UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Bazin - assistant at Colorado College 2000-2008
NCAAs 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 08
Head Coach DIII 2008-2011
Recruited multiple All-Americans

Rohlik
3 seasons as assistant to Mark Osiecki at Ohio State
10 seasons on the coaching staff at Minnesota Duluth (2001-10) where the squad advanced to two NCAA tournaments, including a Frozen Four appearance in 2004, and won the 2009 WCHA playoff title. He was part of the staff that put together the roster of the Bulldogs’ 2010 NCAA Championship squad.
three seasons at Nebraska-Omaha, joining the program for its inaugural campaign in 1997-98. In the team’s first year as a member of the CCHA (its third year as a Division I team), the squad advanced to the 2000 CCHA Championship final.
five years as the head coach at Hill-Murray High School


Souza
Second Assistant at Brown 2011-13 (12th place and 7th place)
Second assistant at U.Conn 2013-15 (one year in Atlantic conference, last place HE in second year)

You don't think Souza has the resume to succeed. I think he has other attributes which will lead to UNH returning to the NCAA tournament. Time will tell.

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

I was trying to understand why the younger Gildon would choose Ohio State over Big 10 powerhouses like Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. OSU's recent success in getting commitments from multiple 4.0+ Star prospects appears to be related to the factors I described (e.g., returning to the NCAA Tournament, hiring assistants with long recruiting resumes and connections to USA hockey). I wasn't prescribing a strategy for UNH recruiting.

You were excusing the UNH coaching staff from the responsibility of losing another top legacy recruit - and in the process of trying to protect them you completely exposed the complete lack of experience and track record of the UNH staff and why they are not up to job. I'm sick and tired of hearing about how UNH can't compete with the elite programs in college hockey. Now, we're losing recruits with major UNH connections to the Ohio State's of the world and that is a perfect indicator of just how far UNH has fallen as a program and a recruiting destination. And that is NOT because Ohio State is a BIG school. It is a direct result of what our coach and our AD have let this program become and the inattention to recruiting (the most important factor in college sports) by our staff. Period. Souza is not the only recruiter with charisma and a nice personality, who makes statements about winning. Newsflash - they all have/do that. The good ones execute.

Ohio State used to be where kids UNH coaches ignored went to play hockey (Jobst). It didn't take four years for Rohlik to get back to the NCAA Tournament. It took effort and results from DAY ONE (Jobst, Joshua, Laczynski - all committed years ago when OSU stunk.) quantifying into an NCAA level program. Those are the efforts and results UNH is simply NOT getting. More on this later...

 

[PPGuru]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

You got my attention with this, so I looked at Wisco's commits. Currently there are 32 of them. They have 14 kids committed for the fall of 2019. There are only 8 players scheduled to graduate. Looks like there will have to be some creative Roster Management then. 2018, 2020 and 2021 don't look to be over-recruited. Yet.

 

[HockeyRef]

You don't think Souza has the resume to succeed. I think he has other attributes which will lead to UNH returning to the NCAA tournament. Time will tell.

He has to start somewhere!! They all had to start somewhere! Good points about the players coming in; a few more of those please...Really looking forward to see who MS gets as his next Asst Coach; that will be one big appointment.

Ps MIke Souza has a definite vision and plan for UNH hockey. To say otherwise does him a great disservice. Just because Jack Eichel has not arrived does not mean he is not hard at work. And speaking of those type of players you tell me if/when UNH back in their "glory days" had a roster full of them? It's a different animal the landscape has changed since then. That much I do understand... If recruiting 15 "blue chippahs" are all you need then why doesn't BU win the National Championship every year? Because it takes a well rounded roster of coachable players who don't have their thoughts completely on their big pay day amd just might hang around for more than 2 seasons. That's the landscape we compete with. Wow the guy hasn't taken over the reigns completely and he's already done. Harrumph.

 

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

In the spirit of candid dialogue, you seem to suggest that he has "other atributes," which seems to implicitly agree with my precept. I wont ask you to say it explicitly. But I will ask about your coda: "time will tell." In your view, how much time -- if ever -- would you suggest before it is fair to ask the questions we may be prematurely raising?

You are raising fair questions. I think there have been some encouraging signs already. For example, Souza and Stewart got two 4+ players - Gildon and Maass - to come to UNH. Also, the team returned to the top-ten in the national rankings and are hanging onto #13.

