tnt

Where is your source that they are panic stricken?. You have the burden of proof here.

True, and you don't lose 6-1 in the Frozen Four and consider yourself a respectable team either then. Just sayin'!

With the number of grinders we have that will be digging in the corners, I would think that he would fit in as a center on one of the lines. Maybe not, if Bowen, Jones and/or Simonson all play up the middle.

If Kawaguchi can distribute the puck anywhere near what he did in the playoffs with Chilliwack, I could see him in the middle between Gersich and Poganski. I could see Gardner with Janatuinen and Mismash. It truly is a crapshoot beyond that, but what a great problem to have. Anyone with a nagging injury can better afford to rest until it heals, which gives you a fresher and healthier team come playoff time.

...and Denver won the National title with 6 draft picks compared to our 10. Seems to me like we get our fair share of talent and the difference has been many times when we win it all or go a long way, the guys who weren't the studs. Guys like Sykes, Henderson, Gaarder, and Caggiula. I'm sure Denver would say the same with guys like Lukosevicius. By the way the players you mentioned for St. Cloud combined for 48 points. Yes, Ryan should take off this year, but I have a feeling if we got those guys, you would be complaining about their production, like Brian Lee and other whipping boys.

But they had to fight hard to even get to the USHL, and were drafted at a later age. I'm sure there are guys like Cameron Crotty that UND would liked to have got, but next man up after you miss out. Would rather get team guys than me first guys like Kieffer Bellows.

I recall Lawton saying in this year's draft coverage that sometimes they throw a scout a bone late in the draft if he hasn't had one of his scouted players taken. To me that says how much of an inexact science scouting and recruiting is, especially with the underage draft and recruiting with so many late bloomers like Poolman and LaDue.

To be honest I am more concerned about next year's class with the possibility of Senden, Mattson, and Keane. Being that Keane and Senden are character role players, I would guess depending on who leaves, they might have to wait another year to come in, or commit somewhere where they could play sooner if they choose.

I guess the proof will be in the pudding with this recruiting class. I'm guessing there will be several players that Sioux fans wouldn't want to trade for guys that were drafted.

Would rather have a Stecher or Caggiula than a one and done.

First people complain because they can't buy high priced tickets to a game against the same team, now they complain when they possibly can get tickets for the same amount?

I'll keep this in mind when you complain about how UND plays in any game they win.

Someone else was pondering if Tony Hrkac could have done a pull up. My guess would be no, but it just seems weird that with all the weight programs in schools and the emphasis on strength that it didn't take hold for him. Skill wise, he sure has made the most of his time put in though, and I imagine by the end of the summer workouts a pull up shouldn't be a problem.

With people holding up BU as the prime example of getting great recruits, it will be interesting to see how they reload this year. They are getting great talent again, but maybe not to the level of a McAvoy or Keller, or JFK for that matter. We'll see how it plays out, but I like our chances as much as theirs with their reloading.

... and if Will Butcher left after his junior season and either LaDue, Stecher, or Thompson stays, we could have possibly been talking about a three peat for us. It isn't about Denver out recruiting us, it's about keeping the guys we recruited another year, which apparently Denver has done after winning a championship.

Dominance can come in many forms. They seemed to win championships when they got there in the 80's and 90's, but they missed the tournament a bit too. Because of the parity in college hockey now, winning it when you get there as often as we did then, probably isn't going to happen. The ironic thing is that we didn't get to the NCAA tournament as often back then as we do now, but some of that has to do with the increase from 12 to 16 teams. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Men's_Division_I_Ice_Hockey_Tournament_appearances_by_team

I hope he realizes it after college.

I think he probably knows that strength is important, but in the face of the criticism he probably is just a bit defensive. Not so much in the case of the NHL, but sometimes I think the NFL focuses too much on all of the combine data, rather than character and if they can play the game. His answer probably doesn't help his situation, but I think the teams that are interested will continue to be so, and he will probably end up close to where he was projected anyway.

Sam Bennett didn't do a pull up either, and he has done quite well in the NHL. The scary part is that the gophers could possibly get two years out of Middlestadt if he has that much strength he needs to work on, nevermind the fact that with more strength he might dominate more. Here's hoping that his strength concerns drops him to the Islanders in the draft and Garth Snow is worried about his development at Minnesota.

Because Schlossman thinks it should. The ironic part is that he spends way more time covering the women's hockey team now than he did while they were competing. Would be interesting to see how many tweets and stories he made about the team the year before the program was dumped, and how many after.

All I will say is how many people had Denver as the team to beat going into last year? I recall people getting defensive last year when some of us said UND had a lot of players to replace, especially at defense. If Denver gets all of their players back, they definitely will be favorites, but sometimes they could play like they are favorites and if they aren't all in when it comes to the sacrifices necessary to do all the little things, that could become a problem. I remember when Hakstol sat down with players that were coming back and made sure they were all in for the program. Not saying that it will happen, but if you are a high end talent like Borgstrom and have a hefty salary awaiting you, are you always going to be ready to take a big hit to make a play? There are some players that the compete level is what separates them, while others rely on great talent. Borgstrom and the other Pioneers could be both, in which case they could be incredibly difficult to beat. St. Cloud is another team that will be very good next year.

Would Tim Hennessy switch radio stations again to still be able to do the play by play?

Rather than negatively recruiting, I would just tell him the great benefits of our program with the facilities, league, coaching staff and full-house of passionate fans every night. Mention the number of players that played professional hockey this year and how many of them still come back as part of the family. If the player brings something up about other schools, I wouldn't hesitate to reiterate the difference on how things are run here, but our success and tradition should stand on its own. You definitely could say that you will be their head coach, and ask if that is going to be the case at other places they visit. It certainly wouldn't hurt to say things you do as a coaching staff and things you don't do without mentioning schools, as you already know who your competition is, and it doesn't sound like you're attacking but just stating your philosophy. Some kids and parents are turned off by negative recruiting, but I suppose it works in some cases much like negative campaigning in elections. I guess I am one that just prefers selling yourself more than ripping on the others, except when Minnesota is involved.

You expected sanity when dealing with Dave K?

http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/4271430-how-und-happy-go-lucky-guy-became-key-player-penguins-playoffs Very interesting article by Schlossman on the emergence of Carter Rowney. Especially interesting is the fact that his rookie class both he and Dell were the only two players that weren't drafted and they are the only two in the NHL. Also thought it was interesting that the coach of Grand Prairie called the coaches and told them he was a North Dakota type of player. Kind of goes to show you that all the gnashing of teeth over the talent or lack thereof coming in on any given year doesn't really reflect how things will turn out in the end. Could definitely use a few more 4-year players like Carter Rowney.