Early Departures 2022

[Kevin G]

2 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I agree with you 100%. Both Michigan and Minnesota have substantial upgrades at head coach (Pearson is a big upgrade from Red and Motzko is a big upgrade from Lucia). It makes sense their recruiting would pick up from what it was. The rest of that conference is nothing special. Also, hockey is 2nd or 3rd at best on the food chain at most of these schools (Minnesota is a notable exception to this). Hockey is not basketball or football. The failure of the current regional system in hockey is the direct result of trying to model the NCAA hockey tournament after March Madness (all neutral sites). Also, NIL won't be the same as for basketball and football, since hockey doesn't draw big media and corporate sponsor attention like the aforementioned sports do.

Bottom Line: UND is not going anywhere, whether Mel Pearson likes it or not. We will not settle for being a plucky little mid-major. 

I'm not sure even Minnesota is an exception to this. Despite their football team generally being awful for the better part of...well, forever, they get 10x the exposure on Twin Cities sports talk radio and tv coverage than the men's hockey team does. And despite their men's basketball team generally being mediocre, they get 5x the aforementioned coverage than the men's hockey team does. There were times when the women's basketball team--Lindsay Whalen era, e.g.-- got as much local coverage as the men's hockey team.

And then there's all the pictures of empty Mariucci.

[dden3]

What would Brad Berry have to say on this topic of our standing in college hockey and our ability to compete vs the BIG?  It would be an interesting discussion. Where is the Engelstad foundation on this topic and do they recognize the need for resources to keep the program at a high level?  Does our own UND Foundation have a role to play in funding?

[cberkas]

53 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Red stuck around too long. The program suffered as a result. The same may be true of Jerry York.

Yorks replacement is at UMass

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

The Wild sign Sam Hentges, might open the flood gates in st cloud

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

1 hour ago, dden3 said:

What would Brad Berry have to say on this topic of our standing in college hockey and our ability to compete vs the BIG?  It would be an interesting discussion. Where is the Engelstad foundation on this topic and do they recognize the need for resources to keep the program at a high level?  Does our own UND Foundation have a role to play in funding?

He acknowledge in a youtube video someone posted on here that while they have world class facilities that are helpful, it can be difficult to recruit against these schools in more attractive cities.  Some kids are set on going to that large campus atmosphere, which I get because I was the same way. That hasn't changed because of the Big 10 conference though, you'll always have kids that want to go to that massive college with the biggest parties/football games/etc.  But there's plenty of high end players that do not need that and want to focus nearly all of their time on getting better, winning titles and getting to the next level.  Johnny Toews, Tyson Jost, & Jake Sanderson come to mind as guys that could have closed their eyes and picked a school to go to yet chose UND for a reason.

[The Sicatoka]

WMU's Ronnie Attard signs with PHI. 

SCSU's David Hrenak signs with LAK. I'm not sure he's giving up an eligible year or not (even though I think he's been at SCSU for about eight seasons). 

[SJHovey]

1 hour ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

He acknowledge in a youtube video someone posted on here that while they have world class facilities that are helpful, it can be difficult to recruit against these schools in more attractive cities.  Some kids are set on going to that large campus atmosphere, which I get because I was the same way. That hasn't changed because of the Big 10 conference though, you'll always have kids that want to go to that massive college with the biggest parties/football games/etc.  But there's plenty of high end players that do not need that and want to focus nearly all of their time on getting better, winning titles and getting to the next level.  Johnny Toews, Tyson Jost, & Jake Sanderson come to mind as guys that could have closed their eyes and picked a school to go to yet chose UND for a reason.

There are more choices, too.  I don't mean more schools, necessarily.  I mean there are more places you can go and still have a shot to play for a title.

Unless Denver wins this year, there will have been nine different winners of the national championship in the last ten tournaments played.  Furthermore, if we see a title game between Michigan and Mankato, in addition to having nine different champions in ten years, there would have been seven completely different programs that finished runner-up.  16 different programs playing in the title game in ten years.  That's pretty remarkable.

[burd]

2 hours ago, SJHovey said:

There are more choices, too.  I don't mean more schools, necessarily.  I mean there are more places you can go and still have a shot to play for a title.

Unless Denver wins this year, there will have been nine different winners of the national championship in the last ten tournaments played.  Furthermore, if we see a title game between Michigan and Mankato, in addition to having nine different champions in ten years, there would have been seven completely different programs that finished runner-up.  16 different programs playing in the title game in ten years.  That's pretty remarkable.

It is remarkable--and good for the game. 

[scpa0305]

Rumor floating around that a goof or 2 may be hitting the portal/market looking for a new team. One blue chip 

[brianvf]

13 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

Rumor floating around that a goof or 2 may be hitting the portal/market looking for a new team. One blue chip 

[Blackheart]

2 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

Rumor floating around that a goof or 2 may be hitting the portal/market looking for a new team. One blue chip 

Gofers have blue chips?

[tnt]

2 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

Rumor floating around that a goof or 2 may be hitting the portal/market looking for a new team. One blue chip 

Since you have said 1st rounders are definition of Blue Chip, that would be Ryan Johnson and Chaz Lucius, and I would suspect the latter due to Johnson most likely to sign after his Junior season.

[Blackheart]

1 hour ago, tnt said:

Since you have said 1st rounders are definition of Blue Chip, that would be Ryan Johnson and Chaz Lucius, and I would suspect the latter due to Johnson most likely to sign after his Junior season.

