yzerman19

So, now that we know that it is 99% likely that VV will be back, we certainly have a lot of players...it is going to be tough to earn ice time.

Having VV back is a win win. I agree that he has potential at the NHL level, but he isn't there yet. Having a horse like Chris in the stable bodes well for UND. If he is healthy and plays up to his ability, he could be a very dominant player next year. He can develop those little parts of his game that he will need to skate a regular shift in the show, and it is huge for us.

I do love the experts behind the computer screen. I am entitled to my opinion as much as any of you are to yours. I am a fan, and I know the game. I am biased towards the Canadian brand of hockey, but that's just experience talking. I have loved the SIoux my entire life and have missed very few games since the mainstreaming of internet based broadcasts. Seriously if you all think that a big time D1 athlete or his family is going to be "upset" by reading fair criticism, then you have serious dillusions. They know its a gravy train with biscuit wheels. I will gladly grade any hockey player fairly based on positioning, physical play, skill, skating, offensive zone play, neutral zone play, and defensive zone play. I have no bias on anything other than performance. Skating on this team was pretty simple: Marto, Genoway, Frattin. I know a number of pro and college hockey players well. The word on the street this year was that several teams enjoyed playing UND, because "Their defensemen don't like to get hit." That sickens me. There are a number of players in the league, that if they reported to me would be out of jobs. I don't tolerate average play. Second place is the first loser, you know? Blood is a terrible skater, but did you know that he led the team in +/-? I would still say he is a terrible skater. Kozek has the heaviest shot the Sioux have seen since Bochenski, but Andrew was a grinder, not a scorer. When you play on a team that produces tons of NHL players, criticism for average play should be expected. If you want to be the hero, go play for Robert morris.

Pointer deserved criticism. He was definitely not one of the best players on the ice for us. Is he developing? Yeah, maybe I'll give him some credit for that. Did he put up big numbers in the USHL? sure. Do I dislike the kid? no. Do I wish him a 100% recovery? yes. This isn't some recreational hockey league, church league, beer league, bar league, federal league, this is Fighting Sioux hockey. It is not his style or his stats that I question. I question his positioning, physical strength and skating ability. Sorry. Marto and Genoway can flat out skate, Pointer is sub par on his skates, Blood skates very poorly by WCHA standards. It is not about throwing players under the bus or not being a fan, it is about honest assessments of ability. Do I get excited when Pointer is out on the ice? Short answer is no. Am I concerned when Pointer is out there? Short answer is yes. I do not hate on the kid, I want him to succeed in hockey, life, whatever, but he is not in the upper half of WCHA defensemen.

Ouch! As to the previous comment on Danny Mattson, I think his draft position will also weigh heavily on where he plays next fall. If a team falls in love with him at the combine and he goes end of first round he will be at UND next fall.

It seems to me that the UND coaches have done an excellent job at talking through the prospective professionals on what they need to do to make it to the next level. If I recall the quote prior to "the pact" the coaches had very direct conversations with the players letting them know where they thought they had room for opportunity to improve their game and how staying at UND could help or if I am remembering correctly, in the case of Jonathan Toews they told him that he was "ready". Which clearly he was. I think Vandevelde is realistic. He is not NHL ready yet, and he knows it. He is a good player who has a legitimate shot at playing in the NHL. I don't see him as a big time goal scorer at the next level, so he does need to improve all the little aspects of his game to make sure he can find a niche. The guys I've known who have made it all say the same things. Even your fourth line guys who are healthy scatches 10-20 games per year were big time scorers at the junior or collegiate level. They find out pretty quickly once they are "up" who the ALex Os are. If Edmonton is not ready to commit a big signing bonus to VV, his best bet is certainly to play at UND next year and sign after the season. A nice 20 goal 40 point season would be good leverage. He can develop the little things that Edmonton will like and do it under less pressure. As a power forward, it will also be important for VV to get stronger and keep ont he weight. This can be hard to do playing 82 games. IMO, the only thinkg that keeps VV out of a green and white (or black) uniform next year is if Edmonton commits a big time signing bonus and the organization thinks his potential can be better reached by playing in the AHL.

Or Brad Pitt to get the girl

Yes, see the statement about dual winners. This format should result in the best teams making it to the championship. No luck of the draw, etc. No bad bounce one game and you're done.

well done. I wonder if we can keep all of that talent happy sitting in the stable...you want to see intense practices...

