What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

Diggs said:
I don't think we will ever be able to prevent the team from being "gutted" per say, but it happens to many of the top teams, not just MN.
Click to expand...
The key difference is it's happening to MN when they aren't a top team. They've finished 7th two of the last three seasons, and yet they are still losing guys early.

Scooby - it appears Snow was right about MN's development problems. It doesn't change the fact he's horrible as a GM and his team sucks - but he was clearly dead-on about the players not progressing here. The last player I can think of that showed continual improvement over his career here was Stoa, and of course he left early (although due to the injury, he was technically here four years). I can't think fo anyone on the current roster that's on-track development-wise. Hoeffel showed potential but plateau'd this season. When the Gophers were good, they had a core group of players whose production steadily improved each season. Now, that simply is not the case. Whatever a guy puts up his first year or two is essentially what is produced in years 3-4 (if the player stays).
 
Last edited:
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

My mistake, I guess I should have used the phrase "top program" (which gets many talented players, year in and year out). Some may consider this a stretch as well.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

Bakunin said:
Scooby - it appears Snow was right about MN's development problems. It doesn't change the fact he's horrible as a GM and his team sucks - but he was clearly dead-on about the players not progressing here. The last player I can think of that showed continual improvement over his career here was Stoa, and of course he left early (although due to the injury, he was technically here four years). I can't think fo anyone on the current roster that's on-track development-wise. Hoeffel showed potential but plateau'd this season. When the Gophers were good, they had a core group of players whose production steadily improved each season. Now, that simply is not the case. Whatever a guy puts up his first year or two is essentially what is produced in years 3-4 (if the player stays).
Click to expand...


The whole thing is vicious circle. Anyone with any shot of playing in the NHL is geting yanked out as no one at the NHL level trusts Lucia to develop players anymore. Anyone one left are simply the role players, nice to have, but you can field a team made completely of role players. Wheeler and Okposo are prime examples. Both stagnated at Minnesota yet both became better players (at a much higher level) as soon as they were yanked out. Wheeler's transformation was especially amazing. Frazee is another example although some of his problems were of his own making.

This is who I expected to lose this offseason in addition to Schroeder.
1.) Leddy-- Good as gone
2.) Ness-- Good as gone
3.) Hoffel-- 70% cance
4.) Kangas-- I'd say a 50/50. The NHL knows he can play at times and the Devils are in the process of making Frazee a decent goaltender who was a FAR bigger disappointment at Minnesota. The scouts that sit near me at the Final Five say Lucia has a reputation for ruining goaltenders in the NHL.

It's a problem that will not stop until the University hires someone who the NHL trusts with their talent again.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

Diggs said:
One positive at least it referenced the incompetence of Hill! Any chance the "rumors" of his departure are true?
Click to expand...

I agree. Hill is a disaster of a coach and a total drag on the program, period. He needs to move on and when he does things will improve for the Gophers. I'm not convinced Don Lucia has nothing left in the tank. If he and Hill can part ways, I think we'll see shades of tDon we have seen in the distant past.

Aaron Ness is a complete enigma to me. He's got good puckhandling skills and vision but he is simply too young, too undersized, no shot, no intimidation skills and yet has this cocky attitude. The AHL and ECHL are a 100% more physical than NCAA D1. He's the kind of player that guys in the minors will enjoy bouncing around for style points. If he decides to leave the Gophers, he will be a literal pinball in the AHL or ECHL (more the case). Bad move for him if he bolts IMO. If he does leave it's not a big loss, we've got Nate Schmidt comin' in (this kid has a rocket for a shot!) and Mark Alt.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

GOPHER FREAK said:
The whole thing is vicious circle. Anyone with any shot of playing in the NHL is geting yanked out as no one at the NHL level trusts Lucia to develop players anymore. Anyone one left are simply the role players, nice to have, but you can field a team made completely of role players. Wheeler and Okposo are prime examples. Both stagnated at Minnesota yet both became better players (at a much higher level) as soon as they were yanked out. Wheeler's transformation was especially amazing. Frazee is another example although some of his problems were of his own making.

