Sioux lines for 05-06

[coloradosioux]

So i must have been sleeping, but who is Alexander??

[Rick]

I hope the "Oshie" bandwagon is moving slow enough for everyone to jump on now.  A year ago there were questions about his skating ability just months ago people were wondering why they would bring him here and that he would need a year in the USHL, and that if he came here he would be wasting a year of eligibilty and would be fighting for limited playing time. Now there's talk about him being a first or second liner, I'm probably going to get flamed big time for this, I just find it a funny little ironic turn of events.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just to clarify where I'm coming from on Oshie. A couple years ago, a good friend and former Hockey Olympic Gold Medalist from Warroad started telling me about TJ Oshie. This started before Oshie announced he was going to UND. After Oshie made his choice of schools public, we would talk about him quite a bit. He's had a lot of opportunity to watch Oshie and he keeps talking about the skills this kid possesses. I would ask about his skating because some of the experts on the message boards questioned that part of his game. I asked him to compare Oshie to Bochenski, I told him I wouldn't mind having another bad skater like Bochenski playing for the Sioux. He told me that Oshie is a good skater and that he has terrific hands and hockey sense. He said that because of his size, other players assume they can knock him off the puck or put the big check on him. He said that other players also try to run at him, but because of Oshies great lower body strength, (he has very strong legs) it's always the other player who goes on his butt. He feels Oshie will be able to pick corners like Bochenski did. He also like to talk about how the puck always seems to follow Oshie around. The other thing he says when he's talking about Oshie is what a great kid he is and how humble he is. I say this just so you're not thinking everyone just recently jumped on the band wagon. Guys like The Sicatoka, pcm, dagies, jk, Scott Murphy, Clayton H and several others have been aware of Oshies skills for a couple years.

[Kermit]

So i must have been sleeping, but who is Alexander??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Todd Alexander will be a recruited walk-on defenseman. He is from New Hope, MN and played for the FM Jets in the NAHL last year. He was needed to provide some depth, probably in part because of the uncertainties caused by Robbie Bina's injury.

[jk]

In thinking about Oshie's draft position, I think the single moment that moved him up into the first round came late in regulation in the State Class A Championship game. As glorious as the OT face-off win and pass were, it was a simple open-ice shoulder check that probably opened eyes. With neither player seeming to have much momentum, Oshie delivered a clean hit, and the opponent crumpled to the ice. It was sufficiently violent that a penalty was called (two minutes for checking hard), and it served as Exhibit A to scouts that he plays big, regardless of his listed size. Smallish guys with good hands and vision are a dime-a-dozen, but a player needs the strength and attitude to play with some grit to make it professionally.

[Kermit]

In thinking about Oshie's draft position, I think the single moment that moved him up into the first round came late in regulation in the State Class A Championship game.  As glorious as the OT face-off win and pass were, it was a simple open-ice shoulder check that probably opened eyes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great call jk. Oshie was a monster in that game, the epitome of "refuse to lose."

[Rick]

By making comparisons to Bochenski above, I'm not saying I think Oshie will duplicate what Bochenski did his first year. Bochenski had a year of USHL hockey after graduating from high school, so I think it would be unfair to expect Oshie to do that. But if he can contribute like Spirko did last year I think we'll all be happy.

[schmidtdoggydog]

By making comparisons to Bochenski above, I'm not saying I think Oshie will duplicate what Bochenski did his first year.

[SiouxDini]

Spirko Zajac Stafford

Porter Toews Kozak

Fabian Oshie Prpich

Duncan Kaip Watkins

Swapping Oshie and Kaip around would seem ideal too, just my 2cents

[DAR]

Spirko    Zajac    Stafford

Porter    Toews    Kozak

Fabian    Oshie    Prpich

Duncan  Kaip      Watkins

Swapping Oshie and Kaip around would seem ideal too, just my 2cents

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't see Prpich and Fabian as having enough skill to mesh well with Oshie. Oshie is a skill guy and those two guys are grinders with not a lot of natural skill. They do their damage through hard work. I think Kaip or Watkins needs to be on that line. Although Watkins is not a center so I would put him on the 4th line. I am waiting to see how well Duncan does, not many people are talking about him but I think he could surprise some people regardless of his small stature. He had some very good numbers at Salmon Arm.

[redwing77]

[PCM]

Does this concern you that, as it is stated above, the first, second, and fourth lines could be considered scoring lines and not checking lines?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes. I'm extremely concerned that the Sioux might have more than one scoring line. If all four lines got into the habit of scoring, it might drive me mad.

[#1Hakfan]

Oshie can grind because he is one of the strongest players on his skates. He can play any style. Our regular grinder will be Fabian, Porter, Prpich, Kaip, Foyt and this season some of the incoming freshmen will play the role of grinders or energy players. Guys like Watkins, Duncan and Martens probably wont score much so they will have to play a different role.

