Bear Man Posted January 10, 2006 Posted January 10, 2006 Jim O'Briens character, and what we mean by character, could be viewed in different ways I suppose. As a positive - he is regarded as one of the top if not the top 89 born US player. He played for the USNDTP this past year as by far the youngest player and is accelerating his studies to graduate early from high school this spring. He may have some issues - but it appears bad grades / schooling isn't one of them. Maybe he's a nerd ? Nevertheless, a good get for the Goofies as he was recruited by almost every big name school. Quote
tnt Posted January 10, 2006 Posted January 10, 2006 tnt, if siouxnami is referring to the same thing I'm thinking of, there was a post within the last week or so, by a gopher fan (one who usually has some inside 411), mentioning something about O'Brien's personality or character being a little "different" and if the report was accurate, if the gophers lost him to another team maybe it wouldn't be that big of a loss. Now to be fair, that comment didn't necessarily paint O'Brien as a bad egg, just a possibility of potential issues. It was heresay enough that I wouldn't probably have repeated it, yet at the same time siouxnami didn't just make it up because O'Brien is going to MN. I'll buy that. The timing was just sort of funny, but I guess if that post was from a gopher fan then the timing isn't an issue anyway. "Different" isn't always bad anyway, look at most goalies. I guess being in the self-preservation mode most of the time can do that to one. Quote
Bear Man Posted January 10, 2006 Posted January 10, 2006 From the Minnesota Hockey Journal: Carl Sneep of Brainerd visited the Gophers last year. According to his guardian Mark Sandelin earlier this fall Sneep was undecided as to where he would attend college and said there was no timeline for making that decision. Sneep made his second visit to the University of North Dakota last week. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Word out now is that he has verbally committed to BC after a visit there this past week. I think they need him for 2006 while we would not have probably needed him until 2007. Maybe this was the deal breaker ? Quote
siouxnami Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 I hope the statement about O'brien isn't related to the fact that he committed to the gophers yesterday, or that he was leaning that direction. If it isn't, then that's fine. I just don't understand how some people can't realize that there are a lot of good players out there and each team is going to get their share of them. Remember, it goes both ways. Bochenski wasn't a saint before he came here, so there were questions about his character. He turned it around pretty good I would say, and kept his nose clean through college. No, of course not. Below is a clip from the Western College Hockey Blog. I don't take shots at Gopher recruits as I have a great amount of respect for the program. I actually expected O'Brian to end up at CC, so the Minnesota commitment is a surprise. I also think that this would indicate that Potulmy and/or Irmen are leaving, though this could just be a Bostrum replacement. Jim O'Brien is arguably the best 1989 birthdate in the United States. So why hasn't he been that highly sought after? First of all, as I discussed previously on here, O'Brien made the choice to accelerate his schooling to become a 2006 recruit rather than a 2007. So instead of being one of the top recruits in his age group, he just became one of the better players in the 2006 class. Also, Michigan basically dropped all contact with O'Brien and said they were no longer interested. Wisconsin apparently gave O'Brien a deadline to commit(which I'm purely speculating that Wisco knew O'Brien wouldn't do), and when he didn't commit, they basically dropped all contact with him. The question is: why? Michigan Rivals hockey guy Michael Spath described O'Brien as both a "weird cat" and "odd duck" which, as far as animalistic colloquialisms go, is better than being a "deranged pig", but still raises some question marks. O'Brien will end up choosing between Minnesota and Colorado College. Maybe Colorado College is the right place for O'Brien. Anyone to the right of Tim Robbins of the political spectrum will probably tell you that you have to be a little weird to go to CC anyway. Ending up close to home with the Gophers probably wouldn't be a bad situation for him either. In any case, he's a very talented player and I wish him the best. And for the record the post was made prior to O'Brian committing. EDIT: My knowledge of O'Brian committing... Quote
redwing77 Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 Sneep did indeed commit per Heisenberg to BC. O'Brien's committing has already been mentioned. Quote
siouxnami Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 Word out now is that he has verbally committed to BC after a visit there this past week. I think they need him for 2006 while we would not have probably needed him until 2007. Maybe this was the deal breaker ? This is a little disappointing. The Sioux have now lost to potential elite physical defenseman in a row, to eastern team. I am greedy and want to see the huge UND D-men pipeline filled... Quote
Siouxhockey78 Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 We need another big defenceman like Mike Commadore again. Seems like everytime there is one out there like him we loss out on it. Quote
schmidtdoggydog Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 We need another big defenceman like Mike Commadore again. Seems like everytime there is one out there like him we loss out on it. Psst - check the Sioux roster, look for #2. They don't get much bigger than that. Quote
AZSIOUX Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 We need another big defenceman like Mike Commadore again. Seems like everytime there is one out there like him we loss out on it. wasnt matt greene big, matt smaby and joe finley? or are you referring to recent recruits like gyrba who didnt want to go to school? we will get one, just be patient. Quote
DAR Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 Psst - check the Sioux roster, look for #2. They don't get much bigger than that. Problem is to this point he does not use his size to his advantage and does not play very physical. Hopefully that will change as he matures and develops. Quote
spfreak Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 I thought that against Harvard, Finley was more of a physical player and also had his best home series to date, even though he had a broken hand. I think that he may have turned the corner. I am hopeful anyweays. Quote
