Captains? Sweaters?

[The Sicatoka]

Folks, we're under 30 days to the first drop of a puck.

Does anyone have the inside news on who will have a 'C' or 'A' on their sweater?

Does anyone know which new face will have which number on their sweater?

[mksioux]

I don't have any inside info, but here are my predictions:

C - Ryan Hale

A - David Lundbohm

A - Zach Parise

#24 - Brady Murray

#18 - Drew Stafford

#4 - Matt Smaby

#21 - Robbie Bina

#16 - Chris Porter

#17 - Erik Fabian

#26 - Foyt (if he makes the team)

#1 - Jordan Parise

#31 - Nate Ziegelmann

[dagies]

Porter's going to look awfully slow................

My picks are

Ryan Hale = C

Andy Schneider = A

Parise or McMahon = A

[DAR]

I do not think Ryan Hale should be captain again this year. He had a really disappointing year last year. He needs to step up and provide some offense on that third line which he did not do last year. When the Sioux hit the skids last year I did not see the leadership there to get them out of their funk. My vote goes

C: David Lundbohm

A: Andy Schneider

A: Brandon Bochenski

[DamStrait]

My $0.02:

C: Z. Parise

A: Schneider

A: Prpich

[dagies]

I do not think Ryan Hale should be captain again this year. He had a really disappointing year last year. He needs to step up and provide some offense on that third line which he did not do last year. When the Sioux hit the skids last year I did not see the leadership there to get them out of their funk. My vote goes

C: David Lundbohm

A: Andy Schneider

A: Brandon Bochenski

Leadership positions should not necessarily be given on the merit of offensive production. No doubt Hale had a disappointing offensive year but that, in my mind, does not render him an ineffective leader. How he handles himself and others during this time is what cuts the mustard.

Considering Lundbohm is a guy who sporadically needed a kick in the pants occasionally his first couple of years, from my recollection, to nominate him captain seems premature. Now, I'm not around the team so I'm willing to admit he could be a fine leader at this time. Just basing my opinion on what we saw early on in his career.

[kr]

He had a really disappointing year last year. He needs to step up and provide some offense on that third line which he did not do last year.

It would be nice to see more offensive output from Ryan, especially because I believe he has the ability to score more. I disagree with the comment about his leadership..... He sat out his 2nd year with a hand/arm/shoulder injury (my memory is faulty), dealt with his mother's illness, dealt with his brother's illness, played defense when the coaches asked him to ..... from my view in the stands he appears to be a leader ....

I'll go along with mksioux:

Hale - C

Lundbohm - A

Parise - A

[Fighting Sioux Fan]

C - Hale

A - Schneider

A - Parise

[schmidtdoggydog]

I do not think Ryan Hale should be captain again this year. He had a really disappointing year last year. He needs to step up and provide some offense on that third line which he did not do last year. When the Sioux hit the skids last year I did not see the leadership there to get them out of their funk. My vote goes

C: David Lundbohm

A: Andy Schneider

A: Brandon Bochenski

Peter Armbrust's stats during the 2000 season: 43 1 10 11 33 - that is 11 points on the year.

He was the captain, the result - national championship number 7.

[sagard]

I don't see the Sioux much, but R. Hale looked to be your best player and hardest worker against Ferris. I'm guessing some of those others may be a little more skilled, but from a one game snapshot you could do worse than Hale for captain.

[TheSiouxFan]

It's hard to say who should be captain this year, because all the seniors seem to lack the leadership and drive, and I believe that is what happened down the stretch last year and might/will happen this years. Is Ryan going to be able to be there mentally for the team if he is captain with his mom's illness and his injuries. Disregarding their relative class, to me there seems to be no better leader than Andy Schneider, plays with intensity all the time and seems to come up big at key moments.

[sioux fan in phoenix]

I think Ryan's mom passed away last year or the year before. I agree with you, SiouxFan, re: Schneider as he seems like the college hockey equivalent of Cal Ripken. I think there's going to be the same mix as last year (1 defenseman & 2 forwards).

C-Schneider

A-Parise

A-Hale

It should be noted that designated team leaders are generally the most well-liked, hardest-working guys on the team; & I frankly don't have a clue as to which guys are Mr. Popular in the Sioux locker room.

