UNH 2025 Offseason: Where in the World is MS7?

[TheGrouchyCat]

So bizarre to see so little activity in either direction from UNH in the portal. I expected Conmy to enter but I certainly thought we'd see a couple other forwards join him. And surely I thought they'd at least try and grab another goalie, if nothing else. Going to be a not-at-all surprising lack of experience and skill on the roster that takes the ice next season.

Half the team graduated and the leftovers, save Lavins, wouldn't be in high demand.

Cy perhaps, but with his family history, he isn't going anywhere. Winters, when he healthy, is the fastest skater on the team and a legit scoring threat, but his career has been VERY up and down.

 

[norbert]

OK - Hockey Question

So I am looking at the number of undergraduates leaving for the NHL. Yes, I know a big piece of this is the new CBA which means a team is better to sign after Junior year than wait until after the senior year and take the chance of August free agency.

Unlike 30-40 years ago the NHL sees College Hockey as development route. Google AI (and I am not digging deeper to double check) says in 22-23 it was 33% of NHL players came via College up from 21% in 2002-2003. I will note the percentage of draft collegians has been relatively stable the number of former college players making the show is up significantly. Additionally those players tend to be of the higher skill variety.

SIDE NOTE: doing a little research on this got me to a Wikipedia page on drafted college players. UNH ranks 12th in drafted players and 11th in players making the NHL. Both numbers were shocking to me. Also I noted it looks like Michigan State has the best conversion rate for the teams with a significant number of drafted players 60%. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_players_in_the_NHL_entry_draft

To the question probably most targeted at Dan and/or NCAAWatcher.

How much of what we are seeing is recruiting / "feedstock" and how much is "development"?

As an example lets take the BC players Perreault, Leonard and Fowler. How much of the desire to pull them out now is because they have truly developed at BC under Brown vs. they were just freaking talented players and just need to mature a couple years someplace?

I don't see players at UNH developing any longer. The numbers don't climb they are what they are. How much of that is bad coaching vs bad environment vs. just the talent coming in the door. Are players significantly developing in 1-3 years in college?

I remember stories from the past (20 years ago) of UNH getting players with hands that might not be the best skaters. Which was always strange when the Whitt was still a giant lake with super deep corners. Somebody at UNH knew how to "fix" skating issues and that was a bit of a hidden advantage probably allowing UNH to get talent that others were chasing as hard because they had a track record of developing those players.

There are a lot of factors in this. Let's take JVR for instance. He went #2 because Chicago did not think he was ready and Kane was. He stayed for 2 years but I don't believe it was for growth under Umile but he needed to mature.

You readiness, maturity/growth, and team need factored in with these players that are all discussed by agents/parents/coaches/ect. It could be a coaching style at the college level that teams want kids to experience that translates to the NHL team. Also I think not getting gooned on at the AHL level could play a role.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Half the team graduated and the leftovers, save Lavins, wouldn't be in high demand.

Cy perhaps, but with his family history, he isn't going anywhere. Winters, when he healthy, is the fastest skater on the team and a legit scoring threat, but his career has been VERY up and down.

Cy, Winters, Ring, Siedem, Skrastins, and Lavins could all easily find a new home. Are they gonna be getting calls from BU, BC, Big Ten, NCHC etc.? No, certainly not. But there are a lot of teams losing a lot of guys who'd be more than happy to have them on board.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Cy, Winters, Ring, Siedem, Skrastins, and Lavins could all easily find a new home. Are they gonna be getting calls from BU, BC, Big Ten, NCHC etc.? No, certainly not. But there are a lot of teams losing a lot of guys who'd be more than happy to have them on board.

With his physical two way play, the upside on Lavins is high. I could certainly see him being a complimentary piece to a national contender.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

With his physical two way play, the upside on Lavins is high. I could certainly see him being a complimentary piece to a national contender.

Agreed, I could see him garnering interest from the high tier teams.

My point was more about the others being able to find a different landing spot if they wanted to, it would just have to be AH/ECAC for most with Cy/Ring/Winters maybe able to squeeze in somewhere more competitive if there a more desperate need.

I would also think the unproven guys like Walsh, Player, and the McPhersons could probably call up the other programs that recruited them and ask for another look.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Agreed, I could see him garnering interest from the high tier teams.

My point was more about the others being able to find a different landing spot if they wanted to, it would just have to be AH/ECAC for most with Cy/Ring/Winters maybe able to squeeze in somewhere more competitive if there a more desperate need.

