skateshattrick

I'm not sure who Jay Erickson replaced, but the thought is that he was hired to eventually succeed Don Smith. Don Smith did not choose him, he was hired by North. The Flyers hated to lose Jay.

Jason, I think your predictions are dead on. I could see North sneaking in, but they will need some discipline and good goaltending. Don't overlook that Jay Erickson is now an assistant coach at North and is very big on discipline. Jay Erickson was the Bantam A coach for the Flyers for several years. He is an excellent coach, and puts up with no BS. If North doesn't make it this year, it will be a long time before they appear again. North's squirt, peewee and bantam teams from the Junior class on down have been atrocious. South, on the other hand, is loaded for years to come. If Dean Wilson doesn't win it this year or next, there is something wrong. He has tons of returning talent, most of which are from the junior class, and many of whom played on a very good JV team last year that ended Moorhead's winning streak at 78 games.

I think that you are misinterpreting the comments of so-called "naysayers." If you are referring to persons who are upset with the way the hiring was handled, count me among the many. It may well be that Dave Hakstol is the best man for the job. However, it would have been nice to know that by at least accepting applications from more than one person, and God forbid, interviewing a few capable candidates. This is the "usual" process, and should be for one of the two most prestigious college hockey jobs in the country (the other being Minnesota). Consider these examples: 1. That is the process that U of M did when it hired Lucia. UM could have hired a very capable assistant, Mike Guentzel, who has been mentioned as a top head coaching candidate throughout the country. Instead, UM opened up the search and sought Dean Blais. When they did not land him, they went after Lucia. 2. At a smaller level, with the same AD, the UND football team (which is Division II) COULD have hired from within and hired Randy Hedberg, a longstanding and capable assistant with the Sioux (who turned around St. Cloud State). Instead, UND opened up its job search and hired Dale Lennon, who was coaching in Bismarck. 3. The Bison (again, on a smaller level--Div 1AA) could have hired the enormously popular Casey Bradley, a long-time assistant. Instead, they chose to do a national search and Craig Bohl got the job over Bradley. The point is not that Hakstol is not capable, but that he will always be subject to 2nd guessing. UND's program is not comparable to D2 or D1AA football, it is much bigger and more prestigious. As a long-time UND fan and booster, I expected more. That is not to say that I will not support Dave Hakstol--I hope that he does very well and that the issue becomes moot. I know him and he's a good guy. I also think he will do well. However, he will now have a very short leash that could have been avoided. If UND and Roger Thomas had at least taken the time to interview Steve Johnson, Scott Sandelin and others, and had chosen Dave Hakstol, it would have been fine to all but the most cynical UND fans. However, as it stands, it leaves a bitter taste in many UND supporters mouths. If you think that my opinions are in the minority, you should talk with some of the avid UND hockey supporters and boosters in Grand Forks and Fargo. I also resent the fact that some apparently feel that persons upset with the way the hiring was handled should be quiet and tow the company line. I respectfully disagree. It is one thing to support our new coach, which we will do. It is quite another to criticize UND and Roger Thomas for the way this was handled. UND and RT should know that many fans, boosters and alumni are not happy with the way this was handled so that it does not happen again, and, if the coach is not successful, they will be held accountable. By the way, Larry Coker may have been successful, but how about Ron Zook at Florida? I can refer you to a local Florida alum who wishes they would have hired from outside. Besides, Coker and Zook were hired after a national search, so you are talking about apples and oranges.

Wilbur, I'm not sure that it is accurate that east teams don't like playing west schools. That makes it sound like they view the west as inferior, which is not true. It really boils down to room on the schedule and logistics. The NDHSAA allows only so many high school games, and mandates so much against ND competition. As a result, the east teams only have so many slots to fill. You have to understand that GF has longstanding rivalries with Roseau, Warroad and other teams from that section. GF would prefer to play those teams because the travel is less, because of rivalries, and yes, because the competition is generally better if you go east. The same is true of Fargo. If Fargo has an opportunity to play Moorhead and Fergus Falls, geography dictates that Fargo will prefer to play those schools as opposed to traveling 3 hours to Bismarck or 5 to Minot. Minneapolis, which has the best competition, is only 3 hours from Fargo, only slightly farther than Bismarck and closer than Minot. You can pick up several games in a tournament in Minneapolis against better competition. It does work both ways. 2 years ago, Minot and the Fargo Flyers had very strong Bantam A teams. They tried to schedule, but neither wanted to travel 5 hours for 1 game. Minot was no more willing to travel to Fargo than the converse.

