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UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Red Cows said:
I assume Clarke Saunders is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility and is transferring back to UAH, then?:D
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We'd take Baldy back just for those games. He can go to school and play golf the rest of the time.

That said, don't sleep on Matt Larose. He'll do the same **** thing to you. Yes, I'm on the ML30 bandwagon.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Got another future commit from the Thunder! Austin Beaulieu, a 5'9 165 forward, was the second leading scorer for the Thunder behind Maine commit Mitch Fossier. He put up 23/47/70 slash line in 49 games. Clearly pretty talented considering the teams the Thunder plays. Third guy from that team. Great news continuing that strong pipeline.

Anyone know where he is playing next year? Got to think he's coming in 2015-2016 like Wood and Rotenberger. But also wouldn't be surprised if they all played 2 years of junior before coming to school.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

GetOutDaKitchin said:
Got another future commit from the Thunder! Austin Beaulieu, a 5'9 165 forward, was the second leading scorer for the Thunder behind Maine commit Mitch Fossier. He put up 23/47/70 slash line in 49 games. Clearly pretty talented considering the teams the Thunder plays. Third guy from that team. Great news continuing that strong pipeline.

Anyone know where he is playing next year? Got to think he's coming in 2015-2016 like Wood and Rotenberger. But also wouldn't be surprised if they all played 2 years of junior before coming to school.
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Is he graduating from high school this year? That will be the key on timing. Also, there will be five seniors next year, so I don't see a huge class coming for next year. I don't know about Wood, but Rotenberger is going to play junior next year. If he's not D-I ready — him or anyone else in that group of 15-16 kids, who you'll note really are kids with no junior B or A experience under their belts — then he'll play two years. I don't see UAH rushing anyone to come in next year if they're not ready. You can always get an older kid whose interest in the program grows with more success in the Rocket City.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

He's a 96 so he may be graduating or he's got another year. I know Connor Wood signed a tender with Amarillo in the NA, but that was before Dennis Williams took the job with the upstart USHL franchise in Bloomington. He'll be playing junior A somewhere though I'm sure of it. I'm excited Rotenberger's going to Topeka. They have an excellent program up there and Langer is a helluva coach. Beaulieu was drafted by Topeka last year, but I do not know the NA's rules on draft rights. May be headed there as well. Also wouldn't surprise me if he cracked a USHL lineup somewhere.

I hope we can continue this great pipeline. Keeping some of the South's top talent at home has to be one of Corbett's top priorities. TPH has the best of bunch so we're certainly headed in the right direction.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

I really like pulling from our local talent, too. I think that's a virtuous cycle. Of course, they need to be able toe play at this level.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

gfmorris said:
I really like pulling from our local talent, too. I think that's a virtuous cycle. Of course, they need to be able toe play at this level.

GFM
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How big is youth hockey hockey in Alabama? How many high schools even field hockey teams? I know your current roster doesn't have any players from the state of Alabama; is that unusual?
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Critical Thinker said:
How big is youth hockey hockey in Alabama? How many high schools even field hockey teams? I know your current roster doesn't have any players from the state of Alabama; is that unusual?
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Josh Kestner will be the 7th Huntsvillian and the 8th Alabamian to play for the Chargers. Youth hockey continues to develop in the area. I think that we're probably a few years away from Nic Dowd-level talent from feeling that they have to go to places like Culver to develop their game before juniors. That said, that is still an option, and it's one that Dowd (who is from here) and all three Geoffrion brothers took along the way. TPH Thunder AAA is doing great things at that level. I'd say that we're punching at or a little above our weight.

I think that, as TPH continues to improve, we will see more local kids playing. HS hockey really isn't a thing here, as there aren't enough kids playing at many schools. We're seeing what you see in Nashville: combined schools. I expect that the HS situation will look somewhat different in 5-10 years. Troy Maney played hockey at Sparkman; I'm not sure about Blake Thompson. Jared Ross, our program's best scorer, played at Detroit Catholic Central his last two years of HS and came to Huntsville without playing in the USHL (CR had his rights).

