Recruiting News?

[Goon]

Defense:

Greene-Jones (sounds sort of familiar)

Smaby-Radke

Lee-Chorney

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I wouldn't count on Greene being back.

[schmidtdoggydog]

I wouldn't count on Greene being back.

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There is no chance Greene will be back. He will likely sign the day UND's season ends.

[UNDPUCKS]

Just what is it that you think Green will sign? There is no CBA and no foreseable one in the very near future.

[redwing77]

Just what is it that you think Green will sign? There is no CBA and no foreseable one in the very near future.

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I can't say what "we" think, but I think Greene will sign because of the way the WCHA is officiated. It is not friendly towards big guys who play physical. The AHL, even, is better suited to Greene's defensive style than the WCHA now. His reputation is speaking more than his gameplay and it is costing the Sioux anyways.

[Poncho & Lefty]

Fantastic news on landing this gifted young man. I've watched him play a lot of hockey and he's the coolest thing since the coin-operated washing machine! All he needs now is a cool name tag. I belive he's a canuck so why not the nifty northmen. All our Canadian players should have nicknames, how's zippin' Zajac sound i kinda like it. You all must think I've been doing some serious opium but I'm just taking pain killers for the hip. This is one of those posts I'll probably apologize for later, but this is big news for me.

[schmidtdoggydog]

Just what is it that you think Green will sign? There is no CBA and no foreseable one in the very near future.

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He will sign, no question!

I hope I am wrong, but I cannot foresee him coming back.

[DMT]

Just what is it that you think Green will sign? There is no CBA and no foreseable one in the very near future.

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Hockey's Future

Matt Greene

Age: 21 Draft: 2nd Round 2002 College Year: Junior Outlook: Excellent

Matt Greene

[SiouxTupa]

Assuming we're making lines for next year....

There is no way they'll put two Freshmen together. Probably if Greene stays he'll be paired with Lee, OFD CHD...Chorney with Jones DFD CHD...

What do I know...but I think pairing two freshmen up is pretty risky.

Jonathan could be an impact freshmen, but I'm looking at the speedy BCHLers. We need more team speed and less puck dumping.

[redwing77]

Assuming we're making lines for next year....      

There is no way they'll put two Freshmen together.  Probably if Greene stays he'll be paired with Lee, OFD CHD...Chorney with Jones DFD CHD...

What do I know...but I think pairing two freshmen up is pretty risky.

Jonathan could be an impact freshmen, but I'm looking at the speedy BCHLers.  We need more team speed and less puck dumping.

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I actually think that speed is great, but stick handling and puck control are even better. It was plainly obvious that Stafford wasn't the fastest player on Team USA, but his stick handling and puck control were such that he still scored consistently. I'm not saying that speed should be put by the wayside, but look at (the overused) Zach Parise. He had speed, sure, but his stick handling and puck control skills were unbelievable. I think that is what Toews is going to bring to this team.

[schmidtdoggydog]

If anybody watched the WJC, being compared to Phaneuf would be quite a compliment.

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It is quite compliment and Greene will be quite a pro!

[Poncho & Lefty]

There is no doubt in my mind Greene will make a good pro. I haven't seen him play much except for occasional trips to GF or games my June mails me. His only downfall that I've heard is penalties and as he matures as a young adult and player he will lose that problem I believe. He won't be the next Bobby Orr but he'll be a good third defensman throughout his career.

I'm also a little more optimistic that he'll be wearing the green again next year. If the CBA doesn't get solved who knows what will happen.

[Siouxhockey03]

My lines:

Murray-Zajac-Stafford

Porter-Spirko-Toews

Kaip-Prpich-Watkins

Oshie-Kozek-Duncan

Lee-Chorney

Jones-Smaby

Radke-Bina (or Fast if he chooses UND)

[#1siouxfan22]

who is Fast?

[PCM]

who is Fast?

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Compared to me, just about everyone.

[redwing77]

Compared to me, just about everyone.

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baaZIIINNNNGGG!!!!!

[Goon]

He will sign, no question!

I hope I am wrong, but I cannot foresee him coming back.

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We are kidding ourselves if think that Matt will be here next season.

[SFSIOUX#1]

I for one will miss Greene cross-checking an opponent on the PK only to see the Sioux go down another man. He has alot of upside but has to learn to play a lot smarter.

[redwing77]

I for one will miss Greene cross-checking an opponent on the PK only to see the Sioux go down another man.  He has alot of upside but has to learn to play a lot smarter.

