First off, thanks to Runsub and 9twenty for the well wishes. I think I made a big jump last night, I feel much better today.
Regarding Berzins, I think he's an interesting case. His stats in the USHL this year are thoroughly unimpressive, and his team, while kind of mediocre, isn't terrible by any means. Compare this with fellow recruit Lucas Szyszka, who has worse stats but also plays on a much worse team, in fact Szyszka's team is the worst team in the entire USHL. They also have the most PIM by a longshot, with only one team even in their universe, so this implies to me that he spends a lot of time on the PK. However, Berzins did do well for Latvia at the WJC, as has been mentioned, and at least prior to this year he had been getting better each year that went on and was progressing in league as well. And of course, without actually watching him play, it's very hard to draw clear conclusions about his ability from stats alone, they can help of course but don't tell the whole story.
I also think both Berzins and Szyszka will be in Orono next year. I think Ostman will move on in the offseason, and I can't imagine Androlewicz will use his covid year when he hasn't played more than a few fleeting moments per year since he got here. A goalie room of Bojia, Berzins, and Szyszka could have a ton of depth but no clear #1, would be interesting. The only other path I see is a graduate transfer arriving, which would displace one of the two of them, probably Szyszka.
Regarding Berzins, I think he's an interesting case. His stats in the USHL this year are thoroughly unimpressive, and his team, while kind of mediocre, isn't terrible by any means. Compare this with fellow recruit Lucas Szyszka, who has worse stats but also plays on a much worse team, in fact Szyszka's team is the worst team in the entire USHL. They also have the most PIM by a longshot, with only one team even in their universe, so this implies to me that he spends a lot of time on the PK. However, Berzins did do well for Latvia at the WJC, as has been mentioned, and at least prior to this year he had been getting better each year that went on and was progressing in league as well. And of course, without actually watching him play, it's very hard to draw clear conclusions about his ability from stats alone, they can help of course but don't tell the whole story.
I also think both Berzins and Szyszka will be in Orono next year. I think Ostman will move on in the offseason, and I can't imagine Androlewicz will use his covid year when he hasn't played more than a few fleeting moments per year since he got here. A goalie room of Bojia, Berzins, and Szyszka could have a ton of depth but no clear #1, would be interesting. The only other path I see is a graduate transfer arriving, which would displace one of the two of them, probably Szyszka.
