UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/..._york_in_special_place_on_verge_of_1000th_win

"In other words, BC recruited New England, a hotbed of hockey talent. It was enough then. York still does, but the pursuit of players now takes him to the ends of the hockey earth, which is why he’s got a goalie from San Diego, a forward from Florida and kids from across the country, across town and across Canada."

Ya think that just might be a bit of hyperbole there?

"Case in point: The weekend before Christmas he wasn’t wrapping presents for under the tree with his wife Bobbie in Watertown. He was on a plane to Edmonton to watch a kid someone told him was worth seeing and he headed there with the joy of anticipation that for many college coaches fades over time."

This separates him from Umile, Parker and all the others who are over 65.

I sold my insurance business at the age of 66. Why? Because, after 40+ years it was time to do something else. The guy who bought my business? He's now 72, loves the chase, loves landing a client, the whole thing. People are just wired differently. For someone like Umile, who was a high level athlete, highly competitive, I know there are many aspects of his job he still loves. There were for me as well. Over the years I adapted, did so nicely. But after 40 plus years, you get to the point where you want to do other things. Which I am doing (save for this). Watcher, come back to me when you're pushing 70 and tell me you have the same enthusiasm for whatever it is you do for a living as you did when you were 30. If so, you're a rare bird, believe me.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Hey Greg, no doubt. Edit my "almost" to "relatively". It is the nature of the position. 12 forwards, 6 d-men each night and also the importance of the position, defensive mistakes vs. offensive mistakes. Sometimes I am surprised that a player is a Senior because I don't recall him having played that many previous years. This is more often with a d-man who had no Freshman and little Sophomore playing time.

Darius, to satisfy my curiosity, I ran down UNH rosters from the 1995-1996 season until now, checking the playing time for freshmen defensemen. Here is a list of those who played less than 20 games their freshman year - Sean Austin, Tim Horst, John Doherty, Chris Murray, Kevin Kapstad, Nick Krates, Mark Campanale, Mike Beck, Harry Quast, and Dylan Chanter. This does not count the 2010-2011 season when both freshmen - Justin Agosta and Eric Knodel was redshirted. That's 12 out of 44 and includes the likes of not only Jayme Filipowicz, Steve O'Brien, Garrett Stafford, Brian Yandle, Brad Flaishans, and Trevor vanRiemsdyk, but also Mike Lubesnick, Michael Hutchins, Damon Kipp and a bunch of guys who are playing right now. Glad to help.

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Thanks, Greg. I'll take your word for it as I am too busy working to check it out myself.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Darius, to satisfy my curiosity, I ran down UNH rosters from the 1995-1996 season until now, checking the playing time for freshmen defensemen. Here is a list of those who played less than 20 games their freshman year - Sean Austin, Tim Horst, John Doherty, Chris Murray, Kevin Kapstad, Nick Krates, Mark Campanale, Mike Beck, Harry Quast, and Dylan Chanter. This does not count the 2010-2011 season when both freshmen - Justin Agosta and Eric Knodel was redshirted. That's 12 out of 44 and includes the likes of not only Jayme Filipowicz, Steve O'Brien, Garrett Stafford, Brian Yandle, Brad Flaishans, and Trevor vanRiemsdyk, but also Mike Lubesnick, Michael Hutchins, Damon Kipp and a bunch of guys who are playing right now. Glad to help.

Just to clarify, the latter list played in more than 20 games as freshmen (not wanting to look it up)?

 

[Dan]

Fast and skilled '99 New Hampshire native Alex Steeves commits...

...to Notre Dame.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I sold my insurance business at the age of 66. Why? Because, after 40+ years it was time to do something else. The guy who bought my business? He's now 72, loves the chase, loves landing a client, the whole thing. People are just wired differently. For someone like Umile, who was a high level athlete, highly competitive, I know there are many aspects of his job he still loves. There were for me as well. Over the years I adapted, did so nicely. But after 40 plus years, you get to the point where you want to do other things. Which I am doing (save for this). Watcher, come back to me when you're pushing 70 and tell me you have the same enthusiasm for whatever it is you do for a living as you did when you were 30. If so, you're a rare bird, believe me.

Here's my issue, Greg. Time catches up to all of us sooner or later. If Umile still loves "many aspects of his job", then that's great ... but I'm more concerned right now about those aspects of the job he DOESN'T love - whether it's something that he's "tired" of doing, or if it's something he never enjoyed in the first place. And whether him not being engaged in those aspects of the job is hurting the program.