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You have the oddest way of putting things. The first sentence you state is really nothing more than beating a dead horse and not being productive and then you follow it up with some constructive criticism. Odd.

At least you posted a combo instead of the usual "Greene sucks" posts.

For that, I can respect your opinion. He does need to learn to play a lot smarter, but instead of throwing a book at him, what I would do is to show him tapes from last year. He played pretty smart last year. Don't know why it has changed.

Nevertheless, I believe shep will get his wish at the end of the season. Goon is right, Greene is all but gone.

I, for one, will miss him because other players look at him with a certain amount of fear. He will be valuable at the NHL level because of his physical play and defensive skills. From what I've seen in the NHL, bad calls still happen, but reputation calls are relatively rare. In the WCHA a good percentage of one's penalties, especially among players who (at one point or another) make stupid mistakes, are made based on reputation.

[Goon]

At least you posted a combo instead of the usual "Greene sucks" posts.

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You are having problems with your reading comprehension skills no one that I remember said Greene sucks. They said he is taking stupid penalties at the wrong time was hurting the team and selfish and maybe he should go to the NHL.

[redwing77]

Is it bad to have 2 extra forwards? I know I'd love to see everyone play, but if this year is any indication, I don't think those two forwards would have lost an appreciable amount of ice time considering the play and the injury problems we've been having.

IMO I would hope Oshie does what Goligoski did with Minny: Come in only if another player leaves early (he came in when Vanek signed). That being said, if Stafford stays another year, Oshie should be an '06.

With our forward situation being as it is, I think Moreland's chances of returning to the team are pretty slim.

[DMT]

Courtesy of Iceburg from POI. The Fergus Falls Journal.

Dowzak on track to big time

Fergus product playing hockey for elite Sabres

By Brian Hansel

Tysen Dowzak is following a different star and that star is taking him many places.

The 16-year-old Fergus Falls junior is a defenseman on the Shattuck-St. Mary's ice hockey team. The Faribault prep school is the place every serious hockey player wants to find himself. Dowzak has been there for three years.

"It's like my home now," said the 6-5, 225-pound Dowzak, who is not allowed to drive a car at school, but will be traveling to Colorado and New Mexico this week, and has traveled to France, Sweden and Germany during his career.

The Sabres begin playing hockey when other schools are fielding football and soccer teams. They are a member of the USA Hockey Association and play on a Midget Triple A level. It works out well. As the only team of their type in the Minn-Dakota district, the Sabres receive an automatic bye into the national U17 tournament.

How good are the Sabres? They are on the ice in September and they play 70 games. They recently faced Minnesota's top Class A team, Breck School, and posted a 6-1 victory. They usually faced junior clubs Fargo-Moorhead Jets, the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Billings Bulls. It's a world closely scrutinized by college hockey teams and the National Hockey League.

Dowzak's first coach at Shattuck-St. Mary's was J.P. Parise, a 14-year NHL veteran who spent most of his career with the Minnesota North Stars. Parise, who is now the director of hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's, saw Dowzak playing summer hockey in Minneapolis and liked his size and potential.

It costs five figures a year to attend Shattuck-St. Mary's but the school has programs that allow Dowzak and others like him to afford the education. A private school is not in the cards for every young athlete, and Dowzak had to make a very tough decision at the age of 13.

"It was a real tough decision to have to leave but it was just something I had to do," said Dowzak, who loves the game and wants to play on the Division I level next.

National Collegiate Athletic Association rules forbid schools from contacting prospective players personally until their senior year. What happens in the junior year is contact by letter. Dowzak has heard from the University of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maine. A professional hockey career is his ultimate goal and there has been some interest from pro teams, but that is not a street Dowzak wants to go down yet.

Most of Dowzak's teammates are Minnesota boys but the Sabres also have players from Wisconsin, Georgia and Manitoba. Dowzak's fellow captain of a U17 hockey team that played in Europe last summer was Shattuck-St. Mary's teammate Kyle Okposo.

Dowzak took the ice for the first time at the age of three and started developing his skills in the Fergus Falls Hockey Association. His world has changed considerably since that time. Last summer he was in Los Angeles for 10 days skating for the IMG sports agency. Then he traveled to Minneapolis where he skated at the Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

You do not show up at Shattuck-St. Mary's in the fall out of shape. Dowzak works out six days a week on drills aimed at increasing his strength and agility.

"When your're a big guy it's crucial that you are a good skater," said Dowzak.

