HockeyRef
Well-known member
Thanks...2020 is going to be here before we know it and it looks like they have work to do...who's available that's decent at this point? Obviously a goalie will be recruited this season.
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UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
- Thread starter C-H-C
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Thanks...2020 is going to be here before we know it and it looks like they have work to do...who's available that's decent at this point? Obviously a goalie will be recruited this season.
NCAA watcher
Registered User
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Kevin Dean is an assistant at Boston, and will probably with Cassidy, be blamed for the lack of talent and available. Michael Ayers will have had multiple seasons at top programs (BC, USA hockey). Others like Boguniecki, Mowers and Ciocco are involved in hockey and will have better resumes to evaluate at that point.
Beyond them, Ben Barr is a great recruiter, and as I mentioned before, other coaches have connections and good coaching resumes, like Andrew Will, and even some USHL coaches (who like Dan Muse and Joe Cooper, go right to the NHL, or like Jim Montgomery, have a known reputation in the hockey community and can jump in and rebuild the program within a year or two).
Oh, you mean for players? We'll see.
Kevin Dean is an assistant at Boston, and will probably with Cassidy, be blamed for the lack of talent and available. Michael Ayers will have had multiple seasons at top programs (BC, USA hockey). Others like Boguniecki, Mowers and Ciocco are involved in hockey and will have better resumes to evaluate at that point.
Beyond them, Ben Barr is a great recruiter, and as I mentioned before, other coaches have connections and good coaching resumes, like Andrew Will, and even some USHL coaches (who like Dan Muse and Joe Cooper, go right to the NHL, or like Jim Montgomery, have a known reputation in the hockey community and can jump in and rebuild the program within a year or two).
Oh, you mean for players? We'll see.
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HockeyRef
Well-known member
I think it's critical to add to the coaching resume someone with vast recruiting experience and DMan coaching skills as an equally (?) important piece in the resume. As for players...we'll see.
NCAA watcher
Registered User
I wasn't referring to assistants.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
I didn't think you were.
HR was probably just trying to be nice to the incumbent/successor ...
I didn't think you were.
HR was probably just trying to be nice to the incumbent/successor ...There are two kinds of coaches in NCAA athletics - one who feels recruiting is critically important and another who feels recruiting is a necessary evil and only wants to worry about their current players (with the idea they can coach and develop anyone into anything)...
Souza's HC career has specifically been delayed so he can 'learn' from one of the latter. They'd be better off having stayed in Storrs, the last three years, learning from one of the former and then taking over...
NCAA watcher
Registered User
....if winning out in a national search.
Hey, I'm the snarky guy. Stay off my side of the street.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Welp no Packy Munson for the 'Cats...as per the UVM board he's playing for Mich Tech. (and I knew of course he was never coming but his name WAS bantered around). 4 weeks to the Exhibition game. (And I see by the roster we are carrying 4 GK's?)
Welp no Packy Munson for the 'Cats...as per the UVM board he's playing for Mich Tech. (and I knew of course he was never coming but his name WAS bantered around). 4 weeks to the Exhibition game. (And I see by the roster we are carrying 4 GK's?)
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Still mildly surprised to see Adam Clark returning to the fold this season. What a unique career arc ...
2014/2015: Frosh starter (first semester post CDS)
2015/2016: 2nd string
2016/2017: Injury redshirt
2017/2018: 3rd string (projected)
2018/2019: 2nd string (projected)
Hard to believe L'Affaire DeSmith happened roughly 3 years ago this weekend. Time flies etc.
Still mildly surprised to see Adam Clark returning to the fold this season. What a unique career arc ...
2014/2015: Frosh starter (first semester post CDS)
2015/2016: 2nd string
2016/2017: Injury redshirt
2017/2018: 3rd string (projected)
2018/2019: 2nd string (projected)
Hard to believe L'Affaire DeSmith happened roughly 3 years ago this weekend. Time flies etc.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Sure is hard to believe that happened that long ago...and look at him now...great contract with the Pens. Not to rush time, but in 5 I'm hopefully retired. Guess I'll get there one day at a time, just like this event. I'm glad Adam is still with us. He bailed us out big time and I give him a ton of credit for that. What a year that was...our last trip to the Garden.
Sure is hard to believe that happened that long ago...and look at him now...great contract with the Pens. Not to rush time, but in 5 I'm hopefully retired. Guess I'll get there one day at a time, just like this event. I'm glad Adam is still with us. He bailed us out big time and I give him a ton of credit for that. What a year that was...our last trip to the Garden.
