make noise over an upperclass no one. The roster will be hard enough to crack for them without success impediments like Soloman standing in their way.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Besides, the experience of Soloman isn't really needed on 4th line since it will include 'vets' like Andersson, Leidermark, or Beattie.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

bearsFan93 said:
Besides, the experience of Soloman isn't really needed on 4th line since it will include 'vets' like Andersson, Leidermark, or Beattie.
Click to expand...

exactly.....and even if it didn't.....did anyone notice Shemansky, Mangene and Joey having trouble as an all-frosh line down the stretch? What about last year when our TOP line was 2 freshmen and a sophomore?

I think every hockey player with enough competancy to play at this level understands the role of a 4th line on most teams....so put the right players out there....

This isn't High School, or community recreation....we don't owe anyone playing time because they're a junior or senior.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

And just to reiterate....

I don't hate on those guys because they don't put up big numbers. That's what you make it sound like.

Andersson doesn't put up big numbers, nor do I expect him to next year....but bet your savings I want him in the lineup every night because of what he can bring to the team. Mangene scored, what? 1 goal last year and it was a half-ice empty netter?? He doesn't put up huge numbers....but he has a very distinct and important role as a skater, and forechecker that he fills VERY well (and will only get better, and modest point production may show next year because of it). The guy created ample scoring chances out of routine set-ups by the opposition.


There's a huge difference between filling a role, and being ineffective.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Goblackbears09 said:
A perfect example would be Dekastroza(sp?) he didnt play much the first two years, and then was a grinder for the team his junior year, helping him to emerge as a player in his senior season. If they hadnt stuck with him despite lack of playing many games and lack of stats, he may never have become a strong contributor to a top two line, and score huge goals for the team in the Hockey East tourney
Click to expand...

I kinda agree.Dek was pretty good last season.He got his nose dirty and played hard.Not a bad skater,either.

Mangene and Shemansky were bright spots for me in the early season,albeit in bad losses at Union and UMass.They wore down as the year went on,but "the best thing about Freshman is that next year they're gonna be Sophomores",right?I expect them to be solid contributors from here on out.

We are fine up front...Make no mistake,the only thing Timmy has to worry about for a year or two is the D and the 'tending.And I wouldn't be surprised if he's losing sleep.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I agree with some of your points, but if you say swallow didn't play a role when he played all but 2 games id say thats a bold statement. He may not be that great, but he played a role. I have followed the team for 5 years now so i may not have all the experience you posess, but if you look back over that time you will see a guy liek solomon on a 3rd or 4th line, ie. Vince Laise, Jeff Marshall if you want other, robby dee as well, who as a freshman and sophmore was pretty terrible. But they stuck with Dee as well and now he is a top 2 line guy.

I agree though that you have to give a chance to the young guys, and thats why i said if solomon falters early on they will get in quickly. If you look at freshman early on most arent that great, diamond for example was the worst on the team in +- for most of the season. Theres always exceptions (nyquist, purcell).

However, if this is what we have to argue about its a good thing, we have a real shot at the national title, and our biggest worry on the forward lines is who is going to be our worst forward, compared to years past that sounds great to me.

Heres what id say for forward lines:

1: Nyquist, House, Flynn
2: Diamond, Dee, Abbott
3: Shemansky, Mangene, Swavely (maybe amestoy)
4: Andersson, Liedermark, Soloman (with beattie rotating in) and then other freshman trying to crack this
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Goblackbears09 said:
I agree with some of your points, but if you say swallow didn't play a role when he played all but 2 games id say thats a bold statement. He may not be that great, but he played a role. I have followed the team for 5 years now so i may not have all the experience you posess, but if you look back over that time you will see a guy liek solomon on a 3rd or 4th line, ie. Vince Laise, Jeff Marshall if you want other, robby dee as well, who as a freshman and sophmore was pretty terrible. But they stuck with Dee as well and now he is a top 2 line guy.

I agree though that you have to give a chance to the young guys, and thats why i said if solomon falters early on they will get in quickly. If you look at freshman early on most arent that great, diamond for example was the worst on the team in +- for most of the season. Theres always exceptions (nyquist, purcell).

However, if this is what we have to argue about its a good thing, we have a real shot at the national title, and our biggest worry on the forward lines is who is going to be our worst forward, compared to years past that sounds great to me.

Heres what id say for forward lines:

1: Nyquist, House, Flynn
2: Diamond, Dee, Abbott
3: Shemansky, Mangene, Swavely (maybe amestoy)
4: Andersson, Liedermark, Soloman (with beattie rotating in) and then other freshman trying to crack this
Click to expand...

We don't have a shot at anything unless the goaltending situation pans out.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Goblackbears09 said:
I agree with some of your points, but if you say swallow didn't play a role when he played all but 2 games id say thats a bold statement. He may not be that great, but he played a role. I have followed the team for 5 years now so i may not have all the experience you posess, but if you look back over that time you will see a guy liek solomon on a 3rd or 4th line, ie. Vince Laise, Jeff Marshall if you want other, robby dee as well, who as a freshman and sophmore was pretty terrible. But they stuck with Dee as well and now he is a top 2 line guy.

