Lots of posts still focusing on how they are actually playing.
Pierson, better than I expected. Engaras an incomplete. Everyone else sort of what we expected, both for better (Crookshank) and worse.
Still an incomplete. Glad to see him not behind the bench yesterday. Presumably at the U17, but maybe out West getting us real talent, which is where he should be. Let's see what connections he might have made and if those connections lead to commitments.
Again, the actual games are irrelevant.
** except of course, the perplexing placement of Blackburn. This shows the clear division of the forward roster among capable kids with some offensive skills, and the large group of offensive drags like Sacco, Sato, Miller, Cipollone, Cefalu, (and Esposito for now) trying to make them into a scrorers. Only Macadam/BVR are in that tweener role where playing with a good offensive player can lead them to contribute on the offensive end.
I think most of the on-ice talk simply relates to what happened and not what the future holds - aside from my point on what UMass has done on the recruiting trail, which was more a referendum on the last 3.5 years than moving forward.
That said - it does raise a stark contrast in what the two regimes have accomplished. Carvel and UMass immediately showed the type of off ice plan and momentum you're still searching for years later from UNH - starting with convincing Makar and Leonard to stick around and continuing with a clear future vision and high-end recruiting success to an awful program. Exactly what we all hoped would happen for UNH...
But the Wildcats are still treading water three years later. Where we disagree is when you think the changes are still ahead of us and I would argue that's Souza likely has mapped out his vision and recruiting approach, and...
I still don't understand the thought process that Giuliano was hired to handle recruiting. Does anyone have any insight into that actually being the case? I seriously doubt that he's been brought in to play the Borek role with the freedom to do what he wants? And would that even be a good role for a guy who has never recruited before in his life?
I think it's much more likely he's a piece of the puzzle and recruiting is still mainly Souza's gig. I know we all wanted him to hire an ace recruiter - but I'm not sure that was ever his plan. Maybe moreso with White, but after that fell through? I firmly believe Souza thinks HE is the ace recruiter. So we should place our hope there...
Do you think that if Giuliano went to BC and found a late bloomer, a top rookie and two high-end midget kids that he can simply move on them without Souza wanting to go see them? Without Souza wanting them on campus? I don't. I would imagine the pacing would stay the same, the process the same, the sales pitch the same and Souza would make the final call. That means a slowed down process, allowing other schools to move quickly. Which is what we've seen...
Souza has been the HC for six months and the main recruiter for 3.5 years? I think they've established what they want to be in recruiting. I'll believe things have changed in pace and approach when they do...
And I have no problem with Souza having a say - all good recruiting teams run heavily on the HC. Umile was an outlier. But they do need to address their sales pitch, vision, aggressiveness and dependency on late adds. I want to see it - but I need to see evidence, I can't just hope in the face of all tangible production. If it hasn't changed by now, why would it moving forward?
Giuliano has been here over two months - they've added one kid. A kid right out of the Souza blueprint in style and timing, so...?
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As for the on-ice play - I think it matters more than you want to let on. Recruiting and program building don't happen in a vaccum. Two thirds of this staff has already proven they struggle to recruit game changing talent to losing teams (both at UNH and before). The third - again - has never done it before and still has much to learn.
And I think it is a problem when the HC harps on one style of play and a quarter of the way through the season the team still has only managed to play that way in spurts. Maybe they just aren't fast enough to play with elite speed and transition - fair enough - but they can certainly try to do so. I'd have happily watched them lose 8-1 if they skated full-speed, were aggressive in transition and attacked the net (as they say they want to), but instead they pick up loose pucks and turn and look to decide where they want to go, they glide across the blue line and they're not pushing the pace in many areas. It's concerning they're not playing the way the coach says they are supposed to - to me, at least...
That's why UMass did from the day Carvel took over - and they often got bombed for it, but it set the standard and gave recruits a vision of the system they could join and flourish in.
I can remember one odd-man rush this season (which they scored on at CC). I'm sure there have been a few more - but not many. I can remember numerous chances for odd-man rushes and even a blueline in breakaway they passed on in just the last two weekends by being hesitant and indecisive...
Wrapping up the first half of the season with a half handful of wins - after last season's finish - and a tentative style of play is certainly not going to help the coaching staff recruit or build the UNH vision/brand moving forward. Especially when they do have the pieces to at least be fun to watch. What they're doing on the ice now is a factor...
Results shouldn't be their primary goal right now - you're right it should be recruiting and development. But we need to see that now! We should have seen that long ago! I need more reason than just wanting to see it - to expect or hope it will happen. We've expected and hoped it would happen for years now and we've passed re-starting point after re-starting point with the processes we have in place...
I think we need to hope for and focus on evidence that these processes start working - not that they might suddenly change THIS time. That means hoping this team starts to show some evidence of that one way or another. Winning games and playing exciting hockey would clearly help the staff execute a future vision - and they've shown they absolutely need that boost...
