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UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
- Thread starter Scott
- Start date
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
No worries, DoubleA. No points at stake tonight after all. Virtually meaningless.
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
No worries, DoubleA. No points at stake tonight after all. Virtually meaningless.
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
No worries, DoubleA. No points at stake tonight after all. Virtually meaningless.
Just wait, Maine will get you back by continuing to suck and dragging down your PWR. Besides we got 2, how about you
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
UNH has done enough already to sabotage its own PWR, thanks ... oh, and I fixed your post a bit.
'Welcome, neighbah ... Happy New Year to all the UMaine-iacs out there - I think I speak for a good number of UNH'ers when I say we want our old rivalry back, at the top end of the standings/PWR ... and that's gonna take both of our programs to do a lot of work to turn things around. I suspect we'll both be onto our next coaches in 3 years' time anyway.
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
UNH has done enough already to sabotage its own PWR, thanks ... oh, and I fixed your post a bit.
'Welcome, neighbah ... Happy New Year to all the UMaine-iacs out there - I think I speak for a good number of UNH'ers when I say we want our old rivalry back, at the top end of the standings/PWR ... and that's gonna take both of our programs to do a lot of work to turn things around. I suspect we'll both be onto our next coaches in 3 years' time anyway.
walrus
Wind up workin' in a gas station
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Well, anyway you want to look at it, one is better than none, zippo, the big goose egg etc
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
UNH has done enough already to sabotage its own PWR, thanks ... oh, and I fixed your post a bit.
'Welcome, neighbah ... Happy New Year to all the UMaine-iacs out there - I think I speak for a good number of UNH'ers when I say we want our old rivalry back, at the top end of the standings/PWR ... and that's gonna take both of our programs to do a lot of work to turn things around. I suspect we'll both be onto our next coaches in 3 years' time anyway.
Well, anyway you want to look at it, one is better than none, zippo, the big goose egg etc
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Obviously we want to see those two continue to do what they've been doing but we were thinking it was either A: Umile didn't wanna run the score (lame on our parts to actually think that, eh?) or B: he wanted to give the others a chance to get some experience etc... Funny we've been looking for the 'balanced scoring' guess you can't have it all, after all! Here's hoping our dynamic duo do it up big in Burlington!!!
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Obviously we want to see those two continue to do what they've been doing but we were thinking it was either A: Umile didn't wanna run the score (lame on our parts to actually think that, eh?) or B: he wanted to give the others a chance to get some experience etc... Funny we've been looking for the 'balanced scoring' guess you can't have it all, after all! Here's hoping our dynamic duo do it up big in Burlington!!!
Darius
Go 'cats!
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
C. Rest them and avoid injury or the correct answer D. All of the above. B makes a lot of sense as Maine came hard at the beginning of the third as they did, believe it or not, to start the game. Give them a couple of finishers and a bit of discipline and then all they need is what most teams in college hockey also need: a line can play with TK, Pots and Correale.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Listen, I love the enthusiasm over Poturalski and Kelleher running up big numbers - can't say I didn't enjoy it when Krog was enjoying his Hobey season in '98/'99 - but if it meant the team winning Hockey East and/or the NCAA's (hey - if I'm gonna dream, I might as well dream big) while their individual stats returned to Earth a little bit ... then here's to balanced scoring up and down the line-up.
The best part of Krog's Hobey season was the team's success, which (amazingly yet unfortunately) saw two heartbreaking losses in the finals of the two aforementioned tourneys, after coming from behind by 3 goals in the HE Finals, and from 2 goals behind in the NCAA Finals. I'm sure Kroggie would give back his Hobey for what would have been a first-ever HE (at the time) or NCAA title for UNH.
Krog was the consummate team player, and an excellent role model for the program both on the ice and in the classroom, finishing his business degree midway into his senior season. A four year player too, which (as you guys know) gets my fullest support and respect ... let's hope Poturalski (who amazingly enough is slightly ahead of the Krog scoring pace at similar times in their respective careers) follows that same path, and that could bode extremely well for the program not only for the rest of this year, but the next 2 years as well.
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Listen, I love the enthusiasm over Poturalski and Kelleher running up big numbers - can't say I didn't enjoy it when Krog was enjoying his Hobey season in '98/'99 - but if it meant the team winning Hockey East and/or the NCAA's (hey - if I'm gonna dream, I might as well dream big) while their individual stats returned to Earth a little bit ... then here's to balanced scoring up and down the line-up.