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HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
ps You see AC coming back in 18-19? I'd be surprised somehow...but hey, anything can happen. I mean, he could if he wanted to as he has the eligibility? Just figured he'd be moving on.
ps You see AC coming back in 18-19? I'd be surprised somehow...but hey, anything can happen. I mean, he could if he wanted to as he has the eligibility? Just figured he'd be moving on.
NCAA watcher
Registered User
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
I wouldn't think a rational program would bring back for a fifth year a scholarship kid who has not earned any playing time. So that puts his return at UNH around 50/50.
I do have to say I am having a hard time getting used to the UNH recruiting profile going from McCloskey (regular excitement with high end kids, not as much filler), to Borek (less frequent but still a few higher end kids with a lot more volume), to the new philosophy of no higher end kids and little volume. Makes this thread a lot slower.
I wouldn't think a rational program would bring back for a fifth year a scholarship kid who has not earned any playing time. So that puts his return at UNH around 50/50.
I do have to say I am having a hard time getting used to the UNH recruiting profile going from McCloskey (regular excitement with high end kids, not as much filler), to Borek (less frequent but still a few higher end kids with a lot more volume), to the new philosophy of no higher end kids and little volume. Makes this thread a lot slower.
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Watcher
The players in McCloskey era were not always heavily recruited by others and it certainly helps when they are making the tournament each year. We recruited mostly diamonds in the rough and some mid-level to high end players that did not get their first and second choice schools. I believe you can trace the loss of Reid, Bourque and White starting the slow/and then quick downturn in NCAA selections and won/loss records. A change in VP of Admissions had more to do with change than anything else. It has been tougher getting high end kids to come to UNH as admissions and won/loss record makes it harder.
Liam Darcy is coming next year and will likely take Marks position. We have very solid first 3 lines and 5 very good or better defensemen. I want you to be optimistic and please be upbeat this year as we do have talent. Mike Souza has recruited well and please lighten up on him and evaluate him in 2020 to see if he can turn the boat around completely. We have our best chance to get to the NCAA's this year (it would have been easier with a tougher schedule) and I hope the stands are full (beer sales allowed at football and hockey if the UNH news is correct) and the talent is here. We might need 200+ pts from the first two lines but they do have some goal scorers and excited with Maass, Gildon, Miller and Kelleher. Robinson covers a lot of the net and he may be as good as advertised a few years ago. Keep the faith. They have sold quite a few new season tickets this year and the rink should be rocking if they get off to a great start.
I cannot believe they are charging season ticket holders for parking in New England Center lot. It is lunacy and just when you think someone cannot be any dumber it just happens. Athletic Department, Please stop trying to make things worse. It is really bright to anger those who have been loyal during the downturn. If you really want UMass type turnouts just keep doing what you are doing. Please kick us some more.
Keep up the good work and I will see you at the Whit.
I will stay off USCHO until the end of the season.
Chuck, please buy some season tickets as it is 20-25 minutes max to Durham.
Watcher
The players in McCloskey era were not always heavily recruited by others and it certainly helps when they are making the tournament each year. We recruited mostly diamonds in the rough and some mid-level to high end players that did not get their first and second choice schools. I believe you can trace the loss of Reid, Bourque and White starting the slow/and then quick downturn in NCAA selections and won/loss records. A change in VP of Admissions had more to do with change than anything else. It has been tougher getting high end kids to come to UNH as admissions and won/loss record makes it harder.
Liam Darcy is coming next year and will likely take Marks position. We have very solid first 3 lines and 5 very good or better defensemen. I want you to be optimistic and please be upbeat this year as we do have talent. Mike Souza has recruited well and please lighten up on him and evaluate him in 2020 to see if he can turn the boat around completely. We have our best chance to get to the NCAA's this year (it would have been easier with a tougher schedule) and I hope the stands are full (beer sales allowed at football and hockey if the UNH news is correct) and the talent is here. We might need 200+ pts from the first two lines but they do have some goal scorers and excited with Maass, Gildon, Miller and Kelleher. Robinson covers a lot of the net and he may be as good as advertised a few years ago. Keep the faith. They have sold quite a few new season tickets this year and the rink should be rocking if they get off to a great start.
I cannot believe they are charging season ticket holders for parking in New England Center lot. It is lunacy and just when you think someone cannot be any dumber it just happens. Athletic Department, Please stop trying to make things worse. It is really bright to anger those who have been loyal during the downturn. If you really want UMass type turnouts just keep doing what you are doing. Please kick us some more.
