siouxfan13 Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 are all of the freshman going to be counted on to make an impact right away...or is there more pressure on a certain few more than others....who is also not going to have alot of weight on there shoulders coming into the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THETRIOUXPER Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Toews. Lee, Finley. Lee and finley because of the learning curve of a D1 defenseman, Toews because of all the attention he's garnered up to this point, and any other freshman that will see a regular shift this season, but I think those guys are the big 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NDFAN Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 are all of the freshman going to be counted on to make an impact right away...or is there more pressure on a certain few more than others....who is also not going to have alot of weight on there shoulders coming into the season. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'd say the D-men will have the most pressure on them to perform. There are enough forwards returning to enhance the scoring, and I think our goal tending is pretty solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 People will be looking for Oshie and Kozek to justify their draft positions, which is unfair for true freshmen just starting their college careers. However, the freshmen forwards will be under no real pressure, as some returning stars will be counted on to lead the way, in terms of scoring, early in the season. It's a different story for the freshmen defensemen. Lee, Chorney, Finley and Jones will be relied upon to keep the pressure off the goaltenders. That's a huge request to make of freshmen defensemen, but that's the way it is. edit: NDFAN, you beat me to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THETRIOUXPER Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 JK makes a good point here about justifying draft positions. Hopefully with the understanding that these guys may not come right out of the gate and light things up, it's really hard to put a timeline on when a players impact might be felt, however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Ranger Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 People will be looking for Oshie and Kozek to justify their draft positions, which is unfair for true freshmen just starting their college careers. However, the freshmen forwards will be under no real pressure, as some returning stars will be counted on to lead the way, in terms of scoring, early in the season. It's a different story for the freshmen defensemen. Lee, Chorney, Finley and Jones will be relied upon to keep the pressure off the goaltenders. That's a huge request to make of freshmen defensemen, but that's the way it is. edit: NDFAN, you beat me to it. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree with you totally here. Obviously all the Defenseman will have alot of pressure on them because all four will more than likely be playing in all situations throughout every game for the entire season. I also completely agree with your point on Oshie and Kozek. They, along with Miller and Watkins, were basically forgot of coming into next season but after last weekends draft there is definitely alot more pressure on them to perform than there was a week ago. Here is to hoping all the freshman play up to their abilities and take the pressure off one another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I agree with the others above. The pressure is on the freshmen D. The one with the most pressure on the team might be Radke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kermit Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I agree with the others above. The pressure is on the freshmen D. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> No question, it's the D. It won't help the defensemen that half of the forwards will be freshmen either. A defenseman benefits greatly from a center who knows when to help out behind the goal line, or a wing that gets in the right position to receive an outlet pass. A veteran partner helps too, and we will likely see at least one pairing of two freshmen blueliners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux-per Villain Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 Obviously the pressure will be on an infant defense, but from an individual perspective, the most pressure may be on Drew Stafford. He was a highly touted 1st round draft choice that hasn't really produced the numbers one would expect from a #1. More importantly, I think we all know what a fantastic leadership job Matt Greene did as Captain. If he leaves (and I hope like hell he stays), Stafford will likely become the new leader of this team. We're still waiting for Drew to have his breakout year. Look for him to finally post big numbers. If he does, the potential to have 3+ players with more than 20 goals this season is high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 No question, it's the D. It won't help the defensemen that half of the forwards will be freshmen either. Very good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted August 2, 2005 Share Posted August 2, 2005 I agree with the others above. The pressure is on the freshmen D. The one with the most pressure on the team might be Radke. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I agree that there will be huge pressure on the freshmen D, but I feel that the most pressure will likely be on Smaby as the defensive leader (assuming Greene leaves). He will have to carry a large burden and skate A LOT of minutes and he will need to be the go-to guy back there. That will be a lot of pressure for someone who, although he played well as the season progressed, was arguably the fifth d-man last year behind AS, NF, MJ and Greene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnt Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I agree that the pressure will rest on the defense, but if they don't make the adjustment very well, some of the pressure will shift to the forwards to try outscore the other team. If you are looking at a comparison to last year, the offensive shoes that need to be filled are Brady Murray, Rory McMahon and Colby Genoway. The other forwards didn't put up great offensive numbers, so if each can chip in here and there, I think our offense won't suffer and probably improve overall. Let's just hope the pressure they feel is self-imposed and not an urgency they feel from the fans, because plain and simple, there are going to be some growing pains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I think one player that will definately have some pressure on him will be Zach Jones. I think people will expect him to come in and fill in immediately where his brother left off. I can't wait for the first time I hear: "Well Matt would have made that play.." I sure will miss Matt Jones.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I think we will be fine ...maybe even better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Posted August 3, 2005 Share Posted August 3, 2005 I think the pressure is going to be on the upperclassmen because of the large freshman class. For Minnesota a lot of that pressure fell on Chris Harrington last year, and we'll just say he didn't handle it so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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