UNH 2025 Offseason: Where in the World is MS7?

[bakchk20]

But if you like 6'4 guys who take up space (but don't score) -- as some apparently do -- then you'll love the 7 goal kid.

Yeah, more of the same, but worse. Taking up space in street clothes, keeping the MacPhearsons company. Ra! Ra! Ra! It would be one thing if this coaching crew could coach kids up. But...

So if Tournas is deferred, as Dan wrote, what are the odds he becomes a decommitt? My money is on "he's gone" when they try to ship him to Drummondville

 

[Robert Balin]

Yeah, more of the same, but worse. Taking up space in street clothes, keeping the MacPhearsons company. Ra! Ra! Ra! It would be one thing if this coaching crew could coach kids up. But...

So if Tournas is deferred, as Dan wrote, what are the odds he becomes a decommitt? My money is on "he's gone" when they try to ship him to Drummondville

Tournas is from Connecticut. i'm sure Cavanaugh can find room for him. Also playing Jr hockey in his home state this year probably would reinforce my statement.

 

[Sparkee]

Tournas is from Connecticut. i'm sure Cavanaugh can find room for him. Also playing Jr hockey in his home state this year probably would reinforce my statement.

Also he has three other in state options even closer to his hometown… Quinnipiac, Yale, and Sacred Heart.

 

[HockeyRef]

So who wants to bet that Monday we hear Ryan Conmy has commited to BU?

Happy snow day!!

 

[Robert Balin]

So who wants to bet that Monday we hear Ryan Conmy has commited to BU?

Happy snow day!!

I'd say you were probably right Ref. Another big L for Souza and company.

 

[FDNY99]

Third, NCAA recruits don’t think like adult NCAA fans. There’s not a hockey player in the world who’s going to walk into The Whitt and think it’s beneath them. Unless they - or their advisors - are beat over the head with that narrative and sense it from those employed at UNH. Narrative matters. Change it**

Ask an adult NCAA fan and they’ll tell you NIL is king. The WMU coach said last week on a podcast they’re not paying a penny of NIL. That kids choose Western to win and be developed and that’s what they sold them

It’s all about the facilities …especially with CHL kids now being eligible to play NCAA hockey. By facilities I mean training rooms, dedicated weight rooms for ice hockey teams, shooting rooms, goalie rooms, player lounges and dedicated cafeteria’s. The kids that are drafted will continue to gravitate to the schools that have these amenities. Say what you want about NIL right now.,.going forward revenue sharing is going to be a big thing. If you don’t think so then you are kidding yourself.
Now comes the huge gorilla in the closet…coaching salaries and length of contract . If you want a guy like Joe Dumais to leave QU where he has all the above facilities to come to a place like Durham where not only does he have to win BUT he also has to raise the $$ needed to upgrade or build out those facilities he is going to demand $450k/yr minimum and ask for a 5-6 year guaranteed contract. Let’s face it Chuck basically considers Souza and his buddy Luce equals as head coaches. One guy has all the institutional support he could want..a brand new facility with pretty much every player amenity they could ask for and fleeced his school for a extension and a $450k/ yr salary…the other guy makes $250k/yr and can’t even see his facility upgraded due to lack of fundraising. When you dive in to the deep end of the coaching salary pool the stakes get raised on the coach..we pay you $$ to win…if you don’t take care now..then you can stay in the same end of the pool looking for your replacement. When you swim in the shallow end…you get what is happening in Durham…

 

[Sparkee]

It’s all about the facilities …especially with CHL kids now being eligible to play NCAA hockey. By facilities I mean training rooms, dedicated weight rooms for ice hockey teams, shooting rooms, goalie rooms, player lounges and dedicated cafeteria’s. The kids that are drafted will continue to gravitate to the schools that have these amenities. Say what you want about NIL right now.,.going forward revenue sharing is going to be a big thing. If you don’t think so then you are kidding yourself.
Now comes the huge gorilla in the closet…coaching salaries and length of contract . If you want a guy like Joe Dumais to leave QU where he has all the above facilities to come to a place like Durham where not only does he have to win BUT he also has to raise the $$ needed to upgrade or build out those facilities he is going to demand $450k/yr minimum and ask for a 5-6 year guaranteed contract. Let’s face it Chuck basically considers Souza and his buddy Luce equals as head coaches. One guy has all the institutional support he could want..a brand new facility with pretty much every player amenity they could ask for and fleeced his school for a extension and a $450k/ yr salary…the other guy makes $250k/yr and can’t even see his facility upgraded due to lack of fundraising. When you dive in to the deep end of the coaching salary pool the stakes get raised on the coach..we pay you $$ to win…if you don’t take care now..then you can stay in the same end of the pool looking for your replacement. When you swim in the shallow end…you get what is happening in Durham…

But in fairness, Chuck is a dumbass.

