Re: UNH Recruits: 2012-2016
Re: UNH Recruits: 2012-2016
An article on Brendan van Riemsdyk in The Hockey News.
Re: UNH Recruits: 2012-2016
An article on Brendan van Riemsdyk in The Hockey News.
Poturalski with 3 more points today (2G and 1 assist), Jason Kalinowski 1 goal 1 assist, and Danny Tirone picked up his 23rd win of the year
C-H-C... In aggregate, how would you say the current lineup of recruits compares to previous years? From your posts, it looks like we have some pretty solid talent in the pipeline. What years do you anticipate us seeing this manifest itself in a potential change of outcomes at the Whitt?
C-H-C... In aggregate, how would you say the current lineup of recruits compares to previous years? From your posts, it looks like we have some pretty solid talent in the pipeline. What years do you anticipate us seeing this manifest itself in a potential change of outcomes at the Whitt?
C-H-C said:Shane Eiserman - Daniel Winnik MIKE RADJA/SCOTT MORROW
Warren Foegele - Lanny GareDANIEL WINNIK/PETER LEBLANC
Michael McNicholas - Grayson DowningJUSTIN AIKINS/PHIL DESIMONE
Andrew Poturalski - Matt FornataroMATT FORNATARO
Jason Salvaggio --.............................-JOSH PRUDDEN
Dylan Chanter - Connor HardowaHARDOWA/JOE CHARLEBOIS
Cam Marks --..........................TYSON TEPLISKY/KEVIN KAPSTAD
John Furgele-..........................MATT CAMPANALE
Adam Clark - Brian Foster (+3 inches)SEAN MATILE
On paper I think it is safe to say this year might be UNH's best recruiting class since... maybe 2003
Winnik (OHL first round pick)
MicFlikier (USA U-17 team)
Hemingway (BCHL co-ROY)
Travis (1st NE Prep)
Murray (looked like a solid D-man)
This is probably good to remember because not all recruits pan out.
Another example 2001
Callander
Carron
Collins
Aikins
Teplitsky
I am not sure I have seen a class look this promising (all around) since the early 2000's. Example JvR highlighted his class but that class didn't seem as deep. I really like both these classes as a comparison because they came in with high expectations but not all had the desired impact. Recruiting = in exact science, or past performance doesn't necessarily indicate future results, etc.
correction : Winnik was a fourth rounder, Micflikier is Canadian and played in USHL.
2001, you left out our own Josh Ciocco
2009
Matt White - USHL forward of year
Ryan Bourque- top forward on US National Team
Cam Reid - NHL draft
John Henrion - US National Team
Greg Burke- NHL pick, top 40 US U17 tryout
1999
Colin Hemingway
Lanny Gare
Kevin Truelson
Jim Abbott
Josh Prudden
Patrick Foley
Garrett Stafford
Shane Eiserman - Daniel Winnik MIKE RADJA/SCOTT MORROW
Warren Foegele - Lanny GareDANIEL WINNIK/PETER LEBLANC
Michael McNicholas - Grayson DowningJUSTIN AIKINS/PHIL DESIMONE
Andrew Poturalski - Matt FornataroMATT FORNATARO
Jason Salvaggio --.............................-JOSH PRUDDEN
Dylan Chanter - Connor HardowaHARDOWA/JOE CHARLEBOIS
Cam Marks --..........................TYSON TEPLISKY/KEVIN KAPSTAD
John Furgele-..........................MATT CAMPANALE
Adam Clark - Brian Foster (+3 inches)SEAN MATILE
I posted this on the other UNH thread when the "conversation" turned to recruits. Probably fits better over here, wouldn't mind thoughts - maybe I am smoking something funny...
I like to look at college hockey recruits a couple ways:
Age – true freshman tend to need a little more time, some may impact end of freshman year but tend to have a higher ceiling. Older players tend to have a quicker hit but don’t grow as much. Much older players caveat emptor (Travis Banga anyone), late bloomers blow this all to hell but I find it a good indicator.
League/roll – if you don’t score in juniors you tend not to in college. However the BCHL has always been a bit more offensive (but I haven’t tracked lately) so you need to take it with a grain of salt.
Size – each level is bigger and faster and small guys tend to take a little longer to adjust (see Kelleher this year, Haydar being an obvious exception).
So my thoughts not seeing a single one of these guys play:
McNicholas – Nearly came in this year and will be arriving as a 20 year old, 5’ 10” 175, team leading scorer 3rd in goals, 5th in league. To me a little old means more immediate impact, not tiny but most UNH players that height are 185ish so he needs some muscle, I always worry about guys with high points totals due to assists does he have a line mate potting a pile of goals. Vernon has a 30, 26, 23 goal scorers so the spread isn’t crazy.
