MissSioux85 Posted May 10, 2012 Posted May 10, 2012 Since the debate has moved here... Ryan S. Clark (Fargo Forum) spoke with Popeye Jones about Seth's decision “He put a lot of thought into it,” Popeye Jones said. “He did not want to choose a college early like a lot of kids do. We told him if you are not sure, to keep your options open. If a college is planning on you coming there, back it up. As parents, we felt it wouldn’t be a good thing to do and he didn’t think so either.” Popeye Jones said what made Portland stand out was the reputation of coach Mike Johnston, who has turned the team into one of Major Junior’s elite over the last few seasons. Another thing, Popeye Jones said, that helped was the fact his son could continue his education while playing in the WHL. “There is a great academic program there,” he said. “It was really important to us becuase he’s not playing in college. We want him to get a degree and get into a strong academic program. He’s a smart kid and skipped a year of high school and that in itself lets everyone know that as a family, we put education ahead of sports.” Popeye Jones added his son wanted to stay in the United States and it is another reason why Portland made sense. Staying in the United States, playing for one of Major Junior’s elite franchises, having a 72-game regular season schedule coupled with producing four first-round draft picks since 2010 is what helped put Portland over North Dakota, Popeye Jones said. Quote
MissSioux85 Posted May 10, 2012 Posted May 10, 2012 This post may sound a bit bitter, but the 'reasoning' behind his decison kind of bothers me. -Yes, Portland has a great program and coach, but it's not like UND is chopped liver. I've heard from several different people in the hockey world that Coach Hakstol and the North Dakota hockey program has a great reputation in NHL, and as we know, has done an excellent job developing NHL players. Also, UND is considered an elite program in college hockey. -Obviously playing at UND would allow Seth to continue his education while playing hockey. If his parents really want him to earn a degree, a 4-year college would be the best place to do that, not the CHL where Jones' education package will more than likely be null and void as soon as he signs an NHL contract. -A lot of Canadians on the coaching staff and roster leads one to believe that UND is in Canada? ETA: Although, I will say that Seth gets major points for officially keeping his options open and not committing to UND if he wasn't sure he would play there. Quote
fightingsioux4life Posted May 10, 2012 Posted May 10, 2012 Since the debate has moved here... Ryan S. Clark (Fargo Forum) spoke with Popeye Jones about Seth's decision Introducing the leader of the CHL sales team........... Quote
GFG Posted May 10, 2012 Posted May 10, 2012 So does this mean we as Gopher fans are correct when we call UND team Canada? Honestly...I don't understand those reasons. For every reason that was given UND was the better choice IMO. Especially when it comes to academics. Unless they're trying to say a UND education isn't worth much. I kid, I kid. Quote
yzerman19 Posted May 11, 2012 Posted May 11, 2012 CHL might still have (used to have) a special deal with the NHL where a signed player of junior hockey age could not be assigned to the AHL or ECHL, but rather had to play in the CHL until they turned 21. I guess if you are elite and sure to be drafted in the first part of the first round, with a rookie max deal guaranteed, you might as well sign on draft day and invest your signing bonus immediately- Quote
dagies Posted May 11, 2012 Posted May 11, 2012 To me it just shows that it was a close race, and there were enough positives (or should we say not enough negatives) about Portland to sway him towards D1. Most likely the MJ route was his preferred route to start with so this is just the justification to stick with that choice. No big deal, IMO. And good for him/them that this was handled professionally. Quote
passit_offthegoalie Posted May 11, 2012 Posted May 11, 2012 I didn't know Popeye was such an expert on hockey and geography. I almost wish Seth would've never considered us after that idiotic explanation. ---------------------- I've never heard of somebody choosing the CANADIAN hockey league over the NCAA in order to "stay in the US.". That's a good one. Good job by the agents and the CHL propagandists, on this one, 1 Quote
passit_offthegoalie Posted May 11, 2012 Posted May 11, 2012 Hope this article hasn't been discussed already, it's from last October: Interesting look at the hodge podge of various developmental leagues available for young prospects, and the various drawbacks of each and how they could work better. http://www.hockeypro...?articleid=1133 CHL ..... We could argue over the small details of those numbers, but I don't think it is an outlandish statement to say that a lot of the above-average players in the CHL are able to score at a high rate and are simply not challenged enough by their quality of competition especially when they hit their 18- and 19-year-old seasons. In summary, the main issues with the CHL when it comes to NHL prospect development is that the quality of competition is too low at times for many of its better, older prospects, and it prevents those prospects from advancing to a new league that is not the NHL but rather a middle ground, where they can continue to get challenged and develop but not be overwhelmed. Quote
