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.

MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Puck Swami said:
Harley:

The big question is about purpose - should college hockey compete as an NHL talent development feeder or should it exist to serve as opportunity and entertainment for the 90% of college players that won't ever see the NHL?
Click to expand...

Clearly at North Dakota and for other WCHA schools the path is set. The NHL Drafted players in their programs have chosen a profession, it's professional hockey. Therefore the college hockey program is not unlike the academic programs and has a duty to prepare them for their chosen profession.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

SoCalSiouxFan said:
Clearly at North Dakota and for other WCHA schools the path is set. The NHL Drafted players in their programs have chosen a profession, it's professional hockey. Therefore the college hockey program is not unlike the academic programs and has a duty to prepare them for their chosen profession.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

SoCalSiouxFan said:
Clearly at North Dakota and for other WCHA schools the path is set. The NHL Drafted players in their programs have chosen a profession, it's professional hockey. Therefore the college hockey program is not unlike the academic programs and has a duty to prepare them for their chosen profession.
Click to expand...

so, I assume all UND players major in hockey, and they can only get a degree if they, say, win a NCAA championship. Since the majority of players do not in fact make a career out of hockey, this seems like a loser idea.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Go4PuckFan said:
Correct me if I'm wrong (and I probably am) but doesn't the NHL have an agreement (rule, understanding, etc.) with the Canadien Juniors that if the team plucks a draft choice out of the Canadien Junior League, it must place him on the active roster and not bury him in the minors?

If so, why can't the NCAA negotiate a similar deal?
Click to expand...

No you are right...I don't know the specifics but if you sign a kid before a certain age you can't send him to the minors for one season. Case in point Colton Gillies with the Wild last season.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

collins1080 said:
Seriously! Stop blaming everything on the refs. The reality is that UM did not come with the intensity it needed. Yes, Frattin made an illegal hit and was called for it, but UM still didn't score on the PP for the five minutes they had. They lost becasue they failed to execute, not because of the refs.

Did anyone see the ref get cut last night? It was Don Adam's crew. IT did not look good.
Click to expand...

Having watched Shepard and Hunt for quite a while I DO blame them for a lot. The Gophers lost games by a lack of team effort, but those two helped them along.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

SoCalSiouxFan said:
Clearly at North Dakota and for other WCHA schools the path is set. The NHL Drafted players in their programs have chosen a profession, it's professional hockey. Therefore the college hockey program is not unlike the academic programs and has a duty to prepare them for their chosen profession.
Click to expand...

For some reason North Dakota is not losing as many stars after one or two seasons like other teams. I would love to know how they keep them.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

jorgie74 said:
For some reason North Dakota is not losing as many stars after one or two seasons like other teams. I would love to know how they keep them.
Click to expand...

probably by letting them get arrested twice in one offseason and still coming back to play the last half of the year.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

jorgie74 said:
For some reason North Dakota is not losing as many stars after one or two seasons like other teams. I would love to know how they keep them.
Click to expand...

Well actually, over the last 6 seasons (03-04 to 08-09) I count 13 to 12 (I may have missed someone) to the pros.

North Dakota lost 13 players early to pro hockey (Chorney, Oshie, Toews, Lee, JParise, Stafford, Smaby, Zajac, Spirko, Greene, Murray, Bochenski, ZParise). Minnesota lost 12 (Stoa, Frazee, Wheeler, Okposo, Goligoski, EJohnson, Chucko, Irmen, Potulny, Kessel, Ballard, Vanek).

That team would pretty much have been good enough to win silver at the Vancouver Olympics. 21 of the 25 have appeared in the NHL this season.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

jorgie74 said:
For some reason North Dakota is not losing as many stars after one or two seasons like other teams. I would love to know how they keep them.
Click to expand...

Free Women and LOTS of BOOOOZE....... and they let them keep the keys to their cars after indulging in both........ along with having random lawnmowers laying around ripe for the tossing :-)
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

A number of those players left after three seasons.