Eiserman – Will be 18 when he arrives 19 early in the season, 6’2” 200, 5th on team in goal scoring only 5 points back, 4th in goals, 9th in shots taken, ties for team leads at +20. Is he a true freshman? At only 18 when arriving on campus maybe, additionally his birthday is outside the typical 30 day kindergarten/1st grade window so he was likely one of the oldest in his grade not youngest, so I am guessing yes. Size will not be a limitation. Nobody on Dubuque is in the top 20 in USHL in points, hasn’t really shown a scoring touch yet either at NDP or USHL. But leading team in +- seems to indicate a responsible player.
Poturalski - Nearly came in this year and will be arriving as a 20 year old, 5’-10” 185, team leader in scoring by a big margin (59 to 33), team lead in goals and assists, 5th in points in USHL, only a +3. Is an older in coming player but took a big leap forward this year in goals, assists and +-. Cedar Rapids did finish with a .616 record, as a team only +13 and he is clearly the offensive leader. Even as an older player in the USHL to be that much of the offensive leader means attention from other teams. At 185 he is already close to the typical UNH playing weight for a player his size.
Foegele – True freshman hasn’t turned 18 yet (an April Fool…), 6’-1” 182, team leader and league leader in scoring a goal scorer. Young and seems a bit light for height. However the stat that jumps out is goals. He is scoring more than a goal a game and 3 times the goals as assists, is the league leader in goals almost 2 to 1 with 1 fewer game. In the playoffs is a goal a game player. Size a nose for the net is why he is rising so quickly. Question the competition.
Salvaggio – Will be 19 coming in turn 20 early in freshman year, 6-1” 194, 9th in scoring on his team, 5th in goals, bottom 3rd in +-. In points has shown scoring growth over last year but played 3 times the games, so he is actually a little down. Mostly that is on assists. His plus minus is low so you question the defensive side of his game.
I mentioned this a few days ago when I was in full fledge argument mode. I asked would you rather have ( assuming same skill level ) a bunch of 18 year old freshman , or a bunch of 21 year old freshman. This came about because Union has like twelve 24 year olds and six 23 year olds on their roster. To me this is a no brainer as you go with the more mature , physical older players. Years back in the ncaa's UNH lost to Niagara and R.I.T both with ancient players. This only works if your older dudes stick around and finish college.
When I was considering former UNH players who each recruit reminds me of, I was thinking of characteristics like right vs left shot, primary position, body size/shape, speed, offensive and/or defensive skills, and scoring output.
A few thoughts:
Shane Eiserman – He’s a bruising 6’2”, 200 lbs left winger. Radja was smaller and played both wings and center. I don’t think Eiserman will play center, at least not at first. I frankly don’t remember much about Morrow (my kids were infants/toddlers at the time).
Warren Foegele - I think coming in, Foegele is faster than Winnik was (Winnik worked hard on increasing his speed early in his pro career) and has potential to score more goals. At 6’1”, 182 lbs, Foegele may not be done growing. Leblanc was shorter and played center. Foegele may eventually play center but he’s primarily a left winger. I also think he has the potential to score more goals than Leblanc (highest were 14 goals each of last two seasons).
Aikins was a left shot (hockeydb is incorrect), and his game was like McNicholas, setting up plays more than finishing. McNicholas may be taller, has a similar slight frame, and Aikins took 2 years to get good production -- I suspect McNicholas will have similar struggles his freshman year. Also, McNicholas is not a big scorer, only 12 goals in midgets, and a high of 23 in juniors this year.Michael McNicholas – He’s a 5’10”, left shot centerman. Aikins was a right shot and a couple inches taller. There are a lot of similarities with DeSimone but I think McNicholas might end up scoring more goals. DeSimone’s highest at UNH was 10 goals in a season.
That won't be hard. This year was pretty lost, developmentally, but I think his game is starting to round into shape.Dylan Chanter – I hope he’s a more diligent student than Joe Charlebois was.
I honestly think you need a balance of:
1) 18-19 year old high flyers staying a couple years - see JVR
2) 18-19 year old "college" players - see Steve Saviano
3) 20-21 year old late bloomers that wont stay - TVR or Trevor Smith
4) 20-21 year old really late bloomers that stay - Lanny Gare
I just see the best teams having that balance. There is something about mixing the stupidity of youth with some older (potentially pessimistic) influences.
My favorite Lanny Gare quote before he got injured his senior year was "Either the courses are getting harder, or I am getting stupider; I am not sure which." Perhaps my most enjoyable hockey practice ever was that Friday afternoon before the NC game in Buffalo, where Ayers was completely confident and Gare was skating all over the rink in his practice jersey retrieving pucks. If only he had been able to play the next day; the guy was a spark plug.