AZSIOUX Posted January 11, 2006 Posted January 11, 2006 Problem is to this point he does not use his size to his advantage and does not play very physical. Hopefully that will change as he matures and develops. what is he, 24 games into his career..give the guy time and he will be a big time d man. Quote
Siouxhockey78 Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Finley may be big but I still think commadore was more forceful out there Quote
AZSIOUX Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Finley may be big but I still think commadore was more forceful out there no doubt that commy was a huge force but lets give big joe a year to a year 1/2 before we judge. he was a 1st round draft pick and yes his size has a lot to do with that but he also does have some skill and he will only get better as the season goes... Quote
redwing77 Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 no doubt that commy was a huge force but lets give big joe a year to a year 1/2 before we judge. he was a 1st round draft pick and yes his size has a lot to do with that but he also does have some skill and he will only get better as the season goes... I agree. Some players have come in and said "I'm going to beat the crap out of everyone and let the rest of my game develop" (IMO Smaby and perhaps Commodore and Greene came in with this idea) and some come in "I want to play a good defensive game because if I screw up, I get benched. I'll get physical later." This, IMO, describes Finley. I definitely think Finley can be a physical force. He had the PIMs in juniors to tell us that. I just think Finley is expending all of his energy trying to learn the speed of DI and still be a competant, responsible blueliner. Quote
#1Hakfan Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 There is no room for a defensemen next year. Gryba and Sneep wouldn't wait until 2007, just like Obrien. When it is all over Finley will be as tough and mean as Commie, Greene and Smaby. Remember he is really just a senior in High school. Quote
Sioux_Yeah_Yeah Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 OK, I don't care if he is only a half a year into his 1st season of D1 hockey.... The guy is frickin ginormous and he knows it, and he barely does anything for our team...and I know you all know that!! He doesn't barely ever shoot the puck, he hasn't made any goals, and he's only got 3 assists, and he barely hits any of the opposing players... He better get going later in the season or next season if he's a draft pick.... Quote
redwing77 Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 OK, I don't care if he is only a half a year into his 1st season of D1 hockey.... The guy is frickin ginormous and he knows it, and he barely does anything for our team...and I know you all know that!! He doesn't barely ever shoot the puck, he hasn't made any goals, and he's only got 3 assists, and he barely hits any of the opposing players... He better get going later in the season or next season if he's a draft pick.... Wow. You know why we recruited him. A big defensive defenseman is put in the roster do get offense? Good God. Matt Greene must have been the worst player in the world to you. He had 3 goals his entire 3 year UND career! Quote
tnt Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 I think some people have selected memory. Mike Commodore looked like a fish out of water many times in his freshman year. I remember watching him in practice that year and his skating and endurance had a lot to be desired. In fact, I bet if there was a message board back then, people would have been asking why they recruited him. The same can be said of Matt Smaby. He started to get much better after Christmas his first season. I really like the way Finley had progressed from Day 1. Quote
PCM Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 I think some people have selected memory. Mike Commodore looked like a fish out of water many times in his freshman year. Freshman and sophomore years, as I recall. After the Sioux won the championship in 2000, a Boston College fan tried to tell me that Commodore was UND's best offensive-defenseman, despite a guy named Roche being on that team. Because Mike scored a goal against Niagara and a goal against BC in the NCAA playoffs that season, a lot of people assumed that he'd been a goal-scorer all during his career. Quote
DMT Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 wasnt matt greene big, matt smaby and joe finley? or are you referring to recent recruits like gyrba who didnt want to go to school? we will get one, just be patient. Sorry...I hate to nitpick AZSIOUX, but Gryba did want to go to school...just not at UND. He is going to Boston U. You are probably thinking of Tysen Dowzak, who went to the WHL. Quote
siouxnami Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Psst - check the Sioux roster, look for #2. They don't get much bigger than that. Yes, I am aware of Finley and happy to have him, I want the next one. Also, Hale Commie Green Smaby all struggled their freshman year, goes with the size. Quote
AZSIOUX Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 Sorry...I hate to nitpick AZSIOUX, but Gryba did want to go to school...just not at UND. He is going to Boston U. You are probably thinking of Tysen Dowzak, who went to the WHL. yup..i meant dowzak..my bad..thx Quote
WiSioux Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 UW men's hockey: Highly touted Gagner headed to Badgers The spotlight shining on the future of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team added some serious wattage this week when high-profile center Sam Gagner made an oral commitment to the Badgers for the 2007-08 season. If he's so great... how come I haven't heard of him? Was UND looking at this kid at all? Quote
Kermit Posted January 12, 2006 Posted January 12, 2006 UW men's hockey: Highly touted Gagner headed to Badgers The spotlight shining on the future of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team added some serious wattage this week when high-profile center Sam Gagner made an oral commitment to the Badgers for the 2007-08 season. If he's so great... how come I haven't heard of him? Was UND looking at this kid at all? I'm not sure why you haven't heard about him, but he has been getting lots of press. He is widely considered one of the best forwards in his age group in North America. He may be the top forward recruit in the NCAA for 2007. I'm sure the Sioux knew all about him, but he narrowed his choices to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and BU some time ago. From USHR yesterday: "Gagner is a difference-maker, a character kid who has what it takes to someday soon win the Hobey Baker Award. An outstanding playmaker, what sets him apart from his peers, and made him so sought-after, is his outstanding ability to think the game at a high level." Quote
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