UNH Offseason Contract Edition.

[Snively65]

Leaving to play with your brother is a special opportunity. You can't begrudge a kid that.

True dat. But looks like his brother Joseph only played in 13 games, but had same number of points, 8. Maybe injured? Dunno.

 

[Snively65]

Not that it was advertised, but Muszelik was battling a knee injury and at one point was considered a candidate for surgery. In this regard, the injury forced the hand of MS7 to ride Hellsten and the heater that he was on.

As for the transfer portal, knowing the strength of the NoDak program and the quality of players recruited in, how much of a risk was it bringing Jakob or Harry to Durham? Same could be said about a handful of other programs Michigan, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan, etc. Fit and need always will play a part in the discernment process, but from a pure talent standpoint, if a player was good enough to be recruited to a Top 5 or 10 program, wouldn't they be good enough to play at UNH?

Of course. But what was the attraction of UNH for Hellsten? I joked in the previous thread that maybe he wanted to be closer to his home in Sweden.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Of course. But what was the attraction of UNH for Hellsten? I joked in the previous thread that maybe he wanted to be closer to his home in Sweden.

He was wanted (and needed) plus a promise of playing time. It's like what Harry said during the STH event midseason, he went to the team that wanted him the most. While the Ralph is amazing, have you been to Grand Forks in the winter? What am I even saying? The kid is from Sweden...dumba$$

Look at what Merrimack is doing in the portal. Borek has been aggressive courting the transfers...

 

[Chuck Murray]

I think some UNH posters here are being too harsh with Souza. There's no fair way to fully evaluate his performance without having a precise measure of his resources relative to his competition. UNH's facilities seem to be second rate by Hockey East standards. That's important with recruits and advisors. I dare say coaching salaries and resources for recruiting are also near the bottom of Hockey East. Assuming Souza's resources are lacking, this season was a huge step in the right direction, although it needs to continue on an upward trajectory. Equally important is news that more money is being invested in facilities, which could change the perception of the program in recruiting circles.

Nice of you to come on here and share your thoughts, Allie.

Respectfully disagree with pretty much all that you posted, except for the "upward trajectory" thingie.

P.S. - not that you'd know this from Princeton, but nothing helps raise perceptions of UNH more than winning.

You're welcome.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Equally important is news that more money is being invested in facilities, which could change the perception of the program in recruiting circles.

Do you know what else could change the perception of the program in recruiting circles? A coach that wins games.

 

[BlueLine Bob]

Do you know what else could change the perception of the program in recruiting circles? A coach that wins games.

You are pretty obsessed with the Coach. I hope this forum provides the therapy you need.

 

[JB]

I wish Souza had your gusto to not allow recruits to say no to 4 years in Durham

Me too!

I see you joined the message board in 2013, so there is the potential my perspective is different from yours. I know it has been a decade since the last 20 win season and 11 years since the last NCAA trip and that has drastically lowered expectations. (Note Souza has been here 9 years.) From 1990-1991 when Umile took over (a well stocked team on the rise left by Kullen and Coady) to 2012-13 (the last NCAA year - 11 ago) UNH was in the NCAA 18 of 23 years. There were just 4 season of less than 20 wins. Between just those 2 numbers this last season should be consider, meh. That is before we talk about regular season titles, trips to Boston, Frozen Fours.

So clearly in the past UNH had coaches with the gusto to get lots of high end recruits to say YES to 4 years in Durham. Coady, Lassonde, Serino, McCloskey, Borek, etc.

Hopefully MS7s gusto is getting TDL to cough up some sweet sweet NIL $$$, now that would be a game changer for which I would have resigned the coach.

 

[NCAA watcher]

Fair take, 'Watcher ... but what drives me nuts is that one 20 win season IS demonstrably a statistical anomaly, and the season ended the way every other season has, with the smoldering wreckage of UNH Hockey disabled by the roadside, somewhere short of the TD Garden. But it's academia, so real world does not apply.

We can't have it both ways, saying "judge him on his nine-year lack of a winning record" and then dismiss the 20 wins. Is it an anomaly? My bet is yes (ish)*. But that's why you are essentially compelled to give him another year to see if it is an anomaly.

Which then leads to the basic question of how long the extension is actually for. And secondarily, if its in reality less than three years, what are the actual expectations. I can easily see the team as competitive for another sixth place finish, and depending on the pumpkins on the schedule, close to 20 wins. Is the conclusion again "give him another year" and how long they are comfortable settling into that 6-9 zone.

