SJHovey

I think what we're seeing a bit of is a "wait and see" response by many of the CHLers. They want to see how things work out for kids like Reschny, etc... I don't think we can underestimate the pressure that is being put on these Canadian kids to stay home and play major junior hockey. Plus, the known is always more comfortable than the unknown. I know the message that is being pushed up north is "don't make this mistake. Don't jump at the early money (NIL) which is only going to cost you a lot more money because of your slowed development. Playing massive numbers of games in major juniors is the tried and true method of landing in the NHL." That will no doubt gain some traction with some kids, especially before we have a chance to see how things work out. And I think North Dakota is going to play a big role in this during the coming year. Verhoef is coming in, anticipated to be maybe the second or third overall pick next year. If we bring him along slowly, as I expect we will, and if he maybe spends a big chunk of the year playing bottom pair or middle pair minutes (with this group, something that is entirely plausible), will his draft stock slip? If he drops down to the 5-10 range in the draft, how many people up north are going to point to him and say, "see, if he had stayed in major juniors, he'd have been the second overall pick." It'll be interesting. I suspect that Bryn and the group are out prowling around looking for perhaps a couple of older kids to round out the roster this year.

Listened to The Athletic podcast. They were shaking their heads on him picking PSU. No history of developing NHL talent. Traditionally soft schedule. Not the same talent level as other locations. They chalked it up to two things: NIL and the chance to be the entire focus of the program.

How does that pitch go, exactly? "I've coached college hockey for 25 years (13 winning seasons, baby!!). I'm a whole 6 games over .500. I have one regular season title to my credit, but two conference tournament titles. I've actually coached a team in the Frozen Four, but sadly, never in a national championship game. Hop on the train." Jeebus, the guy was 44-109-7 as a college hockey player. 12 seasons at Penn St. and his team has finished the regular season in the top half of the conference exactly twice. Once was the 2019-20 covid regular season title, and the other was a third place finish out of six teams in 2015-16. If I'm recruiting against PSU, I'm throwing those numbers out there and asking recruits, "how much money do they have to pay you to get used to losing?" Or, maybe, "Come to Penn St. You can be fourth player from our University to ever play in the NHL!!"

Someone posted this link over on USCHO, regarding a list of major junior kids going the NCAA route. If someone has already linked to it over here, I apologize. https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/article/chl-to-ncaa-tracker-ohl-whl-qmjhl-players-going-to-u-s-college-ranks/

He didn’t attend Cornell. He was a broadcaster for their hockey games for a time. I think his degree is in radio broadcasting from Ithaca College, a private school located in the same city as Cornell.

He did. I think it was even on Wodon's show on CHN. Wodon just had no answers. After the interview, and after he had some time to think about it before he finished up the podcast, Wodon came up with some half-hearted arguments, but even then you could tell he knew he'd been pounded.

The Frozen Four is in Las Vegas this year. There can be only one goal for the team. Or, at least for me.

I think the other thing the liked about Gordon is that he will be a junior, and thus balances out the classes a bit. It's an unfortunate loss, but that will also depend upon who UND can find to fill that roster spot.

A lot of podcasts are interviewing these players, and frequently they are asked a variation of the question, "so, after the draft, obviously you want to move on to the NHL, but if that won't happen this year, do you think you go back to your junior team or do you go to the NCAA?" For the most part you hear them say, a) they think they are ready for the NHL, and the NHL is the goal, and b) they will talk to the team that drafts them and listen to what they have to say about what is best for their development. So, basically, NHL teams are going to decide whether these high end kids go to the NCAA, and if so, probably which school will be best for them. It is going to be absolutely key that UND develop relationships that are positive with the NHL gm's and their staffs. I should note, however, that I have also heard a few kids talk about their loyalty to their junior program, and their dream of winning a Memorial Cup. If it is left up to the kid, I don't think we can underestimate the possibility of that loyalty winning out over a chance to play against tougher competition in the NCAAs for some of these kids.

I think it will be interesting to see, in future years, how programs adapt to what we are seeing this year, and whether we see the same sort of timing of commitments coming out of the CHL. I tend to think that even as the natural flow of kids from the CHL to the NCAA becomes the "norm," we are still going to see a bunch of the high end kids wait until after the draft in late June to decide exactly what they are going to do. That means that programs like UND are going to be sitting here in late June with maybe a forward or defense spot on the roster unfilled, waiting to see what the recruits, their handlers and their drafting teams decide. The college programs won't know whether they are going the NCAA route, or not, or if so, which school, until fairly late in the game. We could then see a bunch of kids sort of sitting in purgatory each summer, not knowing whether their school is going to send them back to the USHL for another season, or ask them to come in as freshmen that fall.

