Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

[Hockeypuck]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

PC is a program in a slump and working their way out of it. Good recruiting and strong young team.. If you saw the games last wekend, you could have seen that they are getting there, sooner then later

PC was at Maine 2 weeks ago and they were the worst team Maine has played this year. The have a very good goalie and seem to be a hard working team,but are lacking alot in the talent department.

 

[BobF]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

8 Forwards on Maines team last year had less then 3 goals, that being for the entire season.

Rarely do schools committ to a kid and then tell him to do another year. It does happen, BC and Northeastern have done it to a couple kids in the past few years. It is though looked at as a negative and Maine now has the rep as being a school who will play with your head and string you along.

What favor are you doing a kid to bring him in when he is not ready? Kyle Beattie was supposed to do a year in USHL this year, but after Maine lost Bergman they brought him in a year early. He is going to be a good player, but he'll play far fewer games this year.

Mark Anthoine was recruited to play two years ago and only this year is he lighting it up in the USHL. Ted Purcell could have been brought in a year earlier. Kids at 17,18,19 & 20 all develop differently sometimes you evaluate right, and sometimes you don't.

The "current" track record at Maine with the last few classes shows they are doing a better job evaluating talent. Much better than the likes of Hopson, Marshall, Belmore, and Orsini.

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I am just curious as to what, not 'who', Hokydad is.
This guy is all over the country almost daily and always within earshot of D-1 coaches/recruiters conversations.

My guess... he is a little birdie.

Or... a fly on the wall?

 

[BlackBear8]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I am just curious as to what, not 'who', Hokydad is.
This guy is all over the country almost daily and always within earshot of D-1 coaches/recruiters conversations.

My guess... he is a little birdie.

Or... a fly on the wall?

Must be or maybe he is Arnold's dad. He is a hockey dad afterall. He seems to be sticking up for Arnold in every post. Maybe he is Bob Norton's twin?

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I am just curious as to what, not 'who', Hokydad is.
This guy is all over the country almost daily and always within earshot of D-1 coaches/recruiters conversations.

My guess... he is a little birdie.

Or... a fly on the wall?

Just a fan of hockey, mainly D 1 and juniors. Also have been lucky enough to know a lot of these kids since they were mites, coached many and against most. Arnold, Hegerty, Anthoine being a few
Travel enough to have seen several USHL games this year. Anthopine lighting it up, and he is, shows he was ready this year and didnt ned the extra year. In the end it will work out vert well as he will be that much better and have en even more productive carear.

the USHL though is a grind, living in someones basement while not going to school is a long 7 or 8 months for a kid that age. If you tell a kid he can come and recruit as such, they should live up to it. These are kids, not pieces of whiteheads chess board. Not speaking for him as I am sure he is pumped about coming to Maine but the rep Maine has is that they jerk kids around. A rep they have earned and that the kids share. that is why so many kids dont return Maine's phone calls and dont reach out to them

 

[fiqure8]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Just a fan of hockey, mainly D 1 and juniors. Also have been lucky enough to know a lot of these kids since they were mites, coached many and against most. Arnold, Hegerty, Anthoine being a few
Travel enough to have seen several USHL games this year. Anthopine lighting it up, and he is, shows he was ready this year and didnt ned the extra year. In the end it will work out vert well as he will be that much better and have en even more productive carear.

the USHL though is a grind, living in someones basement while not going to school is a long 7 or 8 months for a kid that age. If you tell a kid he can come and recruit as such, they should live up to it. These are kids, not pieces of whiteheads chess board. Not speaking for him as I am sure he is pumped about coming to Maine but the rep Maine has is that they jerk kids around. A rep they have earned and that the kids share. that is why so many kids dont return Maine's phone calls and dont reach out to them

Most strong D1 Programs are loaded with talent and very difficult to crack the lineup for a young pup. Even if the opprtunity presents itself, a small window may be available and the player must be an impact player to make an impression in a short period of time; ie: offense scoring goals #1 criteria. Strong D1 programs are a revolving door for players and over recruiting a common problem due to the constant threat of some players jumping ship for the pro $ . Recruiting talent? Every player develops at different stages, and I feel that there is more of an abudance of skilled forwards, who can fill in, where finding those skilled defensmen and goaltender is more difficult at at a premium, but also develop their skill sets at a later age it seems, and more specialized going forward.