This is who I expected to lose this offseason in addition to Schroeder.
1.) Leddy-- Good as gone
2.) Ness-- Good as gone
3.) Hoffel-- 70% cance
4.) Kangas-- I'd say a 50/50. The NHL knows he can play at times and the Devils are in the process of making Frazee a decent goaltender who was a FAR bigger disappointment at Minnesota. The scouts that sit near me at the Final Five say Lucia has a reputation for ruining goaltenders in the NHL.

It's a problem that will not stop until the University hires someone who the NHL trusts with their talent again.
Click to expand...

I think Wheeler's situation was also brought on by a depleted Gopher roster and volunteering to play center instead of wing, where he is now. He's got a much better supporting cast now too. IMO Okposo's departure from the Gophers was a lot more personal and political than developmental. Leaving mid season was a complete boner of a move on his part and made his motives and reputation as a person in the eyes of Gophers fans suspect. Not worth it and he had other options...dumb move in the long run. I doubt Leddy will move on. Ness- I really don't care if goes or stays. Hoeffel- too bad the mono broke his rythym and momentum. If he goes it's minor leagues for the rest of his short career. Kangas- possible departure, ok with me, Patterson can do just as well.

I've personally lost a lot of respect since the CBA on the predictive ability of NHL scouts to speculate on prospective talent. They're prone to over speculate because they're strictly profit motivated. IMO the NHL's stronghold on NCAA hockey through the CBA has raped, ruined and professionalized the game of college hockey we've all come to know and love. Keep in mind, NHL scouts are not college hockey's friend. So personally I couldn't care less what NHL scouts think.
 
Last edited:
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

HarleyMC said:
I agree. Hill is a disaster of a coach and a total drag on the program, period. He needs to move on and when he does things will improve for the Gophers. I'm not convinced Don Lucia has nothing left in the tank. If he and Hill can part ways, I think we'll see shades of tDon we have seen in the distant past.

Aaron Ness is a complete enigma to me. He's got good puckhandling skills and vision but he is simply too young, too undersized, no shot, no intimidation skills and yet has this cocky attitude. The AHL and ECHL are a 100% more physical than NCAA D1. He's the kind of player that guys in the minors will enjoy bouncing around for style points. If he decides to leave the Gophers, he will be a literal pinball in the AHL or ECHL (more the case). Bad move for him if he bolts IMO. If he does leave it's not a big loss, we've got Nate Schmidt comin' in (this kid has a rocket for a shot!) and Mark Alt.
Click to expand...

I'm most excited about Jake Parenteau. This kid will probably be here 4 years and already has an idea of what it means to put on the M.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

If college hockey wants any protection, it's going to have to figure out some way to work out an agreement with the NHLPA. Sadly, I don't see that happening. We will continue to see a parade of players out the door and into the minor leagues for the foreseeable future. The vast majority of those players will never play in the NHL.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

GOPHER FREAK said:
I'm most excited about Jake Parenteau. This kid will probably be here 4 years and already has an idea of what it means to put on the M.
Click to expand...

Check out the article on Jake.

Bakunin said:
If college hockey wants any protection, it's going to have to figure out some way to work out an agreement with the NHLPA. Sadly, I don't see that happening. We will continue to see a parade of players out the door and into the minor leagues for the foreseeable future. The vast majority of those players will never play in the NHL.
Click to expand...

And this is the single largest raping in the history of college sports. I've lost all respect for the profit mongers of the NHL and their refusal to negotiate. Really, screw the NHL!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad: I hope Don Lucia, Red Berenson, Jack Kelley and more coaches keep telling their players to NOT leave college prematurely.

"The last two years (2006-08) the numbers of kids leaving has jumped, but the number of kids starting the season in the NHL hasn't, so the success rate percentage is much lower," said Central Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Tom Anastos. "We just think it might be better for a lot of these kids to stay in college rather than end up in the East Coast league."

Anastos, McLeod and Hockey East head Joe Bertagna tried to emphasize that point when they made a presentation about the state of college hockey at the NHL general managers meeting this week. Division I hockey is treated like a stepchild within the NCAA and is generally left to fight its own battles, so it has little leverage against NHL teams interested in its players, but the colleges have had a generally receptive response from the league in the last few years.

"It's important that we maintain good relations with the colleges and programs," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "They've been a very good source of talent for our league and we have no intention of exacerbating that situation." [POLITICALLY CORRECT LIP SERVICE - my insert!]

