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Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

Wow Burd, a post without a reference to man parts. I'm impressed.

An act of kindness. You are the only person who displays such anxiety at those comments, so I thought I would spare you.

Every day and in every way, I'm getting better and better.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

For a little more perspective Red Cows....

If you take a look at the Gopher's current non goalie recruits, only 3 of the 17 recruits are playing high school hockey this season. Of those three, only ONE (Jack Sadek) is a senior and is eligible to win the Mr Hockey award.

Of the rest, 7 are currently playing in the USHL, 1 is playing in the BCHL, 4 are playing at Shattuck St. Mary's, and 1 is playing with the USNTDP.

Furthermore, 4 of the 17 recruits aren't even from Minnesota.

Of the quality of those recruits....

Ryan Lindgren-Defensemen (who is playing with the NTDP this season and has put up 1-5-6 in 16 games), Ryan Norman-Forward (who is playing for Shattuck St Mary's Prep team this season and has put up 17-26-43 in 34 games), Scott Reedy-Forward (who is playing with Shattuck St Mary's Prep team and has put up 18-19-37 in 34 games as a Sophomore), and Josh Maniscalco-Defensmen (who is playing for Shattuck St Mary's prep team this season and has put up 4-10-14 in 34 games as a Sophmore) all made Shattuck St Mary's Prep team as Sophomores. You don't do that if you don't have elite talent. Mansicalco is from Pennsylvania.

Brannon McManus-Forward currently plays for Shattuck St. Mary's U16 team and has put up 29-23-52 in 36 games so far this season. He put up 68-52-120 in 65 games last season. He's from California.

Tom Novak-Forward (6-21-27 in 27 games), Tyler Sheehy-Forward (11-18-29 in 27 games), Sam Rossini-Defensmen (0-2-2 in 16 games), and Rem Pitlick (6-4-10 in 27 games) all play for Waterloo in the USHL. Both Sheehy and Novak would have definitely been Mr. Hockey candidates last season had they stayed in Minnesota High School hockey. In fact, I think one of them would have won the award.

Casey Mittlestadt is currently playing Minnesota High School Hockey with Eden Prairie as a freshman and has put up 16-14-30 in 16 games so far this season. Last season as a bantam he had 91 goals and was named the Bantam of the year in Minnesota. Of those 91 goals, 11 were game winners.

Jack Ramsey forwent his senior season at Minnetonka and has played the past few seasons in the BCHL with Penticton. He's put up 12-17-29 in 38 games this season.

Ryan Zuhlsdorf-Defensemen didn't finish his high school career at Edina and has instead decided to play for Sioux City in the USHL this season and has put up 2-11-13 in 29 games so far this year.

Then you have Tarek Baker (4-7-11 in 30 games) who plays with Des Moines and Bloomington in the USHL this season and Brent Gates Jr (10-18-28 in 30 games) with Green Bay in the USHL. Neither are from Minnesota. Baker is from Wisconsin and Gates is from Michigan.

Neither is William Fallstrom, who is from Sweden and is playing with Sweden's U17 team this season and has scored 7 goals in 10 games with them so far this year.

The only player of the Gopher's current recruits to be eligible to win (or even be nominated for) the Mr Hockey Award this season is Jack Sadek-Defensemen of Lakeville North, who has put up 2-11-13 in 16 games so far this season.

Gone are the days when the true best players from Minnesota in an age group stick around Minnesota High School Hockey long enough to win the Mr Hockey Award.

I don't have the time to go back and look at the stats for all 204 Division 1 college players from MN to see where things stand now, but as of mid December when I wrote <a href="http://stateofhockeyrants.blogspot.com/2014/12/part-1-look-at-college-hockey.html">This Article</a> on the current demographics of college hockey, 4 of the Top 5 scorers from Minnesota were playing their college hockey inside Minnesota and 3 of those 4 were Gophers.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

There are 204 players playing division 1 college hockey from Minnesota this season alone. Are the Gophers expected to recruit all 204 players?

Your team has 13 Minnesotans on it because Nebraska has produced only 4 current Division 1 players.

Not only that, but more and more of the best players in MN aren't hanging around high school hockey long enough to be eligible to win the Mr Hockey award (an award for the best Senior). They are leaving to play junior hockey in the USHL, BCHL, etc...or are playing for Shattuck St. Mary's or the USNTDP.

That is the worst written article I have read in a long time. And many people explained to you when it was first posted (when you mentioned it months ago) how misleading the article is.

How many of those kids referenced did you out recruit the Gophers on? Not many, as they were targeting other players.

Considering the Gophers have won 3-straight conference titles and made two Frozen Fours and a Championship game in the last 3 years, I'd say we're doing alright with our recruiting in-state. How about UNO? How have you done the last 3 seasons? Or is the only barometer we're supposed to use the first half of this season? :rolleyes:

You have some success this season and now you think you're out-recruiting us in MN? Hilarious.

You didn't "pick our pockets", you picked up our scraps.

And you're welcome for those.

Remember - You poked the bear.

Whoa, no matter what, I did not come here to pick a fight. I was just interested in some perspective.

I don't know if Gopher fans consider any of our guys "One that got away", (doesn't sound like it) I just used our team as an example since I am the most familiar with it's particular makeup. I don't know what the "normal" quotient of Minnesota born players is per team (outside of Minnesota) but a knee-jerk reaction is that 13 guys on our roster next season is more than "usual". It's half the team.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

I would have taken Guentzels kid, seems like a good player. The thinking not to do it may have been the whole coaches son thing ala Tony Lucia back a few years.
 
Whoa, no matter what, I did not come here to pick a fight. I was just interested in some perspective.