The best part of Krog's Hobey season was the team's success, which (amazingly yet unfortunately) saw two heartbreaking losses in the finals of the two aforementioned tourneys, after coming from behind by 3 goals in the HE Finals, and from 2 goals behind in the NCAA Finals. I'm sure Kroggie would give back his Hobey for what would have been a first-ever HE (at the time) or NCAA title for UNH.
Krog was the consummate team player, and an excellent role model for the program both on the ice and in the classroom, finishing his business degree midway into his senior season. A four year player too, which (as you guys know) gets my fullest support and respect ... let's hope Poturalski (who amazingly enough is slightly ahead of the Krog scoring pace at similar times in their respective careers) follows that same path, and that could bode extremely well for the program not only for the rest of this year, but the next 2 years as well.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Would have loved to have seen guys like Krog skate and compete! Agree it would be awesome to keep Pots all 4 but...well I'm already steeling myself for the inevitability of (fill in the blank). That being said this is why its fun to be mindful of what we have right here, right now! Psyched to see the balanced scoring and here's hoping it continues...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Listen, I love the enthusiasm over Poturalski and Kelleher running up big numbers - can't say I didn't enjoy it when Krog was enjoying his Hobey season in '98/'99 - but if it meant the team winning Hockey East and/or the NCAA's (hey - if I'm gonna dream, I might as well dream big) while their individual stats returned to Earth a little bit ... then here's to balanced scoring up and down the line-up.
The best part of Krog's Hobey season was the team's success, which (amazingly yet unfortunately) saw two heartbreaking losses in the finals of the two aforementioned tourneys, after coming from behind by 3 goals in the HE Finals, and from 2 goals behind in the NCAA Finals. I'm sure Kroggie would give back his Hobey for what would have been a first-ever HE (at the time) or NCAA title for UNH.
Krog was the consummate team player, and an excellent role model for the program both on the ice and in the classroom, finishing his business degree midway into his senior season. A four year player too, which (as you guys know) gets my fullest support and respect ... let's hope Poturalski (who amazingly enough is slightly ahead of the Krog scoring pace at similar times in their respective careers) follows that same path, and that could bode extremely well for the program not only for the rest of this year, but the next 2 years as well.
Would have loved to have seen guys like Krog skate and compete! Agree it would be awesome to keep Pots all 4 but...well I'm already steeling myself for the inevitability of (fill in the blank). That being said this is why its fun to be mindful of what we have right here, right now! Psyched to see the balanced scoring and here's hoping it continues...
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Nothing's inevitable. Krog played all 4 years - as did Mowers before him - and they both carved out decent, respectable NHL careers. Bekar left a year early (would have been a senior with Krog in '98/'99) and he never really made it, despite being in what was then a mediocre LA Kings organization. Bogueniecki also stayed all 4 years, and had a couple of decent NHL seasons too. Haydar was another 4 year guy, and although he was like Bekar (couple of cups of NHL coffee), he went on to be an all-time AHL *legend* (for what it's worth).
These are all choices, and nothing is guaranteed. I wonder if Bekar would do differently, knowing then what he knows now ...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Nothing's inevitable. Krog played all 4 years - as did Mowers before him - and they both carved out decent, respectable NHL careers. Bekar left a year early (would have been a senior with Krog in '98/'99) and he never really made it, despite being in what was then a mediocre LA Kings organization. Bogueniecki also stayed all 4 years, and had a couple of decent NHL seasons too. Haydar was another 4 year guy, and although he was like Bekar (couple of cups of NHL coffee), he went on to be an all-time AHL *legend* (for what it's worth).
These are all choices, and nothing is guaranteed. I wonder if Bekar would do differently, knowing then what he knows now ...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
The problem is, I'm not ready to buy regional tickets after a 5-0-1 surge against three of the worst teams in all of college hockey. We'll see what UNH -and the balanced offense - can do when they start playing competent NCAA programs beginning with UMV (let alone legitimate NCAA programs like UML, PC, BU, and ND).
Maybe they've turned the corner - we'll see - but they still have a lot to prove to me. Perhaps all streets will meet at the Fleet for the third straight year, but they're still a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament. I think their best bet to make the tournament - and for maximizing my enjoyment - is for #18 & #16 to lead the country in scoring and earn All-Hockey East and All-American honors. If they can add the cherry of balance on top, all the better...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
The problem is, I'm not ready to buy regional tickets after a 5-0-1 surge against three of the worst teams in all of college hockey. We'll see what UNH -and the balanced offense - can do when they start playing competent NCAA programs beginning with UMV (let alone legitimate NCAA programs like UML, PC, BU, and ND).