Even so, the challenges remain for the college programs because unlike the other two prime talent feeders for the NHL -- North American major junior hockey and European leagues -- there is no established protocol when it comes to signing their players who are at least 18 years old.

"We understand all the dynamics in teams making decisions and we take pride in the fact many of our players move on to the NHL," Anastos said. "We're not trying to play both ends, but for our level of hockey to continue to grow and create a highly competitive environment, we have to have a way to work with similar objectives."

There may be some momentum for that because the NHL set up a small committee of GMs to examine issues relating to colleges and hopes to have a workable formula crafted by the start of next season (RIGHT!!!- that was two seasons ago- my insert). It's a step in the right direction, but not likely to make much of a difference because any major change in signing protocol would require re-negotiating aspects of the CBA with the players association. Besides most teams like things the way they are. [Here we have the quintessence of their profit motivated world view -my insert]

"We're respectful of the college position and maybe there's a notification procedure that can be discussed with coaches as far as free agents go, that's something we're still looking at," said Columbus Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson. "But our position is that we still want to have access to players." [Respectful?...get real, more lip service. By access they mean, "control of". Ah...gotta keep feeding the predatory nature of the beast and remember GMs, packaging is all that heaven is! -my insert]
Click to expand...

Red Berenson and Don Lucia are cut out of the same cloth on the issue of early departures and I applaud them for it. Here's Red Berenson's take on leaving early:

The most outspoken coach on this issue for both the value of a four-year education/college degree and full development as a hockey player is Michigan coach Red Berenson. “If a player is ready to leave Michigan early and go right to the NHL, I’ll drive him to the airport”.

“The AHL says they can develop players faster,” said Berenson. “However, how many of these kids do you see leave early and then just hit a wall in their first pro season? They lose confidence and they stop developing. In college maturity and leadership get developed over the course of four years and players leave college hockey ready for the pro ranks and have a degree to fall back on.”

What the risk of early-flight players might start to do is change the way the coaches recruit kids and spend their scholarship money. It has crept into the mind of Berenson and his staff at Michigan.

“I hate to have to recruit that way, but I can see us passing up the high-end kid who we know will leave early,” said Berenson, who faces the same problem that schools like Minnesota, North Dakota, and Boston College face on a yearly basis. “We’re aiming at that high-end kid who seems more grounded, who wants to stay four years and get his education and play college hockey for all the reasons you should want to play college hockey.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

du78 said:
Scoob, Chris Botta does not work for the Islanders. So the Islander organization is not throwing tDon under the bus again. He is a former employee who writes the blog you linked to and works for Fanhouse. In fact, he and Snow have been at odds lately and what he wrote is his opinion about the Gophers. No doubt he has some contacts feeding some information that the Isles may be looking to sign Ness but his comments about the Gophers are his. He has no quotes from any Islander reps.

The Islanders only give scoops to Newsday and that is where Snow threw Lucia under the bus last time.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I guess I jumped the gun.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

I'd like to share some of my entertaining User CP to this thread since it mostly comes from you guys. Job well done, and stay classy, Minnesota.

Judging by you post, I would assume you have some kind of brain injury. Next time you try and take one for the gene pool make sure you get your whole head in front of the shotgun.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

GOPHER FREAK said:
I'm most excited about Jake Parenteau. This kid will probably be here 4 years and already has an idea of what it means to put on the M.
Click to expand...

Kid seems like he has got a solid work ethic, which is nice to see.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2009-2010: Calmly Step Away from the Ledge

Go4PuckFan said:
Ohhh, there's nothing wrong with my comprehension of Wisconsin, Sweet Pea:

http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=64106
Click to expand...

Yes we like our alcohol down here. I'm not sure what kind of sick crap you do up der in Sota doah.

CHICAGO — A Minnesota man is facing a felony charge after his wife accused him of forcing her into prostitution by posting ads on Craigslist.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced the charge today. Last year, Dart filed a lawsuit alleging Craigslist had become the "largest source of prostitution in America."

Clinton Danner, 32, of Rockford, Minn., was arrested Sunday in Chicago. Officials say he's scheduled to appear in bond court today. It isn't clear if he has an attorney.

Officials in Cook County say Danner's wife told investigators that she had been trafficked to eight states and that her husband regularly posted ads, promoting her for sex. She alleges that Danner would arrange the encounters, then demand that she immediately deposit the money she was paid into his bank account.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top