[redwing77]

Ok, I'm as much of a dissenter towards R. Hale as some, but Here's my prediction:

C -- Hale

A - Schneider

A - Lundbohm or Parise

My reasoning is thus: Like said earlier, offensive production doesn't mean he is a bad leader. Yes, he had several breakaways that turned out to be easy saves for the goalie. Whatever. Blais likes to go with who works the best at the job at hand, whatever that job may be. I think the players enter into that mentality as well. Therefore, for no other reason other than to stick with what the norm is, Hale will maintain Captaincy of the Sioux. If Offensive production was the pivotal factor in Captaincy, then we would be talking Bochenski, Parise, or Massen as Captain. Maybe even Fylling as well. Not going to happen that way folks. I think the goal scorers need to be without an "A" or "C" personally. That way they can concentrate on getting the puck to the back of the opponent's net and not on what his teammates are doing or leading the team. That is why I do not feel that Parise will be wearing a letter. THis isn't saying he can't lead. It is saying that, for the one last season everyone in the world feels he's going to be at UND for, he should be allowed to score points and not lead the team in any other category.

[skateshattrick]

C-Hale

A-Parise

A-Bochenski

Hale is a senior and a very hard-working person. I see him as a leader even though he is not one of the most talented players. Parise is the best natural leader on the team with his work ethic and play on both ends of the rink. I like naming Bochenski to send him a message how important he is to the team and to keep him inspired. I think that would pay dividends.

[jk]

A few things about Ryan Hale:

sagard,

Hale often looked good, as his line with McMahon and Prpich forechecked well, keeping the opponent bottled up in their own end. If Hale had been even a decent finisher last year, he would have had about ten more goals. The regularly fine play of that line, with all of them back and a year older, is one reason I am more optimistic than most about UND being three lines deep.

The finish last year left me, and other Sioux fans, discouraged, so I understand people questioning Hale's captaincy. However, I think people forget the strides a still-young team made last year. Coming off a very disappointing season, they put together a solid record and finished tenth in the nation in the PWR (which discounts the poor quality of the non-conference opponents). Even though they just couldn't seem to get things right down the stretch, I can say in their defense that I thought they played hard all the way through it. I feel that last year put the program back on track, and a lot of the credit for that should go to the Hales and Spiewak and Notermann for setting the right tone from Day 1. I'm not an insider so I don't know how it really went down, but that's my view from afar.

[ScottM]

My picks:

Hale-C, experienced leadership is a quality that doesn't always show up on a stat sheet.

Schneider-A, has really proven himself as a solid d-man who can also shoot the puck.

McMahon-A, tough, feisty and a hard worker who usually shows up to play. Besides, I have to love a guy who busts an opponent's stick and tosses it on the ice.

IMO I don't believe Parise has earned a leadership position yet, regardless of his production, even though he probably sets the pace for much of the team. Maybe this year, he will develop that quality, as well as 80 or so pts.

[jk]

...Parise ...Maybe this year, he will develop that quality, as well as 80 or so pts.

Of course you'll now be the object of ridicule for your obscene projection.

[mksioux]

I don't base my Parise "A" on his point production on the ice. I base it largely upon the stories I heard about him taking it upon himself to better himself by skating at the Ralph during off-times and having the natural leadership ability to have almost the entire team follow suit. It seemed to set a positive tone for the team.

[Siouxhockey03]

C: Hale

A: Schneider

A: Lundbohm

[DamStrait]

..because all the seniors seem to lack the leadership and drive, and I believe that is what happened down the stretch last year...

Seniors Notermann and Spiewak were great leaders, especially by example, IMHO.

[DamStrait]

mksioux Posted on Sep 8 2003, 11:11 AM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't base my Parise "A" on his point production on the ice. I base it largely upon the stories I heard about him taking it upon himself to better himself by skating at the Ralph during off-times and having the natural leadership ability to have almost the entire team follow suit. It seemed to set a positive tone for the team. 

This is exactly why I would pick Zach to wear the 'C'. It started out that he was the only one hitting the REA ice everyday between classes, then a bunch followed his example. I think this had a lot to do with their hot start. Hale, on the other hand, couldn't even talk his brother into staying for his senior year (jk). Actually, I think Ryan did a great job last year, especially last off-season, when he helped convince most of the team to stay in GF and work out together. This too, I think, had lots to do with their hot start last season.