The end of this season will be an important marker. As I've said, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is important. If they succeed, I would expect more 4+ Star players to commit. If UNH does make the tournament and those type of players don't commit, I would be concerned.

I can't predict the future but my guess is Souza will have at least one year to be the head coach and probably three. By the 2019-20 season, most of the players on the squad will be Souza/Stewart recruits and Souza will be into his second season as head coach. If UNH does not make the NCAA Tournament in 2018, '19 or '20, I wouldn't expect him to remain the head coach much beyond that.

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

I was going to respond to the post Watcher had made yesterday – but didn’t. However, with the Gildon news I think it’s worth revisiting whether UNH recruiting to date is by design or by result. I think it is clearly by result and you can put me in the Lemonade camp that UNH is lacking a defined plan or result for recruiting. I simply cannot give them credit for following a ‘Bazin Plan’ based on how they have recruited. To me, that is simply a hope that their haphazard approach to the most important part of winning in college athletics can be salvaged down the line…

Since Souza’s arrival, UNH has landed three types of recruits – early commitments, Borek holdovers and late grabs (many of whom have simply fallen in their laps).

The majority of the recruits in the pipeline were targeted early – it would be wishful to suppose that the long drought since most of those commitments represents a strategy and not a failure to land commitments. The silver-lining would be that instead of whiffing on top talents and executing a strategy of jumping on bottom-six or bottom pair commitments early just to get players in the pipeline has seemed to have abated, at least. The following players were ‘early’ (at least 2 years out and under 18) commitments…

Crookshank
Pierson
Sweeney
Wazny
Verrier
Bahn
Green

With this many early verbals – I don’t think you can make the argument that UNH is waiting to evaluate and move on kids late in the process. This group represents seven of the 11 kids in UNH’s pipeline (64%). Three others are Borek holdovers who, also committed early. The remaining is Stevenson who is still two years out, but committed just after turning 18. If you count those four – you’re at 100% early commitments.

The problem with this group is not when they committed, but that ONLY Angus Crookshank appears to have the floor of a top-six, top-four, truly-impactful recruit at the NCAA level. After that you’re stuck dreaming on Wazny (cut from his USHL team, ineffective on his NAHL team), Sweeney (still playing Prep Hockey) and Green (a raw and at-best league average USHL defensemen). That is a pretty bad place to be from a recruiting stand-point. Especially, considering the better talent remaining is being scooped up every single day and UNH hasn’t added to its incoming roster (save for one third-line type forward) in six months.

For all of the skills people claim Souza possesses that will “undoubtedly” make him successful on the recruiting trail, they sure don’t seem to be playing. And lets not gloss over the fact that during the season, as the ‘head coach in waiting’ he is always (has to be?) with the team while Stewart is the one leaving the bench/practice to go do the recruiting during, you know, hockey season…

Souza and the staff’s foray into late-game recruiting have earned him a reprieve from many – whether or not that is deserved is up for debate. This season’s early success is dependent on three factors – Souza’s last minute band aids, an incredibly weak schedule AND (often forgotten) the impact of Borek’s last gasp at UNH. I would argue that the development of Borek’s forward recruits that have UNH scoring at a solid-clip is every bit as critical as Souza’s finds on defense.

Lets also not forget, that in spite of Souza’s late defensive pick-ups and the strong forward production of Borek’s recruits UNH has still not proven to be a good enough team to compete with the better teams on their schedule. There is one recruit in the pipeline who projects to play NCAA hockey at the level of UNH’s current top defensemen or forwards. So I understand why people are hopeful, UNH is adopting a late recruiting strategy. But lets take a look at that late recruiting strategy under Souza…

Dawson
Wyse
Gildon
Maass
Sato
Stevenson

Pretty impressive! I can see why people want to hold on to this idea that Souza has a late-game recruiting plan. Unfortunately, a deeper look indicates that the majority of these finds were defenseman who UNH needed to fill immediate holes on the current roster. Wyse fell in UNH’s lap when he didn’t get into Dartmouth and had minimum options (read no offer from BU). Gildon fell in UNH’s lap when Wisconsin dropped him and he had minimum options. Sato is a fringe prospect. Dawson is mediocre. Stevenson is two years away and his ceiling indicates a second-tier scorer on a good team.

