Re: UNH Wildcats 2019 Offseason - How Much Progress Did We Really Make This Past Seas
Chuck
TVR was not a spare part but integral to success for Carolina. You may have watched the games, but we probably saw it through different lenses before he got hurt. He was terrific in moving and clearing the puck for the first series and until hurt in second series.
You are correct that Foegele was going to be a great player and UNH probably had little to do with his pro career. It took him a little longer than expected but he is now a legit future star in the NHL. I believe he is 23 and Pesce is the real deal and is among the best ever coming from UNH. He is among the best defensemen in the NHL.
Poturalski will eventually make it to the NHL as a top 6 forward. I am surprised that they did not call him up just to be on the power play, as he is a great skater and has a great shot. He played on the 4th line full strength last year and on first power play. He played in the top 6 this year and I do not believe they are giving up on him. While watching him play in CT vs Rangers AHL team, he was the best skater on the ice especially on power plays. As you say, he may be on another team next season but I honestly think he will be in the NHL soon. Poturalski had leg problems in his late teens early 20's and that is why he came to UNH older than expected. He had 60+ pts in USHL on a decent team.
Thanks for the hockey chat Chuck
It wasn't meant as a swipe at TVR, '32. But he's not on one of the two top pairings, nor was he in Chicago. He's enjoyed a more prominent role in Carolina, but he's still a 3rd pairing guy. Pesce is getting top (and tough) minutes against the best players on the opposing teams. Yes, he is the real deal. Arguably already the second best NHL defenseman ever from UNH, behind a guy who won two Norris Trophies (Langway).
There are no two ways about it, Pesce is the goods. Maybe the first clue should have been how well he handled taking on the top pairing time at UNH when the other guys left/graduated.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again … Poturalski CAN be an NHL player, but unless/until he develops a two way game, he's stuck between being not good enough to play a top six role on a good team, and not defensively responsible enough to make himself a role on the other two lines - again, with a good NHL team. Frankly, the kind of team AP could probably walk into at this very moment is my Red Wings. Or at least until they hired Yzerman, perhaps? He can be serviceable at the NHL level but once his team gets good, he's out the door. Mark Mowers comes to mind as a guy with a similar skill set coming out of UNH. Great D-1 offensive skills, but small and limited defensively.
You can't compare AP to a guy like Daniel Winnik, who could play the body and developed a strong checking game to fill out a bottom six roster slot for a lot of (mostly mediocre) teams over a lot of years.
That is not meant to bash AP, or even TvR. It's just an objective take on both of them, and I know it bothers a lot of you when I share similar thoughts on JvR. Foegele could develop to that level someday, and most of us would think that's a great outcome for him … and it probably would be. The only difference between the two is that one was drafted #2 overall, and the other was drafted in the 3rd round. On that front, it's all about expectations ...
