Re: UNH Wildcats 2015-2016 (Part Three) - Living in Interesting Times
Wyse is the real deal and no matter what others say, he was in play with a lot of teams and he chose UNH. He was the third player picked overall in the entry draft for the USHL. That is not a player Watcher should call singles and doubles. The forwards coming in next year are of a higher caliber than those leaving and the freshmen and sophomore class this year are very good and will only get better. I am thinking the group here will be like the team post-graduation year of Nick Poole ( a top notch player but we were losing close games) and the next year started the 15+ year run that we all enjoyed so much. Keep the faith.
First of all, I have a lot of optimism for next year - I think the team gains a lot just through graduation and agree that next year's freshman class is the deepest they've had in a while. After next season, there are a lot of questions and its hard to have a lot of faith. I wish I shared your expectations, but there are a lot of things that will need to happen for me to get on the bandwagon that the success of the late '90s and '00s is just around the corner. Lets take a look at the future recruiting classes and the impact they need to have to just keep UNH afloat...
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Class of 2016
Blackburn & Fregona - very good players, who I think should be 100+ point scorers at UNH. They're part of the reason I think next year can be a very good year for UNH, but it will only be a good year if they're ready to contribute RIGHT AWAY. If not, they develop as freshman and arent ready to play an important role until after Poturalski and Kelleher are gone...
Wyse - Clearly a good player, but he's not going to be the savior of the defense. As it turns out, the 'other HE schools' he truly considered were UVM and Maine. BU is at risk to lose multiple guys, but even if they lost two defensemen early he's likely going there on little to no money for a chance to compete to be the sixth defenseman. Last season they had a 2nd round pick sitting (plus two others) in the stands and they're bringing in two of the best D recruits in the country, period. I still believe that if UNH's scoring defense is going to get better next year it falls entirely on the guys who are already here, getting better. That said, I don't want to give the impression I'm not happy he's here. He has all the potential to be UNHs #2 defenseman next season and is the most exciting recruit they've had in a while.
Kelleher - There is reason to be optimistic, but there are also lots of questions. He's still awfully slight and his junior profile matches that of Kyle Smith.
BVR - Again, reason for optimism but lost of questions. He's getting higher expectations due, not only to his last name, but because Trevor's exceeded even the wildest of expectations. He has a lot of development still in front of him.
Grasso - Just like Kelleher & BVR, there is a lot of uncertainty here. I loved the commit and heard lots of Micflikier comparisons when he verballed, but he is now in his third USHL season, and he hasn't grown a bit (5-7, 150), is still just over a half a point per game scorer and is a -73 in his USHL career.
Robinson - He is talented and big, but hasn't played much over the last couple of seasons. Additionally, much of they hype around Robinson comes from his size and potential. He is just as likely to seize the job from day one as he is to sit and develop for at least two seasons. Big goalies can take a long time.
Nonis - I think he's the kind of guy who rounds out a defensive corp.
Sacco - whenever he comes he'll be an upgrade over the player he's replacing, but he likely had a role player ceiling as a DI forward. FYI, a couple of days after his commitment Lowell picked up Grasso's teammate and the 10th highest scorer in the USHL (a player all their posters think is also walking on).
Class of 2017 - by the time this class arrives, Poturalski and Kelleher are gone. With this class unlikely to make an immediate impact, SERIOUS development from current players is needed for UNH to have any success this season. Additionally, this class still needs to add pieces - what will they look like?
Cippolone - Seems to have offensive upside, but is struggling in his adjustment to the USHL. I was once told the USHL was an 18-year olds' league - its clearly gotten older. Hopefully, he will realize his offensive potential in his second year with Tri-City. But that is still a legitimate questions.
Darcy - One of the more concerning recruits for me - he was a nice get when he committed and is still getting NHL attention to some degree. Unfortunately, he has since played an extra year at BA and is now only competing in Eastern juniors. I thought he'd be generating more attention and excitement by this point...
MacAdams - He seems like a solid two-way forward and more of a third-line player on a successful UNH team. I would love to seem him develop his offensive game in his second USHL season (along with Cippolone).
A. O'Neill - He still seems unable to contribute offensively at the junior level.
Class of 2018 - at this point you hope the 2016 & 2017 classes are meeting expectations, but Eiserman, McNicholas, 4 defenseman, 1 or 2 goalies, a couple others and potentially Vela will join Poturalski and Kelleher as alumni. So unless the 2016 & 2017 classes are beyond expectation and additional high-end recruits are added what can we expect from this year's team?
Esposito & J. O'Neill - Two of the more exciting recruits in the system, as younger players already playing consistently in high-level junior leagues but a long way from Durham. A lot of time to develop into the offensive players they're thought to be by many and a lot of time to see their development and offensive ability max out. O'Neill has better numbers in a more offensive league, while Esposito is already getting a regular shift in the USHL despite being young. Exciting, but this is like having two top prospects in single-A...
Green - Still playing in a WEAK junior league and needs a lot to happen developmentally to surpass a lot of the D we currently have.
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So, I'm with you - optimistic for next season (though next season depends on a lot of things happening, too), but skeptical about the future as it currently stands. A lot has to go right with the recruits currently in the pipeline and even then there are a lot of pieces that need to be added. A lot of the spots Souza and Stewart need to fill MUST be high-end recruits. This staff has been in place nearly a year and the pace of recruiting, as well as the solid but not spectacular pieces leave a lot more questions than reasons for faith. I hope we'll get a lot more answers ASAP and have legitimate reasons to finally get excited about the future...