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All very depressing. I think that Warren Foegele (34 g, 5 G+11 A = 16 pts) and Shane Eiserman (35 g, 4 G + 11 A = 15 pts) did well last season, scoring more points as freshmen than the three seniors on this year's first line have scored collectively in three seasons, and deserved to be the guts of the second line and second PP unit this season. Umile gave them ice time as freshman; I simply do not understand the flip flop this season.
Beginning of last season, focused on and excited about watching Eiserman and Foegele and whoa... Wait, what? Potur-who?
sonar has answered the OHL thing, so I'll move on to discuss the rest of the post above.
You see, I don't want UNH to simply be a "stopping over point". Realistically, I understand that's how it works with a certain level of player, and in most cases, a four year commitment does not mark the end of the road for most D-1 players. There are a huge number of minor league and lesser foreign league opportunities out there for the players who don't have (realistic) NHL prospects. And for the players who don't have those realistic NHL "dreams", then the D-1 college experience is likely going to be the apex of their competitive careers. Yes, players will get paid at their next stops. But player turnover in the minors is heavy, and players rarely stick around in a town or a program for more than a year or two at a stretch. D-1 (and in our case, UNH) offers players an opportunity to "stick" and to call a place or a school "home" for an extended period of time. It should not be confused with the mercenary nature of minor leagues, where you can get promoted, demoted, traded, sold, cut and/or waived, etc.
Foegele is a draft pick, sure, but he's a low level choice, and if he just views himself as 'Canes' chattel, then good for him. He's the one who chose to come to UNH, and he knows there was/is a four year opportunity there. If he (or anyone else) views D-1 as nothing more than the next step to "the show", then he probably was ill-advised to come here in the first place, and should have been a Major Junior player LAST season. But the idea that it took the first month of the UNH season for "light to dawn on Marblehead" gives it away that this is a reaction to not having been given a more prominent role in the UNH set-up so far this season. God forbid if he knuckled down and worked harder to earn that more prominent role. Poturalski doesn't seem to have been held back, and he's a sophomore too ... so you can only take the "Coach plays favorites" thing so far. The only other realistic explanation is that WF couldn't (or just didn't want to) handle the bothersome school-related part of his scholarship.
I'm not saying this viewpoint is right, wrong or indifferent. Over the years, more and more players have come through D-1 (and UNH) to play in the NHL, so things have changed, and D-1 is viewed as a more viable developmental option by the NHL than it used to be. But let's not confuse things ... from the standpoint of UNH and its fans, this is still a college hockey program, and not someone else's minor league affiliate. And if you come here, put in the effort, and earn your keep, then most folks on here will wish you well in your post-grad (or at least post-eligibility) pro career. If you act and treat the program like it's nothing more than a stepping stone to your (probable) sub-NHL career, and leave the first time things aren't going your way ... don't let the door hit you in the rear on the way out.
I've now convinced myself the blame pie rests at 90% on the quitter, and 10% on the stubborn guy in the turtleneck.
Brown, too. http://www.uscho.com/2015/10/31/bro...y-leaves-school-before-2015-16-season-starts/