Maass is a great find. Souza deserves a lot of credit there. Unfortunately, along with Crookshank - that makes just TWO top-line/top-pair recruits in three full recruiting seasons, who committed to UNH and Souza through a true recruiting process. UNH has had plenty of recent seasons where they've had two or more very good players. That does not make a team. You cannot pick and choose individual recruits as a sign of success. The overall group and the big picture matters.

Maass makes one nice, under the radar, late find in Souza’s three seasons recruiting for UNH. Decommitments will not continue to fall in their lap. That is not a strategy. UNH is not adopting a Lowell plan. They are winging it, because they are unable to land or hang on to better players. I do not often agree with the description of Lowell recruiting as they land plenty of players I see and (at the time of commitment) would love for UNH to have.

More importantly, whatever Bazin’s strategy is it is celebrated because it is surprising to people that he makes it work. Lowell is the exception. It does not indicate some rule that is easy to follow. You know who else takes older players, from untraditional leagues, over looked by others schools? Maine, RPI, Alabama Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage, etc…

UNH seemingly has no plan. They are struggling badly on the recruiting trail. C-H-C’s intended defense of the coaching staff exposes incredible holes in their experience and track record. Souza had four years of primarily second-assistant coaching and recruiting experience (for weak programs) before he was given the keys to UNH’s recruiting and named head coach in waiting. Stewart has more years, but many came in the AHA – the rest at Merrimack. They have a HC, in Umile, who doesn’t care about recruiting and is an AWFUL example for them to learn from.

Is it really a surprise that they’re recruiting like a Brown, UConn or Merrimack? That’s their background! The bigger surprise is why anyone (AD’s included) would have looked at their experience and thought this would work. Giving him credit for landing kids who were forced out by other schools and had no where to turn to that had money remaining or hanging onto this idea that star-ranking matters more than the junior hockey production is grasping at straws. Michael Gildon is the cherry on top of the sundae. More on that later…

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

He has to start somewhere!! They all had to start somewhere!

Most start building their resumes as assistants, before moving to higher-profile schools as assistants (before perhaps even moving on to smaller schools as head coaches) before moving on to be HC/Lead Recruiter at a place like UNH. His starting/learning recruiting and head coaching on the job AT UNH is less than ideal. And was CLEARLY less than ideal from the moment the idea was conceived...

And speaking of those type of players you tell me if/when UNH back in their "glory days" had a roster full of them? It's a different animal the landscape has changed since then. That much I do understand... If recruiting 15 "blue chippahs" are all you need then why doesn't BU win the National Championship every year? Because it takes a well rounded roster of coachable players who don't have their thoughts completely on their big pay day amd just might hang around for more than 2 seasons. That's the landscape we compete with. Wow the guy hasn't taken over the reigns completely and he's already done. Harrumph.

Yes, they did. As recently as 2008-09 UNH had on its roster (at one time) the following players...

JVR (NHL / #2 Draft Pick)
Mike Sislo (100 pts / NHL)
Peter LeBlanc (85 pts / NHL Draft Pick)
Bobby Butler (100 Pts / NHL)
Danny Dries (100 Pts)
Jerry Pollostrone (97 pts)
Phil Desimone (100 Pts)
Steve Moses (100 Pts)
Paul Thompson (100 Pts / NHL)
Blake Kessel (NHL Draft Pick)
Joe Charlebois (NHL Draft Pick)
Damon Kipp
Brian Foster (NHL Draft Pick)

* Even Jamie Fritsch and Matt Campanale got into 1 NHL game!!

What has changed since then, is that UNH coaches and recruiters have done a much worse job recruiting. Souza may be able to articulate a plan to UNH fans post-game, but until he can articulate it (and execute) to actual recruits he's got a big problem.

The idea that UNH cannot get high-end talent or that elite NCAA hockey talent is destined to be one- or two-and-done is simply wrong and misdirects the argument. The sport is FULL of juniors and seniors who were elite recruits, committed at 16, and are still producing at high-levels for their teams. Some are so good they leave early. Some stay all four years. The best programs balance the two. UNH used to balance the two. UNH used to have rosters FULL of talent. Recruiting was hard then too. If UNH wants to win at a high level they need to target better players in recruiting, they need to win those battles and they need to do both regularly. They have not done this over the past three years. This is clear. There is a long way between what they're doing now and Jack Eichel...