Like it or not, Umile is in a highly competitive field, and you're not going to be successful in it unless you are engaged in the whole thing - and that doesn't necessarily mean you have to do everything yourself, but you have to know what's going on with everything, and sweat the details on everything. There is plenty of evidence out there with the program's downturn that he's not as engaged in everything as he used to be. Can you imagine the outcry on here if Coach Souza were to take the same approach to his job once he's in charge? Yet we largely tolerate and understand if Coach Umile doesn't want to hop on a plane to Vancouver, or to spend his extra time sitting in living rooms with would be recruits and their families across New England. It's almost like this has turned into a vanity project.

I've always been behind Coach Umile calling his shots so long as he's completely engaged in his job. If he's not completely engaged in it, why should he be accommodated for doing 80% of his job IF the other 20% he's either unwilling OR unable to give is killing the program?

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

You know, there was a 10 year span from the late-90's on when UNH had at least one All-American every year, and in most years had two. It peaked in 2008 when we had four first teamers. Those guys - Regan, Flashians, Radja, Fornataro

Christ, quality of players in the East that year must have been terrible.

As for York, as Dan says, he is the exception that proves the rule. And btw, we have no evidence that York is getting out on the road save for visits to local rinks.

edit - Ah Watcher beat me to the punch. (my cousin was on this flight)
York was on a plane out to the Midwest through Detroit a couple of months ago around Christmas break. He travels far distances more than you might think.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Here's my issue, Greg. Time catches up to all of us sooner or later. If Umile still loves "many aspects of his job", then that's great ... but I'm more concerned right now about those aspects of the job he DOESN'T love - whether it's something that he's "tired" of doing, or if it's something he never enjoyed in the first place. And whether him not being engaged in those aspects of the job is hurting the program.

Like it or not, Umile is in a highly competitive field, and you're not going to be successful in it unless you are engaged in the whole thing - and that doesn't necessarily mean you have to do everything yourself, but you have to know what's going on with everything, and sweat the details on everything. There is plenty of evidence out there with the program's downturn that he's not as engaged in everything as he used to be. Can you imagine the outcry on here if Coach Souza were to take the same approach to his job once he's in charge? Yet we largely tolerate and understand if Coach Umile doesn't want to hop on a plane to Vancouver, or to spend his extra time sitting in living rooms with would be recruits and their families across New England. It's almost like this has turned into a vanity project.

I've always been behind Coach Umile calling his shots so long as he's completely engaged in his job. If he's not completely engaged in it, why should he be accommodated for doing 80% of his job IF the other 20% he's either unwilling OR unable to give is killing the program?

Chuck, the real world trumps the idealistic one here. In my case, I knew it was time to leave my profession, one that I was pretty darn good at one for decades. But, how can I put this delicately? That some people have to be slapped upside the head before they get the message. And a lot of times, that doesn't happen. Nothing unusual here. We can both name countless prominent individuals, across may professional fields, who hang on too long. Willie Mays, Zdeno Chara, William Loeb, Leslie Stahl, Mick Jagger, Strom Thurmond, the list goes on. Recently my thoughts turned to Digger Phelps, the former Notre Dame hoops coach and how he is no longer analyzing for ESPN. I believe he has health issues that played into his decision, but he left. Unfortunately Dick Vitale has not. Do you think if the BU "sex scandal" thing had not happened that Jack Parker would have retired? I don't, and I don't think you do either.

I've said this many times but Umile has held most of the cards during this ongoing saga. He signed the contract 16 years ago, before Marty was AD. In the years immediately after that agreement, UNH Hockey was very successful, both on the ice and income wise, something that a non-hockey guy like Marty was awestruck with. Few beyond this forum saw that things were starting to diminish and it's really only in the last five years when the poop hit the fan that the rumblings of a few got Marty's attention. As I previously stated, Umile is to blame for not reacting to these diminishing fortunes but Marty was slow to respond as well. Finally this past summer they both did. Some of us may wish that Umile would leave right now, after this season, but that's not going to happen. He's got a couple of more years I guess and I imagined he is going to fulfill his end of the agreement and leave at the time agreed to.

All this puts Souza and Stewart in a tough spot when recruiting. But fortunes have been turned around before. In the late 80's talented players came to UNH despite the fact that the head coach was gravely ill. Programs that historically had done jack now win the national championship. A turnaround can happen. We'll just have to see whether it does.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I think I'm in agreement with most of what you've said, Greg (and yeah, the Parker thing too ).

Just to be clear ... when I thought this was an all out, one-last-shot quest for the elusive D-1 title, I was fully on board, and even spouting off on here about how I expected Coach to push to stick around past the two more contractually allotted seasons, especially if he somehow managed to "right the ship" and get things pointed back in the right direction.

