yzerman19

I never lived in the deep south...been there many times...you can keep it

I've lived all over the country, and nowhere is perfect. CA is close, but the fires and earthquakes kinda put a damper on life. East coast is less cold, but it is pretty similiar. Pacific Northwest is the most beautiful place on earth for 3-4 months of the year.

Look Brian, I respect your opinion and hatred of the weather, but I had to downvote it. I don't live in GF, but I did. hard winters are just understood...you had to have known this coming in?

what is the midwest to you if ND isn't? Kansas? St Louis?

If you don't move the puck at 18, you are done

you aren't wrong...I know the head coach...I said how do you deal with the distraction? He said same distractions...ours are just better looking

the most successful pro ever out of ND played 2 years and in that time built his body and refined his 200 foot game to unbelievable detail. Johnny Toews.

okay, lets be real...Guys dont "develop" in college. They refine skills, work on details, and build their bodies. IQ, skating, fundamentals are already cast.

Big10: Great Facilities and Support, Huge alumni network, very well regarded degrees, excellent lifestyle with huge hoops and bball too. NIL $$$....no brainer

Not anymore...chippaz going to want it all. If we are okay competing without Chippaz, we can focus on the coaching, development, and the facilities. Most Chippaz going to want everything...

The big programs are going to pitch both...

We won't get Chippaz without significant NIL money. It is the new reality. Our NIL is going to have to be better than many, many programs too.

What/who is HBCU?

they designated 13O a couple years back. USA Hockey considers 13O and 14U bantam hockey. Contact applies to both.

The other aspect of that Minny 13O team is that many of their top dogs played PeeWee this year. Nationally, 13O is bantam, so the speed and physicality of Tier 1 bantam is very different than that in MinnKota PeeWee AA

also, if you are going to be sub 5'10, you better be lightning in a bottle

If he dominated as a first year, that changes some of my thinking...I might have sent him to play 15O on a top tier program then. Not much to prove if you dominated a year up, and now you are playing a year down in terms of competition

Its the tough call there right. One school of thought is dominate your age group- he did as a physically mature older player. The other school of thought is to seek out the best competition and see where you stand. Prove you deserve to be in the conversation. He's an excellent player and I want him to be successful...I actually think they did the right thing. He is a guy that is going to need some runway to prove he's got it. Get that runway kicking butt in GF, win some titles, go to junior when you are damn good and ready.

If the pool seeding goes by ranking, that 14U minny team is going to be in the pool with #4, #5, #12, #13...if they emerge from that unscathed, but battle tested...they will be a very tough out

Yes, that 13O team from Minny has a ton of firepower. They have talent, but they haven't played together all year and their primary competition has

Kids with regional ties expected to go high in the WHL or USHL drafts coming up (according to Elite Prospects) in the top 50 2010's or top 100 2009's Beck Thoreson Moorhead Joey Cullen Moorhead RJ Thompson Little Casesars (Grandparents from GF) Brooks Suter Moorhead Henry Buttweiler Moorhead Henry Meier SSM (Grandpa is Neal Broten) John Gramer Moorhead Drew Kortan Moorhead Roderick Jackson Warroad Easton Dozark Moorhead Owen Kraft Moorhead Evan Wanner Moorhead Cruz Fitzpatrick West Fargo These two are ranked just outside the top 100: Spencer Anderson TRF Nolan Marto GF

Right, at least break it into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and honorable mention

yeah, I got your main point. Its a good one. I was just commenting on the buddy deal. It all depends on where the kid goes and what they are getting for development and exposure. I'm guessing those that go to Shattuck, BK, Mount, Mission, Little Casears, Honeybaked and the like end up better off, just based on competition and coaching. Going somewhere else, probably doesn't make much difference. If they are 16 or over, and they aren't going to junior hockey, you have to question leaving...

just like people move away from family and friends for college and career, they make new friends and establish new lives. The old ones become memories and pictures. You don't forget them, but they become a distant memory on a long journey.

Here's the interesting thing...in the Tier 1 world...everywhere outside of ND and MN, the "buddies" deal doesn't apply. Kids are mercenary at 8 years old. For those who don't play town hockey, the idea of playing with your "buddies" is incredibly foreign. Your buddies are those on your team...for now...