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

The affirmative action plan that vaults an alum over more qualified other candidates, based on the romantic notion that "being able to speak from the heart" about how proud you are of your school will carry any weight with a hockey player who actually wants a coach with connections in the hockey world and a track record of taking a program from point X to point Y?

 

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

All the talk is very interesting but, to me, the bottom line is that UNH has a spotty recruiting history because they have a spotty performance history. Somewhere on this thread CHC says that UNH has not been competitive on the national stage since 2013. Wrong. Haven't been competitive since they lost to RIT in 2010. Seven years ago is ancient history for 15 or 16 year old recruits. While Souza doesn't appear to have a "philosophy" on recruiting, I do think that he is reluctant to employ the Borek method of "when my top guys go elsewhere, I'm going to fill in the roster with a bunch of kids who should be playing D3." This reluctance to go into desperation mode may backfire big time, but I can't criticize Souza (at least not yet) for holding out for kids who can move the program forward.

I've been saying all along that the most important decision Souza will make going forward is his choice for the second assistant coaching job. Will he choose a safe pick, a former UNH teammate is one rumor I heard, or will he think outside the box. His choice will tell you a lot about where the program is headed I'd say.

 

[HockeyRef]

Most start building their resumes as assistants, before moving to higher-profile schools as assistants (before perhaps even moving on to smaller schools as head coaches) before moving on to be HC/Lead Recruiter at a place like UNH. His starting/learning recruiting and head coaching on the job AT UNH is less than ideal. And was CLEARLY less than ideal from the moment the idea was conceived...



Yes, they did. As recently as 2008-09 UNH had on its roster (at one time) the following players...

JVR (NHL / #2 Draft Pick)
Mike Sislo (100 pts / NHL)
Peter LeBlanc (85 pts / NHL Draft Pick)
Bobby Butler (100 Pts / NHL)
Danny Dries (100 Pts)
Jerry Pollostrone (97 pts)
Phil Desimone (100 Pts)
Steve Moses (100 Pts)
Paul Thompson (100 Pts / NHL)
Blake Kessel (NHL Draft Pick)
Joe Charlebois (NHL Draft Pick)
Damon Kipp
Brian Foster (NHL Draft Pick)

* Even Jamie Fritsch and Matt Campanale got into 1 NHL game!!

What has changed since then, is that UNH coaches and recruiters have done a much worse job recruiting. Souza may be able to articulate a plan to UNH fans post-game, but until he can articulate it (and execute) to actual recruits he's got a big problem.

The idea that UNH cannot get high-end talent or that elite NCAA hockey talent is destined to be one- or two-and-done is simply wrong and misdirects the argument. The sport is FULL of juniors and seniors who were elite recruits, committed at 16, and are still producing at high-levels for their teams. Some are so good they leave early. Some stay all four years. The best programs balance the two. UNH used to balance the two. UNH used to have rosters FULL of talent. Recruiting was hard then too. If UNH wants to win at a high level they need to target better players in recruiting, they need to win those battles and they need to do both regularly. They have not done this over the past three years. This is clear. There is a long way between what they're doing now and Jack Eichel...

Appreciate the insight Dan I know UNH has had many great players over the years. And yes believe it or not I do share the recruiting concern. I just haven't assumed that the staff is not there working at it. Just like I have doubts a Jack Eichel would show up in droves to play at UNH and while it would be amazing I'd rather have a strong group like many of thrones you mention. Wjere are those players and more importantly...why can't they skate for us? I see no reason.

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Losing Gildon is a double blow – first of all, a Watcher points out, he is another in a long line of recruits with notable connections to UNH hockey who have gone elsewhere despite overtures from the current recruiters. Perhaps more importantly, his connection to the program is on the current roster and being coached directly by the head coach to be. He knows exactly what he’d be getting into and has chosen instead to head to a program that will never be more than the sixth-best team in its BIG conference…

No one expects UNH to land every major recruit – and I personally don’t care if they ever land a first-round pick (when I want them to get high-end ability, I mean projectable NCAA production level talent). Like Greg and Chuck, unless we’re arguing something different, it’s much more important to me what these players produce at UNH. Michael Gildon is a 3 or 4 year player with a lot of talent and a brother at UNH. This should have been a very real possibility for the Wildcats and according to C-H-C’s source they were never truly in the mix. If that doesn’t tell you a lot about the current reality of UNH recruiting, nothing will…