Keep up the good work and I will see you at the Whit.
I will stay off USCHO until the end of the season.
Chuck, please buy some season tickets as it is 20-25 minutes max to Durham.
NCAA watcher
Registered User
Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
Not entirely true. Quite a few head to heads with top programs (of that era)
Daniel Winnik ----Michigan State; visited Merrimack
Tyson Teplitsky -----Maine, LSSU, North Dakota, Colorado, St.Lawrence, Harvard
Preston Callander -----Offer from LSSU, Interest from North Dakota, UAA, Denver, UMD, Michigan Tech
Eddie Caron ----BC, Dartmouth
Sean Collins ---BU, Maine, BC
Justin Aikins ---Maine, LSSU, Ohio St., Mich St., North Dakota, Ivys
Colin Hemingway ----North Dakota, NMU, Ohio St.
Lanny Gare -----Ohio State; Michigan State
Garrett Stafford -----Colorado College. Providence; Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota
Pat Foley -----BU, BC, Michigan
Kevin Truelson ---Merrimack, BC, UML, Notre Dame
Darren Haydar -----Mich St. finalist, also considered Mich, Ohio State
David Busch ----Princeton, St. Lawrence and Miami-Ohio
Matt Dzieduszycki --Miami-Ohio
Ryan Cordeiro ---Maine, Providence
Derek Bekar -- Denver
Eric Lind -- Wisconsin, Providence, Harvard, Yale, Union, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth and Cornell
Erik Nickulas --- BU and BC
Mark Mowers --Minn-Duluth; North Dakota; Bowling Green and Providence
Tim Murray----Notre Dame, BU, North Dakota, Clarkson, MSU, Kent State
Tom Nolan ---BC, Maine, St.Law., Mich, MSU, Providence
Dean Woodman----LSSU and Kent State
Eric Boguniecki-----BU and Maine
The guys we lost were head to head with Michigan Matt Herr and Robb Gordon.
Darcy (and Cipollone), actually comming to UNH, let alone replacing someone with playing time of Marks, would surpise me, given the guidance UNH gave them this past year.
Please show your work. By any objective measure, he has recruited quite poorly for the future. For a professor, I would analogize it to a student not studying all semester and then cramming the night before. He managed to save his lack of recruiting work from 2015 to 2016 by getting Gildon and Maass in February 2017. That was aided by the players he managed to keep from Borek, so his cramming was not as challenging, only needing to fill two spots. He has no foundation for 2018, and while Crookshank will be very good, he will have to cram to get (1) a starting goalie and (2) a top 6 forward. Perhaps he has the skill to wait until the night before and get everything he needs. Not sure his "track record" at Brown and U.Conn suggest that ability to spot diamonds in the rough.
We may agree that this is our best change for the NCAAs in quite a while, but not in the same manner. Let's see where the Coaches poll has us.
Not entirely true. Quite a few head to heads with top programs (of that era)
Daniel Winnik ----Michigan State; visited Merrimack
Tyson Teplitsky -----Maine, LSSU, North Dakota, Colorado, St.Lawrence, Harvard
Preston Callander -----Offer from LSSU, Interest from North Dakota, UAA, Denver, UMD, Michigan Tech
Eddie Caron ----BC, Dartmouth
Sean Collins ---BU, Maine, BC
Justin Aikins ---Maine, LSSU, Ohio St., Mich St., North Dakota, Ivys
Colin Hemingway ----North Dakota, NMU, Ohio St.
Lanny Gare -----Ohio State; Michigan State
Garrett Stafford -----Colorado College. Providence; Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Minnesota
Pat Foley -----BU, BC, Michigan
Kevin Truelson ---Merrimack, BC, UML, Notre Dame
Darren Haydar -----Mich St. finalist, also considered Mich, Ohio State
David Busch ----Princeton, St. Lawrence and Miami-Ohio
Matt Dzieduszycki --Miami-Ohio
Ryan Cordeiro ---Maine, Providence
Derek Bekar -- Denver
Eric Lind -- Wisconsin, Providence, Harvard, Yale, Union, St. Lawrence, Dartmouth and Cornell
Erik Nickulas --- BU and BC
Mark Mowers --Minn-Duluth; North Dakota; Bowling Green and Providence
Tim Murray----Notre Dame, BU, North Dakota, Clarkson, MSU, Kent State
Tom Nolan ---BC, Maine, St.Law., Mich, MSU, Providence
Dean Woodman----LSSU and Kent State
Eric Boguniecki-----BU and Maine
The guys we lost were head to head with Michigan Matt Herr and Robb Gordon.