But now the reality is, the program is continuing its long, slow slide back towards oblivion (sorry to co-opt that phrase, UMaine-iacs), and Coach isn't exactly pulling out all the stops to help HIS guy(s) - for sure Souza, and perhaps Stewart - to re-energize recruiting. All the while, another even older guy who has less reason to do so, still is out there acting half his age, and our guy clings to what he apparently considers his "comfort zone". Lovely.

You've got about 10 years on me, Greg, so while I can't speak to the 10-15 years that separates me from you or Coach York even, I understand how that gradually can happen to folks as they climb through the years. I've been doing what I do for a living for over 30 years now, I've been blessed to have been allowed to do it at a pretty high level ... and yeah, there are parts of it I still really enjoy doing ... and some of the other things, well, honestly not so much. I know how that trend is breaking, too, so I can relate - even if my personal experience hasn't gotten me to that stage of life yet. Hopefully I'll get there - but tomorrow is guaranteed to no one.

Anyway ... I don't want to blabber about me myself and I, and what I've done, or what I'm doing, or what I hope to be doing someday if/when I get there. But I've done enough in life (professionally and otherwise) to challenge myself to do new things - even at an age that folks might think I'm crazy to do it. Sometimes I'm my biggest obstacle ... and sometimes when I realize that, it makes me ask myself some really tough, frank questions. Which forces me to dig deep and provide really frank answers to those questions. And if I can look the people I interact with in the face and tell them honestly, "no, I'm not crazy, I'm fully committed to do what I'm doing, so get behind me, and let's make this happen" then all is good. If I can't sincerely pull that off ... then, really, why am I still doing this?



Hockey East is not graded on a scale, or handicapped for age. As Coach Parcells once famously said, "You are what your record says you are". The record is saying that Coach Umile has lost his fastball, and the curve isn't breaking as sharply as it used to. Maybe he thinks he can scrape by as a guy who can outfox the other guys on guile and location? The record suggests otherwise. If Coach still loves coaching, there are plenty of other options out there where he can do that, but at a lesser profile with a paycheck the fraction of what he's currently earning (see Whitehead, Tim), and perhaps success there is an even more realistic probability?

Coach, I ask you then ... why are you still doing this?

... mega apologies to c-h-c for taking your excellent recruiting thread on a detour ...

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I have been pondering the Souza philosophy, and what we can discerne about the style of team he might want to mold. He is somewhat of a blank slate, as his tenure at Brown was a brief two years (2011 to 2013) under Brendan Whittett, who I would view as a more defensive system, regimented style. To the extent he had a role in recruiting, the Brown recruits during that period were:

Brandon Pfeil
Tyler Wood
Nathan Widman
Zach Pryzbek
Charlie Corcoran
Connor Maher
Aleksi Rossi
Tyler Steel
Tim Lappin
Davey Middleton
Kyle Kramer
Eric Shaw
Miles Wood
Tyler Bird
Tim Ernst
Josh McArdle
Philippe Johansson
Jack McCarthy
Conner Wynne

He then went to U.Conn, where he went with Coach Cavanaugh, who worked under York, and presumably aspires to a more open offense. Once again, it is hard to get a read on Souza from this period, as U.Conn was transitioning from a DIII team, so the talent level was just lacking. I understand Cavanaugh did most of the recruiting, so once again it is hard to read too much into the recruits

Will Golonka
Miles Gendron
Jeff Wight
Ben Freeman
Liam Murphy
Corey Ronan
Kasperi Ojantakanen
Will Garin
Spencer Naas
Johnny Austin
Marco Richter
Tyson McLellan
David Drake
Tage Thompson
Connor Mayer
Tanner Creel
Mike Young
Adam Karashik
Evan Wisocky
Max Kalter

hardly anything exceptional except for Miles Wood, who didn't get into Brown (ironically, the two best recruits came after Souza left, when UNH's Masonius and BU's Letunov didn't get into their schools, and came to U.Conn). But if you look at the type of players, you see big bodied wingers like Thompson, Murphy, Wight, and Freeman (and at Brown, Middleton Pryzba), and "energy" kids like McLellan/Ronan/Kramer. I would only put Naas/Wisocky in the "skill" camp. On defense, you see a bit more skill/puck guys (Gendron, Karashik, Mayer) rather than the stay at home types.

Now, a lot of this is reading really weak tea leaves -- Souza was not the lead recruiter, and he had two really weak platforms. He is essentially a blank slate. That is why I am intrigued by the recruits he might seek (the top end v. volume; skill v. well rounded). I have a personal preference for skill -- in the abstract, think even one dimensional guys like Tom Nolan/Sean Collins for their strengths/limitations vs. a Mike Radja/Winnik type. MacAdams seems like a well rounded kind, and Green is hard to categorize (weaker skating but offensive, like Yandle).