I agree though that you have to give a chance to the young guys, and thats why i said if solomon falters early on they will get in quickly. If you look at freshman early on most arent that great, diamond for example was the worst on the team in +- for most of the season. Theres always exceptions (nyquist, purcell).

However, if this is what we have to argue about its a good thing, we have a real shot at the national title, and our biggest worry on the forward lines is who is going to be our worst forward, compared to years past that sounds great to me.

Heres what id say for forward lines:

1: Nyquist, House, Flynn
2: Diamond, Dee, Abbott
3: Shemansky, Mangene, Swavely (maybe amestoy)
4: Andersson, Liedermark, Soloman (with beattie rotating in) and then other freshman trying to crack this
Click to expand...
1: Nyquist, Flynn, House
2: Dee, Abbott, Shemansky
3: Mangene, Diamond, Leidermark
4: Andersson, Swavely, Anthoine
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

GoMaine24 said:
Part of me agrees, but Shemansky and Diamond both seem to be developing into similar 'finishers'....so unless they were on line together with Gus, or another savvy set up man....I think they'll be better suited broken up.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure I'd call either one of them a "finisher" at this point especially Shemansky. Diamond showed some promise as a goal scorer with 5 goals the 2nd half of the season and some scoring touch around the net particularly at the Garden with 3 goals that weekend. Shemansky showed nothing for scoring in the second half with one goal in Florida and none in the last 20 games of the year. I'll be surprised if Shemansky turns into a finisher he gets knocked off the puck way to easy and doesn't have much of a shot.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Man oh man...

Way to bring back the haunting names of more
recruitment failures.

Dee was an NHL draftee before we even got him. Just because he's not dramatically underachieving anymore doesn't make him a decent analogy to a late invitee, non scholarship walk on who isn't really working out. Obviously scouts saw some kind of raw potential in Dee for Edmonton to take a stab at him and his final year before Maine and his first two here....his stock plummeted. He had raw skill but obviously had to work a little bit harder. He is in no way analogous to Kyle Soloman.

And the fact that you had swavely as a third liner...with no mention of anthoine in your top 14 names to crack the lineup tells me you're not grasping who is coming in with performance expectations.

If his play translates to the NCAA...I'll be ****ed if I see soloman in the lineup over anthoine, corkum, or Beattie.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

After all that, Soloman should still have a roster spot next year because both Higgins and Amestoy aren't coming until 2011.

Higgins will get there, but he isn't quite ripe yet, and I think Amestoy will pistol his way into playing time the way Mangene did when his time comes...so it works out for everyone.

My lines are still

Flynn/House/Gus
Spence/Dee/Joey
Mangene/Leidermarrk/Shemansky
Andersson/Anthoine/Beattie

1st in....Corkum
2nd in...Swavely
See you at practice.....Soloman


Dimmen/O'Neill
Banwell/Van Dyk
Hegarty and Nemec battle for the job/Cornell

1st in if he's healthy....Pryor (kid looked so sharp when I saw him in U-18, I hope he recovers well)
O'Connor


And I still firmly believe that Darling EARNS his job back, and gets full time duty come mid February.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

bearsFan93 said:
How good is Corkum?
Click to expand...

Good enough to be invited to U-18 a few years back.

He was part of that crazy class of Jr. Monarchs last year....and he was outscoring Shemansky, Beattie and Mangene for #1 on the team out of the gate, and I think after the first dozen games (which was roughly what he ended up playing) he was right up there for the league lead in goals until that last concussion did him in.

But people who have watched him play through the last couple years say he's got his dad's heart and will.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

GoMaine24 said:
Good enough to be invited to U-18 a few years back.

He was part of that crazy class of Jr. Monarchs last year....and he was outscoring Shemansky, Beattie and Mangene for #1 on the team out of the gate, and I think after the first dozen games (which was roughly what he ended up playing) he was right up there for the league lead in goals until that last concussion did him in.

But people who have watched him play through the last couple years say he's got his dad's heart and will.
Click to expand...
Is he completely 100% recovered, or is he still a little shaky?
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

bearsFan93 said:
Is he completely 100% recovered, or is he still a little shaky?
Click to expand...

Well, that remains to be seen.

He has been medically cleared and referred to as asymptamatic. Bob was quoted as saying he's been "working out like a madman"....so I wouldn't worry about playing shape....but it will be a matter of readjusting to the speed of the game and 'getting back on that bike' so to speak. How quickly does he regain his form? He hasn't played a real game since late fall 2008. So probably not immediately...but I bet he competes for the lineup regularly by December if not sooner.
 
Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

GoMaine24 said:
Well, that remains to be seen.

He has been medically cleared and referred to as asymptamatic. Bob was quoted as saying he's been "working out like a madman"....so I wouldn't worry about playing shape....but it will be a matter of readjusting to the speed of the game and 'getting back on that bike' so to speak. How quickly does he regain his form? He hasn't played a real game since late fall 2008. So probably not immediately...but I bet he competes for the lineup regularly by December if not sooner.
Click to expand...

I hope so for Maines sake but in a strict hockey sense, dont believe he is a top 6 in hockey east.
Watched him play enough to feel that way. Coaches though can make it work by giving kids benefit of doubt and coupling with certain players
 
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