[redwing77]

Courtesy of Iceburg from POI.  The Fergus Falls Journal.

Dowzak on track to big time

Fergus product playing hockey for elite Sabres

By Brian Hansel

Tysen Dowzak is following a different star and that star is taking him many places.

The 16-year-old Fergus Falls junior is a defenseman on the Shattuck-St. Mary's ice hockey team. The Faribault prep school is the place every serious hockey player wants to find himself. Dowzak has been there for three years.

"It's like my home now," said the 6-5, 225-pound Dowzak, who is not allowed to drive a car at school, but will be traveling to Colorado and New Mexico this week, and has traveled to France, Sweden and Germany during his career.

The Sabres begin playing hockey when other schools are fielding football and soccer teams. They are a member of the USA Hockey Association and play on a Midget Triple A level. It works out well. As the only team of their type in the Minn-Dakota district, the Sabres receive an automatic bye into the national U17 tournament.

How good are the Sabres? They are on the ice in September and they play 70 games. They recently faced Minnesota's top Class A team, Breck School, and posted a 6-1 victory. They usually faced junior clubs Fargo-Moorhead Jets, the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Billings Bulls. It's a world closely scrutinized by college hockey teams and the National Hockey League.

Dowzak's first coach at Shattuck-St. Mary's was J.P. Parise, a 14-year NHL veteran who spent most of his career with the Minnesota North Stars. Parise, who is now the director of hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's, saw Dowzak playing summer hockey in Minneapolis and liked his size and potential.

It costs five figures a year to attend Shattuck-St. Mary's but the school has programs that allow Dowzak and others like him to afford the education. A private school is not in the cards for every young athlete, and Dowzak had to make a very tough decision at the age of 13.

"It was a real tough decision to have to leave but it was just something I had to do," said Dowzak, who loves the game and wants to play on the Division I level next.

National Collegiate Athletic Association rules forbid schools from contacting prospective players personally until their senior year. What happens in the junior year is contact by letter. Dowzak has heard from the University of North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Maine. A professional hockey career is his ultimate goal and there has been some interest from pro teams, but that is not a street Dowzak wants to go down yet.

Most of Dowzak's teammates are Minnesota boys but the Sabres also have players from Wisconsin, Georgia and Manitoba. Dowzak's fellow captain of a U17 hockey team that played in Europe last summer was Shattuck-St. Mary's teammate Kyle Okposo.

Dowzak took the ice for the first time at the age of three and started developing his skills in the Fergus Falls Hockey Association. His world has changed considerably since that time. Last summer he was in Los Angeles for 10 days skating for the IMG sports agency. Then he traveled to Minneapolis where he skated at the Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

You do not show up at Shattuck-St. Mary's in the fall out of shape. Dowzak works out six days a week on drills aimed at increasing his strength and agility.

"When your're a big guy it's crucial that you are a good skater," said Dowzak.

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Thanks for posting this. It's an interesting read. I saw him play at the Ralph a year or two (?) ago and he seemed a lot like a Matt Smaby type player. Very stay at home defense like. One thing was certain when I saw him, he seemed WAY TALLER than 6'5" on the ice. That boy was freaking HUGE.

I don't know who is in the lead on him, unlike with Okposo and Toews, I have no sources on where he's headed, but if you read in between the lines, it seems Minny has a better shot than us.

[brianvf]

I don't know who is in the lead on him, unlike with Okposo and Toews, I have no sources on where he's headed, but if you read in between the lines, it seems Minny has a better shot than us.

I agree, and it's too bad, because he looks like a quality player. You never know though, at least we are in the running for him.

[Siouxhockey78]

I think the Sioux should push really hard for him because not often do you get a chance to get a player of that size. Haven't ever seen him play but it sounds like he is huge. Being quick and packing a lot if muscle at that size will give teams a lot of problems. He would be a great pick-up to knock down people coming up the ice.

[redwing77]

I think the Sioux should push really hard for him because not often do you get a chance to get a player of that size. Haven't ever seen him play but it sounds like he is huge. Being quick and packing a lot if muscle at that size will give teams a lot of problems. He would be a great pick-up to knock down people coming up the ice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've seen him play. Let's put it in plain comparison: If you don't like Smaby's style, you won't like Dowzak. They are comparable in size. It didn't look like, when I saw him, he moved his feet all that effectively. However, he was (I think) a sophomore at SSM when I saw him play. A LOT can change in time. He sounds like a quality defenseman, but in the NCAA, height can be a blessing and a curse.