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Most strong D1 Programs are loaded with talent and very difficult to crack the lineup for a young pup. Even if the opprtunity presents itself, a small window may be available and the player must be an impact player to make an impression in a short period of time; ie: offense scoring goals #1 criteria. Strong D1 programs are a revolving door for players and over recruiting a common problem due to the constant threat of some players jumping ship for the pro $ . Recruiting talent? Every player develops at different stages, and I feel that there is more of an abudance of skilled forwards, who can fill in, where finding those skilled defensmen and goaltender is more difficult at at a premium, but also develop their skill sets at a later age it seems, and more specialized going forward.

A kid, not an over age one at that, who is leading the USHL in goals is ready for Maine. Especially when he is on a 500 type team./

Maine jerked him around, has done so with other kids and that is why no one takes them seriously when they go out there. They give a kid from Boston Advantage a 4/4 and there are 100 F's better in the USHL. Why is that? because the USHL kids dont care about Maine, sad but true. Kids signing on daily, Camper to UNH last week, many others before that

Someone says he is just starting to light it up now, no kidding. He is lighting it up because he in fact was and is ready for Maine. He is a legit sniper who can hit a spot as well as any kid in the league. Might have the most accurate shot in league.

He is also a Maine born and developed player and kid. Should have brought him in this year with bells and whistles on. Maine people love rooting for their Maine kids, especially when they are very good.

 

[BobF]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Just a fan of hockey, mainly D 1 and juniors. Also have been lucky enough to know a lot of these kids since they were mites, coached many and against most. Arnold, Hegerty, Anthoine being a few
Travel enough to have seen several USHL games this year. Anthopine lighting it up, and he is, shows he was ready this year and didnt ned the extra year. In the end it will work out vert well as he will be that much better and have en even more productive carear.

I have to say you contradict the he!! out of yourself! Read your last sentence!

"he will be that much better and have an even more productive career"

If that's the case you are actually making the case for why Maine held him back! Sorry I don't have a ton of confidence in your credibility to judge talent. You say Arnold would be playing at Maine this year as a top 12 forward and Anthoine is a sniper, when he showed no indication of that previously. Some of the success he is having this year is because he is much older and more experienced than others in the USHL. I doubt he is an impact player for Maine next year, but certainly hope he is.

It sucks to be jerked around, but that happens when you are competing for D I scholarships, and it happens in the major junior leagues as well!

I don't buy this Maine rep. thing as many schools do the same exact thing. I am sure Maine will have a few USHL players signed on for 2011 or beyond in the not too distant future.

 

[KnowItAll]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I have to say you contradict the he!! out of yourself! Read your last sentence!

"he will be that much better and have an even more productive career"

If that's the case you are actually making the case for why Maine held him back! Sorry I don't have a ton of confidence in your credibility to judge talent. You say Arnold would be playing at Maine this year as a top 12 forward and Anthoine is a sniper, when he showed no indication of that previously. Some of the success he is having this year is because he is much older and more experienced than others in the USHL. I doubt he is an impact player for Maine next year, but certainly hope he is.

It sucks to be jerked around, but that happens when you are competing for D I scholarships, and it happens in the major junior leagues as well!

I don't buy this Maine rep. thing as many schools do the same exact thing. I am sure Maine will have a few USHL players signed on for 2011 or beyond in the not too distant future.

Speak with a scout. Speak with a family advisor.

you will be AMAZED at what you hear.

you do come across as "the bigger person" in all this, and as "nice guy", but i am not sure why that is important in an anonymous internet forum.

I think I just figured out who hockydad is, and I have a feeling he knows a heck of a lot more than he is letting on.

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I have to say you contradict the he!! out of yourself! Read your last sentence!

"he will be that much better and have an even more productive career"

If that's the case you are actually making the case for why Maine held him back! Sorry I don't have a ton of confidence in your credibility to judge talent. You say Arnold would be playing at Maine this year as a top 12 forward and Anthoine is a sniper, when he showed no indication of that previously. Some of the success he is having this year is because he is much older and more experienced than others in the USHL. I doubt he is an impact player for Maine next year, but certainly hope he is.

It sucks to be jerked around, but that happens when you are competing for D I scholarships, and it happens in the major junior leagues as well!