Bert81 Posted May 11, 2012 Posted May 11, 2012 It could be that the top prospects do not intend to spend four years playing in the NCAA / CHL, and therefore don't want to start on a college diploma if they are going to leave school early. Quote
tnt Posted May 12, 2012 Posted May 12, 2012 Since the debate has moved here... Ryan S. Clark (Fargo Forum) spoke with Popeye Jones about Seth's decision Since the debate has moved here... Ryan S. Clark (Fargo Forum) spoke with Popeye Jones about Seth's decision Who are the four first round draft picks? Quote
siouxfaninseattle Posted May 12, 2012 Posted May 12, 2012 Since the debate has moved here... Ryan S. Clark (Fargo Forum) spoke with Popeye Jones about Seth's decision What is the academic program that the WHL offers? I realize they offer money for education but what is offered while a kid is playing? To say that education is so important and then go the MJ route doesn't make sense. Quote
yzerman19 Posted May 12, 2012 Posted May 12, 2012 "For every season a player plays in the WHL, they receive a full year guaranteed Scholarship, including tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees, to a post-secondary institution of their choice. For example, players graduating from a four-year WHL career are eligible to receive four years of scholarship funding. The WHL Scholarship, combined with additional financial assistance from Universities in Western Canada, makes the WHL – Canada West Universities joint scholarship equivalent to any other offer available in North America today" Quote
KTF Posted May 12, 2012 Posted May 12, 2012 "For every season a player plays in the WHL, they receive a full year guaranteed Scholarship, including tuition, textbooks and compulsory fees, to a post-secondary institution of their choice. For example, players graduating from a four-year WHL career are eligible to receive four years of scholarship funding. The WHL Scholarship, combined with additional financial assistance from Universities in Western Canada, makes the WHL – Canada West Universities joint scholarship equivalent to any other offer available in North America today" The WHL will also pay for your post secondary schooling while you are playing in the league and this does not count against the scholarship money they will provide after graduating from the league. Many players are enrolled on a part time basis at their local college/university, meaning they will have a year or two of schooling already completed by the time they leave the league. Quote
fargosioux Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Here's a pretty good perspective on this debate written by former UAA Seawolves player Justin Bourne: http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2012/05/11/my-experience-with-the-choice-between-major-junior-and-college-hockey/ Quote
scpa0305 Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 I didn't know Popeye was such an expert on hockey and geography. I almost wish Seth would've never considered us after that idiotic explanation. ---------------------- I've never heard of somebody choosing the CANADIAN hockey league over the NCAA in order to "stay in the US.". That's a good one. Good job by the agents and the CHL propagandists, on this one, Actually it happens quite a bit. But since you know nothing about the CHL, your comments are irrelevant. I am one of the biggest Sioux fans there are, however, I am also a fan of all hockey leagues (outside of college). I also enjoy following top young prospects, in saying that, many choose to go to the CHL with positive results in most cases. Please do not try and compare which league is better because when it comes to TOP prospects, about 90% of them go the CHL route...check out this year's draft results. If a player is a sure fire NHLer, they will more likely than not go the CHL route as it prepares them more for an NHL style of game. The college season, at most, has 45 games. Also, the reffing is absolutely terrible. If my son was 6'2'' 190 lbs and was a top prospect why would I send him to a league where the entire game is special teams. These players need to learn 5 on 5 as well. Sorry for the rambling but I get sick and tired of GF folks spouting off on how these kids are throwing away their lives by not choosing college hockey, those are the people who know nothing about the CHL. In saying that (as I have posting before on this site), something must be done regarding players de-committing. There needs to be a rule where CHL GMs cant talk to players once they have signed the letter of intent. Quote
