Disappointing as it is we don’t have the horses this year to make a run. Especially with our forwards committed to not playing D for one second. We do not have one single tough defenseman. Frankly, not even one good one. Not one single guy on this team plays like Genoway, or Stecher, or Pattyn, or Spirko, or Parise, or Sanderson. Who’s the heart? No one. Unless I’m blind there is not one single try hard on this team. We need try hards.
We do not have, and will not have in the future, ever again, the way recruiting is going, gopher talent that beats try-hard talent. Think about what our D looks like next year. We need talent that simply is not here or coming here (or ever coming here) and that’s assuming the whole back end doesn’t transfer out again. Johannes is our toughest player-what the hell is going on here?
Where are the Blood and Finley and tough SOBs that are apparently not recruited, but maybe they don’t exist? I know the NCHC didn’t let Kleven play, but does that mean we can’t ever hit again? (No offense Stoney, and I love ya, your optimism here is something needed and that I love-I mean it) but Brad: 1) has recruited exactly 0 first round forwards in NINE fucking years—imagine that happening with Hak who brought in 1-3 most in years (and when he didn’t, D were at least studs); 2) has brought in exactly one gamebreaker, Jake Sanderson, in nine years, who despite being one of the best college hockey players of all time, had the misfortune of being injured at inopportune times;); and 3) does not have studs, and will almost certainly not ever have studs, to compete with the other blue bloods the way things are going, because he is simply unable to recruit with the top schools like hak was. And more importantly, he is not, and has not, ever gotten the best out of his players. Losing in close playoff games is not some sign of competence like most people here seem to have accepted.
UND should not be a second rate school as far as recruiting goes and it is exactly what we are under Brad. If it is NIL-which it is not as far as I am aware-Dinkyown hasn’t really caught onto yet either. We need a coach who can rally the donors to get on board with NIL mongo stud recruits. We do not have the horses to fix this next year, or the year after that. We are getting murdered in recruiting by BC, BU, MN, Michigan, Michigan State, Denver, and frankly second-rate east coast schools. This is indisputable-15 years ago our alma mater was THE spot to go, it is not anymore, and I wish we had a coach who could sell it like hak. Schloss spews his “look how 0 first round players won the last couple years championships” without ever mentioning the talent in 2016. Or that Rand Pecknold is a great x and o coach-which Brad unfortunately is not. I know I am not alone in feeling this way. Brad Berry is a great person and anyway who has ever met him knows that. But that is not enough. Winning the conference of 8 does not matter to most of us. In Bismarck the alumns have had enough of schloss’ obsequiousness to take it seriously. Winning one tournament game in 9 years is simply pathetic and Brad should have been fired after he demonstrated his ability by bringing in 18-19 classes highlighted by Joel Janitunniun and Ludwig Hoff