Maybe they've turned the corner - we'll see - but they still have a lot to prove to me. Perhaps all streets will meet at the Fleet for the third straight year, but they're still a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament. I think their best bet to make the tournament - and for maximizing my enjoyment - is for #18 & #16 to lead the country in scoring and earn All-Hockey East and All-American honors. If they can add the cherry of balance on top, all the better...
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Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
I would be shocked if Poturalski stays four years - eventually, he will earn an offer he cannot refuse. The biggest hope for him staying for a third season is his awareness and desire to work on his defense. It is certainly one area of his game that needs to improve and he has acknowledged that on multiple occasions. He also stayed an extra season in the USHL, which has paid off in spades. So hopefully, he sees the benefit of taking things slowly. I can only imagine what he and Kelleher could accomplish next season, when they would have a truly legitimate supporting cast on offense, another year of experience on the back end and three healthy DI goalies to guard against slumps...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
I would be shocked if Poturalski stays four years - eventually, he will earn an offer he cannot refuse. The biggest hope for him staying for a third season is his awareness and desire to work on his defense. It is certainly one area of his game that needs to improve and he has acknowledged that on multiple occasions. He also stayed an extra season in the USHL, which has paid off in spades. So hopefully, he sees the benefit of taking things slowly. I can only imagine what he and Kelleher could accomplish next season, when they would have a truly legitimate supporting cast on offense, another year of experience on the back end and three healthy DI goalies to guard against slumps...
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Ma#1ne Hky
New member
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Is Souza a Coach in waiting for UNH..? Maine..???..could very well be when Gendron's Contract expires...Maybe???...UM has been known to extend Coaches even when they shouldn't. But MISS the days of UNH/Maine showdowns for Hockey East standings and towards the NCAA's....here's hoping it comes back...sooner then later.UNH has done enough already to sabotage its own PWR, thanks ... oh, and I fixed your post a bit.
'Welcome, neighbah ... Happy New Year to all the UMaine-iacs out there - I think I speak for a good number of UNH'ers when I say we want our old rivalry back, at the top end of the standings/PWR ... and that's gonna take both of our programs to do a lot of work to turn things around. I suspect we'll both be onto our next coaches in 3 years' time anyway.
HockeyRef
Well-known member
We fully expect Souza to be named Head Coach of Men's Hockey in New Hampshire...starting in 2018. At least..that's the plan!
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
I'm still on record saying Coach Umile somehow finds his way to another extension (however brief it may be).
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
I'm still on record saying Coach Umile somehow finds his way to another extension (however brief it may be).
HockeyRef
Well-known member
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Funny you say that Chuck coz in my 'perfect world plan' I retire from teaching in 3 years...but looks more like...five.
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
I'm still on record saying Coach Umile somehow finds his way to another extension (however brief it may be).
Funny you say that Chuck coz in my 'perfect world plan' I retire from teaching in 3 years...but looks more like...five.
I agree, Dan. And, I really hope that AP stays for his junior year, as I think that would provide the best opportunity for the Cats to make the NCAAs for the first time in four years, and perhaps make some noise there. Not only would AP have the added opportunity to improve his defensive skills, but he could put up some awesome offensive numbers alongside TK.
To Chuck's earlier post, JvR, Trevor Smith, Dan Winnik, and a couple of other UNH players who left early have had some longevity in the NHL, and I think that if TvR can stay healthy, he can do the same. My view is that these guys have a hard time refusing the $$ if it is there.
Chuck Murray
WIS & Effingwoods Hockey Almanac
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
My point was (and still is) ... signing early is no guarantee of getting to the NHL - much less longevity. Trevor Smith barely played 100 NHL games in his career, and at age 30 he is now over in Europe - likely for good. And to me, discussion about Winnik's career reminds me of the way the UMaine-iacs used to look at Bobby Corkum ... and looking at both of their careers in the cold light of day, both piled up a lot of service time primarily because they became 3rd/4th line fixtures (i.e. cheap salaries, nowadays against a cap), mostly on a series of bad teams. Krog and Mowers both probably had half the NHL service of Winnik, but if you're going to tell me Winnik was the best of those three players, I'm going to disagree. Not to mention, Poturalski's profile as a high skill player with less on the physical side would be FAR more reminiscent of the Mowers/Krog (and Haydar) profiles, as opposed to Winnik, who has had staying power as an NHL grunt.
JvR is different because he had the size and skills (not sure you can say he's lived up to #2 overall in the draft to date, in fairness), and TvR has the size and raw skills that can be developed at the NHL level (plus a pedigree that got him an extra look as his college career played out, no doubt). Someday BvR will probably benefit from that in terms of additional looks and possible opportunities as well.