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I have been pondering the Souza philosophy, and what we can discerne about the style of team he might want to mold. He is somewhat of a blank slate . . . . Now a lot of this is reading really weak tea leaves -- Souza was not the lead recruiter, and he had two really weak platforms. He is essentially a blank slate.

Is this post to get inside Souza's head? Just curious. I really don't care whether Souza likes a Collins type or a Winnik type. As long as they are markedly better than the mediocrity that's been foisted on us the last few years. I will say this, the current UNH team is just about the slowest I've seen since they moved to the Whit. As good as Poturalski is, he's not very fast, is he? When it comes to 3rd and 4th liners, speed should be the option above everything else.

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Chuck, the team is going to get worse before it gets better. My prediction is that both Poturalski and Eiseerman will leave so, unless Robinson is the second coming of Ken Dryden, my guess is that next year's record will be worse than this year's. It's the way it went in the late 80's. You gotta bottom out before you can rebound. Process will take at least one more year to start going in the right direction. We can only hope.

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Chuck, the team is going to get worse before it gets better. My prediction is that both Poturalski and Eiseerman will leave so, unless Robinson is the second coming of Ken Dryden, my guess is that next year's record will be worse than this year's. It's the way it went in the late 80's. You gotta bottom out before you can rebound. Process will take at least one more year to start going in the right direction. We can only hope.

Greg, are you thinking after this year? Eiserman is clearly developing, but has a way to go and Pots would benefit from some time in the weight room. Fingers crossed.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

If Poturalski and Eiserman stay, next year should be much better than this year, with many more options for goaltending and a blue line that cannot be any worse. The first line will be awesome, and will not be the second line onto the ice and the second PP unit for the first 15 games as they were this year. If Poturalski leaves, I think that you could be right, Greg.

 

[Snively65]

Greg, having just had a daughter go through UNH I believe your comment regarding having a 2 year language requirement is true. (not two languages..) In fact, and I believe those who work at the U that come to this board can verify, I found this:

Admission Criteria

Baccalaureate Admissions

Most first-year students accepted to a bachelor's degree program have completed rigorous coursework with solid B+ grades, or higher.

Students should complete the following sequences of college preparatory coursework to be considered minimally* qualified for baccalaureate admission to the University:
##Four years of college preparatory English
##Three years of mathematics including Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II
##Three years of science, two of which must be laboratory sciences
##Three years of social sciences (including U.S. History)
##Two years of a single foreign language (three years is preferred)

http://admissions.unh.edu/apply/first-year

Somehow I missed this post and Greg's right before it; thanks for the clarification, HR. But, there was never any confusion in my mind about the second language requirement, Greg (not "two languages," which would be confusing). The course requirements that HR lists are exactly the same as they were in the late 1960s (how would I know that? ). But, the B+ average could be a sticking point now (would be for me, anyway)?

In followup to the possible 600-win aspirations of DU, he only needs 4 more wins this season, for a total of 14, with 13 wins in each of the next two seasons, which seems plausible. However, as of game time tonight, DU leads JY in win %, 0.6209 to 0.6201. What is the over/under of that flipping before the end of this year?

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

In followup to the possible 600-win aspirations of DU, he only needs 4 more wins this season, for a total of 14, with 13 wins in each of the next two seasons, which seems plausible.

"Only"? Assuming tonight continues along its predictable path ... where do you see those 4 coming from? Am I wrong, or has UNH not won 4 games since the calendar turned over to 2016?

To begin with, they'd need to sweep UConn next weekend, AND then advance past the MBPBEGAM round of the postseason.

Right now, I don't see a sweep coming up next weekend for either team, so that means UNH is going to have to take a win next weekend, two more in the MBPBEGAM round AND then steal another game on the road against a Top Four HE team. Good luck with that.

Then if Poturalski leaves ... I think the "Road to 600" is definitely in jeopardy, even if we get Cupcake Fest II and III for our schedules the next two seasons (seeing how well that approach worked out this season).

However, as of game time tonight, DU leads JY in win %, 0.6209 to 0.6201. What is the over/under of that flipping before the end of this year?

I think there's a very good chance of that flipping before the end of the month.

 

[Snively65]

"Only"? Assuming tonight continues along its predictable path ... where do you see those 4 coming from? Am I wrong, or has UNH not won 4 games since the calendar turned over to 2016?