Cavanaugh was voted in as HE coach of the year by his fellow head coaches. These coaches are orders of magnitude more knowledgeable on hockey than Chuck.

 

[NCAA watcher]

You are right that new candidates will seek guarantees about support. As for the guaranteed contracts, 5-6 years is a drop in the bucket. Our unaccomplished HC has been given 12 years (2015-2027), so the commitment length is not a problem. $450/yr is not the minimum. There are only so many Tier I conference jobs available. Look at what a more qualified Barr received as his initial salary for the opportunity. Dumais and DeMichiel remain assistants, and getting a HC job is better than being an assistant at a school with all the amenities. UNH can afford to trade length for salary -- $1.8 mil State Tax Free (6 years at $300)? And UNH is better positioned for newly-defined "success" -- moving it from its bottom two HE position (Ferris State of the East) to the HE mid-tier (5-9) -- than a lot of other schools that may be looking for a HC in the next 3 years.
But I agree with your overall point -- UNH needs to be able to show that commitment to the top tier assistants. Hopefully having Souza willing to work without a raise for 10 years in exchange for keeping his job has allowed them to save money.

 

[Potluck]

It’s all about the facilities …especially with CHL kids now being eligible to play NCAA hockey. By facilities I mean training rooms, dedicated weight rooms for ice hockey teams, shooting rooms, goalie rooms, player lounges and dedicated cafeteria’s. The kids that are drafted will continue to gravitate to the schools that have these amenities. Say what you want about NIL right now.,.going forward revenue sharing is going to be a big thing. If you don’t think so then you are kidding yourself.
Now comes the huge gorilla in the closet…coaching salaries and length of contract . If you want a guy like Joe Dumais to leave QU where he has all the above facilities to come to a place like Durham where not only does he have to win BUT he also has to raise the $$ needed to upgrade or build out those facilities he is going to demand $450k/yr minimum and ask for a 5-6 year guaranteed contract. Let’s face it Chuck basically considers Souza and his buddy Luce equals as head coaches. One guy has all the institutional support he could want..a brand new facility with pretty much every player amenity they could ask for and fleeced his school for a extension and a $450k/ yr salary…the other guy makes $250k/yr and can’t even see his facility upgraded due to lack of fundraising. When you dive in to the deep end of the coaching salary pool the stakes get raised on the coach..we pay you $$ to win…if you don’t take care now..then you can stay in the same end of the pool looking for your replacement. When you swim in the shallow end…you get what is happening in Durham…Well, I’ve been making this argument for months. Buford a/k/a Chuck and Elwood a/k/a JB have long argued that $240k is a princely sum and facilities upgrades are elitist.

Amen. Get ready for Buford (Chuck) and Elwood (JB) to attack! They believe all that is necessary is to buy out Souza, hire a low cost coach, win big and private money will pay for everything.

 

[FDNY99]

You are right that new candidates will seek guarantees about support. As for the guaranteed contracts, 5-6 years is a drop in the bucket. Our unaccomplished HC has been given 12 years (2015-2027), so the commitment length is not a problem. $450/yr is not the minimum. There are only so many Tier I conference jobs available. Look at what a more qualified Barr received as his initial salary for the opportunity. Dumais and DeMichiel remain assistants, and getting a HC job is better than being an assistant at a school with all the amenities. UNH can afford to trade length for salary -- $1.8 mil State Tax Free (6 years at $300)? And UNH is better positioned for newly-defined "success" -- moving it from its bottom two HE position (Ferris State of the East) to the HE mid-tier (5-9) -- than a lot of other schools that may be looking for a HC in the next 3 years.
But I agree with your overall point -- UNH needs to be able to show that commitment to the top tier assistants. Hopefully having Souza willing to work without a raise for 10 years in exchange for keeping his job has allowed them to save money.

