UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

[Snively65]

Looking for an excuse to bump this back to the front page, so I thought I would let all you old timers know that Decade is running a "The Rookies" marathon this coming weekend

Thanks for the heads up, Felger. I missed all four years of that series, as I was in grad school at Maine and CU then, without TV or Div 1 hockey. Saw Slap Shot when it came out the year after The Rookies ended, and now have it on a DVD, of course. But, still no cable, so will need to find someone who does this weekend so that I can check out an episode or two.

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Good couple of weeks for the staff. Last week they pulled in dough through their private hockey school. Then yesterday they got to show off their golf games, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cozhu_ZWYAAyRLr.jpg and hobnob with fellow alums who remember the good old days. Give them a couple more weeks to regroup, and then they can hit the recruiting trail when they are good and ready. Meanwhile, U.Mass pulled in a member of the USA U17 team today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shattuck-St. Mary's '00 F Jeremy Davidson committed to UMass. Member of US U17 Select team this summer.</p>— Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisDilks/status/760495700962521088">August 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Good couple of weeks for the staff. Last week they pulled in dough through their private hockey school. Then yesterday they got to show off their golf games, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cozhu_ZWYAAyRLr.jpg and hobnob with fellow alums who remember the good old days. Give them a couple more weeks to regroup, and then they can hit the recruiting trail when they are good and ready. Meanwhile, U.Mass pulled in a member of the USA U17 team today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shattuck-St. Mary's '00 F Jeremy Davidson committed to UMass. Member of US U17 Select team this summer.</p>— Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisDilks/status/760495700962521088">August 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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I take a month off, and I see it's the same old same old. Groundhog Day comes to Durham.

 

[HockeyRef]

Yikes, I had no idea that we had won so many games against the Saints; I guess that I must be a jinx at those games.

Bathgate, Giacomin, Gilbert, Graves, Howell, Leetch, Messier, and Richter; let's meet under Rod Gilbert's photo between periods at MSG?

HR, had you been to Walter Brown Arena before CACC game? MSG? If no, you can add two more arenas to your list on the Arenas thread.

Meant to reply to this no I had not been to Walter Brown Arena before the games. Now that I've done two of those prob take next year off. Into Aug now so beginning to see the "Back to School" stuff sigh...and wondering where the season tix info is. Hope all are well!

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I take a month off, and I see it's the same old same old. Groundhog Day comes to Durham.

From the Lowell thread:

Getting a kid out of Shattuck isn't normally easy unless you're a "name" school. This guy is recruiting really well. If he coaches anything like that, this is the first time I'm going to start really worrying about UMass.

U.Mass went the route of hiring a guy who actually has done it before and has a plan.....

 

[Dan]

From the Lowell thread:

U.Mass went the route of hiring a guy who actually has done it before and has a plan.....

Don't we have sweet new Minn. connections on this staff?!! They continue to amaze me with all they've accomplished so far...

They may put those Minny (and Bragnalo/Shattuck) connections to the test soon, if they can find the time, as Scott Morrow's son is headed to Shattuck. Not 100% up to speed on his game but he was playing for a good Mid-Fairfield team...

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Between Morrow, Bragnalo, Cushing's Rob Gagnon (helping with Pat Keenan), and Lawrence's Robbie Barker (helping with Jack Cameron), there are enough of Souza's teammates who should help. Help, though, doesn't close the sale. Let's see how that pays off. So far, the plan has yet to reveal itself to us mere outsiders. Boy they screwed Souza by putting him in this position carrying an unlikeable and lazy lame duck, and given Souza's limited experience, he's got a steep learning curve.

 

[HockeyRef]

From the Lowell thread:



U.Mass went the route of hiring a guy who actually has done it before and has a plan.....

And the AD expressed his intentions of putting UMass hockey on the map during the recent search for a coach...and it appears that's gonna happen in the very near future.

 

[mookie1995]

And the AD expressed his intentions of putting UMass hockey on the map during the recent search for a coach...and it appears that's gonna happen in the very near future.

"Flagship" school

 

[HockeyRef]

"Flagship" school

Haha good one!!

 

[NCAA watcher]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Good couple of weeks for the staff. Last week they pulled in dough through their private hockey school. Then yesterday they got to show off their golf games, https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cozhu_ZWYAAyRLr.jpg and hobnob with fellow alums who remember the good old days. Give them a couple more weeks to regroup, and then they can hit the recruiting trail when they are good and ready. Meanwhile, U.Mass pulled in a member of the USA U17 team today.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shattuck-St. Mary's '00 F Jeremy Davidson committed to UMass. Member of US U17 Select team this summer.</p>— Chris Dilks (@ChrisDilks) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisDilks/status/760495700962521088">August 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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couple more HE commitments today

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Excited to announce my commitment to Providence College. Thanks to all of my friends, family, and coaches for the support. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoFriars?src=hash">#GoFriars</a></p>— Jerry Harding (@jharding99) <a href="https://twitter.com/jharding99/status/760919056547446784">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2017 NHL Draft prospect had multiple Hockey East offers including UNH and UMass in addition. <a href="https://t.co/lnxGzYUCKx">https://t.co/lnxGzYUCKx</a></p>— SBN College Hockey (@SBNCollegePuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBNCollegePuck/status/760925131002839040">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Honoured to announce my commitment to Boston University! Thanks to family, coaches, and SAC for helping me get to where I am today!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/terrier?src=hash">#terrier</a></p>— Ryan O'Connell (@RyannOconnell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyannOconnell/status/760874534857736192">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
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O'Connell is classmate of Cameron Hillis. If Hillis goes NCAA route, you wonder which team he will choose.

