Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

[UpNorthHockey]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

Mel always said he liked the team from last year, and they proved him right with a championship. It looks like this year the goalie situation starts as the biggest story, followed by who fills the d-men spots as Watson, Leibinger, and Hanna did as freshman. It looks like scoring will be up from last year as the forward depth looks positive.
Any thoughts, wonder where Tech will be picked this year with the looming questions.
Should be another fun year. Will there be any radio shows with Dirk, the Joe Shawhan show has a nice ring to it.....

I'm not as bullish on this year's team as I have been in the past. I think the coaches and media polls will pick us somewhere in the middle of the pack this season....probably 3rd to 5th place. We have a big question in net and although we have a few strong defensemen and 4 or 5 very good forwards, we don't have any blue-chip scorers and less depth on D than in any of the last three seasons. I also think the coaching change will influence the perception of pre-season polls. We'll need 2 more defensemen and 2 forwards to step up to an elite level of play and we'll need a goalie to get hot in order to defy expectations.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I suspect we'll be picked 3rd or 4th in the preseason polls.

 

[Huskiefan906]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

You have to look at the top 6 for scoring.
A top line of Jackson, Luchinni, and L'Esperance seems to be very difficult to match up against.
Leaving Baltus, Smith or Steman, and Gould to round out the top 6.

I have a feeling Smith will take that spot, and Dylan Steman will be the guy shutting down the other team a.k.a. Neville.....

I hope our forwards find the net more, with this top 6, they should score.....

 

[davyd83]

Wondering if we hear anything on the second Assistant this Tuesday. They seem to like to make announcements on Tuesdays.

I'm more than wondering when we'll see an actual in depth interview with Shawhan and Steward in print. Or, better yet they sit down on video with Dirk. How hard can it be to set up a get to know the new coaches video/interview...

Lots of coaches have been out recruiting and scouting.

The subsequent post may have Rostagno a little high on the depth chart. Saw him play last year. If he were top 4 material as a freshman, he likely would have been in the USHL instead of the NAHL for all but 4 games over the past 2 years.

As for the preseason polls, it's very likely that last year's top 4 will be this year's preseason top 4. My best guess would be 1-BSU 2-MSU 3-MTU 4-BGSU.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

Rostagno has been committed for so long, he should've been in Houghton by now if he was truly ready to play at the college level. But, either he will step up, or another guy will.

Also Dave, I think you meant "preceding", not "subsequent".

 

[The Troll mtu86]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

Lots of coaches have been out recruiting and scouting.

The subsequent post may have Rostagno a little high on the depth chart. Saw him play last year. If he were top 4 material as a freshman, he likely would have been in the USHL instead of the NAHL for all but 4 games over the past 2 years.

As for the preseason polls, it's very likely that last year's top 4 will be this year's preseason top 4. My best guess would be 1-BSU 2-MSU 3-MTU 4-BGSU.

I understand that they are busy, and have been out recruiting. Yet a new coach, at a downstate school, who has been busy recruiting and even made it down to the Stanley Cup Finals, has found the time to do a radio interview, at least two video interviews, and a couple of print interviews...

You hire a new Coach you should be using this time to get him out there and create some excitement for the program and hire.. just saying.

As with others, I don't know what to make of Rostagno. He's been on the list for so long. Was he just not developing on schedule or did Tech not have slot for him and kept moving him back? I think Donahue could be the one to really step in. I read a report that had him as a mobile, puck moving D, leader. That should fit right in to Tech's game. Also I think Air Force was looking at him as well. I figure he should be a solid one.

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I hope the powers that be at MTU keep the ticket prices at a fairly reasonable price as they are now. I know the prices here are less than some of the other WCHA venues. I am a season ticket holder and if I renew by the end of the month I get a good deal on the price compared to actual game day prices. We actually get 2 more home games (one extra series here than last year).

One thing I am scratching my head about is the almost $100 early bird price difference from last year. I talked to a couple of other season ticket holders and they are unsure if they are going to renew for this year. I will because I am a college hockey fanatic. If the price keeps rising I may have to think twice.
We here in the Keweenaw are kind of tucked away from the larger populated areas of the country. We still have high unemployment a lower wages and our economy is still trying to recover.
I remember Mel saying after one of the playoff games he wanted to keep playoff games at a reasonable price so that it could still be affordable to bring the family to watch. He said he would suggest that at WCHA end of year meeting. I hope Shawhan will suggest the same now that Mel has left our program.

