Kermit

That's probably the ideal top line. Will it weaken the rest of the lineup too much to keep them together?

Your comments make sense. My wild guesses are based on a hunch that the coaching staff may want to spread some of the rookies across all of the lines. The Sioux will have so many frosh that doing this may require having a couple of new guys on the top two lines. Lots of Sioux freshmen have played on the top two lines in recent years, including guys like Bayda, Bochenski, Parise, Murray, Zajac, and Spirko. It's not crystal clear who might be ready to do that from among this year's group. Toews and Oshie have first line talent, but Toews is 17, and Oshie has very little experience beyond Minnesota HS. I guessed Kozek because he played 2 years in the BCHL, produced big, and the pros like him enough to make him a 2nd round draft choice.

It's nice to see that several of the incoming Sioux rookies are highly regarded prospects. We all know how young our d-corps will be and with the departure of Murray, I'd guess that 2 or 3 freshman forwards will need to be worked into the top 2 lines. I'm hoping that at least 2 of Toews, Kozek, and Oshie can pull it off. Forwards: (assuming no more departures) Kozek--Zajac--Spirko. Lots of skill. Big 2-way center with 2 smaller wings. Porter--Toews--Stafford. 17 year-old center with 2 big experienced wings. Prpich--Watkins--Kaip. A checking/grind line. Watkins bring some speed and skill. Fabian--Oshie--Duncan. Fabian does the dirty work for the talented rookies. Others: Martens--Miller--Foyt Defense: (assuming Greene is gone--the inexperience here is a bit frightening) Smaby--Lee. Is Lee ready to play 25 minutes/game? Chorney--Jones. Smaller pair, both have been very steady at earlier levels. Finley--Radke. Plenty of talent here, but maybe more erratic. Alexander--Marvin.

Andrew Kozek to Atlanta in the 2nd round.

Taylor Chorney to Edmonton in the 2nd Round at #36 overall.

Lee is a great kid (congrats Brian!)--but nobody was offering him $1M to leave Moorhead High. I expect he will turn pro when the Sens tell him it's time. 2 years seems like a reasonable guess.

The Penguins signed Andy Schneider today. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/transactions.asp

I'm going to guess that Prpich gets the C. He's a senior, he's intelligent, he's tough, and he leads by example. He played much of last year with a serious injury and never complained publicly. A defenseman will get an A at minimum. That might be Smaby this year, almost by default. I'd like to see Stafford step up as a leader. He might be a candidate for an A or even the C. Fabian was mentioned by Blais as a potential captain when he was a freshman. His time may be a year away. I'd love to see Zajac with a C some day, but I don't think he'll be on campus long enough for that to happen.

I have avoided switching to satellite primarily because I want to keep the Fighting Sioux Sports Network..

With the signing of Joe Finley, this must be true. Greene would have eaten a HUGE number of minutes next year. Not only does this mean there will be a frosh replacing a senior, but the other freshmen will see much more ice time..

Oshie is ranked ahead of the others by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau among others. From what I've seen with my own eyes, Fisher is significantly behind the other two in his development. Vandevelde made huge strides last year.

I've watched Lee many times, and I really disagree with this statement. I think he has the skills to be very productive offensively in time (I've said before that he reminds me of a young James Patrick), but I thought he played very conservatively last year--especially after the WJC tournament. Lee is extremely responsible defensively. It almost sounds like FoxSports was describing Jon Ammerman (who I also like, but who plays with more of a Keith Ballard style).

That scenario would not be allowed by the proposed rule change. From USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/news/2005/07/02_010652.php Quote: Another major change involves a goal that is scored off of an attacking player's skate. The committee changed the rule to allow goals off an attacking player's skate, provided there is not a "distinct kicking motion." "We felt like using a skate to direct the puck into the goal is a tremendous skill and that skill should be rewarded," Blasi said. "Clearly, any goal that is scored by kicking the puck will not be allowed." End quote.

I don't have the time now, but if anyone is interested in who played what position in which games, check the boxscores here: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0405/schedules/ndkm FWIW, my recollection is that Fuher only played forward for one game early in the year (Nov 5 vs CC)..

The Forum has a story headlined "Jet's Alexander to walk on at UND." http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm...&section=Sports

This will be the fourth NCAA championship game appearance for the Sioux in nine years. Fantastic. Denver has to be favored, but I think the Sioux match up to them better than anyone else right now.

The Sioux can't afford to spend any effort on looking for Paukovich. They will have their hands full with the Pioneers. I'm sure the Sioux will play one more game with the same pride and class that they have been showing.

Wow! Erik Fabian has been playing great hockey the last few weeks. He's my new hero. The kid just never gives up on a play.

Great post, PCM. Thanks for expressing some of the thoughts and emotions shared by many Sioux fans. Let's Go Sioux! Get well Robbie!

If this is accurate, disclosing this information on this board is an invasion of privacy. If it is not accurate, it is a malicious rumor. Either way, I don't think that kind of information should be posted here unless it is released from an official source.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Robbie. Get well soon!

Commentary by McKeen's Hockey Prospects: 01/09/2005 - (u17) Heady center from Shattuck St. Mary's is the gamebreaker for Team West .. wears the C .. very mobile as he can turn on a dime .. blessed with elite vision and hockey sense .. supports the puckcarrier well .. strong on his skates .. defensively aware .. makes an effortless transition from defense to offense and back again .. picked up his man effectively and nullified any scoring chance near the crease .. stickhandles in a phone booth .. uses his linemates and nails them with crisp, tape-to-tape passes .. will fearlessly drive to the net .. protected the puck so well on a breakaway that the defender was forced to drag him down and take a penalty .. closes the gaps and cuts down time on the puckcarrier .. has eyes in the back of his head as he regularly made no-look, behind the back passes right to a teammate .. very strong on the faceoff .. skates with poise .. picked up the rebound and knocked it home for a big goal .. knows how to find the holes .. picked the short side to give his team a late lead .. makes players around him better .. stickhandled through traffic and cut across the net, backhanding a shot past the goaltender for one of the prettiest goals of the tournament .. U-17 totals (6-8-4-12-2).

I've only seen Chorney a couple of times, but my impression is that he plays a similar style to Lee. He can make an outlet pass, skate the puck out if necessary, and lead a rush if the opportunity is there.