I don't buy this Maine rep. thing as many schools do the same exact thing. I am sure Maine will have a few USHL players signed on for 2011 or beyond in the not too distant future.

How is it a contradiction?

The point was he was lighten it up now and thus that shows he would have been ready this year

Every single kid in college would of course do better the longer they waited. maybe we can have them play in europe till 25 then come over

The point is he was ready and is ready

He is not an overage player, they are 89's, he is a 90.

go to this website and look at all the ushl kids going to ECAC and Hockey East. You will notice Maine has one, from this past July, a 5'4" kid from a local Boston midget team. Maine has 2 in all of 2009, 1 of which decommitted. Lowell on the other hand has 14 so far in 2009, with 9 being from USHL
UNH has 10 so far in 2009 with 8 being from USHL
Northeastern has 7 for 2009, 4 from USHL
UVM 5 total, 2 studs from USHL
U Mass 5 and 1 from USHL
BU has 6 so far, 4 from USHL, one from natl team
PC 3 so far, one from USHL, as well as an NHL draft pick

But good old Maine, they have a kid from Boston Advantage midget team. A team ex Maine player Tim Lovell played on.
others are piling up the high end quality kids.

To say, "I am sure Maine will soon enough", is guessing. Even if they do, it is the tail end kids who didnt hook on somewhere else.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rZN-GJH1Q0NQeXIJG47g-ug

Come on Maine, I want you back to the glory days, get out there, recruit the top kids, support them and live up to your word.

 

[BobF]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Speak with a scout. Speak with a family advisor.

you will be AMAZED at what you hear.

you do come across as "the bigger person" in all this, and as "nice guy", but i am not sure why that is important in an anonymous internet forum.

I think I just figured out who hockydad is, and I have a feeling he knows a heck of a lot more than he is letting on.

Well it's my goal to be the nice guy!

And I am the only one who is not anonymous as my name states who I am and people in the Maine Hockey community know who I am.

It is none of "my" business to be sidling up to scouts or family advisors. I'm a fan, not a reporter and I don't need to take up peoples time who have a job to do (being a nice guy and all). The product on the ice is what speaks to me. IF Maine ends up folding in the second half of the year, if Maine becomes a perennial also ran, then a change will need to be made at the top.

As I said on a previous post, I had the occasion to get to know some of the parents and after their son had graduated and all kinds of rumors were being spread about Tim's ineptitude I asked for their input. They stood behind Tim and had nothing but good things to say.

I don't need to hear about rumors and innuendos, as I said, IF the product on the ice suffers (as it has the past 2 years) for another season, or fails to show improvement, then a change needs to be made!

I guess this shows the genius of Whitehead that he can recruit inferior talent and still win games!

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

I guess this shows the genius of Whitehead that he can recruit inferior talent and still win games!

That "inferior" talent didn't work so well for the last 2 years but I'm not convinced talent was the total issue the last 2 years.

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

go to this website and look at all the ushl kids going to ECAC and Hockey East. You will notice Maine has one, from this past July, a 5'4" kid from a local Boston midget team. Maine has 2 in all of 2009, 1 of which decommitted. Lowell on the other hand has 14 so far in 2009, with 9 being from USHL
UNH has 10 so far in 2009 with 8 being from USHL
Northeastern has 7 for 2009, 4 from USHL
UVM 5 total, 2 studs from USHL
U Mass 5 and 1 from USHL
BU has 6 so far, 4 from USHL, one from natl team
PC 3 so far, one from USHL, as well as an NHL draft pick

It is pretty scary to see how bad Maine has been recruiting during the PAST YEAR. Little class, big class, whatever........the fact remains that this COULD hurt the program down the road. Yeah, Maine is/might be good this season and next........but what about after that?.......ANOTHER 4 or 5 year "dry spell"???

 

[fiqure8]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Noone knows who is going to pan out. Flynn was an invitee to Maine and now he's a star. Mangene was panned as just a kid who could skate and he has been tremendous. Nick Pryor and Diamond were touted on this board as stars, and both have struggled, while Shemanksy (another one no one hyped) has been superb!