 

[E.J. Smith]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I know I’ve mentioned this before but I think it bears repeating, recruiting falling off a cliff has only served to distract us from this coaching staff’s myriad of other shortcomings that we used to discuss regularly (oh the good old days…):

Choking in big games
Never adjusting to an opponent
Playing upperclassmen to the detriment of more talented underclassmen
Inability to develop/coach up
Stifling of any kind of creativity
Rolling 4 lines regardless of game situation

There’s more, and it used to just roll effortlessly off the fingertips onto the page but as I said, the horrid state of recruiting has supplanted everything. And as also mentioned, I guess one way of hiding how bad of a coach you are is to do an even worse job as a recruiter. UNH Hockey, at least we don’t lose big games anymore.

 

[Snively65]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I know I’ve mentioned this before but I think it bears repeating, recruiting falling off a cliff has only served to distract us from this coaching staff’s myriad of other shortcomings that we used to discuss regularly (oh the good old days…):

Choking in big games
Never adjusting to an opponent
Playing upperclassmen to the detriment of more talented underclassmen
Inability to develop/coach up
Stifling of any kind of creativity
Rolling 4 lines regardless of game situation

There’s more, and it used to just roll effortlessly off the fingertips onto the page but as I said, the horrid state of recruiting has supplanted everything. And as also mentioned, I guess one way of hiding how bad of a coach you are is to do an even worse job as a recruiter. UNH Hockey, at least we don’t lose big games anymore.

Oh, I think many of these topics will pick up again here once the season gets started, maybe even during and immediately following the first game.

I think that your third item may solve itself this year, by default.

 

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I know I’ve mentioned this before but I think it bears repeating, recruiting falling off a cliff has only served to distract us from this coaching staff’s myriad of other shortcomings that we used to discuss regularly (oh the good old days…):

Choking in big games
Never adjusting to an opponent
Playing upperclassmen to the detriment of more talented underclassmen
Inability to develop/coach up
Stifling of any kind of creativity
Rolling 4 lines regardless of game situation

There’s more, and it used to just roll effortlessly off the fingertips onto the page but as I said, the horrid state of recruiting has supplanted everything. And as also mentioned, I guess one way of hiding how bad of a coach you are is to do an even worse job as a recruiter. UNH Hockey, at least we don’t lose big games anymore.

So true. Hard not to conclude at this point the top guy is in it only for the paycheck ...

 

[RENCEB]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

I know I’ve mentioned this before but I think it bears repeating, recruiting falling off a cliff has only served to distract us from this coaching staff’s myriad of other shortcomings that we used to discuss regularly (oh the good old days…):

Choking in big games
Never adjusting to an opponent
Playing upperclassmen to the detriment of more talented underclassmen
Inability to develop/coach up
Stifling of any kind of creativity
Rolling 4 lines regardless of game situation

There’s more, and it used to just roll effortlessly off the fingertips onto the page but as I said, the horrid state of recruiting has supplanted everything. And as also mentioned, I guess one way of hiding how bad of a coach you are is to do an even worse job as a recruiter. UNH Hockey, at least we don’t lose big games anymore.

Wow, and I thought Red Sox fans were the "Fellowship of the Miserable"!!

 

[NCAA watcher]

Wow, and I thought Red Sox fans were the "Fellowship of the Miserable"!!

Even the Sox gave up provincialism by getting rid of inbred ownership of the Yawkeys and their crony personnel guy Haywood Sullivan. That brought in an outside owner and outside gm (Epstein) to make rational and novel ways to improve the product. They also eventually got rid of a successful but incompetent old school manager who hated the new way of doing things other than using your gut.

Just think, apparently the last team to never have a Euro is thinking about bringing in their own Pumsie Green. I figure this makes UNH the early 60s Sox, just four decades away from relevance.

 

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Wow, and I thought Red Sox fans were the "Fellowship of the Miserable"!!

Oh you know what they say...misery loves company! As a fan with only a few years of 'experience' with Wildcat hockey as compared with the vast majority who post here, I have often referred to our fan base like the Red Sox...waiting, hoping (praying?!?) for that NC! If, when...we do win it (in our lifetime ) these fans will be the first I will congratulate!

 

[C-H-C]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

"Anthony Wyse: UNH Freshman Defenseman with High Hockey IQ"

 

[Felger]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

Just think, apparently the last team to never have a Euro is thinking about bringing in their own Pumsie Green. I figure this makes UNH the early 60s Sox, just four decades away from relevance.

Get those Euros off the ice!!!

 

[sonar]

Re: UNH Wildcats 2016 Offseason Thread - Searching for Direction

So true. Hard not to conclude at this point the top guy is in it only for the paycheck ...

Otherwise known as the "Albatross Effect" ..........