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Hockey in the South has continued to grow since the late 80s/early 90s. We saw a huge spike in the late 90s throughout the Southeast with NHL expansion in Raleigh, Nashville, and Atlanta. Florida, if you want to call it the South, has seen similar growth because of the Panthers and Lightning. In Alabama, Huntsville's Jr. Charger program has been a stalwart from the get go. They constantly field competitive teams. The Pelham travel program is growing as well.

Geof hit the nail on the head, high school hockey in the South will be hard pressed to ever gain any real steam because of limited ice and players at different schools. Instead, you see solid travel programs throughout the region. The Jr. Chargers, Atlanta Fire, Atlanta Knights, Atlanta Phoenix, Nashville Jr. Predators, Florida Jr. Everblades, Florida Jr. Panthers, South Florida Golden Wolves, Palm Beach Blackhawks, Charlotte Jr. Checkers, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, etc., all field competitive AA teams. TPH has created one of the best, and most creative, programs found anywhere in the country to give kids in the South an opportunity to play AAA hockey at home.

TPH recruits from the various programs throughout the region and holds weekly "skill" practices for the players living in the different areas. On the weekends, they have "team" practices and converge one of the different locations (Huntsville, Nashville, or Atlanta). The U18 program, which has 4 D1 commits and ranked 19th overall in the country, moves all the kids to Atlanta where they operate like a junior team. This past year all of their 3 eligible teams made it to Nationals. They beat, or are competitive with, the Belle Tires, Victory Hondas, Cleveland Barons, St. Louis Jr. Blues of the world, which consistently produce the best talent in the country.

The Atlanta Fire and Carolina Jr. Hurricanes also produce AAA teams at certain age levels and are beginning to become more competitive nationally.

UAH is smart to realize that one way to bring in legit, D1 recruits, is to pluck them out of their own backyard. TPH is definitely the first program to truly allow good hockey players a chance to develop and not have to leave home to do it. The continued growth of the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes and Atlanta Fire AAA programs will hopefully help provide other outlets for Southern kids to stay home. Sure UAH is in Alabama, but the coaching staff, I believe, is attempting to market the program as "the South's" hockey school. By doing that, along with maintaining a foothold in the USHL and tier 2 leagues in Canada, there is no reason to believe that UAH can't become a legitimate contender not only in the WCHA, but the entire country. Union, a school in NY with just over 2,000 students and does not give athletic scholarships, just won the National Championship. If they did it, UAH certainly could.

UAH won't be looked down upon in college hockey much longer. Just wait.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

The schedule will come out tomorrow. Eight home dates, none of which are non-conference. No Bemidji home series — but we'll get those in 15-16, 16-17, and 17-18, provided that the WCHA looks anything then like it does now.

I'm excited. Eight wins is my expectation!

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

LSSULaker889294 said:
Congrats on beating Bemidji State on releasing your schedule earlier. :p
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I'm still really mad about screwing that one up! I fixed the time on the release schedule but not the day. When I saw someone RT the message, I flipped out.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

gfmorris said:
The schedule will come out tomorrow. Eight home dates, none of which are non-conference. No Bemidji home series — but we'll get those in 15-16, 16-17, and 17-18, provided that the WCHA looks anything then like it does now.

I'm excited. Eight wins is my expectation!

GFM
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Only eight home games? Isn't that fewer than half of the league schedule?
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

Yeah, eight home weekends. Sorry for the confusion!

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

gfmorris said:
Yeah, eight home weekends. Sorry for the confusion!

GFM
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I did think that was what you meant, but there was the slim possibility that the WCHA imposed a home-game limit when they admitted UAH. :)

BTW, hockey must be improving in the south. RPI currently has two recruits from FL and one from NC.


Edit: and one from AZ if that counts.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

I will strenuously argue that Florida is not a Southern state, at least not south of Gainesville.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2013-14: Feeling like a real D-I program again

The Rangers pulled Henrik after two periods (19 of 23), so Cam got his first playoff experience. AV has now opened Pandora's box.

GFM
 
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