I would also think the unproven guys like Walsh, Player, and the McPhersons could probably call up the other programs that recruited them and ask for another look.

Let's be real. Outside of Lavins, the named players aren't necessarily pro prospects. The only way I see anyone moving on from Durham is in the unlikely event they are offered more scholarship money from a different school.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Let's be real. Outside of Lavins, the named players aren't necessarily pro prospects. The only way I see anyone moving on from Durham is in the unlikely event they are offered more scholarship money from a different school.

There are 250ish kids in the transfer portal right now across D1 hockey, most aren't pro prospects. Kids leave for any number of reasons. If you look at the 15+ kids that have transferred out the last 3 years only a few (Carfagna, Muszelik, Sardarian) had been drafted and most had no professional prospects.

Miami (OH) has 10 kids in the portal right now. They went 3-28 this season. Do you think those kids are leaving for pro-development or better scholarships? Maybe a couple. I think most are leaving to get away from a program going in the wrong direction.

I would have expected to see a few kids jump ship from UNH's roster for the same reason.

 

[Scott]

There are 250ish kids in the transfer portal right now across D1 hockey, most aren't pro prospects. Kids leave for any number of reasons. If you look at the 15+ kids that have transferred out the last 3 years only a few (Carfagna, Muszelik, Sardarian) had been drafted and most had no professional prospects.

Miami (OH) has 10 kids in the portal right now. They went 3-28 this season. Do you think those kids are leaving for pro-development or better scholarships? Maybe a couple. I think most are leaving to get away from a program going in the wrong direction.

I would have expected to see a few kids jump ship from UNH's roster for the same reason.

Miami has a first-year head coach. He very well could be purging players in favor of "his recruits". Dan I'm sure would have further insights.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

Miami has a first-year head coach. He very well could be purging players in favor of "his recruits". Dan I'm sure would have further insights.

Fair point.

Take your pick of other programs, though. Merrimack (10), Alaska (10), ASU (8), Michigan (7). I just think there is more to the story than UNH being so awful the kids have no prospects, and that is what I'm curious about.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Miami has a first-year head coach. He very well could be purging players in favor of "his recruits". Dan I'm sure would have further insights.

This is a likely scenario. MoH had a good run until it didn't.

Coaches want their own players. Babbage was recruited to Michigan State out of QU but lost his spot with the coaching change.

 

[2013hockeyfan]

This is a likely scenario. MoH had a good run until it didn't.

Coaches want their own players. Babbage was recruited to Michigan State out of QU but lost his spot with the coaching change.

I hadn't realized how bad it had gotten there until I looked up their record today. They did not win a game in conference...

 

[JB]

I hadn't realized how bad it had gotten there until I looked up their record today. They did not win a game in conference...

All, I am really sorry....

Look it is going to be OK, they went against the trend and upgraded the locker rooms and training facilities of a team not on the rise (completed the summer of 2023). That will surely fix the problems, just like it will someday at UNH. Oh wait it didn't... they fired the coach anyway...

 

[JB]

...readiness, maturity/growth, and team need factored in with these players that are all discussed by agents/parents/coaches/ect. It could be a coaching style at the college level that teams want kids to experience that translates to the NHL team. Also I think not getting gooned on at the AHL level could play a role.

I was just pondering what the coaching staff could do different in talent acquisition.

Players in Durham don't really appear to progress.

• What is reasonable progression in the current college game?
• Is that from the type of player the coaches are bringing in? (nothing to develop)
• from the lack of a system?
• the lack of ability to develop?
  

It was "known" in the past, UNH even on the big sheet could fix (or deal with) questionable skating. That in turn allowed the coaches to "shop" for players with other skills knowing they had the ability to deal with "questionable skating". How can this crew think the same way? What can they live with or fix good enough?

I know it is whistling past the graveyard. The problem is the head coach either doesn't believe in what he is selling or just can't sell.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

I know it is whistling past the graveyard. The problem is the head coach either doesn't believe in what he is selling or just can't sell.

Considering how little he is seen in public, can the man even speak or are his media and recruiting engagements conducted by an AI chatbot?

 

[Potluck]

All, I am really sorry....

Look it is going to be OK, they went against the trend and upgraded the locker rooms and training facilities of a team not on the rise (completed the summer of 2023). That will surely fix the problems, just like it will someday at UNH. Oh wait it didn't... they fired the coach anyway...