[redwing77]

Yes. I'm extremely concerned that the Sioux might have more than one scoring line. If all four lines got into the habit of scoring, it might drive me mad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am unsure you understood the gist of my question.

I am not asking if we should be concerned because we brought in a boat load of scorers. I am asking if we should be concerned because the makeup of the team has changed so much that there doesn't appear to be any clearly defined 2nd checking line. Instead, there are 3 scoring lines and 1 checking line. Most teams have 2 of each.

[#1Hakfan]

I am unsure you understood the gist of my question.

I am not asking if we should be concerned because we brought in a boat load of scorers. I am asking if we should be concerned because the makeup of the team has changed so much that there doesn't appear to be any clearly defined 2nd checking line. Instead, there are 3 scoring lines and 1 checking line. Most teams have 2 of each.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Almost every player recruited to UND was a scorer when they came here. Canady led his team in scoring(Waterloo). Kaip was a scorer. Fabian was a scorer. It's just that when they get to the next level they may have to change their roles. Maybe for just a year or two, that why I think guy's like Watkins and Duncan wont have to score their first year or two. They will probably kill penalty's and be more like an energy line players. Bryan Lundbom had like 8 points as a freshmen. He ended up scoring over 30 goals his junior year.

[PCM]

I am unsure you understood the gist of my question.

I am not asking if we should be concerned because we brought in a boat load of scorers.  I am asking if we should be concerned because the makeup of the team has changed so much that there doesn't appear to be any clearly defined 2nd checking line.  Instead, there are 3 scoring lines and 1 checking line.  Most teams have 2 of each.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I understood your question. Perhaps you need to consider the possibility that players on a checking line can fulfill that duty AND score goals. What I don't understand is why you seem to believe there would be something wrong with that scenario. What's Hakstol going to say? "You two lines are for checking, so for gosh sakes, whatever you do DON'T SCORE ANY GOALS!

[Fedorov]

Most teams have 2 of each.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, crappy teams. I don't know where you get some of your stuff. It definitely wasn't from South.

[dagies]

Back in the late '90's I remember opposing coaches talking, almost in awe, of how the Sioux could roll 4 dangerous lines all night long and the opposing teams never felt like they could catch a break regardless which line came out. Frankly, the last few years it's felt to me like we threw out a 4th line for no reason but to kill time. The 3rd line was kind of a grinder line and the 2nd line we just hoped would score. I'm sure I'm overly critical here, but my point is that this team has a chance to have the deepest lineup of dangerous forwards in the last several years. Maybe we won't see that this year because of youth, but IMO most teams try to score throughout the lineup and maybe have a line that could be depended on to shut down a dangerous opposing line, and this team has a better chance to do that than any of our recent teams, IMO.

[PCM]

I agree, dagies. For the past three seasons, I've heard Sioux players and coaches say "every line can score" more times than I care to remember. For most of last season, if one line was scoring, I felt fortunate. It's been a long time since we've seen the days when the Sioux could roll four lines as they did from 1996 to 2000.

Case in point: Look at what happened to make UND successful near the end of last season. The team went from having one good scoring line (Spirko, Zajac and Stafford) to three good scoring lines (Porter, McMahon and Genoway, plus Fabian, Canady and Massen, which was supposed to be a checking line). When the other lines began making offensive contributions, it made a huge difference, not only in how the Sioux played, but also in how the opposition had to play them.

[dagies]

Case in point: Look at what happened to make UND successful near the end of last season. The team went from having one good scoring line (Spirko, Zajac and Stafford) to three good scoring lines (Porter, McMahon and Genoway, plus Fabian, Canady and Massen, which was supposed to be a checking line). When the other lines began making offensive contributions, it made a huge difference, not only in how the Sioux played, but also in how the opposition had to play them.

I was thinking of the same situation but was tired of typing.

[siouxnami]

Fabian was a scorer.

And still is, thank you very much...

[sprig]

I am not asking if we should be concerned because we brought in a boat load of scorers. I am asking if we should be concerned because the makeup of the team has changed so much that there doesn't appear to be any clearly defined 2nd checking line. Instead, there are 3 scoring lines and 1 checking line. Most teams have 2 of each.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This reminds me of a poster recommending a set of irons (for golfing, what else). He posted that, although these were great clubs, good players may not like them because you could only hit the ball straight, and couldn't "work" it.

Lines that can only score=golf clubs that can only hit the ball straight=what's the problem?

I must have missed the short bus when it was decided that at least 6 forwards need to be "grinders".

[redwing77]

The question was answered in a circuitous way, but answered nonetheless.