Please get off of this topic because you do not know what you are talking about and have already been exposed in a previous post entitled "Recruiting in High School Hockey." I challenge you to name one player that Shanley "illegally recruited", let alone recruited. We put up with a lot of your unintelligible posts, but you should have some basis in fact before posting on this board. By the way, how was it that Danny Irmen attended Red River while his parents were living in Fargo? Or Krebsbach from Minot? How was it that Spooner ended up in Grafton? Perhaps you should re-read the posts in which you were previously shot down.

I cannot speak for the west, although Minot has a strong group of incoming juniors. From the east, South and Red River will be good. Red River returns most of its good players, and the Sophomore and Junior classes are better than Central. Central should not be as good, especially if Mario is leaving, but they still have Marto, probably the best player in the state. I would rank them 3rd from the east. North may not be too bad. They have trouble scoring, but will have one of the top goalies in the state in Elliot Oklund and have some experienced and talented defenseman if they can learn to stay out of the box in Bjoralt and Halstenson. The senior group from North did win PeeWee state and was very good at Bantams. They did lose Loos to Moorhead, but I think that they will be in the hunt with Grafton for 4th. Klenow and Fischer are juniors who should contribute.

Agreed on both topics. I appreciate the fact that people like PCM, Greyeagle, Sagard, Sicatoka, Schmidtdoggydog, and SFSioux#1 (and others) bring levity, are reasonable and don't get into the name-calling and trashtalking that is all too frequent on USCHO. I hate to see this board sink to that level. We can agree to disagree on certain matters, but it can be done in a courteous and respectful manner. Thanks PCM! We do enjoy your posts and opinions.

I couldn't have said it better myself on both counts.

Regardless of what many of you may think of Deekspizza, I agree with him/her. The anonymous source that I have heard was from a very close friend of Erin Hakstol (Dave's wife) who said last week that Dave Hakstol had been offered the job. If anyone is interested, there is a good article from Jeff Kolpack in today's Fargo Forum about the hiring of Dave Hakstol and why UND should have opened up the search nationally.

I respectfully disagree. That may be the case occasionally, but I don't think that you can generalize like that. Many times, anonymous sources are persons very close to the situation, such as close friends, spouses or colleagues who do not want to reveal confidential information or be subject to scrutiny for revealing that information. For example, a coach may tell his spouse or close family members or friends that they have been offered a job, but that does not mean that person would reveal that information publicly. Those sources, however, sometimes talk anonymously.

Very well put. I was never a big Brandt fan until last year, but he proved me wrong. He was the best goalie for the Sioux all year, with only 2 bad games (at Wisconsin--not all his fault and the WCHA final 5 against Minnesota). Having said that, Lamoreaux is very highly touted and is reputed to be the real deal. He will challenge both Jake and Jordan for playing time.

1. UND 2. Wisconsin 3. Minnesota 4. CC 5. UMD UND and UW return the most, and UM is going to be good. The top 3 should be up for grabs. I like Wisconsin ahead of UM because of goaltending. CC had a very young and talented team last year. I would be shocked if UAA is ahead of them or even Denver. I have UAA ticketed for the cellar with MTU.

I believe the Herald. A close friend of Erin Hakstol has said that Dave Hakstol was officially offered the job on Wednesday. It is a done deal. They are just waiting for the 5 days to officially pass.

Why would Steve Johnson take an assistant job? He makes in excess of $100,000 per year in Lincoln, and probably closer to $150,000 (he gets a % of the gate). He has also said that he is 75-80% sure that he will be back in Lincoln next year. I hope that you are right, because I think he's the best head coach candidate, but I'm not too optimistic.

I agree with U2Bad1. When the U of M fired Woog, they did not simply hire Mike Guentzel, even though he was considered a very good candidate by many people. Instead, they opened it up nationally. They targeted Blais, and when they were unable to land him, landed Lucia. UND should not settle for anything less. Even the UND football program did the same thing. When Roger Thomas stepped aside, they did not hire the "internal" candidate, who ended up as coach at St. Cloud. Instead, they went out and got Dale Lennon, the best man for the job. With all due respect to the UND football program, the UND hockey program is much larger scale and depends upon winning, prominence and filling the arena. Dave Hakstol may end up being a good coach. However, there will always be that lingering doubt when you have potential candidates who are also former players with better track records like Sandelin, Steve Johnson and Marks. This "move" frankly makes me very angry.