Oh, Elwood! Buford read your post and when he burst out laughing, the milk he was drinking shot straight out of his nose. I reckon you’re gonna choke on your mammas daily slice of watermelon laughing if you read your own posts!

 

[Snively65]

Agreed, I could see him garnering interest from the high tier teams.

My point was more about the others being able to find a different landing spot if they wanted to, it would just have to be AH/ECAC for most with Cy/Ring/Winters maybe able to squeeze in somewhere more competitive if there a more desperate need.

I would also think the unproven guys like Walsh, Player, and the McPhersons could probably call up the other programs that recruited them and ask for another look.

Agree with the latter who would likely get more schollie money and certainly more playing time on an AHA team.

 

[Snively65]

Looks like 1972 or '73. From the 1973 Durham Annual Report, page 14:

"The mild winter of 1973 allowed a number of projects to be completed. Many trees were removed in order to obtain better sight distances on Mill Road, as well as to remove those dead trees that were determined to be hazardous to traffic during strong wind conditions. The mild winter also allowed time for equipment repair, as well as the painting of truck bodies, Due to the early spring weather, work on the wall near the Town parking lot, sidewalks, landscaping, and the top application coat of pavement were finished in time for the opening of one-way traffic."

Annual report, 1973. Durham, New Hampshire.

I thought it was later and am now thinking this was a story told to Mike Libby as I don't think he was that much older than me. Perhaps he was a Freshman in the first year of one-way traffic.

Thanks, Darius, as you nailed it. I guess that I was not paying enough attention when visiting the Down Under Pub on my return trips from Orono during the 1972/73 and 1973/74 school years, but I must have been obeying traffic directions as I never got pulled over by Durham’s Finest.

 

[Dan]

Miami (OH) has 10 kids in the portal right now. They went 3-28 this season. Do you think those kids are leaving for pro-development or better scholarships? Maybe a couple. I think most are leaving to get away from a program going in the wrong direction.

Reporting live from Uptown Oxford:

Miami is rumored to be cutting upwards of the entire team. Pending deferrals they have 15-20 recruits capable of matriculating into campus next fall, and that is before any transfer portal moves are even considered…

Miami is cleaning house. There is an outcry on social media about 'productive' rising seniors getting released from the program, so I wouldn't be surprised if even Johnny Waldron (leading scorer, transfer to ASU) was among the casualties. The RedHawks have nine players left on the current roster (with rumors more may depart), have already added two transfers from the portal, and have 19 commitments projected as 2025 recruits...

--

Miami is an interesting case. They rose to prominence while playing in arguably the worst facility in Division I hockey (under Enrico Blasi leadership and the recruiting of top assistant, Jeff Blashill). They hung around a few seasons after entering the new facility, but lost Blashill, eventually Blasi, and bottomed out under Chris Bergeron. The new facility wasn't a magic elixir for Bergeron, we'll see how it contributes under Anthony Noreen. While the facility remains a constant recruiting sure seems to have picked up notably in tempo and talent under the new coach...

--

In other Miami news, the RedHawk basketball team has struggled since Wally Szcerbiak's Sweet Sixteen run in 1999 - with just one other NCAA Tournament appearance. The facility was always the scapegoat. However, the facility hasn't seemed to hold back new coach Travis Steele (previously at Xavier) - who immediately generated excitement and produced in recruiting. The team won 20+ games this season and reached the MAC Championship. Steele and the team are being rewarded for a productive season with fundraising and a new arena...

Board of Trustees approves site for the design phase of an event district with multipurpose arena

Committee of faculty, staff, and alumni recommended a new arena be built at Cook Field

miamioh.edu

Its amazing the impact one enthusiastic personality can have on a program...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Oh, Elwood! Buford read your post and when he burst out laughing, the milk he was drinking shot straight out of his nose. I reckon you’re gonna choke on your mammas daily slice of watermelon laughing if you read your own posts!

The creepiness of your stalking is starting to overtake your tediousness as your most least redeeming qualities.

Even the rest of the Island of Misfit Toys seems to have now disowned you ...

 

[norbert]

No updates since November

Whittemore Center ‐ Arena Projects in Building 2 Whittemore Center ‐ Arena ‐ Expansion2‐ IN DESIGNGEUTHER, MARK E SI11‐30‐2024: Schematic Design complete. Suffolk delivered their schematic design estimate on 12‐6‐2024. Reviewing and reconciling estimate with previous other estimates.Design Firm: TBD Contractor: Contractor Name: TBD