We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

[davyd83]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I am not one of those people that believes that no one would be interested in coaching at MTU. There are only 58 college hockey head coaches, there are only so many openings every year (two or three on a good year, and some years have none). If there is a job opening at the Division 1 Level there are going to be interested coaches.

There will certainly be interested coaches. But if a Penn State or Michigan State or Minnesota wants that same guy to be their head coach, the chances are slim. The same holds true in the recruiting wars for players. You may pull an upset here or there, but you're not going to win most of those battles. That's just the reality of the college hockey landscape today.

 

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Did anyone else catch this gem: MTU and Cal Tech both broke their losing streaks in the same week. Michigan Tech's winless streak lasted 26 games, Cal Tech's (conference) winless streak lasted 26 YEARS!
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/41730583/ns/sports-college_basketball/

Ryan J

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I hope Penn St. is looking for its coach out east, so we don't have to compete directly with them for a coach, because if we do, we'll get the second choice.

If Suzanne chooses to head down the path of a new coach, don't forget we will also be competing with MSU this offseason, even though some think that Danton Cole has that job in his back pocket. It's likely that there could be one or two other programs out there looking to make a change too.

 

[Houghton77]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Here is my list of candidates from the previous thread.
College Asisstants:
Cary Eades - UND Top Assistant
Steve Rohlik - OSU Top Assitant
Steve Miller - DU Top Assitant
Mike Guentzel - UNO Assitant
Ron Rolston - USNDPT
Mel Pearson - Michigan Top Assitant

USHL Head Coaches:
Eric Rud - Green Bay
Mark Carlson - Cedar Rapids
Mike Montgomery - Dubuque

Very solid list of canidates but MTU has had no luck with hiring assistant coaches ( ie: Jamie Russell ). You just don't know if they have any recruiting power.

So again I am going to list some head coaches from smaller schools that have had at least moderate success at the Division 1 level:

Nate Leaman - Union
Jeff Blashill - Western Michigan
Seth Appert - RPI
Wayne Wilson - RIT
Dallas Ferguson - Alaska, Fairbanks ( if he can recruit players to the North Pole he should be able to recruit into Houghton, MI )

Would any of the guys come to Michigan Tech I don't know - But I would exhaust this list before I would hire another assistant coach.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

You do understand that most, if not all of those guys are under long-term contract, right? So to even get their foot in the door, Tech would have to offer to pay them off, plus whatever penalties may apply for breaking their existing contract with their current employer. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here.

This is why you don't see too many NCAA head coaches get hired away until their existing contracts are up for renewal.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

You do understand that most, if not all of those guys are under long-term contract, right? So to even get their foot in the door, Tech would have to offer to pay them off, plus whatever penalties may apply for breaking their existing contract with their current employer. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here.

This is why you don't see too many NCAA head coaches get hired away until their existing contracts are up for renewal.

I don't think this guy understands much of anything.

 

[davyd83]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Very solid list of canidates but MTU has had no luck with hiring assistant coaches ( ie: Jamie Russell ). You just don't know if they have any recruiting power.

So again I am going to list some head coaches from smaller schools that have had at least moderate success at the Division 1 level:

Nate Leaman - Union
Jeff Blashill - Western Michigan
Seth Appert - RPI
Wayne Wilson - RIT
Dallas Ferguson - Alaska, Fairbanks ( if he can recruit players to the North Pole he should be able to recruit into Houghton, MI )

Would any of the guys come to Michigan Tech I don't know - But I would exhaust this list before I would hire another assistant coach.

Blashill would have to leave a school that has given him alot after only one year. His assistants are also well compensated and he has a program that is already well on its way to recovery. It would be a step down for him. Leaman would be moving from a program that is currently a Top 10 team to one in the Bottom 10. Do you think that the WCHA will have the same prestige a few years down the road without Minnesota and Wisconsin and do you think that Tech can offer a big enough difference financially to a guy like Leaman or Appert? Ferguson is an Alaska alum and he's also drawn quite a bit of notice from pro teams at the NHL and AHL levels. And again, do you think that the money is there for him? Currently he would likely be taking a pay cut if he swapped salaries with Russell. The one feasible name on the list is Wilson. That might be one to keep an eye on if something opens up.