Coaches don’t seem to get recycled in hockey like they do in other D-1 college sports . There for a top assistant like Dumais of DeMichiel are going to have demands they need met support wise. This is most likely their one shot at a title. Why go into this with one or both hands tied behind their back. It’s pretty disturbing to hear you guys talk about UNH disbanding the Friends of Hockey and not have Souza out in public meeting his fan/donor base. There for it’s not surprising to see that fundraising goals for the Whitt renovation haven’t been met yet. All you need to do is look to the south and you will find Chuck’s buddy Luce on the UConn coaches summer tour with Mora, Hurley, Penders and Geno. They show up , have a panel Q& A with the fan base then glad hand a bit. They are set up by the athletic dept who then gets the donations. Pretty simple concept …. It’s not earth shattering

 

[Darius]

So who wants to bet that Monday we hear Ryan Conmy has commited to BU?

Happy snow day!!

BU - my first college hockey true love. Would be very interesting to see how he does there.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

BU - my first college hockey true love. Would be very interesting to see how he does there.

I'm curious how much influence the Kings had in the decision to enter the portal and, presumably, transfer to BU.

 

[Potluck]

I’d like to see Conmy at BU. BU is my second favorite college hockey team.

 

[Dan]

It’s all about the facilities …especially with CHL kids now being eligible to play NCAA hockey. By facilities I mean training rooms, dedicated weight rooms for ice hockey teams, shooting rooms, goalie rooms, player lounges and dedicated cafeteria’s. The kids that are drafted will continue to gravitate to the schools that have these amenities. Say what you want about NIL right now.,.going forward revenue sharing is going to be a big thing. If you don’t think so then you are kidding yourself.
Now comes the huge gorilla in the closet…coaching salaries and length of contract . If you want a guy like Joe Dumais to leave QU where he has all the above facilities to come to a place like Durham where not only does he have to win BUT he also has to raise the $$ needed to upgrade or build out those facilities he is going to demand $450k/yr minimum and ask for a 5-6 year guaranteed contract. Let’s face it Chuck basically considers Souza and his buddy Luce equals as head coaches. One guy has all the institutional support he could want..a brand new facility with pretty much every player amenity they could ask for and fleeced his school for a extension and a $450k/ yr salary…the other guy makes $250k/yr and can’t even see his facility upgraded due to lack of fundraising. When you dive in to the deep end of the coaching salary pool the stakes get raised on the coach..we pay you $$ to win…if you don’t take care now..then you can stay in the same end of the pool looking for your replacement. When you swim in the shallow end…you get what is happening in Durham…

Interesting opinion adult NCAA fan.

College players always have, and continue to gravitate towards the programs with the reputation for moving kids to the NHL. It’s all perception.

Interesting piece in Watcher’s trip down memory lane; UNH had ‘never’ been perceived as a place that could compete. Yet they did. Now they don’t. They can again.

 

[FDNY99]

[/

Interesting opinion adult NCAA fan.

College players always have, and continue to gravitate towards the programs with the reputation for moving kids to the NHL. It’s all perception.

Interesting piece in Watcher’s trip down memory lane; UNH had ‘never’ been perceived as a place that could compete. Yet they did. Now they don’t. They can again.

So you are telling me UNH has the exact same facilities as North Dakota, BC, BU, Denver, Quinnipiac and Michigan?

 

[Chuck Murray]

I feel like I'm in the Monty Python bit about logic. So if she weighs less than a duck, she's a witch.

As I understand the argument now, WMU has crap facilities, but has succeeded because of a good coach. But without good facilities, it will be bad. But the good coach will enable it to get good facilities.

And because of this, we're to conclude that UNH, with a thoroughly mediocre coach, should not change coaches and try to be good with bad facilities, but must first try to get good facilities and then switch to a good coach.

Man, I would have failed that on my logic class.

Post of the year

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Felger]

Interesting piece in Watcher’s trip down memory lane; UNH had ‘never’ been perceived as a place that could compete. Yet they did. Now they don’t. They can again.

Prior to the upgrade to this board I had a tagline that said "UNH Hockey: From "Why Not Us" to "Woe is Us"

 

[Dan]

[/

So you are telling me UNH has the exact same facilities as North Dakota, BC, BU, Denver, Quinnipiac and Michigan

Did I say anything remotely along those lines?