Tim has to win this year (bottom line) It was by aqccident I guess that he was able to realize the depth and strength of his bench (due to injuries) particularily in the last 5-6 games. A lot of no name players are pulling through and the team is gelling, has better balance, and winning. Like previous years why give the pre-madonas (with full scholerships) continuous opportunity to play if the results were not there. This year it is more performance based and it is what can you do for me today mentality irregardless if you are a NHL drafted player, full scholership, US devel team, USHL stud, OPJHL stud etc. Each player knows who is ripping it up and who should be in the lineup. Maybe Tim is listening more to his associate coaches this year..................

 

[mainescores]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Noone knows who is going to pan out. Flynn was an invitee to Maine and now he's a star. Mangene was panned as just a kid who could skate and he has been tremendous. Nick Pryor and Diamond were touted on this board as stars, and both have struggled, while Shemanksy (another one no one hyped) has been superb!

Tim has to win this year (bottom line) It was by aqccident I guess that he was able to realize the depth and strength of his bench (due to injuries) particularily in the last 5-6 games. A lot of no name players are pulling through and the team is gelling, has better balance, and winning. Like previous years why give the pre-madonas (with full scholerships) continuous opportunity to play if the results were not there. This year it is more performance based and it is what can you do for me today mentality irregardless if you are a NHL drafted player, full scholership, US devel team, USHL stud, OPJHL stud etc. Each player knows who is ripping it up and who should be in the lineup. Maybe Tim is listening more to his associate coaches this year..................

You could be right on the last sentence you put down....what I can't figure and I know alot of people on this post have been to home/away games and WHY?...did this team under-perform the first 11 games....then all of a sudden...like night and day this is a whole different team the last 6 games...more aggressive,one touch passing on the PP...a Team coming back and playing a total Team defense,blocking shots,making the passing lanes tougher to get thru and a in your face team....funny{not really} it happen the last 6 games and the first 11 games we not only didn't see it...but be honest it looked like another stinker of a season with a possible chance of say winning maybe 10 games...missing out in Hockey East playoffs......something happened just a few weeks ago...not at the start of the season.........and before you say,House came back from a injury,change of lines....bringing back the #1 line of last year.....things changed...but it was NOT there when the season started. IMO.

 

[BoSox3066]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

you do come across as "the bigger person" in all this, and as "nice guy", but i am not sure why that is important in an anonymous internet forum.

Probably the same reason you feel the need to come across as an insider who has all the dirt.

 

[Drew S.]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

You could be right on the last sentence you put down....what I can't figure and I know alot of people on this post have been to home/away games and WHY?...did this team under-perform the first 11 games....then all of a sudden...like night and day this is a whole different team the last 6 games...more aggressive,one touch passing on the PP...a Team coming back and playing a total Team defense,blocking shots,making the passing lanes tougher to get thru and a in your face team....funny{not really} it happen the last 6 games and the first 11 games we not only didn't see it...but be honest it looked like another stinker of a season with a possible chance of say winning maybe 10 games...missing out in Hockey East playoffs......something happened just a few weeks ago...not at the start of the season.........and before you say,House came back from a injury,change of lines....bringing back the #1 line of last year.....things changed...but it was NOT there when the season started. IMO.

The goaltending definitely hasn't played any role in the difference between first 11 games and the last six. I think if you're looking for explanations in the difference between the two it starts and ends there.

 

[Hokydad]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Maine recruit Mark Anthoine scored a beautiful shorthander in a 3-2 win over league leading Omaha in the USHL tonight

 

[sandiegoblkbr]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

Maine recruit Mark Anthoine scored a beautiful shorthander in a 3-2 win over league leading Omaha in the USHL tonight

He also had an assist in the game.

Stuart Higgins also scored for Youngstown tonight ending a long scoring drought for him.

 

[mainescores]

Re: Maine Recruit Updates: The Search for Spock

The goaltending definitely hasn't played any role in the difference between first 11 games and the last six. I think if you're looking for explanations in the difference between the two it starts and ends there.

The goaltending has been better the last 6 games,but by no means was it solid in the first 11 games...more up & down and iffy...no game stealing guy in the crease..{imo}...I'm not sold on the netminding even with the better play recently....I hope I'm wrong as that is the key to how far this team improves in the 2nd half....what I've seen is a sometime not focused kid in net,plus he does not have that soft body when shots are on him and of late his glove has gotten better but still leaves alot of loose pucks in front of him...that is where the total team defense has helped him out around the net...lets HOPE.