* Predictions are hard, particularly about the future. Somewhere my binkis John Evans and Nick Ardanaz are rattling around the portal, and Ellis Rickwood is a sophomore with 14 career points. The reason you give MS7 another year is the humility of recognizing that you can't have your narrative dictate reality. One of the reasons I wanted a coaching change last year was because the talent was trending up slightly so that a new coach could claim credit for the bump this past year, and have the advantage of that momentum without the burdens of a 9-year track record. I still think MS7 has a cap at that 6th place, and the recruit pipeline is spotty enough that I don't see a follow-on leap. In my view, another 6th place is possible, but I also think without catching BU and NU at bad points, a 10th place could also be possible. A new coach would have pushed that momentum to a Maine-like possible blip into the top 5.
If Souza truly has a 3 years at 275, Scarano's giving him a two year extension in 2022 truly gifted MS7 more than a million dollars. I know MS7 has a 529 Plan to fund, but surely a large Christmas bonus to Marty is in order.

We await DB's FOIA.

 

[After the Whistle]

Watcher, hope you don’t mind my playing with your projected lineup. While I realize it was just a quick quess, I too enjoy looking at the next year and trying to see what we can get out of it. I don’t think you are necessarily wrong but I had Ring and Dunlap swapped. On many factors they are interchangeable. Fortunately Cronin came back after a down sophomore year. H​​​​​​is defensewasup and his face off skills appeared up. No problem with Ring however.
The twins with be potentially a lot of fun to watch develop (hopefully). There BCHL number, while solid, did not match other good pickups from the past. However, looking more closely I noticed that most of our BCHL kids had 2 years, probably creating better numbers.
If you remember, I predicted over 100 goals for the first time in a while. Thought Winters playing up and more games would net more scores. Also was confident that Comney could top 12. Biggest surprise was Blazer. What a year! And his 11 goals not only a blessing but will be hard to make up off of the four line.

 

[Aerman]

Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

The excuses aren't why the team isn't winning. That the excuses are being made IS the reason the team isn't winning. That attitude permeates everything. A great salesman can sell ice to an eskimo. College sports is really all about recruiting, if you can't get the talent you can't win, and getting the talent is a sales job.

"Stanley Goodspeed : I'll do my best.
John Mason : Your "best"! Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and f@#k the prom queen."

Love this reference (insert big grin emoji)!

 

[Aerman]

True dat. But looks like his brother Joseph only played in 13 games, but had same number of points, 8. Maybe injured? Dunno.

He was, there was a local piece about the brothers as they’re from Windham

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

You are pretty obsessed with the Coach. I hope this forum provides the therapy you need.

Mr. & Mrs. Souza! It's so great to hear from you; it's been a long time!

If you were a fan of the UNH Hockey Program, you'd be well aware of its commitment and support of "Stick it to Stigma" to raise awareness of mental well being and suicide prevention. In these woke times, on college campuses and, of late, of these boards, your insensitivity towards the purported mentally ill is uncouth and unwarranted. Shame!

For decades before MS7 became coach, and God willing, for decades after his disastrous tenure ends, I will cheer for the navy blue and white laundry of UNH hockey. It's nothing personal. He's just a poor coach that secured his job not on merit, but on connections.

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

When I think of the superstars of the recruiting game, this is who immediately comes to mind

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

Me too!
So clearly in the past UNH had coaches with the gusto to get lots of high end recruits to say YES to 4 years in Durham. Coady, Lassonde, Serino, McCloskey, Borek, etc..

There was some serious horsepower behind the scenes back in the day. What culpability do Stewart and Guiliano have in regards to current state of recruitment?

 

[Chuck Murray]

C'mon Grouch ... let's not be too hard on Stewie, eh? I mean, y'know ... what, with their history and all ...

 

[Potluck]

There was some serious horsepower behind the scenes back in the day. What culpability do Stewart and Guiliano have in regards to current state of recruitment?

For about a 10 year period UNH had one of the best facilities in the East. Not coincidentally recruiting went well and the program went was very successful. Umile was not hands on with the recruiting and certainly was not Herb Brooks 2.0 with the X and Os. UNH facilitates wise seems to be in the bottom half of college hockey. Recruiting has dipped. There’s a connection IMHO.

 

[Chuck Murray]

For about a 10 year period UNH had one of the best facilities in the East. Not coincidentally recruiting went well and the program went was very successful. Umile was not hands on with the recruiting and certainly was not Herb Brooks 2.0 with the X and Os. UNH facilitates wise seems to be in the bottom half of college hockey. Recruiting has dipped. There's a connection IMHO.