You also forgot Bickel, O'Brien, and Taylor - all of whom left after one season IIRC. When a team loses players like that after such a short amount of time, it does not bode well for roster stability.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Farce Poobah said:
Well actually, over the last 6 seasons (03-04 to 08-09) I count 13 to 12 (I may have missed someone) to the pros.

North Dakota lost 13 players early to pro hockey (Chorney, Oshie, Toews, Lee, JParise, Stafford, Smaby, Zajac, Spirko, Greene, Murray, Bochenski, ZParise). Minnesota lost 12 (Stoa, Frazee, Wheeler, Okposo, Goligoski, EJohnson, Chucko, Irmen, Potulny, Kessel, Ballard, Vanek).

That team would pretty much have been good enough to win silver at the Vancouver Olympics. 21 of the 25 have appeared in the NHL this season.
Click to expand...
You forgot to mention Bickel, O'Brien, and Taylor - all of whom left after one season IIRC.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Don't forget those who leave but not to the pros. There are transfers out (and in) such as Dorr out and Cepis in for MN. Also, you can find some who just sort of disappear every year, even though they are usually the ones not dressing every game and such.

I realize that we are talking about those top players who make a difference to a team, but they aren't the only ones who leave early.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Bakunin said:
You forgot to mention Bickel, O'Brien, and Taylor - all of whom left after one season IIRC.
Click to expand...

Good memory. I was counting players who went pro (both had other departures to junior hockey), but I had missed Bickel and Taylor ... O'Brien went to the WHL next. So 13<14. You win. ;)

As to this year, Schroeder was obvious, but the less-obvious candidates are intriguing (Kristo, Kangas...).
 
Last edited:
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Farce Poobah said:
Good memory. I was counting players who went pro (both had other departures to junior hockey), but I had missed Bickel and Taylor ... O'Brien went to the WHL next. So 13<14.
Click to expand...
Whether they leave for the NHL, AHL, ECHL, WHL or whatever, if they leave early it's still a problem. In MN's case, many of the departures left after 1-2 seasons - which is particularly tough to overcome (especially when it involves players that aren't expected to bolt). To make matters worse, O'Brien left about a month before his sophomore season would have started - and of course, there's the infamous mid-season departure of Okposo.
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

a lot of coaches are having players that left early come back and talk to the boys about leaving early and why it's not a good idea. I know a lot of Sioux players have come back and talked about the importance of finishing your degree and whatnot. Granted, if you are as talented as Parise or Vanek, there's no reason NOT to make the jump. But if you're going to be spending your time in the AHL, hoping for maybe some ice time with the N team, why not stay in the college program? Guys like Bochenski, Statsny, Bickel, Taylor, and Chorney? They should have stuck around. There was no reason for them to jump early. VandeVelde made a smart decision to stay at UND for one more year, because he sure as hell wasn't going to get much playing time with Edmonton, and even if he had, big deal. Hooray, play for last place in the Western Conference. Or stay at UND, have a chance for ANOTHER national championship and get that important 4 year degree.

The 4 year is a lot more important then a lot of people realize...
 
Re: MN Golden Gopher 2010 Offseason Thread

Sloe Gin said:
a lot of coaches are having players that left early come back and talk to the boys about leaving early and why it's not a good idea. I know a lot of Sioux players have come back and talked about the importance of finishing your degree and whatnot. Granted, if you are as talented as Parise or Vanek, there's no reason NOT to make the jump. But if you're going to be spending your time in the AHL, hoping for maybe some ice time with the N team, why not stay in the college program? Guys like Bochenski, Statsny, Bickel, Taylor, and Chorney? They should have stuck around. There was no reason for them to jump early. VandeVelde made a smart decision to stay at UND for one more year, because he sure as hell wasn't going to get much playing time with Edmonton, and even if he had, big deal. Hooray, play for last place in the Western Conference. Or stay at UND, have a chance for ANOTHER national championship and get that important 4 year degree.

The 4 year is a lot more important then a lot of people realize...
Click to expand...

Statsny? Obviously he made the correct decision.

If I am not mistaken the current UND lot never won a national title.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top