But going back to Poturalski ... he holds most of the cards, with no assigned draft rights, so while that leaves his options very much open, he also has the luxury of looking back to see how players similar to him at UNH have fared afterwards. Leaving early (and we can throw guys like Jeff Levy, Jamie Filipowicz, Brian Muir, Eric Nickulas, most recently Blake Kessel and a few others into that mix, on top of the lead example of Derek Bekar) is no assurance of it being your best long-term career move ... or that you can't still have an NHL career if you play all four D-1 seasons. JMHO.
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
My point was (and still is) ... signing early is no guarantee of getting to the NHL - much less longevity. Trevor Smith barely played 100 NHL games in his career, and at age 30 he is now over in Europe - likely for good. And to me, discussion about Winnik's career reminds me of the way the UMaine-iacs used to look at Bobby Corkum ... and looking at both of their careers in the cold light of day, both piled up a lot of service time primarily because they became 3rd/4th line fixtures (i.e. cheap salaries, nowadays against a cap), mostly on a series of bad teams. Krog and Mowers both probably had half the NHL service of Winnik, but if you're going to tell me Winnik was the best of those three players, I'm going to disagree. Not to mention, Poturalski's profile as a high skill player with less on the physical side would be FAR more reminiscent of the Mowers/Krog (and Haydar) profiles, as opposed to Winnik, who has had staying power as an NHL grunt.
JvR is different because he had the size and skills (not sure you can say he's lived up to #2 overall in the draft to date, in fairness), and TvR has the size and raw skills that can be developed at the NHL level (plus a pedigree that got him an extra look as his college career played out, no doubt). Someday BvR will probably benefit from that in terms of additional looks and possible opportunities as well.
But going back to Poturalski ... he holds most of the cards, with no assigned draft rights, so while that leaves his options very much open, he also has the luxury of looking back to see how players similar to him at UNH have fared afterwards. Leaving early (and we can throw guys like Jeff Levy, Jamie Filipowicz, Brian Muir, Eric Nickulas, most recently Blake Kessel
and a few others into that mix, on top of the lead example of Derek Bekar) is no assurance of it being your best long-term career move ... or that you can't still have an NHL career if you play all four D-1 seasons. JMHO.Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
Sorry Chuck, but this reads with the bias of a UNH fan who is primarily concerned with what these players do while at UNH. There is nothing wrong with that, this is a UNH thread on a college hockey message board and, hey - that's always been my primary concern too. But, I'd have to disagree with a lot of your assessments.
First of all, whether we agree with it or not, the NHL has always been a top-six/bottom-six league - this is why players like Mowers, Krog and Haydar stayed four years at UNH. They were never viewed by NHL brass as top-six guys and they weren't built to play bottom six roles. they weren't given a fair chance in or after after college.
Winnik has had a great career - he's played over 600 games. You can't really be using him as an example not to go or as an example of someone who hurt his career leaving early? Muir played 300 games and won a cup! Smith, Bekar and others you mentioned had/have long pro careers and had their shots at the NHL. I don't think it's fair to say their careers are failures because they didn't end up as long time regulars in the NHL. I also don't think their failure to stick has anything to do with leaving early - they took their shot and had opportunities but just didn't make it. They wanted to be NHL players and had maxed out their development at the NCAA level. Same with Kessel. He could have dkminated college hockey as a senior, we all would have loved it - he'd still likely be an AHL guy at best., but his best shot at being more was to move up a level ..
Poturalski will have to make the leagues as a top six guy or get much better defensively (maybe both) but I'm not sure that leaving after this year or next or his senior year really changes much. The biggest variable would be leaving after this year as opposed to next year - I think he would gain from spending another year and taking advantage of all the practice and gym time. He needs to fill out, get stronger and play better in his own end. Most of that analysis comes from my selfish hope that he'll be around for Kelleher's senior year, while the younger forwards still need development. He could also add strength and improve defensively at the next level - which might be even more appealing still, when accompanied by a half-million dollar offer...
I could see him staying (and hope he does!) one more year, but there is NO WAY he stays two more years (barring injury). What could he possibly gain playing two more years at UNH? He'll just be delaying and shortening his professional career and stunting his development. He's absolutely dominating offensively this year - in a way I don't think we've seen since, and maybe even more so, than Haydar - what would be the point of skating the same circles around kids two years from now?
