Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2019 and Beyond
Dan
UNH will likely be competing for top 4 in hockey east this year. 2020-21 should bring us closer to annual top 4 team like in the past and hope the recruiting wins will continue. I know you think I am completely delusional, but we lost only one of our top scorers and the sophomores and freshmen are a net plus. Defense and Goalies are very good. We have 6 NCAA level defensemen. Collins, Saviano, Callendar, Abbott, Aikens, Teplitsky, Conklin and others have kids who are only 4-6 years from college hockey. Many are coaches of elite teams in the area and we can hope they will be a big plus for our future recruiting as well as they great work over the past few years. The future is bright and we certainly competed well against our former Big 4 competitors over the past 2 decades over the past few years. Deep breaths as the future is bright.
Happy Mothers Day Ref and to all other mothers.
First of all, I've never called you delusional and I don't think you are delusional. I think you are overly optimistic and perhaps too close to the program and those leading it. As a result, it sometimes seems as if you view every win, on-ice development, intangible and commitment as proof-positive that UNH is
back. I think in a lot of ways you are trying to speak UNH success into existence. Be the fan you wish to be - there is nothing wrong with that. My approach is much more pragmatic - based entirely on production and what UNH needs to do to be a real contender for HE Titles and the NCAA Tournament
every season...
If you want to hang your hat on the skill-sets, scouting reports and Neutral Zone rankings of UNH's young prospects as a sign of UNH's future success feel free to do so. Honestly, I think that perspective brings a nice balance to my more pragmatic approach. However, I will always put more stock in a recruits actual production against their age group, in high-level/competitive junior leagues or how they produce relative to the recruits of other schools. Its great that UNH gets a lot of 3.75-4 star recruits (according to NZ) - its less great when you look deeper and realize they rank every DI recruit between 3.75 and 4 stars. Its great when UNH recruits score close to a PPG in the NCDC or at the prep-level - its less great when you look closer and note that success in these leagues doesn't mean much for NCAA production and see that most of their age grouped peers are playing in the USHL and/or BCHL. If you are already sold on these kids, thats fair enough - I think there are questions to be answered and more work to do...
As for UNH's overall recruiting - I'd argue that to date, Souza is doing a bit better than Borek. UNH has had very good players during its recent struggles - so getting players like Stutzle and Margel doesn't change that. Where Souza has made headway is instead of rounding out rosters with the back-end of the roster kids they have recently, he is rounding it out with players like Esposito, MacAdams, Verrier and Herrmann. This is absolutely an improvement. I dont begrudge anyone who is optimistic about that improvement, but I surmise they need more talent and goal-scoring as well. I love this type of player at the bottom of the roster - I don't love this type of player playing in your top-scoring and defending roles.
You seem to think UNH has done the work or is pre-ordained to have future success. I think they have taken some steps but much work is left to be done. That is in no way more evident that your assertion that simply because former UNH players are in coaching and have children that the recruiting pipeline is full. Just about every school can make this claim regarding its alumni and we should wait to see (as Jeteye posts) if these players are even DI talents or choose UNH before we start to plan on any impact they might make in Durham. Even if they are/do - I'll be keeping an eye on their production before I anoint anyone. Plenty of players UNH had connections too have gone elsewhere. However, If they want to focus on legacies they can start with Scott Morrow (we've been beating the drum on Morrow for years already in this space - yet, he certainly seems in no rush to jump on his UNH connection and more than willing to weigh his options) and Cooper Flinton anyway - those two are at least old enough to have been scouted/offered already (more on this in a subsequent post)...
I discuss these topics regularly because I find them fascinating - not because I'm worked up or breathless. If UNH wants the benefit of the doubt from me, they're going to have to earn it. Simply improving on a last-place finish and from last-place recruiting classes is the EASY part. Taking the next step to middle-of-the-pack is much more difficult and improving to competing for HE titles is MUCH harder still. Improvement is not always linear and subtle success (and often intangible) last season does not indicate that linear and steep success is imminent. Only consistent, continued and actual success will prove anything...
That said, no one has pointed to this coming season as UNH's best roster and best potential launching pad more often than I have - but that doesn't mean success or capitalizing on potential success is a certainty, either. Yes, I expect them to compete for home-ice this season - but that doesn't mean they are on the fast-track to the top of the league. That only means that the last strong Borek class is mixing with some Souza recruits to
finally (and for the first-time in a while) give them a balance of talent and experience across their roster. When some of that balance graduates or leaves Durham - will they have the recruiting classes behind them to continue any of the building? That remains to be seen, IMO...