I'm really torn on who I think ought to be captain. I like Ryan, He's a great worker and the fact that he's not a big scorer is not a consideration in my 'vote'. I do not like at all the way last season ended, however, and I think the captains have to shoulder most of the blame for that. That's why I think it'd be good to have some new blood in the leadership positions this year.

I really like Prpich for a leadship position. He has some skills, which again don't enter into my choice, but what I really like about him is his hockey smarts, toughness and tenacity. At Mankato last year, he was the best player on the ice, due mostly to grit and playing smart hockey. This means that two of my three choices would be underclassmen (see below), but so be it. I think generally (meaning all teams at all levels of hockey) the choices made for captains is too conventional and unimaginative, like following a recipe.

DamStrait Posted: Sep 5 2003, 03:16 PM 

My $0.02:

C: Z. Parise

A: Schneider

A: Prpich

[Herf]

C - Hale -I like that he basically does whatever is needed of him. Now, if he could put a few more of those nice passes from McMahon in the net...

A - Schneider - I think he could lead by example if nothing else.

A - McMahon - Just a hunch, has been one of my favorites on the team.

As someone else said earlier, this comes without knowing anything re: locker room motivation skills.

Kind of along these same lines, what is the schedule for the team getting things started? Have they been doing Ironman, etc...

[mksioux]

I'm really torn on who I think ought to be captain.  I like Ryan, He's a great worker and the fact that he's not a big scorer is not a consideration in my 'vote'.  I do not like at all the way last season ended, however, and I think the captains have to shoulder most of the blame for that.  That's why I think it'd be good to have some new blood in the leadership positions this year.

I think you make some valid points in your last post. Actually, I like a lot of the points made on this thread about other candidates. I think McMahon would make a good captain and I like the idea of getting Bo involved in the leadership for the very reasons skateshattrick articulated. I'm sure Schneider would be great too. You can't go wrong with any of them (which is a good problem to have).

But I disagree with those who think Ryan Hale should not be captain. While there are other worthy candidates, I still think Ryan should wear the C. IMO, demoting Ryan would be making quite a negative statement about him and could unnecessarily divide a locker room and do damage to team unity.

Obviously the team thought very highly of Ryan to vote him captain last year. Unless something egregious has happened since then (which I'm aware of nothing), I think a team will tend to stick with their captain for his senior year. Of course since we're not in the locker room, we don't know what's really going on. But nonetheless, I would be shocked if somebody other than Ryan Hale is named captain.

btw- I also see Prpich wearing the C or A at some point during his tenure at UND. I really like the way he plays the game. He doesn't have the skills of a Parise, but he has a great work ethic on the ice and is a joy to watch.

[forecheck]

Not to mention that Hale is one of the few players left who has experienced a national championship game, and is the only one who has actually won a NC. Last year, Spiewak, Notermann, Leinweber, and Hale undoubtedly referred to that experience when leading the team to a tournament appearance after a disappointing 2002 season. He knows what it takes, and that the end result more than makes up for all the hard work.

[Speez]

I've been reading this thread for awhile and have no qualms at all with anybodies choices for a leadership role on next years team. I'm tired of reading " Well I don't know what actually happened in the lockerroom", but...

The Sioux had a great leadership group last year. They will be fortunate to have that calibre next year. The captians, including Lieney & Notes, were a group that laid it on the line every game for the team. You read about NHL captains saying, " Well I'm not very vocal, I let my actions on the ice do the talking for me."

Well these guys did both. No one can see they didn't lead by example. The tanks were definately empty when a game was over. There were a number of times teammates were called on to the beautiful carpets in the lockerroom at REA between periods. There is only so much you can say to someone. If a player can't come to a game mentally prepared to play, then maybe they shouldn't be playing at this level.

All these guys have the skills, it's the mental aspect of the game that matters when it's time to drop the puck.

To the the comment that, "Ryan couldn't even convince his brother to stay another year," I couldn't believe I read that . These guys all have the dream of getting to the next level. I'll bet Ryan slapped David on the back, high fived him & said "Way to go, Bro" Dean wouldn't have even tried to convince David to stay.

Not that it matters, but I'll give my vote to Ryan as next years captain. Let him continue to show the players what it means to wear the Sioux Indianhead & the pride that is passed on to anyone fortunate enough to play for "The Fighting Sioux."