yzerman19

My little boy is loving watching any international hockey- he thinks its awesome- and I dont disagree. Its fun hockey played at a high level. For boys and girls (that typically play together through Squirt) this is exactly how to play. Body contact, but no checking, move the puck...I've been coaching Mite, and didn't play organized after high school- intramural doesn't count, but these women are good players!!! I am engaged in this tourney- if you're mocking, just watch a period.

And I actually believe Bowen would be responsible enough at pivot to play that...I just think that Gersich needs to play with a higher end playmaker than either Hoff or Bowen...I think the Guch might be that

Yon is a solid hockey player, but he is stuck between roles here. He isn't an elite scorer at this level, and he isn't physical enough to play that game. He's a great player, he plays a top 6 game, but he isn't top 6 talent, and he is marginal bottom 6.

agree- they will stay at 26

When you just need to show up to make six figures, the Saturday morning "treatment" is just too easy...

Some of these low minute guys- the undrafted, un-pedigreed variety might just stick around as practice guys and get a game here and there while being part of the team, going to school and doing what Ralph Cox says is the reason he wanted to play college hockey

I'd go another D...we are deep up front

Cichy?

So then........ Guch with Gersich and Pogo Gardner with Adams and Mishmash Bowen with Jones and Olson Simo with Hoff and JJ Gornall and Smith rotate in for grit Yon and Wilkie fight for ice or move on

Brett Bruneteau

Gotta think the scratches for the BU game are the likely players to be bounced...have to think that Wilkie is on some scholarship and not "earning" it (sorry kid)...Yon and Smith are likely "books" scholarship players...

Just researched him- yep, he gets it

Good- I don't know anything about him, live a long way away and didn't bother to research.

You have to manage the programs like a portfolio. It is okay for some programs to subsidize others, so it is not as black and white as isolating the programs with negative margins. There are also sunk costs and opportunity costs as well as reputational risks and resultant unanticipated margin pressure that must be managed. You have to consider both revenue enhancement vehicles to the portfolio (grow into profitability) as well as simple cost cutting mechanisms. Is there a requirement that budgets have to be balanced (I am not very familiar with UND finances) if not, what is the current capital balance and what is the timeline to draining it- wondering if they can carry some losses while they work through it. Debt is also extremely cheap right now, so debt service rather than eating the whole loss might be an option while things are repositioned. I have to presume that the financial leadership at the University is at least somewhat savvy in all of these things, and would've considered them all. If you are trying to grow various programs, you can't be expected to be profitable, and if the UND was operating under a cashflow assumption, that is a huge mistake. To put it in layman's midwestern terms, do you choose to not buy the land or the combine based on cashflow today? If that's the logic you never grow. We are taking a huge blackeye, and I always worry about bean counters stifling vision...believe me, I love my bean counters, but I love the vision more...its a beautiful give and take.

It will be really interesting to see how Guch, Mishmash, Adams, and Jones fit into the lineup. I might try: Guch with Gersich and Pogo Gardner with Adams and Mismash Bowen with Jones and Olson 4th line depends on the opponent and depends on work in practice Simo with Gornall and Smith (heavy nights) Hoff with JJ/Wilkie/Yon (pick 2- scoring nights)

I feel like our pp is too regimented and the boys aren't out there playing hockey. They are trying to do a choreographed routine. As you grow in the game, you are coached to recognize and take advantage of odd-man situations. You start to see the ice in terms of a bunch of 2-1 opportunities. This is hard when its 5 x 5. On the powerplay, its a lot easier, because there is ALWAYS a 2-1 somewhere. I feel like we could perform a lot better if the boys were just playing hockey and working 2-1s around the circles. I'd like to see us do an overload and not focus so much on netfront. Netfront is great for screens and rebounds and should be critical during 5x5 play, but I think it is less effective on a pp. It is too easy to defend with a good box. Our approach typically creates a 4x4, because the weakside winger or D (depending on the pk scheme) is essentially out of the play unless a perfect pass/passing lane happens to occur. You can sit there and fire bombs hoping for a screen or using your numbers to crash a rebound, but why do that when you have the man advantage?

Bucks was a great shooter, no doubt, but he came into his own in his Sophomore year when he played with Parise. His first year was solid, but not great...albeit on one of our last weaker teams... Gregoire, Brady Murray, Drew Stafford all fit into that top 20 list IMO

GF has 55k people...that's the reason

He must've gotten dinged up that sophomore year then- thats a decade ago...wow

He was 17 as a frosh. I don't remember him being hurt. I do remember his heroics at the WJC.

LW: Gersich, Mismash, Adams, JJ, Yon, Smith, Hoff C: Gardner, Kawaguchi, Simo, Hoff, Bowen RW: Pogo, Wilkie, Bowen, Olson, Jones, Gornall

He was great, and I've been a Chicago fan ever since he left us. I just think that the Natty and the points tip it to BB.

Do I think Toews is a better hockey player? Yes. Did Toews have a more impactful and better freshman year- no. Toews rookie year we also had Zajac and Stafford and Oshie and Duncan, so it wasn't like he didn't also have a supporting cast.

Did Toews hang a banner? Simple Question

Best freshmen years in recent memory: 1. Parise- guy was the most anticipated recruit in history, and he did not disappoint. Generated offense every shift. 2. Osh- electric, just kind of surprised everyone on how great he was. Clutch goals, lots of them, and big hits! 3. Boeser- Natty and a monster year, kid shot out the lights. 4. Toews- Understated perfection, huge talent, big time recruiting get, what can you say about him...he's one of the 100 greatest ever 5. Zajac- 20 goal freshman campaign key add taking the team to the NCAA finals 6. Rocco, Kristo, Duncan, Bayda, Sparky, Jost... So Jost might squeak into the top 10 best first years IMO, but not legacy material