What this shows is the typical excitement that builds with a new recruiter. We have Eric MacAdams, Lucas Bahn and Corson Green for Mike's first year.
Darcy (and Cipollone), actually comming to UNH, let alone replacing someone with playing time of Marks, would surpise me, given the guidance UNH gave them this past year.
Please show your work. By any objective measure, he has recruited quite poorly for the future. For a professor, I would analogize it to a student not studying all semester and then cramming the night before. He managed to save his lack of recruiting work from 2015 to 2016 by getting Gildon and Maass in February 2017. That was aided by the players he managed to keep from Borek, so his cramming was not as challenging, only needing to fill two spots. He has no foundation for 2018, and while Crookshank will be very good, he will have to cram to get (1) a starting goalie and (2) a top 6 forward. Perhaps he has the skill to wait until the night before and get everything he needs. Not sure his "track record" at Brown and U.Conn suggest that ability to spot diamonds in the rough.
We may agree that this is our best change for the NCAAs in quite a while, but not in the same manner. Let's see where the Coaches poll has us.
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
A contemporaneous account of UNH recruiting circa 2003:
"Stafford Helps UNH Become Hockey Power"
http://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Stafford-Helps-UNH-Become-Hockey-Power-8852836.php
A contemporaneous account of UNH recruiting circa 2003:
"Stafford Helps UNH Become Hockey Power"
http://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Stafford-Helps-UNH-Become-Hockey-Power-8852836.php
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
The assertion that UNH never recruited high-level talent and couldn't compete with the big guys has been disproven again and again. I'm not sure why we still need to hear this excuse. Under McCloskey UNH was a recruiting power - if anyone wants to argue the semantics of whether they were on par with Michigan, Minnesota, BU/BC, etc or just below, knock yourself out. I don't care. But to infer that they built their teams on diamonds in the rough is ridiculous...
The drop off in talent recruited to Durham has been both steady and precipitous. That is simply a fact. Instead of getting upset with those who simply post results, maybe some honest analysis should be directed at those who have delivered the results. I would imagine, they would take less direct heat/negativity if there weren't some here who insisted on rewriting history in their defense.
As for one of the other more popular excuses - UNH still accepts nearly 80% of its applicants. Lets stop pretending getting into UNH is the equivalent of getting into an Ivy League school. Even if UNH doesn't offer much leeway to student-athletes, getting kids into school is not the problem. They don't have to be rocket scientists. Please stop rationalizing UNH's struggles by perpetuating the idea that there are a limited number of potential NCAA hockey players who can handle college academics. Its BS. MANY schools with much higher academic profiles, standards and admission rates are excelling in the present day. Many of college hockey's elite talents excel in the classroom. For the right coach/recruiter, UNH's admission standards are a non-factor. I'm sure it becomes a bigger issue the further away you get from being the right guy...
UNH's well-discussed problems with the admissions office (FYI, nearly ten years ago) were a result of the coaching staff and athletic department completely dropping the ball on academic requirements. They didn't lose kids who weren't good enough students. They lost kids, because they didn't do their job in keeping up with transcripts and course requirements. Period. They lost White and Reid to their own negligence (because sometime in the 1.5-2 years between commitment and matriculation they couldn't be bothered to notice that each needed an extra year of French). Additionally, I'd argue that if UNH is still 'reeling' from two lost recruits back in 2009, that indicates is a serious red flag on the state of recent recruiting...
The Gaudreau incident was an obnoxious, lazy and pretentious decision by the admissions office. While it would have been nice to have had a legitimate chance at a player who wanted to give UNH a legitimate look - in before Papagiorgio - there remains no evidence that he would have ultimately chosen UNH. Most importantly, please list for me the players since White and Reid that UNH lost due to admissions? I have serious doubts that there are many and think this has simply become an easy scape goat to absolve the coaching staff of their failures. They have not lost any commitments for true academic reasons since Yandle (who couldn't get in anywhere) and Will O'Neill (who's loss hardly devastated the program). Both slightly pre-White/Reid and neither noted at the time or recollected as an indication of admissions agenda to screw the hockey team...