I don't know if Gopher fans consider any of our guys "One that got away", (doesn't sound like it) I just used our team as an example since I am the most familiar with it's particular makeup. I don't know what the "normal" quotient of Minnesota born players is per team (outside of Minnesota) but a knee-jerk reaction is that 13 guys on our roster next season is more than "usual". It's half the team.

Here's the frustation though. You brought this same topic up months ago, and you got the same (less toxicly toned) answer. Bringing this up again when our program is struggling isn't going to get you a different answer. It's going to introduce vitrol.

Sorry if I was harsh, but it struck a nerve (admittedly easy with me). Especially now.

To answer your question more politely..

Gophers have won 3 straight conference titles and made 2 Frozen Fours in the past 3 seasons. As of mid December 4 of the top 5 scorers in college hockey from MN were players who play college hockey for MN teams and 3 of the 4 play for the Gophers.

Do you think, after reading that and the explanations I have given to you again about how the best players from MN aren't always in high school hockey (along with a description of who we have recruited), do you think we have a recruiting problem?
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

Whoa, no matter what, I did not come here to pick a fight. I was just interested in some perspective.

I don't know if Gopher fans consider any of our guys "One that got away", (doesn't sound like it) I just used our team as an example since I am the most familiar with it's particular makeup. I don't know what the "normal" quotient of Minnesota born players is per team (outside of Minnesota) but a knee-jerk reaction is that 13 guys on our roster next season is more than "usual". It's half the team.

It's simple. You want to be good, you come where the best talent is. Obviously we get our first crack because not too many MN kids would turn down a chance to play for the Gophers. Simple fact is we don't have the room or specific need for them all, so that leaves some pretty good MN players to populate the rest of college hockey. A simple "you're welcome" would have been appropriate rather than get mnstateofhockey all riled up. :D
 
It's simple. You want to be good, you come where the best talent is. Obviously we get our first crack because not too many MN kids would turn down a chance to play for the Gophers. Simple fact is we don't have the room or specific need for them all, so that leaves some pretty good MN players to populate the rest of college hockey. A simple "you're welcome" would have been appropriate rather than get mnstateofhockey all riled up. :D

Haha :p:D
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

Well, that was utterly disgusting.

People are going to talk about poor shooting, and yes, if MN had done better with any of their numerous Grade A chances that would have done it.
But there was absolutely no reason they should have given up 2 goals in this game.

People are going to bemoan effort. But it was not effort. Effort hasn't been the issue in the past 3 games. Effort without purpose, however, is not much better than no effort at all. Both of Wisconsin's goals were the result of a total lack of defensive awareness. You can't play focused defense part of the time. It has to be always. 1 or 2 defensive mistakes is unacceptable. Every individual has to hold themselves to the standard that I WILL NOT have defensive lapses. No matter what your role, no matter how great you play offensively, if you don't hold yourself to that standard you aren't doing your job.

If you don't keep your house in order on the defensive end you simply cannot expect to win. Period.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

I'm almost looking forward to a loss tomorrow just to put the last nail in the coffin so I can move on to other things the rest of the season like watching the Wi.....I mean catching up on movies that I've been meaning to see.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

Well, that was utterly disgusting.

People are going to talk about poor shooting, and yes, if MN had done better with any of their numerous Grade A chances that would have done it.
But there was absolutely no reason they should have given up 2 goals in this game.

People are going to bemoan effort. But it was not effort. Effort hasn't been the issue in the past 3 games. Effort without purpose, however, is not much better than no effort at all. Both of Wisconsin's goals were the result of a total lack of defensive awareness. You can't play focused defense part of the time. It has to be always. 1 or 2 defensive mistakes is unacceptable. Every individual has to hold themselves to the standard that I WILL NOT have defensive lapses. No matter what your role, no matter how great you play offensively, if you don't hold yourself to that standard you aren't doing your job.

If you don't keep your house in order on the defensive end you simply cannot expect to win. Period.

The BADgers first goal was not because of the Gopher's poor defensive effort. The Gophers got burned short on a line change that left Rockwood and Besse streaking down on a two on one between the dots, Rockwood made a perfect crossing pass and Besse popped it in the open side. I saw effort from the Gophers tonight, but the shot selection was atrocious. Again, I see players with their head down and most are not even aiming for the corners...that's something you learn in bantams. I've said this before and it bears repeating, if I were Lucia everyone shoots 1000 pucks this week in practice for accuracy.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

How much do the UM payer hate Donny? I mean some of these guys (4 or 5 if the stories are true) gave up promising AHL careers to return to the Gophers this year. But I can't see any reason for their return except to get their coach fired. Having been a fan and watched games from the time Glen Sonmor was the coach I can clearly remember the Woog days as a time when MN would put in a solid 60 minutes of play every weekend or so. Those half-***ed efforts seemed to disappear when Lucia arrived but started seeping back a few years ago. This years team is something special and the only explanation I can come up for their play so far is they desperately want to see their coach collecting unemployment.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: 2014-2015

How much do the UM payer hate Donny? I mean some of these guys (4 or 5 if the stories are true) gave up promising AHL careers to return to the Gophers this year. But I can't see any reason for their return except to get their coach fired. Having been a fan and watched games from the time Glen Sonmor was the coach I can clearly remember the Woog days as a time when MN would put in a solid 60 minutes of play every weekend or so. Those half-***ed efforts seemed to disappear when Lucia arrived but started seeping back a few years ago. This years team is something special and the only explanation I can come up for their play so far is they desperately want to see their coach collecting unemployment.

So some players who could be making large salaries playing pro, gave that up to come play for a team which has enough talent to help win them a NC they would remember for the rest of their lives, just to play poorly to get a coach fired? Sounds logical.
 
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