Do we want any Gofer rejects?

[burd]

5 hours ago, Blackheart said:

Do we want any Gofer rejects?

Would they be able to handle playing in front of fans?

[The Sicatoka]

Did some more web-trolling and found another potential transfer portal information resource:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SnAo5zRTca15P0NtjXplt3_MEviK0h85QbgNmS2vxxI/edit#gid=0 

Caveat emptor. 

[siouxfan512]

On 3/29/2022 at 8:22 AM, SJHovey said:

While there is a certain amount of glee in seeing our in-conference rivals go through the same misery we went through last off-season, I personally think all of this is a bad development for the NCHC, and for North Dakota as a hockey program.  This league needs to maintain as much talent as possible for as long as possible.

I think anyone with a lick of sense has known for the last 8-10 years that it is inevitable that the B1G takes over college hockey.  There is simply too much money, tv access and name brand recognition for it to not happen.  The NCHC has done a heck of a job holding that off for now nearly a decade.  But it won't be forever, and I fear that 10 years from now we will look back and talk about how this is about the point in time when the takeover was complete.

B1G schools have dominated the recruiting battles for those "blue chippahs" everyone around here loves so dearly.  To counter that, we're going to need a league of talented upperclassmen.  A boatload of early departures for the AHL, or entries into the transfer portal, won't help that.

Agree and disagree with some of the different points you make. 

It's always nice to see conference rivals go through some of the same pain points as you. Even when it was the Gophers; you didn't want to see them dominate, but you didn't want to see them as bottom feeders either. Not as fun to beat a terrible rival team.

B1G will certainly have its share of success, but to say they will dominate hockey ... I'm not buying it yet. They may have a strong team or two, maybe even 3 on a good year, but I don't see them getting 5 teams in the tourney on a regular basis. Here is the problem with loading up with Blue Chippahs ... it isn't sustainable for anyone. Michigan brought in a absolutely ridiculous freshman class, who will likely all be gone next season. Nobody can restock that many 1st rounders every single year. 

College teams need to be balanced. Blue chip guys are great, but they need to be surrounded by playmakers and grinders as well. Always good to have a shut down line. It isn't always getting the best high end guys, but the right combination.

That being said, only time will tell.

[The Sicatoka]

4 minutes ago, siouxfan512 said:

Here is the problem with loading up with Blue Chippahs ... it isn't sustainable for anyone.

Why'd the words "Boston" and "University" just pop into my head? 

However, it is rather disturbing that Wisconsin and Boston College had descended rather quickly. If it can happen to those two, anyone is susceptible. 

[Dustin]

1 hour ago, siouxfan512 said:

Even when it was the Gophers; you didn't want to see them dominate, but you didn't want to see them as bottom feeders either. Not as fun to beat a terrible rival team.

So true.  NCAA hockey is better when schools like Minnesota and Wisconsin are in the mix.

[Dustin]

18 hours ago, SJHovey said:

there will have been nine different winners of the national championship in the last ten tournaments played

18 hours ago, SJHovey said:

seven completely different programs that finished runner-up.  16 different programs playing in the title game in ten years.  That's pretty remarkable.

These are the reasons why I love college hockey.  After UND has been eliminated, I (almost) always cheer for the team that's never one it, or has been in a long drought.  It's especially nice when a nationally known school gets some hockey recognition, too.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Why'd the words "Boston" and "University" just pop into my head? 

However, it is rather disturbing that Wisconsin and Boston College had descended rather quickly. If it can happen to those two, anyone is susceptible. 

I don't know how to put this exactly but is there a school in the last 15-20 years that's had a better average pairwise ranking than UND?  What's the worst they've finished? 20th?  Every other school seems to have had a real huge clunker year(or 3!)

[The Sicatoka]

Alternatively, where have the two teams from the 1999 Championship game gone? They've been each missing for well over a decade. 

[farce poobah]

7 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Alternatively, where have the two teams from the 1999 Championship game gone? They've been each missing for well over a decade. 

Indeed.  
 

The same could be said about the 2009 Frozen Four:  Vermont, Bemidji State, Miami, and Boston U.  Three of the Four haven’t been back, and BU hasn’t been to the Frozen Four since 2015. 

[jk]

10 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

I don't know how to put this exactly but is there a school in the last 15-20 years that's had a better average pairwise ranking than UND?  What's the worst they've finished? 20th?  Every other school seems to have had a real huge clunker year(or 3!)

I have to think UND would be tops by that measure.  Really only one clunker, 2002, since Blais took over.  Maybe Denver and BC are in the discussion.  Most of today's top Eastern teams were PWR 40 types 15 years ago.  

It won't do much for the "natty" counters, but it has meant a consistently competitive, contending, entertaining program for a big chunk of the adult lives of its fans. 

[scpa0305]

11 hours ago, tnt said:

Since you have said 1st rounders are definition of Blue Chip, that would be Ryan Johnson and Chaz Lucius, and I would suspect the latter due to Johnson most likely to sign after his Junior season.

I later saw that this may have all been blown up for no reason. Sounds like they are probably staying 

[The Sicatoka]

23 minutes ago, jk said:

It won't do much for the "natty" counters, but it has meant a consistently competitive, contending, entertaining program for a big chunk of the adult lives of its fans. 

20 conference championships
34 NCAA tournaments
22 trips to the NCAA semis (aka Frozen Four)
13 NCAA Title game appearances ...