And of course it leads to the inevitable rationalization of why UNH can’t get a kid like Michael Gildon (while at the same time we hang on to landing Max Gildon as a rationalization of why Souza is destined for recruiting success). Its pitiful enough to say UNH can never expect with the blue bloods of the hockey world – this is freaking Ohio State. They don’t give a rip about hockey at Ohio State and they play in front of 3,000 fans in a 20,000 seat arena…

It’s also disingenuous to say that Rohlik is succeeding only because he has a head start on Souza. We’ve compared Rohlik’s assistants to UNH’s assistants. So, lets first compare Rohlik to Souza. Rohlik assisted/recruited for one season at Nebraska-Omaha, 10 seasons at Minnesota-Duluth and three seasons at Ohio State before taking over as head coach. He got Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament in his THIRD SEASON (he’s also made at least the conference semi-final every season), not his fourth as was stated earlier – but the process started MUCH earlier than that.

Rohlik (and Mark Osiecki) began changing the Ohio State culture from the moment they arrived in Columbus. The expectations for the program ticked up dramatically. They were immediately a player on the recruiting trail – and for high-end recruits – despite OSU having never had that reputation and having poor recent history. Souza has been at UNH for three seasons and has been in the primary position to change the culture around the program and especially the recruiting process and he has not done so…

Rohlik’s brought a number of top-recruits to OSU as an assistant. His first season as head coach feature the following players Dzingel, Fritz, Schilkey, Gust, Frey, Jardine. Weis and Stork. The following year they added Jobst, Joshua and Witala and last year Tanner Laczynski. These are high-end talented recruits, most of whom OSU had no business adding at the time and were highly coveted. Still, they went out and got them and now that they’re all together they’re a tough team to play against. Most will be four-year players. Ohio State also initially committed the Dhooge brothers and the Caulfield brothers. All four of whom, will end up playing four seasons in Wisconsin…

The idea that Souza should get a pass for his three seasons in charge of recruiting and only be evaluated four years from now is mind-blowing to me. Rohlik’s success as an assistant and immediate impact on the OSU culture and recruiting results is why he’s having the success he’s having now. The current lack of success at UNH, will be a HUGE part of the lack of success they are having four years from now…

Losing Gildon is a big deal, because it indicates they can’t land that type of player when they’re have a strong pre-disposition to UNH. It indicates that how the future is seen – even inside the program – may not be viewed as notably exciting. It illustrates the complete lack of momentum heading into Souza’s actually taking the reins as head coach.

And that’s a problem, because he will get his four years – at minimum – and won’t be judged by the AD based on his three as an assistant. When’s the last time Scarano fired anyone who wasn’t in legal trouble? He, more than anyone, exhibits the mentality that UNH is a loser and should just be happy to have a program…

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Appreciate the insight Dan I know UNH has had many great players over the years. And yes believe it or not I do share the recruiting concern. I just haven't assumed that the staff is not there working at it. Just like I have doubts a Jack Eichel would show up in droves to play at UNH and while it would be amazing I'd rather have a strong group like many of thrones you mention. Wjere are those players and more importantly...why can't they skate for us? I see no reason.

They are type of players I talk about when I say I want high-end talent. There is a disconnect when people assume I want a roster full of first-round picks. UNH used to get high-end talent - whether that talent was BC/BU's second choice, I didn't care then and dont care now. It won a lot of games for UNH. That talent exists and is available. I wouldn't argue that the UNH coaches are not working - but asking whether or not that have a specific, workable plan is fair. Its also obvious to me that working hard or not - they're not getting the type of players they need to be getting.

 

[HockeyRef]

All the talk is very interesting but, to me, the bottom line is that UNH has a spotty recruiting history because they have a spotty performance history. Somewhere on this thread CHC says that UNH has not been competitive on the national stage since 2013. Wrong. Haven't been competitive since they lost to RIT in 2010. Seven years ago is ancient history for 15 or 16 year old recruits. While Souza doesn't appear to have a "philosophy" on recruiting, I do think that he is reluctant to employ the Borek method of "when my top guys go elsewhere, I'm going to fill in the roster with a bunch of kids who should be playing D3." This reluctance to go into desperation mode may backfire big time, but I can't criticize Souza (at least not yet) for holding out for kids who can move the program forward.