Shootout sickens me too. Do it as a skill competition for fun. It should never determine a playoff winner. I think the only place that happens is in International play.

I appreciate the nature of your postion. It is well written and (unlike many posters) is not a personal attack. While I understand the history that allowed us into the fray, I must contend that times have changed. I sincerely doubt that UND would be admitted if we were in BSU's position today. Without our history, tradition, and facilities, it would be a no brainer to not admit UND. Small University, small population...tough sell. It is important to take perspective and realize that hockey will never be a national game in the USA. It will never draw the following of tens of millions like "March Madness" or the BCS bowls. We were even bumped for lacrosse, because a MD vs UVA lacrosse game will draw more viewers and more advertising revenue. It is important for hockey fans to be comfortable with the fact that we are a small and rabid group. We will not change that. Admitting additional teams will not change that. I fear that adding additional teams will do little to improve the game and will simply dilute resources much as expansion did in the NHL.

We did just fine under the old NCAA format. I would actually prefer the NCAA tournament to be run like the WJC with a round robin. Imagine this set up Pool A WCHA regular season champ CCHA playoff champ ECAC regular season champ Hockey East Playoff champ At large bid Pool B WCHA playoff Champ CCHA regualr season champ ECAC palyoff champ Hockey East regular season champ At large bid Each team gets four round robin games played over 2 weeks Ties settled by goal differential unlike the WJC, we still keep the frozen 4 where: 2nd place B plays 1st place A 2nd place A plays 1st place B There would most likely be more than 2 at large bids, because we will see dual winners. We have more hockey games this way and have at least 10 teams make it. We no longer have a regional format and a situation where one and done. You could have multiple host cities for the round robin play.

I wouldnt give a nickel to save BSU at the expense of the integrity of the WCHA and the established successful programs. If saving BSU cost UND the Gopher, Wisconsin, Pioneer, Tiger or Bulldog series I would vehemently oppose admitting BSU. As a lifelong Sioux fan living in Mpls, quite honestly I could care less about Bemidji, BSU, or the Beaver hockey program. I am routing for them as underdogs in the tourney, but I will be disappointed if any concessions are made to let them in. Worry about the Sioux, screw the Beavers.

I have to believe that Finehage will skate in Jonesy's spot. I think we'll see a mix of McWilliam and Gleason early on that third d pairing. I'm not sure about Rowney and Knight for next year, as they just signed this year. Draft status will play a role, but I think the idea is to have them lined up to fill Zajac and VV's spots for 2010. The coaches will be looking to fill specific roles as well as developing talent. We have to have a grinding line to accompany two established scoring lines and a developing scoring line. You can't roll 4 scoring lines and expect to win in this league. Especially with what will be a very young team.

I think that Forney is a big question mark. If he is able to come in and compete in practice, it will be a big time fight for ice time. I think going into the 09-10 season we have the following situation. Guaranteed ice time on one of the top 3 lines: VV (if he comes back) Malone Frattin Gregoire Hextall Zajac Highly touted Frosh that will play on the top 3 lines: Kristo Cichy 4 forward spots left open for the likes of: Trupp (his to lose) Toews (his to earn) Lammy Bruneteau Davidson Forney? I am hesitant that the team will want to bring in a guy for two years Mattson? I believe he will play a year of junior hockey. He is a wildcard, just like Oshie was coming in. The Alberta guys? I predict Hakstol takes a page out of Blaiser's book and rolls five lines in practice. The top four units play. It might be a situation where you have quality hockey players who aren't going to get ice time, so they leave ala Hunter Bishop. Not knowing the physical condition of some of these guys makes a big difference. Yes, they are all athletes and in shape, but who is strong enough to play a grueling WCHA season and then go on a playoff run. If I recall correctly, it was the physical condition of TJ Oshie that made him a #1 draft pick. That condition and draft order brought him to UND that first year, and the rest is history. I think Mattson fits into that same question. I am not saying that he will be an Osh, but he is a high end skill kid coming right out of high school.

The penalty for fighting in the USHL is simply Five minutes, unless the fight happens with less than five left in the game. In that case it is a misconduct and carries a one game sit.

