I doubt any badger fan, journalist, or even Eaves himself expected anything less then a struggle this year. Had Kerdelies stayed....we still would have been bad. You can't turnover what the Badgers did and try to replace it with a bunch of newbies and expect success....unless those newbie's are an elite group. While I like the group of frosh and think they may be the foundation of a nice run in a year or two...they are awfully young and will have some growing pains. Hughes will be a high draft pick, but he just turned 18. Wagner is just 18. Dougherty is a great young prospect, but he's also 18 and the Badgers turned over 5 dmen leaving him with not much else to work with other then fellow frosh. I like Rockwood as the next in the line of smaller playmaker/facilitators ala Zengerle/Davies, but those guys showed up as 20 and 21 year olds...not 19.
The current situation is very much Eaves responsibility, but the result are not indicative of his coaching ability. The situation is an inditement of his roster management which has been feast or famine since he arrived with a 4 year cycle of a large class bubble moving through the program and the timing of that cycle dictating whether we are aweful (first year) to mediocre (2nd-3rd year) or nationally relevant (last year). The guy can coach, he can develop players (both for the pro and college level)....but he has never been able to even out his classes.
The kids will take their lumps this year, but be better for it next. We'll add some really nice talent next year in (especially) Boesser, Kunin, Malone, and Opilka (might be the best goalie coming into college hockey). If Eaves could manage to add a Fabbro/Jost combo to Fredrick/Freytag....that might be a real special year. Problem is Wisconsin has to many advantages to not have special years more frequently then every 4 years.
Houston we have a problem!! Looks like the Ferris State game will be "closed" to the public too...what a joke. ..
......good game for both teams from what I read.