Im disappointed for Kelleher - but as I outlined in a post earlier, Im not surprised in the least. The inclusion of Butcher (best player on the best team) at Kelleher's expense, proves the point I made in my TK/Zar post on the NU thread. Playing for a winning team matters. If Kelleher plays at DU he runs away with the team's scoring title and is the Pioneers' Hobey candidate. If he plays at NU or Union, he is the scoring leader and the number one Hobey candidate on either team. Unfortunately, he plays at UNH - a program mired in the muck and ends up bearing the responsibility for all of the failures of the team, and in particular, the team defense...
He's also constantly hurt by his size. In the minds of the voters, who pick up the early media narrative and run with it (lest they seem uninformed), he can't possibly impact both ends of the ice at 5-6, 150. And when his team's defensive performance is abysmal he bears the brunt. As Watcher often argues about building a defense - the best defense is quickly moving the puck out of your own end and possessing it. Kelleher does that extremely well. Additionally, he plays well on the PK and is not the liability he is labeled to be.
There is no better indication of the doubt Kelleher's size has always hung on him than his career comparisons to Anthony Louis. A similar forward, not quite as diminutive, who has been compared to TK since their days at the US NTDP. Louis was the more highly regarded recruit. Louis was drafted. Louis made the WJC team. Louis is the 'coveted' pro prospect. All of this ignores the fact that TK has completely out-produced Louis at every step of their careers. Yet, TK is always ignored and undervalued because of who he's not supposed to be and what he's not supposed to be able to do. Reality be ****ed...
Butcher plays on a loaded DU team - that again, IMO is playing next weekend without him. Vecchione played with Foo. ZAR played with FOUR other All-American caliber forwards at NU. Kelleher played this season at UNH alone. The stunning increase in production of his linemates (as well as the immediate PP impact of Grasso) is due largely to his talent, on-ice vision and ability. He has not been given nearly the credit he deserves for their performances. I would guess that none of the three match their 2016-17 performances next season and it becomes all too clear the impact TK had on the three...
If TK had a DU type team around him or an elite running mate he puts up 75+ points and is in the Hat Trick easily. As long as it wasn't Poturalski, that is. Because, as Snively65 pointed out - Poturalski outscores him (because while Kelleher is great, Poturalski is simply better. Fact.) and is the UNH Hobey candidate.
Kelleher is also hurt by UNH's history of talented forwards. Skilled forwards come to UNH and put up big numbers. Thats what they do. Death, Taxes and high-scoring UNH forwards. So voters discount his performance as that of just another UNH forward on a wide-open offense and the big ice. Whether its true or not.
Finally, UNH's marketing and communications staff strike again. What did they do to help promote Kelleher for Hobey? Very little. I see a youtube.com video with 760 views and almost nothing else. Yesterday, UNH's graphic designer tweeted a picture of a graphic he was going to use IF TK was named to the Hat Trick. What have I said about these departments doing the bare minimum? They sat on their hands and did the minimum. Articles and graphics to re-hash his accomplishments and NOTHING pro-active. Butcher made his push over the last month of the year, with a ton of media coverage due to DU's marketing efforts. TK was in the race all season and UNH did virtually nothing to help him. Let alone how that type of media coverage and information production/leaking might help future recruiting. It was a pathetic effort and a disservice to Kelleher and the program...