 

[Laker Dude]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I hope the powers that be at MTU keep the ticket prices at a fairly reasonable price as they are now. I know the prices here are less than some of the other WCHA venues. I am a season ticket holder and if I renew by the end of the month I get a good deal on the price compared to actual game day prices. We actually get 2 more home games (one extra series here than last year).

One thing I am scratching my head about is the almost $100 early bird price difference from last year. I talked to a couple of other season ticket holders and they are unsure if they are going to renew for this year. I will because I am a college hockey fanatic. If the price keeps rising I may have to think twice.
We here in the Keweenaw are kind of tucked away from the larger populated areas of the country. We still have high unemployment a lower wages and our economy is still trying to recover.
I remember Mel saying after one of the playoff games he wanted to keep playoff games at a reasonable price so that it could still be affordable to bring the family to watch. He said he would suggest that at WCHA end of year meeting. I hope Shawhan will suggest the same now that Mel has left our program.

What is the price for season tickets with the early bird special?

 

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I hope the powers that be at MTU keep the ticket prices at a fairly reasonable price as they are now. I know the prices here are less than some of the other WCHA venues. I am a season ticket holder and if I renew by the end of the month I get a good deal on the price compared to actual game day prices. We actually get 2 more home games (one extra series here than last year).

One thing I am scratching my head about is the almost $100 early bird price difference from last year. I talked to a couple of other season ticket holders and they are unsure if they are going to renew for this year. I will because I am a college hockey fanatic. If the price keeps rising I may have to think twice.
We here in the Keweenaw are kind of tucked away from the larger populated areas of the country. We still have high unemployment a lower wages and our economy is still trying to recover.
I remember Mel saying after one of the playoff games he wanted to keep playoff games at a reasonable price so that it could still be affordable to bring the family to watch. He said he would suggest that at WCHA end of year meeting. I hope Shawhan will suggest the same now that Mel has left our program.

I know this is an issue with a lot of people and all over the country. At the same time, the costs borne by the university to provide this are ever increasing. Salaries increase, supplies cost more, everything. So pardon me if I'm not more understanding but it's not just in Houghton this is felt. The prices the university charges are around the lowest, if not the lowest in all of college hockey. Try to buy a season ticket at BC for example. Or at Cornell, which is out in the sticks, or even at Maine, where it's not well off.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

One thing I am scratching my head about is the almost $100 early bird price difference from last year. I talked to a couple of other season ticket holders and they are unsure if they are going to renew for this year. I will because I am a college hockey fanatic. If the price keeps rising I may have to think twice.
We here in the Keweenaw are kind of tucked away from the larger populated areas of the country. We still have high unemployment a lower wages and our economy is still trying to recover.

Economy is always going to be based on tourism and MTU. The vast majority of the well-paying "blue collar labor" jobs are loooooong gone. Not sure what this hoped for "recovery" that you speak of looks like. Sad, but true.

 

[Huskiefan906]

What is the price for season tickets with the early bird special?

$300 for an adult ticket, $200 for a youth ticket.
Includes all home regular season and playoff games.
Max (16+7) 23 games max if all home playoffs...as an example.

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Economy is always going to be based on tourism and MTU. The vast majority of the well-paying "blue collar labor" jobs are loooooong gone. Not sure what this hoped for "recovery" that you speak of looks like. Sad, but true.

I guess with the presumption you have for this area there is no hope for a recovery. We were at one time the king of copper.
I am guessing you are from out of state or not from the Northern part of Michigan. There are still deposits in the ground here that can be mined. In fact there is a mine that started production a couple years ago in Marquette county. Another mine will start production in a few years in Gogebic county. They are core drilling Northeast of Calumet​ also. The are still large amounts of copper in the UP. Getting those operating would have a ripple effect on the economy.

 

[bose301s]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I guess with the presumption you have for this area there is no hope for a recovery. We were at one time the king of copper.
I am guessing you are from out of state or not from the Northern part of Michigan. There are still deposits in the ground here that can be mined. In fact there is a mine that started production a couple years ago in Marquette county. Another mine will start production in a few years in Gogebic county. They are core drilling Northeast of Calumet​ also. The are still large amounts of copper in the UP. Getting those operating would have a ripple effect on the economy.