Things ARE NOT all roses and sunshine within the UNH athletic department and hockey program. Ignoring or excusing these real and evident issues doesn't help. It certainly bugs me, but I suppose its fine for fans to do so. However, the fact of the matter is that until the AD/Staff realize that the rest of college hockey has zero time for their excuses, recognizes and rectifies their past mistakes and work-harder/change processes, etc in a legitimate effort to get better results nothing will change for UNH hockey. It sure doesn't seem like anyone has come to that realization yet...
---
As for this season, UNH received just 208 points from its top-six forwards last season. With Kelleher carrying the wagon for many of the remaining five - including both linemates AND all PP participants. Without him, it is extremely generous to expect that much production from the top-two lines. The top-six managed just 184 in 2015-16 with both Kelleher and Poturalski. Downing and Willows led the top-six to just 185 points in 2014-15. In 2013-14, with Goumas, Sorkin, Willows, Downing, Speelman and Kelleher they only managed 188. The offense is very likely to be worse this season with the loss of Kelleher. It should not surprise anyone if McNicholas, Salvaggio and Grasso (who scored half his goals playing on the PP) regress slightly as they become the focal points of the offense. Vela, Nazarian and Eiserman (assuming he gets a chance) have to be better - but will they? Blackburn, BVR, Fregona? They're still just sophomores. Getting to 200 points from your top-six also requires a lot of offensive support from the blueline...
Defensively (and offensively), Marks, Chanter and Dawson are who they are. I doubt you're getting any major jumps in production. So you'd have to pin your hopes on a major improvement from Wyse and immediate impacts from at least two freshmen defenders (both true freshman) to expect any real improvement on defense. Not to mention, simply replacing Cleland. As true-freshmen, Maass and Gildon could both struggle mightily and it wouldn't say anything about their overall talent and potential careers. It would only say they were teenagers in a league dominated by men.
Back when posters were actually excited about upcoming seasons, we'd predict player stats for the year. I'd be interested in seeing that again - but I'd be really hesitant on putting the top six forwards over even 180 points without Kelleher leading the way and Cleland supporting the group (99 points combined). I'd feel better about it if I'd seen McNicholas and Salvaggio produce pre-Kelleher, but they were relegated to the fourth-line/bench. The next chance for a 200+ top-six might be the sophomores senior season.
The goaltending is the goaltending.
This may be UNH's best chance to make the tournament for the next few seasons - but the chances still aren't very good. They'll be picked to finish on the road for the first round of the playoffs and that's likely where they should be picked...
The assertion that UNH never recruited high-level talent and couldn't compete with the big guys has been disproven again and again. I'm not sure why we still need to hear this excuse. Under McCloskey UNH was a recruiting power - if anyone wants to argue the semantics of whether they were on par with Michigan, Minnesota, BU/BC, etc or just below, knock yourself out. I don't care. But to infer that they built their teams on diamonds in the rough is ridiculous...
The drop off in talent recruited to Durham has been both steady and precipitous. That is simply a fact. Instead of getting upset with those who simply post results, maybe some honest analysis should be directed at those who have delivered the results. I would imagine, they would take less direct heat/negativity if there weren't some here who insisted on rewriting history in their defense.
As for one of the other more popular excuses - UNH still accepts nearly 80% of its applicants. Lets stop pretending getting into UNH is the equivalent of getting into an Ivy League school. Even if UNH doesn't offer much leeway to student-athletes, getting kids into school is not the problem. They don't have to be rocket scientists. Please stop rationalizing UNH's struggles by perpetuating the idea that there are a limited number of potential NCAA hockey players who can handle college academics. Its BS. MANY schools with much higher academic profiles, standards and admission rates are excelling in the present day. Many of college hockey's elite talents excel in the classroom. For the right coach/recruiter, UNH's admission standards are a non-factor. I'm sure it becomes a bigger issue the further away you get from being the right guy...
UNH's well-discussed problems with the admissions office (FYI, nearly ten years ago) were a result of the coaching staff and athletic department completely dropping the ball on academic requirements. They didn't lose kids who weren't good enough students. They lost kids, because they didn't do their job in keeping up with transcripts and course requirements. Period. They lost White and Reid to their own negligence (because sometime in the 1.5-2 years between commitment and matriculation they couldn't be bothered to notice that each needed an extra year of French). Additionally, I'd argue that if UNH is still 'reeling' from two lost recruits back in 2009, that indicates is a serious red flag on the state of recent recruiting...
