Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

It's far from uncommon for players to progress, Scooby II.

1. I was optimistic last year. Time to switch. (Besides, Scooby doesn't post here often lately.)
2. I concede players progressed. Just can't name one who made a big jump.
3. I put more on luck of the draw with the personality of the individual than blaming coaching on who excels and who plods.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

1. I was optimistic last year. Time to switch. (Besides, Scooby doesn't post here often lately.)
2. I concede players progressed. Just can't name one who made a big jump.
3. I put more on luck of the draw with the personality of the individual than blaming coaching on who excels and who plods.

-Your optimism was justified - who knew the offense would crap the bed at the end?
-No one individual (or two, or three) have to make a large jump, they have to do it together as a team. They lost more in terms of leadership last off-season than this one and still managed to tie for the conference title.
-Super, then it's just as logical to have positive expectations as negative in that regard.

Still too much Scooby Two in there, but que sera sera.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Guys like Condon, Ambroz, Warning, Boyd didn't make as big of a step as I expected.

I would scratch Ambroz and Warning from your list. They made major contributions both ways during the season, doubled their pts/game while reducing their PIM in half. I would consider those as major jumps from their previous year's performance. Ben Marshall also made a significant jump as an offensive threat by increasing his point total by approximately 50% with a significant reduction in PIM (65%). Tom Serratore more than doubled his offensive output with 3 GWG to his credit as well.

However, the above were not the best players whom the Gophers were depending on to increase their offensive production. Key players such as Rau (-7%), Bjugstad (-15%), Schmidt (-4%), and Budish (-3%) all regressed in their point totals from the previous season, and only Haula slightly improved (+4%). Overall, that was a major factor that played heavily into their demise last season. It also limited the Gophers ability to develop a natural killer instinct and put teams away early.

 

[JoeGopher]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

How much of this do you suppose is leadership based? I'm talking about the kind of leadership that really keeps things together on the ice and in the locker room.

A year ago they really seemed to have it with Matson, but I didn't get that sense from Budish this year, or the alternates.

Who is going to step up and take that "Grant Potulny" role next year, the way Matson did two seasons ago and create the off-ice chemistry and on-ice commitment?

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

I would scratch Ambroz and Warning from your list. They made major contributions both ways during the season, doubled their pts/game while reducing their PIM in half. I would consider those as major jumps from their previous year's performance. Ben Marshall also made a significant jump as an offensive threat by increasing his point total by approximately 50% with a significant reduction in PIM (65%). Tom Serratore more than doubled his offensive output with 3 GWG to his credit as well.

However, the above were not the best players whom the Gophers were depending on to increase their offensive production. Key players such as Rau (-7%), Bjugstad (-15%), Schmidt (-4%), and Budish (-3%) all regressed in their point totals from the previous season, and only Haula slightly improved (+4%). Overall, that was a major factor that played heavily into their demise last season. It also limited the Gophers ability to develop a natural killer instinct and put teams away early.

Good post. I still consider last year as a dream team. When competition ramped up as the season progressed, they came down with the traditional Gopher disease though...an inability to finish.

 

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

-Your optimism was justified - who knew the offense would crap the bed at the end?
-No one individual (or two, or three) have to make a large jump, they have to do it together as a team. They lost more in terms of leadership last off-season than this one and still managed to tie for the conference title.
-Super, then it's just as logical to have positive expectations as negative in that regard.

Still too much Scooby Two in there, but que sera sera.

While I relish any victory, and any trophy during that season, when I am thinking about the next season, my focus is on the NC only. So when I see them go from a team that had as much talent as any in the country to one with just potential (if some things fall in place, including significant freshman contributions), I am going to be pessimistic. Yeah, teams like Yale have proven you don't have to have the most talented team, just the one playing the best at the right time, but your chances increase significantly if stacked with talent. That 29 year wait without an NC was way too long, and I really don't want to wait too much longer for the next. A squandered year brings that out, since I know years with teams like this year's are rare.

Championship teams seem to either have some leaders that maybe aren't all-stars, but who lead by effort and get everyone else on the rest of the team to show more effort than the opponent, or they often just have one or a few players who can just take over the play and score when needed to turn a game. I would say the first scenario is a little more rare. Winning teams seem to have a few guys who just flat out take over many of their shifts. Don't know if I see that on next year's team (and the players I had expected to do it this year didn't).

(OK, so maybe in Scooby's absence I am trying to carry the full load. Just not over this missed opportunity quite yet. I want more than just a 'good year'.)

 

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

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[uaafanblog]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Just wondering if any of the Gopher faithful follow the Augsburg program at all and if you do what your impressions of Chris Brown might be. I see him as having the slimmest chance of the 4 candidates at UAA but just curious if anyone here is really high or low on him.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Good post. I still consider last year as a dream team. When competition ramped up as the season progressed, they came down with the traditional Gopher disease though...an inability to finish.

Personally I wouldn't call them a "dream team". But as the #1 offensive team in the nation for the majority of last season, they earned a great deal of respect from teams and coaches as an excellent team.