 

[davyd83]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Here is my list of candidates from the previous thread.
College Asisstants:
Cary Eades - UND Top Assistant
Steve Rohlik - OSU Top Assitant
Steve Miller - DU Top Assitant
Mike Guentzel - UNO Assitant
Ron Rolston - USNDPT
Mel Pearson - Michigan Top Assitant

USHL Head Coaches:
Eric Rud - Green Bay
Mark Carlson - Cedar Rapids
Mike Montgomery - Dubuque

Nice list! But you could pretty much rule out Pearson. Do you think he would take a pay cut to leave Ann Arbor? Rolston has had plenty of opportunities to be a college head coach, and so far has resisted. I don't think that coming back to Tech is the one that will make him change his mind. Guentzel and Eades are each as good a candidate as any on the list. Eric Rud has a lot going for him too. I like the fact that he, like Blashill, has gotten head coaching experience at the USHL level. It makes him much more attractive as a head coaching candidate.

 

[Houghton77]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

You do understand that most, if not all of those guys are under long-term contract, right? So to even get their foot in the door, Tech would have to offer to pay them off, plus whatever penalties may apply for breaking their existing contract with their current employer. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here.

This is why you don't see too many NCAA head coaches get hired away until their existing contracts are up for renewal.

Very good point, but head coaches do move around at times. You said yourself that Russell will be at MTU for one more year. So they have another year to gear up for this move. Somewhere down the line if they ever want to fix this program they will have to open up the pocket book and hire a coach who can recruit into Houghton. I am not saying I know all the answers but I feel they have to go in a different direction.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Nice list! But you could pretty much rule out Pearson. Do you think he would take a pay cut to leave Ann Arbor? Rolston has had plenty of opportunities to be a college head coach, and so far has resisted. I don't think that coming back to Tech is the one that will make him change his mind. Guentzel is as good a candidate as any on the list. Eric Rud has a lot going for him too. I like the fact that he, like Blashill, has gotten head coaching experience at the USHL level. It makes him much more attractive as a head coaching candidate.

Rolston and Pearson are only on the list because they are alums. I don't see either as a candidates that would actually want to interview for the job but they should be asked. Bigblue and I discussed Pearson and said they might have a chance because Red just won't go away. Maybe Mel has had enough of waiting

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Blashill would have to leave a school that has given him alot after only one year. His assistants are also well compensated and he has a program that is already well on its way to recovery. It would be a step down for him. Leaman would be moving from a program that is currently a Top 10 team to one in the Bottom 10. Do you think that the WCHA will have the same prestige a few years down the road without Minnesota and Wisconsin and do you think that Tech can offer a big enough difference financially to a guy like Leaman or Appert? Ferguson is an Alaska alum and he's also drawn quite a bit of notice from pro teams at the NHL and AHL levels. And again, do you think that the money is there for him? Currently he would likely be taking a pay cut if he swapped salaries with Russell. The one feasible name on the list is Wilson. That might be one to keep an eye on if something opens up.

I don't want to take anything away from Wilson, he's accomplished a lot since RIT went D1 and that FF appearance last year was nice to see, but he's done it in a limited-scholie conference with a rink under regulation size (Ritter is 185x85, I think) and a lot of players from Ontario that would likely not do as well in the WCHA. He's an alum to boot.

This discussion is irrelevant, because if Tech is to make a change this year, paying off Russell and Mikesch is going to be hard enough. They will be hiring a current assistant or a USHL head if Russell goes.

 

[oldish husky]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

A radical change is in order right now ! I don't know if Tech can come up with the money to buy out the current coaching staff and afford a new coach. They are down about as low as they can go. I still feel trying to grab a coach from a smaller school that has had some success recruiting is the way to go. Maybe a young hotshot USHL coach is another option. But they have to try to go away from the parade of former players. That is just not working !

This was the exact rationale for hiring Russell 7 years ago, wasn't it? He had been a good recruiting assistant at Ferris and Cornell and had grown those into great senior classes. Didn't Ferris win (or close) the CCHA with one of those recruiting classes? I'm not saying it is or isn't time for a new coach, but that approach isn't radical.

 

[davyd83]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I get a kick out of those who say "open the checkbook." With state aid cuts to public schools and colleges, the athletic departments at the GLIAC type schools my well have to make do with fewer dollars. The only way you will be able to infuse more cash to make any necessary payouts and make a prominent hire is if some rich alum breaks out his or her checkbook, and then you run into that individual maybe wanting some influence in return. If you just open the checkbook, what part of the budget do you take it from? Travel? Recruiting? Equipment?