Very well put and expresses my sentiments exactly. I would add that I prefer Steve Johnson or Scott Sandelin, assuming Sandelin is interested. The intent is not to be negative toward Dave Hakstol, who is a viable candidate, but to compare him with the other candidates. Here are some reasons: 1. Dave Hakstol was a head coach only a few years in the USHL and did not have very great success. His track record in the USHL was no better than Tarek Howard or Scott Koberinski. 2. Hakstol is reputed to be a good recruiter, but turned off a few local recruits, including Danny Irmen. I believe that the Shattuck connection was more of a function of Dean Blais than Hakstol. He seems to be a good guy, but I have heard that some former players did not care for him as much as Sandelin. 3. Steve Johnson has been very successul in the USHL, having won the Clark Cup and Lincoln is generally one of the top teams. He also has more head coaching experience. 4. Steve Johnson is not only a former All-American for the Sioux, but is a local guy. That may not be a huge factor, but it is certainly worthy of consideration. 5. Steve Johnson has been important in recruiting as well, as Lincoln was/is a Sioux connection with Bochenski, Fournier and others. 6. Steve Johnson is very popular with his players and former players. In fact, I heard from a very reliable source that Ryan Potulny would have gone to UND had Steve Johnson been the coach. 7. Scott Sandelin's track record speaks for itself--great recruiter, assistant coach, and turned around a poor program in Duluth. Also, a very good guy that is very popular with his players. UND cannot afford to screw this up. UND needs to be very successful (e.g. win) and REA needs to be filled to capacity to remain a viable program. Yes, Dean Blais endorsed Hakstol, but Dean is no longer directly involved with UND's program. It also is not surprising that he endorsed Hakstol because Blais is very loyal and what else is he going to say? If Steve Johnson or Scott Sandelin were the coach, I have virtually no doubt that the Sioux program will continue to be one of the best in the country for years. I do not have that same level of comfort with Dave Hakstol at the helm. Personally, I think it is too risky.

I agree that Moorhead should be even better than last year. The best players on last year's team were juniors, and they will have Jeremy Smith, Jake Krause, Andy Stone and others move up, as well as Jordy Christian and possibly Pat Deitz and Michael Weiss from Bantams.

Jordy is not a goalie, he is a forward. He will be a sophomore this year and has a good chance to make varsity. Beau is a goalie, will be a junior, and may make varsity, but there are 2 returning goalies that will be seniors.

I am curious why you would say Steve Johnson would not be a front runner? He is very well liked by his former players (Jay Potulny said that Ryan would have gone to UND if he was the coach), has had tremendous success coaching in the USHL, is a former UND player, and is from Grand Forks. Personally, I think he is or will be the front runner.

I would expect that he would be on the short list along with Steve Johnson (former All American with the Sioux from Grand Forks; current coach of Lincoln Stars who publicly expressed interest in the job within the past 2 years), Scott Sandelin (would he leave UMD??), and Dave Hakstol. I would like to see Steve Johnson or Scott Sandelin, with a slight preference for Steve Johnson.

I don't pretend to know the situation with Vanek and his teammates, but why do we really care? Vanek is a great player when he wants to play. He is a natural goal scorer that scores big goals. We also know that he is sometimes lazy, particularly on defense. Brett Hull survived many years doing the same thing until Ken Hitchcock made him play defense. Whether Vanek gets along with his teammates is really irrelevant. We have all heard the rumors (including Gopher fans) but they are rumors. The same type of rumors were made about Jason Blake, and ironically, many Gopher fans liked to spread those rumors. Thus, Hammy does have a point that it is the rivalry that makes these rumors even worth talking about. My point is that I don't like rumormongoring and, even if the rumors are true, no one can really say with a straight face that the Gophers are a better team without Vanek even if it is true that he's a "cancer." Despite Vanek's weaknesses, I would like to see him gone because I'm a Sioux fan and he makes the Gophers a much better team even with any baggage.

Jason, I'm not sure about Kyle Graalum. I will find out and let you know. With the qualification based upon potential, I agree with your assessment.

I agree that Mario is talented, and probably a D1 prospect with huge upside, but top 5 in the State? I beg to differ. Moreland, McIntyre and Marto from GF Central were better, Jeckort from Bismarck Century was better, Graalum from Fargo Shanley was better, and Brehmer and Mauch from Fargo South were better. Mario did not even make the all-state team. Interestingly, Paul Weisgarber (who is the same age but will be a junior at South) did. I may be biased, but I like Paul Weisgarber's game better than Mario. Mario is stronger and has a better shot, but Paul has a better overall game IMHO.

There are 6--Phillip, Jacque, PJ, Mario, Monique and Jocelyn. Mario would be a sophomore, but is an 88 so he is the same age as many of the juniors around the state, like Paul Weisgarber. I suspect he was either held back or started school late. The girls will be 2nd year bantams.

I heard that Mario made Tri-City and that he will be playing junior hockey somewhere next year, whether it be Tri-City or Bismarck.