As hinted at elsewhere, the UMass teams of recent years remind me most of Walshy's old UMaine teams. Talented, prepared and tough as nails in a very disciplined way.
Post-suspension Walsh, but his first decade 83-93 were blue chippah after blue chippah. Capped by the class of all classes in 93, Kariya and the Ferraro twins. The suspension in 94 or 95 put a crimp in that, and he back filled based on his reputation, and that undertalented team in 99 upset a talented Wildcat team, with little more than hard working kids.
Carvel stepped into U.Mass with two players he didn't recruit: Makar already in place, and a Springfield kid who chose not to go to UNH like the Kellehers, but to stay local (Leonard). They're both in the NHL now. If anything, he has built around some talent on D (Jones, Delgaizo, Ferraro) and hard working kids. His best forward this year, Trivigno, was not recruited by BC, where his sister played. The rest are NAHL sorts. If anything, the team is reminiscent of Union and Yale's championships. Hard work moreso than recruited talent.
Not a big fan of the term "culture" as I think that's more of a popular buzzword these days when a coach wants to sound like he's got a plan, when most really don't (looking at you, MS7). If the person running your program has a very clear mindset of what that program is going to play like, what qualities are going to be the trademarks of your program, what stuff is rewarded, and what won't be tolerated, etc. - then you have a fighting chance. And if that person can get talented kids with character to buy into what they are selling, you're on your way to greatness.
Not to react too much to this year and a single elimination tourney. I suspect we would have a very different result if North Dakota had not been upset. Instead, we get a very underwhelming Final Four in terms of talent. Duluth was a shell of its past two years, with talent on the top two lines that was more persistent than exceptional. St.Cloud, too. Of the four teams, maybe 4 players make the NHL. If you try and recreate the last NCAA FF participants, you fall into the idea of trying to be Union or Yale, when it was a once-in-a-lifetime run, and is not sustainable there, or in your own program.
Carvel and Barr have a couple of nice kids lined up early (thanks in part to geography and ties to the team in McEwen), and will probably get a top 4 in the region kid in Leonard's brother, but its not like they are going head to head and getting NE talent at a level of BC, BU or even Northeastern. They are doing a quasi-Bazin, where you look at the roster and don't see how they are getting as much out of them. They will obviously be a continued presence in the "big 4) while Carvel remains, but I would not annoint them a permanent member of that club. As Bazin/Union shows, you can find hidden gems, but expecting to do so over the course of a decade is another.
In the past, I could look at teams like Denver with Carle, BC with everyone, BU with its first rounders, and see transormative players make a key play. With the message that UNH had to improve talent level. Even this year, we saw how Crookshank could turn a game. But that falls apart when you see this batch.
Now, on the point of "culture," I an loathe to acknowledge this, because I'm a "talent" guy. But there is a tenacity to U.Mass that UNH needs to get. And its not physicality in the sense of size or even "finishing the check" sort of running around hitting guys. There was almost no late checks, the exception being the *penalty* to Gaudet. Nor was there defensemen and forwards throwing themselves in front of shots, where you could say UNH needs a 6'4 shot blocker. Instead, you had a team committed to defense in the way of always being near a player on D, and engaging. Not just "standing within a sticks' length where I could say I am on him."
U.Mass was very strong on the puck, not banging bodies, but on their sticks. They dug down low when the puck was in a scrum, and if the player tried to turn out of the scrum, the U.Mass sticks tied them down. On offense, twhen they got the pucks along the boards, they didn't just stand there hoping to shield the puck from the D with their size, but to turn out of the check and make a play.
So, on the point of culture, it's easier to change culture when you have two NHL players on the roster, including a future NHL rookie of the year. It's also easier to change culture when you have an NHL pedigree, and the two recruits in place stay through a regime change (compare, Farabee, Ryczek) and your second best defenseman follows you from St.Lawrence (Del Gaizo) and other recruits follow you from your prior team. Alas, that requires players buying into you. But Carvel did also bring in a class of 10 freshmen to blow out the existing roster, and instill a new culture.
Up to 10 underclassmen won’t be back for the 2017-18 hockey season at the University of Massachusetts, including defenseman William Lagesson who elected to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to sign with the Edmonton Oilers.
The other underclassmen won’t be back due to usual factors surrounding a coaching change. With Greg Carvel and his staff entering their second season in Amherst, up to 9 players will not be back because of being asked to leave the team or a concern over lack of playing time.
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/hoc...ovanna-renyard
Vermont's new coach brings in 10 or so of his guys. Watch what proven assistant, first year on the job Kris Mayotte does at Colorado.
Of course, this is the opposite of what UNH did, which was to try a seamless transition from a failing regime to the new guy, and giving every 5th year kid with eligibility a return ticket. (Dawson/Grasso) And the new guy didn't buy into the need for change, and so made almost no personnel changes, and really had no plan for bringing in "his guys" other than hitting his old haunts for Austin Prep/Malden Catholic kids, waiting 5 months to bring in your first recruit, and ony netting 4 recruits in the first year).
Again, I don't want to dwell on the complete deviation from norms, and look instead where UNH is now. The defensemen are a strength talent wise, and U.Mass shows you can make due with that even if the stars aren't up front. However, you need a stout goalie or two. The D need to have the puck skills they currently have, but also engage on D. I don't want a 6'3 shot blocker or "clear out the crease" kid, but a 5'10 guy who gets into the sticks of the offensive guys. It's a lot less painful than rewarding a guy like Verrier for leading in block shots. Tie guys up, stay between the player and the goal, and stick close to them and you don't need to dive infront of a 85 MPH shot. Getting buy in from the players requires having a coach with credibility. Let's see if that can be a thing at UNH.
Trying to be nice here but, has somehow I just can't see that happening ever as things stand right now.