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

I get a kick out of those who say "open the checkbook." With state aid cuts to public schools and colleges, the athletic departments at the GLIAC type schools my well have to make do with fewer dollars. The only way you will be able to infuse more cash to make any necessary payouts and make a prominent hire is if some rich alum breaks out his or her checkbook, and then you run into that individual maybe wanting some influence in return. If you just open the checkbook, what part of the budget do you take it from? Travel? Recruiting? Equipment?

Hence why I've been saying "if" all this time. I think the only way he goes is if a wealthy donor or group of donors cuts a check.

Most likely he will drift into the last year of his contract without an extension, which IMO is a huge mistake. You have to either extend Russell and weather the sh*tstorm of public/alum opinion, or dump him.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

This was the exact rationale for hiring Russell 7 years ago, wasn't it? He had been a good recruiting assistant at Ferris and Cornell and had grown those into great senior classes. Didn't Ferris win (or close) the CCHA with one of those recruiting classes? I'm not saying it is or isn't time for a new coach, but that approach isn't radical.

When hired, his main selling point was that he had done a lot of the work in recruiting and grooming the 2003 senior class at Cornell, and helped coach that 02-03 Cornell team to a #1 ranking and a Frozen Four appearance (incidentally, that team included a freshman Matt Moulson, who is now one of two reasons to bother watching the Islanders).

His hand in that 2003 Ferris team's CCHA regular season title and NCAA appearance is a lot less likely considering he left Ferris for Cornell in the summer of 1999.

 

[Houghton77]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

This was the exact rationale for hiring Russell 7 years ago, wasn't it? He had been a good recruiting assistant at Ferris and Cornell and had grown those into great senior classes. Didn't Ferris win (or close) the CCHA with one of those recruiting classes? I'm not saying it is or isn't time for a new coach, but that approach isn't radical.

My thought is the assistants do the running but the Head Coach brings in the players.

 

[Houghton77]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

When hired, his main selling point was that he had done a lot of the work in recruiting and grooming the 2003 senior class at Cornell, and helped coach that 02-03 Cornell team to a #1 ranking and a Frozen Four appearance (incidentally, that team included a freshman Matt Moulson, who is now one of two reasons to bother watching the Islanders).

His hand in that 2003 Ferris team's CCHA regular season title and NCAA appearance is a lot less likely considering he left Ferris for Cornell in the summer of 1999.

Jamie Russell did the running but Mike Schafer brought the players into Cornell and he still does a great job recruiting to this day. Jamie Russell is a great defensive Hockey mind but past that below average as a coach and recruiter.

 

[aparch]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

My thought is the assistants do the running but the Head Coach brings in the players.

Yes and no. For some instances yes, the head coach is the one who seals the deal. I would venture to say that for 60% to 75% of most incoming freshmen, all they know about the head coach is his name, and that the assistant who recruited them talked a lot about how good the head coach is and how said player will fit in the system.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Yes and no. For some instances yes, the head coach is the one who seals the deal. I would venture to say that for 60% to 75% of most incoming freshmen, all they know about the head coach is his name, and that the assistant who recruited them talked a lot about how good the head coach is and how said player will fit in the system.

Tech's process was 'revealed' a few years ago. Russell does some of the scouting, but I would hedge that most of the time, the assistants are doing a majority of the leg work - scouting, selling the program/setting up campus vists, the facilities tour, and arranging a meeting with Russell to speak to the prospective recruit about his priorities, his goals, and his future. Now, if Russell is really after a top-end recruit, sometimes he will handle the details.

 

[Houghton77]

Re: We Cannot Have Nice Things: Michigan Tech 2010-2011 Season Thread: Part Tre

Yes and no. For some instances yes, the head coach is the one who seals the deal. I would venture to say that for 60% to 75% of most incoming freshmen, all they know about the head coach is his name, and that the assistant who recruited them talked a lot about how good the head coach is and how said player will fit in the system.

You only bring in 5 or 6 freshman each year I would be shocked if these guys are recruited without direct contact with the Head Coach. Real blue chip players would never come to a school just dealing with the assistant coaches. Yes I am sure there is a process but Jamie Russell's butt is on the line and I am sure he is directly involved with the recruiting.