Neither North Dakota or Michigan made the NCAA Tournament despite those elite facilities. North Dakota had to fire their coach because he couldn't cash in on those facilities. Michigan has backed up, lost seven players to the portal and is desperate for a CHL hail mary this off-season. Even if they manage one, those players aren't coming because of facilities they're coming because of the laundry list of NHL athletes who played at UM...

Nebraska-Omaha, Miami, Wisconsin, Colorado College, Notre Dame, Duluth are all examples of plus facility programs struggling to find any footing.

The wrong coach will not be bailed out by elite facilities.

Denver and Quinnipiac have two of the best coaches in the sport. They would win anywhere. Denver had mediocre facilities at best, until a recent upgrade. They won just as much before as after.

Michigan State had their new facility upgrades in place for Cole (bad coach), didn't matter. Nightengale (good coach) flipped their fortunes immediately.

Maine had terrible facilities with Gendron (bad coach) and struggled mightily. Same facilities for Barr (good coach) led to an immediate turn around in recruit perception. Now they're getting new facilities - look out.

Western Michigan: bad facilities, good coach. NCAA Final. Now they're getting new facilities - look out.

The right coach can overcome nearly any obstacle to elevate a program. A combination of good coach, good facility is always desirable.

I have lived and worked in this world my entire adult life. It is 95% coaching staff, their belief in what they're selling, the connection they create with prospects and their ability to sell a vision for student-athlete success.

Unless a facility is an absolute anchor, its not the factor people think. That is just the reality. Regardless of what subpar coaches pitch to their bosses and regardless of the group think that permeates adult media and fan bases. If UNH was still playing in Snively this would be an issue. The Whitt is more than good enough, even if it could be better...

 

[Chuck Murray]

Again, good coaches can sell bad facilities. Bad coaches can blame bad facilities.

There's the kill shot, right there ...

 

[FDNY99]

Did I say anything remotely along those lines?

Neither North Dakota or Michigan made the NCAA Tournament despite those elite facilities. North Dakota had to fire their coach because he couldn't cash in on those facilities. Michigan has backed up, lost seven players to the portal and is desperate for a CHL hail mary this off-season. Even if they manage one, those players aren't coming because of facilities they're coming because of the laundry list of NHL athletes who played at UM...

Nebraska-Omaha, Miami, Wisconsin, Colorado College, Notre Dame, Duluth are all examples of plus facility programs struggling to find any footing.

The wrong coach will not be bailed out by elite facilities.

Denver and Quinnipiac have two of the best coaches in the sport. They would win anywhere. Denver had mediocre facilities at best, until a recent upgrade. They won just as much before as after.

Michigan State had their new facility upgrades in place for Cole (bad coach), didn't matter. Nightengale (good coach) flipped their fortunes immediately.

Maine had terrible facilities with Gendron (bad coach) and struggled mightily. Same facilities for Barr (good coach) led to an immediate turn around in recruit perception. Now they're getting new facilities - look out.

Western Michigan: bad facilities, good coach. NCAA Final. Now they're getting new facilities - look out.

The right coach can overcome nearly any obstacle to elevate a program. A combination of good coach, good facility is always desirable.

I have lived and worked in this world my entire adult life. It is 95% coaching staff, their belief in what they're selling, the connection they create with prospects and their ability to sell a vision for student-athlete success.

That is just the reality. Regardless of what subpar coaches pitch to their bosses and regardless of the group think that permeates adult media and fan bases...

You

Interesting opinion adult NCAA fan.

College players always have, and continue to gravitate towards the programs with the reputation for moving kids to the NHL. It’s all perception.

Interesting piece in Watcher’s trip down memory lane; UNH had ‘never’ been perceived as a place that could compete. Yet they did. Now they don’t. They can again.

That was your statement about kids going to schools that put kids into the pros…I asked you if those schools had the same facilities as UNH…you said putting kids into the pros NOT going to the tournament…don’t know where your rant came
From. You have some good points you just need to weed through your keyboard anger to see them.
For the record when I mention Facilities those are the following: weight rooms, shooting rooms, training areas, stand alone dining areas for proper nutrition

I have a front row seat to watching this unfold for the son of a friend of mine. The schools he
Mentions are the ones I listed…