UNH's facilities aren't even in the bottom half of Hockey East. I mean ... who's facilities are demonstrably better? BU?? The BC arena is older than The Whitt, and was built primarily as a hoops facility. Ditto UMass Amherst's arena, which is also older and very similar to BC. Alfond is funky and all, but substandard once you suck all the fan energy out of the place. Providence just put some decent lipstick on a pig of a mostly empty arena in a residential neighborhood on the fringes of its campus. Northeastern's Mathews Arena (which I love) is like 130-ish years old, and also mostly empty, on the edge of campus near a rough neighborhood. UConn and Merrimack play in pitifully small arenas. Lowell's arena is a cookie cutter built around the time of The Whitt, and while I like it ... it's in freaking Lowell. And Gutterson is inferior, in every way possible.

UNH has a primarily hockey-designed facility that's been repeatedly updated over the last 30 years, and is right on (a very safe) campus within walking distance of most of the student's residences. There is always going to be something that's not quite up to state of the art, everywhere. UNH's best years in the facility featured an unconventional ice surface (we've been told retroactively that's bad), lacked a center ice scoreboard, and literally imported lots of (since-replaced) leftovers from Snively across into the new building, until they too were upgraded. The Whitt has arguably never been better as a facility than it is right now.

The idea that The Whitt is substandard is laughable, and the idea that it's "bottom half" is absurd.

If UNH were to hire a HC in the future who had a positive reputation as a talent developer in the player advisor's community, the program would change on a dime overnight to an absolute destination. They haven't had that reputation for over a decade now. No top talent, and no ability to develop mid-range talent, not a good formula. There's your "connection" sorry to say ...

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

For about a 10 year period UNH had one of the best facilities in the East. Not coincidentally recruiting went well and the program went was very successful. Umile was not hands on with the recruiting and certainly was not Herb Brooks 2.0 with the X and Os. UNH facilitates wise seems to be in the bottom half of college hockey. Recruiting has dipped. There’s a connection IMHO.

Statistics 101: Correlation is not causation

 

[TheGrouchyCat]

UNH's facilities aren't even in the bottom half of Hockey East. I mean ....

The Whitt is a great place to watch a hockey game. Until you've sat in the upper deck at Alfond and haven't been able to see 40% of the GD ice (and one goal) because of its angular 1970s design, you don't know what "bottom half" really means.

So, you must be talking about player facilities, i.e. the clubhouse and day spas, made popular by The Ralph in North Dakota and more recently by the likes of ASU and Penn State. This is a fair point, and you wouldn't be wrong. However, when I look at some of the national champions of the last decade or so and see Denver (9 NC), Minnesota-Duluth (3 NC) North Dakota (8), I see programs that were good in the 2020s, 2010s, 2000s, 1990s and on and on. To me, this indicates their sustained success over the decades has more to do with a winning culture, attitude and expectation of success than the sheet of the ice, fancy locker loom or the size of the weight room.

 

[HockeyRef]

...you know what they say...'If you build it, he will come'. This is the current mantra of UNH hockey...or is it just an excuse? Even aside as to who is the HC, UNH
is still not going to be the absolute destination for the next Jason Krog but I don't maintain that's even necessary because if it were tell me why BU/BC with
allllll of their fire power don't win NC's year after year. (I mean, at least they've won them so there's that). Please note; the next Jason Krog is more than
welcome but I digress.

That said, I am in full agreement improvements need
to be made and I don't have any issues with that, but don't tell me that it's THE reason UNH has floundered in the past few seasons. I mean, ask Taylor Makar
why he's ok with going to Maine, leaving behind the lavish UMass facilities for the Alfond...doubt he'll tout the facility..

Been to Union lately? Ask them back in 2014 how they managed to scrape together the raw talent they did with the facilities they have. Yale? Same.
We've had this discussion already; and I always go back to my 'Gone With the Wind' analogy of dressing up Rhett and Scarlett, putting them in a fancy
house and in the end? You still have a couple of scoundrels who never realized the value of things until it was too late.

As a fan who goes to almost all of the away games all I care about is a team that can perform consistently enough to extend itself into the post season beyond
a play in game. And right now, since they have not broken ground and who knows when they will, I want to hear from the recently extended HC about how he's going
to make that happen. I think we fans deserve that much.

Not having an end of the season presser unless you consider that 'interview' after the Maine loss is inexcusable..Reading about how the team had its best
record in 11 ish seasons, while absolutely admirable, doesn't cut it. Now is the time to give the skeptics and lest we forget, potential recruits who just might be
looking at UNH as a possible destination the blue print going forward that isn't built on a facility that could be 2 seasons away.

Not to mention the season ticket holder
out there who is trying to decide if they are going to give it another chance given this years turn around. I suspect most will, but I do know people who aren't and
some who had given up their tickets who are still skeptical.

Lay it out MS7, stop hiding behind blueprints...