To begin with, they'd need to sweep UConn next weekend, AND then advance past the MBPBEGAM round of the postseason.

Right now, I don't see a sweep coming up next weekend for either team, so that means UNH is going to have to take a win next weekend, two more in the MBPBEGAM round AND then steal another game on the road against a Top Four HE team. Good luck with that.

Then if Poturalski leaves ... I think the "Road to 600" is definitely in jeopardy, even if we get Cupcake Fest II and III for our schedules the next two seasons (seeing how well that approach worked out this season).



I think there's a very good chance of that flipping before the end of the month.

I will be shocked, shocked I tell you, if we do not sweep the other Huskies next weekend. So, add that to two wins in the first round, and DU still on track.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

I will be shocked, shocked I tell you, if we do not sweep the other Huskies next weekend. So, add that to two wins in the first round, and DU still on track.

I admire your optimism. But that's basically a 4 game winning streak (or 4 out of 5 at worst) for a UNH team that's gone 2-9-2 since the calendar turned over to 2016.

I will be equally shocked - pleased of course, but still shocked - if your prediction materializes.

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

[table="width: 800, align: left"]
[tr]
[td]player[/td]
[td]team[/td]
[td]bio[/td]
[td]GP[/td]
[td]G[/td]
[td]A[/td]
[td]PTS[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Liam Blackburn-C[/td]
[td]W.Kelowna (BCHL)[/td]
[td]5'10 167 8/6/96[/td]
[td]57[/td]
[td]25[/td]
[td]45[/td]
[td]70[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Justin Fegona-RW[/td]
[td]Langley (BCHL)[/td]
[td]5'7 160 5/29/97[/td]
[td]49[/td]
[td]24[/td]
[td]25[/td]
[td]49[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Patrick Grasso-RW[/td]
[td]Des Moines (USHL)[/td]
[td]5'7 160 5/29/96[/td]
[td]43[/td]
[td]14[/td]
[td]16[/td]
[td]30[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Brendan Van Riemsdyk-LW[/td]
[td]Middlesex (USPHL)[/td]
[td]6'4 183 1/28/96[/td]
[td]43[/td]
[td]20[/td]
[td]27[/td]
[td]47[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Charlie Kelleher-RW[/td]
[td]Jr.Bruins (USPHL)[/td]
[td]5'8 155 2/4/97[/td]
[td]38[/td]
[td]17[/td]
[td]36[/td]
[td]53[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Nick Nonis-D[/td]
[td]Powell River (BCHL)[/td]
[td]6'2 188 12/19/95[/td]
[td]52[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]8[/td]
[td]10[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2017[/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[/tr][tr]
[td]Joey Cipollone-C[/td]
[td]Tri-City (USHL)[/td]
[td]5'10 175 3/29/97[/td]
[td]35[/td]
[td]6[/td]
[td]3[/td]
[td]9[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Eric MacAdams-RW[/td]
[td]Sioux Falls (USHL)[/td]
[td]5'11 170 4/29/97[/td]
[td]36[/td]
[td]5[/td]
[td]8[/td]
[td]13[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Liam Darcy-D[/td]
[td]Middlesex (USPHL)[/td]
[td]5'11 170 2/26/97[/td]
[td]34[/td]
[td]2[/td]
[td]11[/td]
[td]13[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2018[/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[td][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Eric Esposito-RW[/td]
[td]Youngstown (USHL)[/td]
[td]5'10 180 8/23/98[/td]
[td]38[/td]
[td]1[/td]
[td]6[/td]
[td]7[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Jason O'Neill-C[/td]
[td]Langley (BCHL)[/td]
[td]5'11 170 3/23/97[/td]
[td]45[/td]
[td]7[/td]
[td]13[/td]
[td]20[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Aaron O'Neill-RW[/td]
[td]Chilliwack (BCHL)[/td]
[td]5'11 165 5/5/97[/td]
[td]17[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[td]0[/td]
[td]4[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Corson Green-D[/td]
[td]N. Cyclones (Eastern)[/td]
[td]6'3 207 3/4/99[/td]
[td]15[/td]
[td]3[/td]
[td]6[/td]
[td]9[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Although the two O'Neills are listed as either 2017 or 2018, I am assuming given their lack of impact so far that they will be deferred to 2018 (even though UNH does not typically defer past the age 20 season). Cipollone might fall into the same category.
Esposito has more potential, and could work his way up into 2017, depending upon who else UNH recruits for that year, and how he does in his second USHL season.
Although Darcy is listed as either 2016 or 2017, I am assuming he needs another season in junior, though he probably has more flexibility.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond

Why am I finding this thread more interesting than our regular season thread?