I don't know the extent of Truppers injury woes, but I did not see improvement in his game. In fact, I felt he was a non factor after the MN series. If I were evan, I'd be worried about icetime next year. Agree with assessment if marked improvement on Malone and Frattin. They will be on the top two forward lines. A big ? Is Toews. Was he hurt, or lazy or what? He had solid offensive numbers in limited action usually on the fourth line. I thought his absence also slammed Kozrk's offensive production to a halt. You see it in VV, Frattin, and Malone for sure, the scouts aren't dumb, and the drafted players have potential and improve. What if VV comes back? VV centering Frattin and Kristo Malone centering Gregoire and Cichy Zajac centering Hextall and Lammy Toews centering Trupp and Bruneteau Genoway and Blood Marto and Finehage lapoint and McWilliam

Or Tech to the CCHA to give them 14

So...Northern Michigan or Lake Superior State?

Is saving Bemidji's program worth more than a series with DU, MN or WI? Emotionally, yes; but this is not an emotional decision. It is a business decision. From a business perspective that answer is a resounding no. Too small facilities in Bemidji. I can't imagine the negative revenue stream in terms of opportunity cost with a MN road game to BSU vs a MN road game to the Ralph. It would be a staggering number when you factor in concessions and liquor and other...

Central Scouting had Cichy as a 5th or 6th rounder at mid-season. I wonder if his improved production (2nd in USHL goal scoring and 3rd in overall scoring as well as a + overall since switching teams) has improved his draft position. Obviously first rounders are can't miss NHL players and second rounders are on the path to becoming NHL players if they stay on projectory, while 3rd rounders are usually projects for the NHL who need some seasoning in NCAA, CHL or AHL play, and 4th round and later are guys with NHL upside who you think might have a chance, so you want them, but you don't want to invest too much into them.

The challenge is and always will be $. The other challenge is the superordinate goals of college hockey i.e. parity and expansion of the sport. There is certainly precedent for teams switching conferences ala Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech being part of the WCHA as well as the CCHA at various times. Facilities are a challenge, as is population base, but Houghton isn't exactly a metropolis. A Big 10 conference is often considered, but the historical strength and tradition of rivalries such as UND with WI and UMN pose definite challenges in terms of loss of revenue and dilution of a highly regarded league. The F5 is the most successful conference tournament in part due tot he willingness of fanbases like UMD, UND, and SCSU making many trips. What do you do with Bemidji State? It is really a tough question given scheduling limitations. It certainly makes sense for them to compete with the other MN schools... There has to be a way to make it work. Traditionalists I know aren't fans of MSU and SCSU even being in the WCHA, but they have certainly been competitive and have earned the right to be in the conference. BSU has now won more NCAA tournament games than SCSU! NDSU wants to get hockey going...We can't really throw an unestablished program into the mix though. WHat about the private schools in the region with a history of success on the DIII level? There is certainly precedent among the private schools out east ala BC. I know we won't solve this problem on this forum, I am just grasping at straws. It is a shame if BSU is not welcomed into the WCHA after a F4 finish...

He's using it as a bargaining chip with Kitchener. If they really want him and he threatens NCAA hockey hard enough he might be able to get the contract he wants. Some of these major junior players make decent cash.

With you 100%. Throw in Gregoire with a year of experience and Zajac and Hextall's tenacity... As I've said before, I think we'll score goals, the question is can Blood, Finehage, and McWilliamclear the front of the net and give some punishment a t this level, while not being liabilities?

I am looking forward to seeing the progression of Marto, Gregoire and Frattin. Frattin impressed me this year with how he handled it when the pucks weren't going in for him. He scored a ton of goals in the middle of the season, and when he got a little snake bitten as the season progressed, he didn't press, but garnered a lot of helpers. His skating is sick, and he his speed and presence opened up the ice for others. He was a big time scorer in junior, and I expect him to push 20 goals next year. Gregoire is very talented and should become a two way leader on the squad this next year. I look to him to pick up a lot of Duncan's large skates. I think that either Kristo or Cichy will skate with him, and they will put up big numbers as a unit. Marto really came into his own on both sides of the ice this year. Like Frattin, the kid skates like Coffey. I look forward to seeing a lot of production his way and an even more solid presence in our own end as he gets stronger. No one seems to be able to tell me what new recruits are natural centerman. While any center can play wing, the responsibilities of the pivot in the defensive zone are tough to adapt to in the WCHA. If Kristo is as fast as people say, I like him with Frattin. I don't know who plays between them... Gregoire and Cichy and Malone Frattin and Kristo and Trupp Zajac centering Hextall and Bruneteau Toews and Lammy and Forney Davidson I still think Chay signs, but if not: Genoway and Blood Marto and Lapoint Finehage and McWilliam Gleason