passit_offthegoalie Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Actually it happens quite a bit. But since you know nothing about the CHL, your comments are irrelevant. I am one of the biggest Sioux fans there are, however, I am also a fan of all hockey leagues (outside of college). I also enjoy following top young prospects, in saying that, many choose to go to the CHL with positive results in most cases. Please do not try and compare which league is better because when it comes to TOP prospects, about 90% of them go the CHL route...check out this year's draft results. If a player is a sure fire NHLer, they will more likely than not go the CHL route as it prepares them more for an NHL style of game. The college season, at most, has 45 games. Also, the reffing is absolutely terrible. If my son was 6'2'' 190 lbs and was a top prospect why would I send him to a league where the entire game is special teams. These players need to learn 5 on 5 as well. Sorry for the rambling but I get sick and tired of GF folks spouting off on how these kids are throwing away their lives by not choosing college hockey, those are the people who know nothing about the CHL. In saying that (as I have posting before on this site), something must be done regarding players de-committing. There needs to be a rule where CHL GMs cant talk to players once they have signed the letter of intent. Actually, I just think that based on Popeye's explanation about education and playing in the U.S. being so important, that North Dakota would be better than the Western Hockey League. Call me crazy. Nice rant, though. Quote
Ray77 Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Here's a pretty good perspective on this debate written by former UAA Seawolves player Justin Bourne: http://blogs.thescor...college-hockey/ Wow, what a great article. He seems very well-spoken. This line was good, too: "...and the toughest to play of all of them all at the time, 5’7″ Hobey Baker-winner Ryan Duncan (AHL)." Quote
fightingsioux4life Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Actually it happens quite a bit. But since you know nothing about the CHL, your comments are irrelevant. I am one of the biggest Sioux fans there are, however, I am also a fan of all hockey leagues (outside of college). I also enjoy following top young prospects, in saying that, many choose to go to the CHL with positive results in most cases. Please do not try and compare which league is better because when it comes to TOP prospects, about 90% of them go the CHL route...check out this year's draft results. If a player is a sure fire NHLer, they will more likely than not go the CHL route as it prepares them more for an NHL style of game. The college season, at most, has 45 games. Also, the reffing is absolutely terrible. If my son was 6'2'' 190 lbs and was a top prospect why would I send him to a league where the entire game is special teams. These players need to learn 5 on 5 as well. Sorry for the rambling but I get sick and tired of GF folks spouting off on how these kids are throwing away their lives by not choosing college hockey, those are the people who know nothing about the CHL. In saying that (as I have posting before on this site), something must be done regarding players de-committing. There needs to be a rule where CHL GMs cant talk to players once they have signed the letter of intent. This is pure baloney. What GF folks are sick and tired of is the CHL lying and distorting the truth to get kids to sign with them. The idea that the CHL is "the fast track to the pros" is pure garbage and is not supported by the facts. What about all the kids that didn't pan out in the CHL and were tossed aside after their usefulness was at an end? They can't go back and change their minds, it's too late for them. Too bad, so sad, right? It is time that College Hockey, Inc. fight fire with fire. Get some stories from kids that were used and discarded by the CHL. Get some stories from kids that were promised the moon to sign and then were shocked to learn that it "just doesn't work that way here". Get some stories from kids that were promised help to pay for their education and then didn't get the help when they needed it. I, for one, am so sick and tired of the conciliatory approach that our fans and fans of college hockey take towards the CHL. I can guarrantee you that the CHL does NOT take the same kumbaya approach towards us. This is war and I want to win. Do you? Quote
Sodbuster Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Wow, what a great article. He seems very well-spoken. This line was good, too: "...and the toughest to play of all of them all at the time, 5’7″ Hobey Baker-winner Ryan Duncan (AHL)." That was an outstanding article! Besides the obvious, I enjoyed the idea about keg beer for the kitchen. Quote
DamStrait Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 The 2010 Olympic hockey tournament all-star team was voted on by the international media at the conclusion of the event. The following players were named: Position Player Team G Ryan Miller United States D Brian Rafalski United States D Shea Weber Canada F Jonathan Toews Canada F Zach Parise United States F Pavol Demitra Slovakia How many played for Portland? ...UND? ...in major juniors? ...in the NCAA? 2 Quote
siouxkid12 Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 what event are you speaking of? Pavol Demitra passed away in September Quote
fightingsioux4life Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 what event are you speaking of? Pavol Demitra passed away in September The 2010 Olympics, in February 2010. Quote
siouxkid12 Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 well, it helps when they refer to what tournament it was. Quote
JohnboyND7 Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 There are 58 NCAA teams. By definition, wouldn't 29 be above average and 29 be below average? hehehe Quote
Longfellow_Deeds Posted May 16, 2012 Posted May 16, 2012 Here's a pretty good perspective on this debate written by former UAA Seawolves player Justin Bourne: http://blogs.thescor...college-hockey/ Great post. Quote
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