There is still a lot of copper in the ground up there, but the reason it is still there is because it is significantly cheaper to mine it from other areas, if it was economically feasible to mine it up there the mines would still be open, that's the issue.

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

There is still a lot of copper in the ground up there, but the reason it is still there is because it is significantly cheaper to mine it from other areas, if it was economically feasible to mine it up there the mines would still be open, that's the issue.

What is economically feasible to a corporation now a days. How much profit is enough for some of these "corporations"? Think about that statement for awhile. Trouble is we don't make anything in the United States anymore. Just saying the mines survived here before and they will again someday.
There, I feel better now.

 

[bose301s]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

What is economically feasible to a corporation now a days. How much profit is enough for some of these "corporations"? Think about that statement for awhile. Trouble is we don't make anything in the United States anymore. Just saying the mines survived here before and they will again someday.
There, I feel better now.

Currently it is cheaper to mine elsewhere, that's why the mines in the Keweenaw are sitting dormant, someday will they open back up? Probably when the easy to get copper in other areas has all been mined and it becomes cheaper to mine in up there again, but until then it won't. Same thing goes for things being made in the United States, it's cheaper to manufacture it elsewhere so that's what they do. Could we manufacture here, sure, but those products you buy for $5-$10 now will be more like $50-$60, until manufacturing in other areas comes close to parity to the cost of the US, it won't return, it's simple economics.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

Bose stated the facts behind my point. The area has been 'recovering' for 50+ years. You don't have to tell me copper used to be king. It's not anymore, for the reasons listed above. The peak was over a century ago. An exploratory mine here and there hardly counts in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Bose stated the facts behind my point. The area has been 'recovering' for 50+ years. You don't have to tell me copper used to be king. It's not anymore, for the reasons listed above. The peak was over a century ago. An exploratory mine here and there hardly counts in the grand scheme of things.

People on here said the same thing about Tech hockey for years​. Things​ seem to come back full circle. The program here is back on stable ground.

From what I have been hearing China needs our copper.

 

[MTUHuskies]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I do not know anything about the economics of mining copper, but I've been led to believe that if the mines were up and running now they would be making a good profit with the current price of copper. But mining companies would need to invest too much to start them back up which makes it not feasible at this time.

I just want Oct. 1 to get here soon and I'll let the bean counters worry about that other stuff.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

I do not know anything about the economics of mining copper, but I've been led to believe that if the mines were up and running now they would be making a good profit with the current price of copper. But mining companies would need to invest too much to start them back up which makes it not feasible at this time.

I just want Oct. 1 to get here soon and I'll let the bean counters worry about that other stuff.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

well a few points. even if it were economically motivating for a company to open a mine again, the technology would be so different that the number of blue collar employees would be much smaller than before. The economic bump would hardly be felt.
Second, 7 years ago copper sold for $4.50 on the comex, now it sells for 2.6495. So that is hardly encouraging, though it is up from the bottom a bit. It got so expensive that robbers were stealing it anywhere they could get it and selling it in the scrap yards for big profits. That's not happening now days. Overall demand for copper is down, as alternative products picked up steam and have not given up that ground as the price of copper has dropped. Houses are not plumbed with copper any more as a matter of course, for instance.
This kind of thing, i.e. automating the worker out of existence, is happening worldwide and is of particular interest because some economists estimate that 40% of todays jobs will be automated out of existence in the next 30 years. So you have to wonder what implications that has for the economy as a whole.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Off-season Revised - Onward and Upward

Perhaps I should say, I would love to see an economic boom in the Keweenaw (I took Prof. Lankton's Keweenaw history class! - I know how 'deep' mining goes in the area), but I'm being realistic.

Like 'spreader says, many people don't know just how "automated" mining is now. Drilling? Done by machine. Mucking & tramming? Done by machine. Many mines now use chemicals to more efficiently separate ore (hence the EPA site in Lake Linden), Sure, machines require operators and chemicals require Chem E's, but you need to know what you're doing to be employed. The days of a Finnish immigrant coming over and throwing/pushing rocks around for 12 hours a day, or a Cornishman using his dynamite skills to get employed as a miner, are totally over.

That doesn't even account for how many existing mines, having been dormant for decades, are now filled with water. The copper may be there, 8,000+ feet below, but who wants to spend the money to drain the old stopes?