Re: Wisconsin Hockey Recruiting Vol. XXXIV: Go pick me out a winner, Strand
Khodorenko just committed to Michigan State. I don't think forward is the priority anyway if they can just keep Frederic, Zimmer and Baker committed and coming next year. Of course Kunin and/or Besse leaving early would hurt. The Badgers are in desperate need of quality defensemen. A high-end defenseman or two would really help going into next season.
Agree 100%. However it shakes out, we should be in shape to roll four lines with the top two being especially good. I think there's zero chance Besse isn't back and little chance Kunin isn't, but of course that is heavily dependent on who drafts him. To my mind though, he's absolutely right in his saying he wants to stay until he is ready for the show. Why guys leave early to play in the AHL is beyond me.
I'm very impressed with the progress Linhart made last year and if that continues he could be one of the most valuable D in the conference. What concerns me is that we're very short on physical, shut down, puck separating D that can really play in a conference that typically has a lot of big, strong forwards. Now Tischke has every physical skill you'd want in a top defensive D, very good skates and a beast in the weight room, and Sexton has a very good head for the game and a huge heart. If you could make one guy out of them you'd have a 1st rounder, no problem. But as it stands, we're hurting for D that can play D, get the puck back and protect a lead late in games. Not to mention take some pressure off our young goalies.
Unless Parsells is really ready to play in the top 4, we have Carson Vance and Matt Berkovitz who have reps as very good skaters and puck moving type D, but who have struggled a bit in generating the kinds of numbers expected of them. Both plus players though, as is Jere Astren, which is a positive. I'd be surprised if Stillwell (10 pts. -16) is coming in next year.
So there's plenty of room for NTDP's J.D. Greenway, who is just what is needed, but even for these coaches it's a huge uphill battle. Brother is at BU, and may be just as likely to go nowhere as the Plymouth Whalers own his OHL rights and are in the same arena.
I asked our former resident guru about WMU decommit Grant Gabriele and he indicated he's a pretty good player, possibly a later round pick this year. He also mentioned F Ross Colton (31g 30a 51gp for Cedar Rapids USHL) as being a much coveted player decommited from Vermont. Although I haven't seen where he's decommited, the Schwartz is seldom wrong about these things.
Oz is just going to have to work some real magic to get the D corp competitive by next fall