I've been saying all along that the most important decision Souza will make going forward is his choice for the second assistant coaching job. Will he choose a safe pick, a former UNH teammate is one rumor I heard, or will he think outside the box. His choice will tell you a lot about where the program is headed I'd say.

I can't highlight your first sentence Greg with my phone but wanna say "Bingo" to your comment...

 

[Lemonade]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

There is a lot that goes into recruiting - what do recruits look for?
1. Winning programs - not rocket science
2. You need a coach that can sell the program and connect to recruits and a staff that is aggressive and on the recruiting trail 24/7 with an eye for talent.
3. Top notch facilities

Does UNH have a winning program? Debatable now...past history they were great but mediocre in recent years. Can coach sell program and is staff aggressive? Debatable and too early to tell. Are facilities top notch? Debatable. Rink/training failities are nice but not enough nowadays to stand out from the pack. Its 22 years old now.

Looking at successful programs lately in recruiting - the ND's, BU's and Wisconsins (they have a ridiculous amount of players committed which is another debate) but they have the winning programs, aggressive recruiting (maybe too aggressive) and better facilities....UNH needs to up its game if it wants to get back to national prominence on many levels.

 

[Nick Papagiorgio]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

There is a lot that goes into recruiting - what do recruits look for?
1. Winning programs - not rocket science
2. You need a coach that can sell the program and connect to recruits and a staff that is aggressive and on the recruiting trail 24/7 with an eye for talent.
3. Top notch facilities

Does UNH have a winning program? Debatable now...past history they were great but mediocre in recent years. Can coach sell program and is staff aggressive? Debatable and too early to tell. Are facilities top notch? Debatable. Rink/training failities are nice but not enough nowadays to stand out from the pack. Its 22 years old now.

Looking at successful programs lately in recruiting - the ND's, BU's and Wisconsins (they have a ridiculous amount of players committed which is another debate) but they have the winning programs, aggressive recruiting (maybe too aggressive) and better facilities....UNH needs to up its game if it wants to get back to national prominence on many levels.

Coaches with an ability to get players to the next level.

 

[Ray Dorn]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Maybe Michael Gildon chose The Ohio State University because he is a long time fan of their sports programs? Maybe his Grandfather is a graduate of OSU? Maybe he thinks a NHL size sheet of ice is better for his game and development? Maybe he is just testing the people (players, coaches, students, supporters, etc.) of UNH on how they react to his brother with this news? Maybe he is just trying to make his own way?

 

[Darius]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Maybe Michael Gildon chose The Ohio State University because he is a long time fan of their sports programs? Maybe his Grandfather is a graduate of OSU? Maybe he thinks a NHL size sheet of ice is better for his game and development? Maybe he is just trying to make his own way?

Would not be the first time this has happened. A few years back UNH had a player whose older brother had a very successful career at another school. Younger brother wanted to play for a different school. I don't know, but suspect that part of his reason was that his older brother was very successful and following in his footsteps would have been difficult.

 

[Dan]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Maybe Michael Gildon chose The Ohio State University because he is a long time fan of their sports programs? Maybe his Grandfather is a graduate of OSU? Maybe he thinks a NHL size sheet of ice is better for his game and development? Maybe he is just trying to make his own way?

Michael Gildon is just one piece of a much larger discussion. Its easy to explain away an individual recruit choosing another school over UNH - its harder to ignore when the more talented recruiting targets are choosing other schools in droves. When one rationalizes every missed target away with reasonable explanations, its easy to lose site of the big picture which is ONE future recruit exhibiting high-end talent...

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

Would not be the first time this has happened. A few years back UNH had a player whose older brother had a very successful career at another school. Younger brother wanted to play for a different school. I don't know, but suspect that part of his reason was that his older brother was very successful and following in his footsteps would have been difficult.

Agree here. The vR and Kelleher bros did not overlap at UNH, which might be a difference.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2017 and Beyond

For those lamenting the age of the apparently-decrepit Whittemore Center (22 yrs.), the Tsongas Arena is pretty much from the same era. Funny how fresh a building can look when the coaching staff is on their game.