I don’t know. I attended a Dave Gunther basketball camp at UND when I was in 7th grade, and I never got a sniff. Can’t believe that Dave would have already filled the 5’10” slow guy spot on the roster five years early.

Do we want him here four years? I’d like a goaltender pros are begging to sign.

If BU and Michigan keep stealing our players in the portal it will change.

I think people are being very smart if they are reluctant to just jump into NIL with both feet. There are way, way too many questions, and the inevitable changes, to just throw $100,000 at some kid. Say I give a prospect $100,000 to use his NIL, but conditioned upon him coming to play hockey at UND. If I pay Shaq to promote Coke, I'm pretty sure that contractually he's not going to be able to drink Pepsi. So this kid can't transfer, or quit, or sign a pro contract, or maybe take up baseball, while he is under NIL contract with me? As the holder of his NIL contract, can I assign it to someone else? Can a booster at MN offer me $150,000 for the kids NIL deal, and the kid then has to go play for MN? I could probably sit here all afternoon and type legitimate questions that anyone involved with NIL is worried about right now, and doesn't have an answer for.

If everyone ends up going to 26 on the roster, I think the 15-8-3 is going to be pretty standard. Don't know that teams will go with two goalies or 14 forwards.

Right? I've always maintained that you go to a sports book and make a parlay wager, then lose all the picks, you should at least get your money back. Strange, I always lose that argument as well.

And there is only one team that hung four or more goals in a game on Hampton Slukynsky this year, and they did it twice, on back to back games in Kalamazoo.

Just my take, but I think having “balanced” classes is less important because of the portal. I have no problem grabbing a kid or two out of the portal if they are a quality player, but I don’t need someone who is going to play third or fourth line minutes, just because they are a junior or senior. Having 8-10 freshmen isn’t the end of the world. If those 10 make it to their senior year, some will enter the portal when they see quality underclassmen coming behind.

Heard another thing on one of the CHN blogs. Carle talked about how the BC guys with the program were all teasing Zeev two years ago when he was going to Denver alone and they were going to win all these titles together at BC.

I used to be the same way, but I accept it now without begrudging these kids anything. I realized it was just the fan in me that was angry. I went to school, once. If I had wanted to, I could have switched colleges or universities every year, and so long as they were willing to let me in, I was free to make the move. Why should college athletes be any different? The other thing we have to remember is college is likely the only time in their hockey playing career that they get a true choice as to where to go, whether to switch teams, and how long they want to stay with one team. Hard to be critical of them for taking advantage of it.

So Brad thinks it will be a short turnaround on the assistant's job that's been posted. So, maybe announce on Thursday? Here is my question. Shouldn't we be hiring two assistants, one to replace Karl and one to fill Jackson's spot?

In my opinion, no. Not even close. The new reality is that kids (in all sports) are going to seek greener pastures. It's true in hockey and football and basketball. Other sports as well, I assume. The traditional powers are not going to be exempt. Kids will leave traditional powers for other traditional powers, or even schools of lesser standing if they think it will improve their situation. Matthew Wood, as a first rounder, leaves UConn to go to MN. MN exits in the first round and UConn nearly makes it to its first Frozen Four. MN loses a kid to Mankato. We've lost high draft picks to OSU or elsewhere. It's the new reality. We just have to be prepared for it so that we can pick off players from other teams as well. Boisvert was a very talented player, will likely be a Hobey Finalist candidate wherever he goes, and will play exactly one more year of college hockey. I think we'll survive without him. As for Perron and OM, I would have loved to see them stay, develop and finish their college careers here. But there have been hundreds of players as talented as they are who have come through the program before, and and hundreds more who will come after them. They are not irreplaceable. Far from it. I wish them the best. Good luck wherever they go. But if we play you, I would hope we will greet you rudely.

Given that someone here posted back in February these players had already selected their team, it seems unlikely that there is any correlation between their departures and the firing of Berry, hiring of Jackson or any player input into that process.

I watched that game last night, and the post-game festivities, and I suddenly realized something. Even after all these years, it never gets old to see a kid, wearing a BC uniform, standing on the ice crying his eyes out.

I wish him well. I would have liked to have seen him stay, but I still think we have some skill on the D line, and coming in. By the way, did he get hurt in that WMU game? I remember thinking that I hadn't seen him on the ice for awhile, and looking for him on the bench. I'll admit that I didn't see what happened if he did get hurt.