His extra year in the USHL he jumped from 12 goals and 33 points to 27 and 64, proving he still had a lot of development. He doesn't have that much development left at UNH - maybe one season for his defensive game and that's it. I wouldn't be at all shocked if he left this year. If he sees a good opportunity in front of him, how could you not advise him to go for it. As you said, he's a free agent so he'll have teams fighting over his services very soon - he's going to get a good opportunity. In my opinion, its less about when he leaves and more about what he does with his opportunity when he gets it...
Re: UNH vs Maine , 12/4 & 12/5 - "The Wheels On The House Go 'Round And 'Round...."
My point was (and still is) ... signing early is no guarantee of getting to the NHL - much less longevity. Trevor Smith barely played 100 NHL games in his career, and at age 30 he is now over in Europe - likely for good. And to me, discussion about Winnik's career reminds me of the way the UMaine-iacs used to look at Bobby Corkum ... and looking at both of their careers in the cold light of day, both piled up a lot of service time primarily because they became 3rd/4th line fixtures (i.e. cheap salaries, nowadays against a cap), mostly on a series of bad teams. Krog and Mowers both probably had half the NHL service of Winnik, but if you're going to tell me Winnik was the best of those three players, I'm going to disagree. Not to mention, Poturalski's profile as a high skill player with less on the physical side would be FAR more reminiscent of the Mowers/Krog (and Haydar) profiles, as opposed to Winnik, who has had staying power as an NHL grunt.
JvR is different because he had the size and skills (not sure you can say he's lived up to #2 overall in the draft to date, in fairness), and TvR has the size and raw skills that can be developed at the NHL level (plus a pedigree that got him an extra look as his college career played out, no doubt). Someday BvR will probably benefit from that in terms of additional looks and possible opportunities as well.
But going back to Poturalski ... he holds most of the cards, with no assigned draft rights, so while that leaves his options very much open, he also has the luxury of looking back to see how players similar to him at UNH have fared afterwards. Leaving early (and we can throw guys like Jeff Levy, Jamie Filipowicz, Brian Muir, Eric Nickulas, most recently Blake Kessel
Sorry Chuck, but this reads with the bias of a UNH fan who is primarily concerned with what these players do while at UNH. There is nothing wrong with that, this is a UNH thread on a college hockey message board and, hey - that's always been my primary concern too. But, I'd have to disagree with a lot of your assessments.
First of all, whether we agree with it or not, the NHL has always been a top-six/bottom-six league - this is why players like Mowers, Krog and Haydar stayed four years at UNH. They were never viewed by NHL brass as top-six guys and they weren't built to play bottom six roles. they weren't given a fair chance in or after after college.
Winnik has had a great career - he's played over 600 games. You can't really be using him as an example not to go or as an example of someone who hurt his career leaving early? Muir played 300 games and won a cup! Smith, Bekar and others you mentioned had/have long pro careers and had their shots at the NHL. I don't think it's fair to say their careers are failures because they didn't end up as long time regulars in the NHL. I also don't think their failure to stick has anything to do with leaving early - they took their shot and had opportunities but just didn't make it. They wanted to be NHL players and had maxed out their development at the NCAA level. Same with Kessel. He could have dkminated college hockey as a senior, we all would have loved it - he'd still likely be an AHL guy at best., but his best shot at being more was to move up a level ..
Poturalski will have to make the leagues as a top six guy or get much better defensively (maybe both) but I'm not sure that leaving after this year or next or his senior year really changes much. The biggest variable would be leaving after this year as opposed to next year - I think he would gain from spending another year and taking advantage of all the practice and gym time. He needs to fill out, get stronger and play better in his own end. Most of that analysis comes from my selfish hope that he'll be around for Kelleher's senior year, while the younger forwards still need development. He could also add strength and improve defensively at the next level - which might be even more appealing still, when accompanied by a half-million dollar offer...
I could see him staying (and hope he does!) one more year, but there is NO WAY he stays two more years (barring injury). What could he possibly gain playing two more years at UNH? He'll just be delaying and shortening his professional career and stunting his development. He's absolutely dominating offensively this year - in a way I don't think we've seen since, and maybe even more so, than Haydar - what would be the point of skating the same circles around kids two years from now?
His extra year in the USHL he jumped from 12 goals and 33 points to 27 and 64, proving he still had a lot of development. He doesn't have that much development left at UNH - maybe one season for his defensive game and that's it. I wouldn't be at all shocked if he left this year. If he sees a good opportunity in front of him, how could you not advise him to go for it. As you said, he's a free agent so he'll have teams fighting over his services very soon - he's going to get a good opportunity. In my opinion, its less about when he leaves and more about what he does with his opportunity when he gets it...
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