The Exiled One

Nevermind, the article was referring to the new coach. Glad I didn't waste money on that.

My wife is like an IRS agent. I'd rather wait for somebody to report it than to explain the $12 charge.

Anybody have a subscription to USHR? Can you let me know who committed to SCSU today?

Stop writing that! He's a huge SCSU fan and has been quoted saying he'd LOVE to play for his hometown team! Sorry for getting all bent out of shape, but Schmidt has the potential to be the best prospect in SCSU history, so I'm just a little protective.

Possibly, though a big NHL draft pick like Marvin could easily be gone after two years. BTW, Ravndalen had only two points less than Marvin last year, and he's a grade behind him. Mr. Hockey candidate?

I'd wager it was a better offer too, but it wouldn't have been TOO much better, as even SCSU doesn't dole out bigtime scholies to 5'6" players that will start as 20-year-old freshmen.

Bryce's stats are decent, and he looked pretty good on TV during the state tournament too. He's a smaller speedier guy, but he'll most likely be joining the Huskies in 2009 as a 20-year-old. He should be a good addition after some weight training and seasoning in the USHL. I doubt he'll contend for the scoring title though. The goalie situation is a huge question mark, as Weslosky has been streaky. Don't be surprised if he platoons with the freshman Dan Dunn. Dunn's fallback is that he's HUGE, so even if he's off his game he still fills up the net. Like I said, a question mark. Though as a fan, I choose to be optomistic.

It could have been Bryce Ravndalen... http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../107240010/1002

Where in my post did I say it was a college team? I was tipped that Walters had a good shot of earning an invite to the NTDP after the Select Camp concluded. Hammy was aware of that possibility as well, but his source in USA Hockey apparently indicated that Walters will NOT be getting an invite, despite his solid statistical performance at camp. As far as the person rumored to have committed to the Sioux, I'm working on that.

There's a chance Walters will commit to a team today. Here are the '91s that USA Hockey (in a way) considers the second best group in the country. Eades coached one of the USA teams to a second place finish last year.

Funny, the part of the Shmidt article you referenced was: "I like St. Cloud State, the Gophers (Minnesota), North Dakota, and Colorado College.

Yeah, I think that's right. All I know is that he's a big sophmore forward for Hill-Murray, and that his dad played for SCSU.

Personally, I don't think the Huskies should give up on Budish. If he really is behind so many others in that draft class, he should still be in Motzko's realm of possible candidates, if only just. I just don't see how SCSU can't land one of Budish, Hanowski, Landman, or Schmidt. All of whom are top-flight recruits (at this point) and who've probably been contacted by SCSU amongst other schools. Hopefully, players like Maetche and French will rise to the top, as SCSU would likely have the edge on them. Although, Nick Oliver has been getting a lot of praise from the select events he's participated in. It looks like Motzko may have gotten a steal there. As for UND, I think you guys will probably go all the way to the finish line for Budish, Hanowski, Landman and Mattson. As for how many of them you get, I have no idea. The goofers will have their work cut out for them with all the guys just mentioned. But even if they crap out, they'll have consolation prizes of Danny Mattson, Tyler Pitlick, Nick Leddy, Tyler Lapic, etc. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they won't crap out. There's about a year and a half (91's and late 90's) that are chalk full of solid players, IMHO.

If those two teams decided to start their camps early, then I guess it would.

If the USHL started their camps when the QMJHL starts their camps, and the QMJHL started their camps when the USHL starts their camps... I'd say the USHL teams would have a good chance. The way it is now... they'll get creamed. Then, of course, the Canadians will be all over message boards (like Hockey's Future) proclaiming their supreme hockey dominance. I actually think they ARE dominant, but not by as much as these matchups will demonstrate. Anyway... GO USHL... please prove me wrong!!!

Hey, I had him on my radar a long time ago! On paper he does look like a killer prospect, but getting him to go the NCAA route could be tough. Kudos to Michigan State for getting to him first. I think, in general, the BCHL kids just don't follow college hockey as closely as we believe they do, which is why Michigan Tech can land a recruit like Casey Pierro-Zabotel. The lesson is: get to them early. On a separtate note... Hammy and Iceburg have dropped some crypic clues on the ushsho board that may indicate Stillwater's Matt Johnson could be invited to the USNTDP. His '06-'07 teammate Tyler Kieffer is a SCSU recruit. Most of you probably already know this, but just in case... Stillwater's head coach is Phil Housley.

Funny, I didn't remember posting about him here. Paraphrasing what one opponent said about Fienhage... "He used to have an attitude, but maybe it has settled down a bit. I hate skating against him because he uses his physical prescence every time he is out on the ice." If he plays anything like former Husky Jeff Finger, I'll take him in a heartbeat.

I don't know if I should be more offended because Hammy's a dude or because he's a goofer fan! On second thought... it's definately because he's a goofer fan.

Thanks... I think. Except for one player and another player's family member I don't actually communicate with any of these kids. When they give me information that I find interesting, I assume that others might find it interesting as well. I don't want to back anybody (including myself) into a corner, so it's safer to just understate the information. Admittedly, Hammy (and guys like him) have information that is WAY more solid, but on occasion I can tell him something he doesn't already know. In fact, I've already told him a couple of things that I wouldn't DREAM of posting on a message board.

Sorry, I probably should have labelled Nick as an '10, but he's a good candidate to accelerate his studies while he's at Ann Arbor.

In Nick's case, it could be more general attention, especially if he's the next recruit to commit. I forgot about Budish, you can add him to the list. He's also considering SCSU. I just have a feeling Budish could commit later than the other guys mentioned.

According to my "semi-credible" source, (The) Nick Mattson will get offers from the Sioux and the Gophers after National Selects Camp. His decision COULD come shortly after. Supposedly, he "likes" UND. This kid would be a bigger "get" than Fink, but it's more up in the air. OPINION ALERT: You can probably bank on the fact that Lucia & Co. will focus more attention on the remaining '09s after losing out on Fink... that probably means Nick Mattson, as well as Danny Mattson (also considering UW) and Ben Hanowski (also considering SCSU).

Great list... in no specific order.

I think that as the popularity and quality of MNHSL hockey increases, so will the recruit poaching. That is, as Twin Cities area recruits become more plentiful, the Gophers just won't be able to recruit and retain them all, especially if they're increasingly going after the outstate kids (Helgason, Youso, Ness, Sacchetti). I don't think too much boasting or bashing will occur from this change in trend, as every D1 in the team has lost a recruit or two from their own backyards. I take it all as a great sign for the future of WCHA hockey. UND, UMN, and UW will continue to land every blue chipper from this area. That is, of course, unless SCSU, UMD, and MSUM don't land them as raw recruits early. Basically, the recruit net is getting tighter, and fewer of the great prospects are slipping to CC, DU, and eastern teams. The preceeding is all opinion, of course, but the point is just that I'm optomistic about the future of all the area D1 teams.