The Gaudreau incident was an obnoxious, lazy and pretentious decision by the admissions office. While it would have been nice to have had a legitimate chance at a player who wanted to give UNH a legitimate look - in before Papagiorgio - there remains no evidence that he would have ultimately chosen UNH. Most importantly, please list for me the players since White and Reid that UNH lost due to admissions? I have serious doubts that there are many and think this has simply become an easy scape goat to absolve the coaching staff of their failures. They have not lost any commitments for true academic reasons since Yandle (who couldn't get in anywhere) and Will O'Neill (who's loss hardly devastated the program). Both slightly pre-White/Reid and neither noted at the time or recollected as an indication of admissions agenda to screw the hockey team...
Things ARE NOT all roses and sunshine within the UNH athletic department and hockey program. Ignoring or excusing these real and evident issues doesn't help. It certainly bugs me, but I suppose its fine for fans to do so. However, the fact of the matter is that until the AD/Staff realize that the rest of college hockey has zero time for their excuses, recognizes and rectifies their past mistakes and work-harder/change processes, etc in a legitimate effort to get better results nothing will change for UNH hockey. It sure doesn't seem like anyone has come to that realization yet...
---
As for this season, UNH received just 208 points from its top-six forwards last season. With Kelleher carrying the wagon for many of the remaining five - including both linemates AND all PP participants. Without him, it is extremely generous to expect that much production from the top-two lines. The top-six managed just 184 in 2015-16 with both Kelleher and Poturalski. Downing and Willows led the top-six to just 185 points in 2014-15. In 2013-14, with Goumas, Sorkin, Willows, Downing, Speelman and Kelleher they only managed 188. The offense is very likely to be worse this season with the loss of Kelleher. It should not surprise anyone if McNicholas, Salvaggio and Grasso (who scored half his goals playing on the PP) regress slightly as they become the focal points of the offense. Vela, Nazarian and Eiserman (assuming he gets a chance) have to be better - but will they? Blackburn, BVR, Fregona? They're still just sophomores. Getting to 200 points from your top-six also requires a lot of offensive support from the blueline...
Defensively (and offensively), Marks, Chanter and Dawson are who they are. I doubt you're getting any major jumps in production. So you'd have to pin your hopes on a major improvement from Wyse and immediate impacts from at least two freshmen defenders (both true freshman) to expect any real improvement on defense. Not to mention, simply replacing Cleland. As true-freshmen, Maass and Gildon could both struggle mightily and it wouldn't say anything about their overall talent and potential careers. It would only say they were teenagers in a league dominated by men.
Back when posters were actually excited about upcoming seasons, we'd predict player stats for the year. I'd be interested in seeing that again - but I'd be really hesitant on putting the top six forwards over even 180 points without Kelleher leading the way and Cleland supporting the group (99 points combined). I'd feel better about it if I'd seen McNicholas and Salvaggio produce pre-Kelleher, but they were relegated to the fourth-line/bench. The next chance for a 200+ top-six might be the sophomores senior season.
The goaltending is the goaltending.
This may be UNH's best chance to make the tournament for the next few seasons - but the chances still aren't very good. They'll be picked to finish on the road for the first round of the playoffs and that's likely where they should be picked...
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Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond
More quotes from C-H-C's article...
That was the attitude at UNH. A good one. Now the attitude seems to be...
"We may not be as glamourous as Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College, but we also have fewer selling points and more obstacles than Western Michigan, Michigan Tech, Northeastern, Providence, UConn, either UMass, Minnesota State, Air Force and most anyone else...
"
One excuse I'll buy, is that THIS is no longer a factor at all. The environment is horrendous, but that is of their own doing...
More quotes from C-H-C's article...
That was the attitude at UNH. A good one. Now the attitude seems to be...
"We may not be as glamourous as Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College, but we also have fewer selling points and more obstacles than Western Michigan, Michigan Tech, Northeastern, Providence, UConn, either UMass, Minnesota State, Air Force and most anyone else...
" One excuse I'll buy, is that THIS is no longer a factor at all. The environment is horrendous, but that is of their own doing...
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HockeyRef
Well-known member
Dan interesting read. Think the last player with admissions issues was Masonius whom we lost to UConn if I have that right? Anyway I agree there's no reason why UNH can't attract top talent and your summation of the season and players is prob more correct than not. But ya never know who's gonna have a breakout season and yep we need more than a few to have one this season to make the NCAA...let alone the Garden!
That being said by Nov we will have a decent idea what we are dealing with....
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