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MN Gophers 2021 Offseason: Deja Vu all over again

O

OldDave

New member
The title is a tip of the hat to Yogi Berra, who was a 19 year old Navy rating shooting at German positions 77 years ago this week during the D-Day invasions at Normandy. However, it also is appropriate to what the Gopher lineup is going to look like this season with the seniors coming back. It does not apply to the fact that JJ is taking the reins at St. Thomas (which means I'm sponsoring an empty locker, I guess).

Anyway, time to start looking to the new season. Does anyone have any idea what the lines might look like, or what the staff might look like, or even what the stands might look like? Here's your chance to share.
 
OldDave said:
The title is a tip of the hat to Yogi Berra, who was a 19 year old Navy rating shooting at German positions 77 years ago this week during the D-Day invasions at Normandy. However, it also is appropriate to what the Gopher lineup is going to look like this season with the seniors coming back. It does not apply to the fact that JJ is taking the reins at St. Thomas (which means I'm sponsoring an empty locker, I guess).

Anyway, time to start looking to the new season. Does anyone have any idea what the lines might look like, or what the staff might look like, or even what the stands might look like? Here's your chance to share.
Click to expand...

Not many taking the chance to share so far...Maybe that gives you an idea about where things are at.

To my eyes this upcoming season doesn't generate much excitement for me...This squad seems like maybe the 3rd best, or more likely, the 4th best team in the WCHA.

Uncertainty exists now on the staff with the JJ departure and there were questions before he left, in my mind, about the direction this program is taking under the current head coach.

Another "supposed" good recruiting class is coming in and there are certainly individually talented players in the class but we have heard this song and dance before and the last few years, the freshmen have not lived up to the hype.

Defensively, this squad doesn't have the quickness to deal with the speed of forwards on the top teams like Wisconsin, OSU, UMD. I'm not sure that is a fixable problem other than having an all-world goalie, which they don't have.

Lot's of talented forwards is probably the strength of this squad but getting them to play together so the sum of the parts is greater than the individual pieces is the issue.

With all that said...Go Gophers.
 
I have a long suspected that JJ was the most knowledgeable and impactful Coach on the Gopher staff so I’m curious to see how the team does this season with him gone. This is completely a gut feel on my part and I offer no data to back it up. Just a feeling.
 
Offsides Guy said:
I have a long suspected that JJ was the most knowledgeable and impactful Coach on the Gopher staff so I’m curious to see how the team does this season with him gone. This is completely a gut feel on my part and I offer no data to back it up. Just a feeling.
Click to expand...

Any indication with JJ's departure that it's affected recruiting or caused any commitments to rethink?
 
Hockeybuckeye said:
Any indication with JJ's departure that it's affected recruiting or caused any commitments to rethink?
Click to expand...
At least for in-state recruits, the primary reason that they choose to attend UM isn't the staff or any specific coach. There has traditionally been an instate culture of hockey players wanting to be Gophers. Perhaps that has softened a bit on the men's side with other Minnesota D-I teams having success, but it didn't seem to matter when UMD was the more successful team in the women's game.

I think at this point in time, it is still a case of Minnesota's staff needing to avoid being a negative for in-state recruits. My guess is that one of Brausen's strengths is as a recruiter. She was a two-year captain over more-high profile teammates for a reason. She is likely the ice breaker with a lot of the recruits.

I think losing JJ will hurt more with other blue-chip recruits around the country.
 
With speculation that GWH will need to add not one, but two assistants this off-season, it really will be interesting to see, later this summer, how that affects recruiting

Also with the roster out and missing 3 forwards (Burton, Cherkowski, and Zumwinkle) and potentially a 4th if Abby Murphy is centralized, this team will have less supposed high end talent than they normally do. That may not be a bad thing if they can dedicate themselves to be a team that is defined by hard work on both ends of the rink. Far too often last year they were out worked and out hustled by the opposition.

The newcomers to the lineup this season bring players who have a reputation of playing a 200 foot game along with being offensively skilled (Hemp, Huber, and Conner) so I'm looking forward to seeing how they fit in.
 
FiveHoleFrenzy said:
With speculation that GWH will need to add not one, but two assistants this off-season, it really will be interesting to see, later this summer, how that affects recruiting.
Click to expand...

Confirmed they will need 2 assistants. It may be a blessing in disguise and the new assistants could energize/bring some new concepts to the team on the game play/tactics side. On the recruiting this has to be a major headache. In theory these MN jobs should attract high end coaches. Just so we're clear I won't be applying.
 
FiveHoleFrenzy said:
It is everclear that you wouldn't even make it to the interview if you did apply...
Click to expand...

I see Watts you are doing, you are trying to goad me into applying, a little reverse phycology. I won't fall for that. There's a reason my kids address me as "Your Excellency, Mr. Supergeniusness".
 
I was going to just bump this thread, but the Gophers posted their 2021 roster a couple of weeks ago. There were five seniors who had the covid option to return this year. Three of them show up. Emily Brown and Olivia Knowles are listed as fifth year, and Lauren Bench is listed as graduate student. Taylor Wente is not listed, but she was just drafted by the Whitecaps, so she will have the option to continue playing. Grace Zumwinkle is also not listed, but she has been centralized for the US National Team.

Elsewhere on the roster, Addie Burton is not listed, but she transferred to Yale and will continue playing there. Abbey Murphy is listed, but she also has been centralized for the US National Team and I doubt she will be playing for the Gophers this season. Anne Cherkowski is not listed and I would have assumed she was centralized for the Canadian National Team. However, I did not find a current list for the Canadian team so cannot confirm this. I'm hoping there is not a health issue keeping her out this year. Also, all seven incoming freshmen are listed.

Finally, Joel Johnson and Bethany Brausen are no longer listed as coaches, but that has been documented elsewhere.
 
Just saw the list of players invited to the Canadian Developmental Summer Camp and Anne Cherkowski is listed, so we can assume that there is no health issue. Hope she does well in the camp.
 
The two assistants have been named and in the case of Darwitz (who has worked as an assistant in the past with Frost) I like that she will bring some change to the coaching staff. Hopefully something to light a fire under some players who have become too complacent.

FInally, something to have some optimism for because Minnesota seems like they have been standing still, stuck in a rut and their rivals have been busy attempting to get better (especially OSU) this off-season.
 
vicb said:
According to an article on the Clarkson U web site Anne Cherkowski (unless there are two players with this name) is transferring to Clarkson.

https://clarksonathletics.com/news/2...ple-teams.aspx
Click to expand...

It had been rumored for awhile that Cherkowski was headed out east. The Fighting Nurses are getting a pretty decent forward. Would have liked to see her back in Maroon and Gold but best of luck to her with her new team.
 
FiveHoleFrenzy said:
It had been rumored for awhile that Cherkowski was headed out east. The Fighting Nurses are getting a pretty decent forward. Would have liked to see her back in Maroon and Gold but best of luck to her with her new team.
Click to expand...
As I recall she did make the Canadian U18 team so she obviously has some talent. But I don't know if it was some kind of injury or what that limited her playing time as a freshman for the Gophers. Only 13 games played, with just one goal.
 
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