If you look at the regular season, they actually improved in goals/game as the season progressed: First 18 games @ 3.38 goals/game (11-3-4) and last 18 games @ 3.89 (12-4-2). It's hard to find fault at all with their regular season goal scoring performance as a team. But in the WCHA and NCAA playoffs they weren't able find their stride and their goals/game plummeted to 2.0.

EDIT:

Vannelli leads all Gopher recruits in final NHL central scouting ranking.

 

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Just wondering if any of the Gopher faithful follow the Augsburg program at all and if you do what your impressions of Chris Brown might be. I see him as having the slimmest chance of the 4 candidates at UAA but just curious if anyone here is really high or low on him.

Big fan of Chris Brown.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Bjugs is one of 4 players from MN chosen today among the first 15 players of the 2013 U.S. Men's National Team that will compete at the IIHF Men's World Championship May 3-19 in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden. Last season they lost to Finland in the semis.

 

[JDUBBS1280]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Erik Johnson added to roster.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

The Gophers will open the 2013-14 season Oct. 11-12 with the Ice Breaker Tournament at Mariucci hosting Clarkson, Mercyhurst and New Hampshire. Should be a very entertaining tourney with the majority of the scoring power for both Mercyhurst and the UNH Wildcats returning next season. The Gophers last played and won the IBT in 2007 held at the X, which featured BC, Michigan and Rensselaer. Tournament History

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Waterloo's Blackhawks coach P.K. O’Handley says Cammarata and Kloos have the "WOW" factor:

When he discusses Taylor Cammarata and Justin Kloos, coach P.K. O’Handley can summon a broad arsenal of words to describe the Gophers’ hockey prospects. Smart. Diligent. Speedy. Gifted. When he watches them from the bench, though, O’Handley often is reduced to one. “Wow,” said the coach of the Waterloo Black Hawks, the United States Hockey League team where the Minnesota natives currently play. “There haven’t been many times as a coach at this level that I’ve said that. But when you watch them make plays, you just go, ‘Wow, how did they do that?’”.

“I’m ecstatic about getting down there and putting on that Gophers jersey,” said the 19-year-old Kloos, named Mr. Hockey in 2012 to cap his career at Lakeville South. “I feel a lot better than I felt last year, and I thought I was ready [for college] then. I’m coming in as an older, stronger and more experienced player.”

Cammarata, who will turn 18 next month, said he is equally prepared. “My work in the defensive zone and my quickness and speed have all gotten a lot better [in the USHL],” he said. “I’ve been watching the Gophers my whole life, and I know it’s going to be a great experience.”

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

Ryan Lindgren! The rich get richer!

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

<a href="http://overtheboards.net/shattuck-bantam-phenom-ryan-lindgren-commits-to-minnesota/">SHATTUCK BANTAM PHENOM RYAN LINDGREN COMMITS TO MINNESOTA</a>

 

[goldy_331]

Ryan Lindgren! The rich get richer!

He's 15. A verbal commit from a kid that young is worth the paper it's written on.

I hope he sticks with it, develops well and ends up wearing the M. Just hard to get excited at this point when he's 3-5 years away.

 

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

I agree to a point. Everything written about him sounds very good, but some of these kids just mature earlier than the rest of their class so are more dominant at that age than they will be in college. The younger the kid, the harder it is to know how they will end up. If Ambroz and Michaelson continued to develop at the same rate as they had up to a year before they agreed to come here, the Gophs would be looking a lot better for next year. Not to say all early stars will plateau. Gretzky and Crosby seemed to be able to keep it going. It is just that until he is a lot closer to getting here, excitement should be tempered. (And if he did continue to improve at that rate, we might only see him a year.) After all, if all kids ended up as near the top of their class as the time they are at the time they commit, teams like MN, BC, Mich, UND and a couple others who sign a lot of young kids would pretty much be taking turns winning all the Championships and teams like Yale that pick kids when they are older wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[mnstate0fhockey]

I agree to a point. Everything written about him sounds very good, but some of these kids just mature earlier than the rest of their class so are more dominant at that age than they will be in college. The younger the kid, the harder it is to know how they will end up. If Ambroz and Michaelson continued to develop at the same rate as they had up to a year before they agreed to come here, the Gophs would be looking a lot better for next year. Not to say all early stars will plateau. Gretzky and Crosby seemed to be able to keep it going. It is just that until he is a lot closer to getting here, excitement should be tempered. (And if he did continue to improve at that rate, we might only see him a year.) After all, if all kids ended up as near the top of their class as the time they are at the time they commit, teams like MN, BC, Mich, UND and a couple others who sign a lot of young kids would pretty much be taking turns winning all the Championships and teams like Yale that pick kids when they are older wouldn't stand a chance.

True, but when Tom Ward says he's the best defenseman he's seen come thru Shattuck, that says something.

 

[SanTropez]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Offesason Thread: Back To 1896

He's 15. Just hard to get excited at this point when he's 3-5 years away.

True, and if we were Quinnipiac he would be 7-9 years away with a wife and kid.