Agreed that MS7 should not be wasting any time “being seen” locally as he needs to spend every waking moment lobbying his best players not to leave via the portal and attending as many Penticton Vees BCHL playoff games as possible. Maybe do some recruiting while in the Vancouver area also.
It's gonna be absolutely fascinating (possibly telling) to see what transfer portal activity looks like in the not-too-distant future, plus a Hellsten decision. As much as Carfagna was missed this season, an upperclassman version of Carfagna has left a hole in the future recruiting matrix that hasn't been filled (yet), and Dunlap would have been a strong bottom-six forwards contributor. And that doesn't even mention Chase Stevenson leaving, as his decision may have been academics-driven as a graduate student, but he was still an on-ice miss.
I sense there is some confusion on here about what I'm expecting of a post-extension MS7. In short ... I expect him to do everything he's been doing over the last 90 or so days, and then some. Once ATW (IIRC?) gets the details of his latest contract extension, I strongly suspect we are gonna find out that Coach Souza has over a million (pre-tax) really good reasons to be busting his arse every waking moment of his existence, at least until he returns the program to at least something approaching prime Umile status nationally. Does that start with his current roster? Yup. Ensuring the most-valued incoming recruits remain on course to be here this Fall (including Sadowski)? Yup. Scouring the portal for diamonds in the rough like Gildon and Hellsten? Yup. Dragging your butt to the HEA Tourney weekend games and the Women's FF at your rink? Opportunity lost - as our old/new pal Grouchy says, you are now owned lock, stock and barrel by AD SugarBritches (sorry that's still too good to resist lolol), so you need to get out and circulate. Be visible. At least act like the super-successful D-1 coach you're being paid so well to impersonate, OK??
You and your guys should be out there at every opportune moment, stacking up future recruits for years to come, now that you're able to crow about a "turnaround", an extension, a winning record, etc. BC isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. BU isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. Now UMaine is on the rise, and I strongly suspect they are only getting started, and won't be going away anytime soon, either. So you are one of eight (8) other programs basically vying for one (1) remaining slot in Boston, and in the national tourney from your conference. Two of the other eight teams are led by guys who've won D-1 titles for their current schools, and then there is your old boss Luce, who is probably still trying to leverage Coach York's four (4) D-1 titles as "his" to some degree. Bazin has been to the FF early in his time at Lowell. Northeastern can point to Beanpot dominance. So where does that leave you?? With Merrimack and UVM, both of whom have had teams make it to Boston more recently than UNH.
There can be NO resting on any laurels, when there are literally NO laurels to rest upon.
Resting on the beach in Aruba isn't gonna get anything done. So chop-chop, there's work to be done, get to it!!!!!!!
