Extremely disappointing. Every time I’m reminded of this I’m heartbroken for Bob.
I am not following. NIL is not a factor in the question of "Should you add Dupont, if only for a year?" Assuming the program has money, which all indications are they do.
It will be a factor in where he ends up.
The program has plenty of $$$. See: Ziemer & Mooney’s return announcements; each one had their own NIL sponsor attached on the post.
On this note I find it very strange how many people seem to believe Minnesota men’s hockey is stingy / frugal / cash-poor. All the MSU/PSU/Michigan idiots online seem to think so, plus a decent % of our own fanbase.
Like, we are the most lucrative and the most-watched men’s college hockey team in the country, by far. Our AD committed to revenue sharing for men’s hockey, and I doubt any of our B1G peers will match us on that.
I also strongly doubt Michigan State or Michigan hockey could ever bring in more NIL $ than us. None of the billionaire whales donating huge sums for Michigan athletics give a damn about hockey; PSU does have Pegula so I could see it there. Meanwhile every single Twin Cities business owner and all Gophers boosters know our men’s hockey pedigree and reach very well.
Something to understand right now... Without Phillips (Which I believe he is not coming) they only have 1 spot on the 26 man roster available. My best guess is that spot will have to go to a 3rd goalie. So they just do not have any room right now since nothing had been changed with the number of roster spots.
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Something to understand right now... Without Phillips (Which I believe he is not coming) they only have 1 spot on the 26 man roster available. My best guess is that spot will have to go to a 3rd goalie. So they just do not have any room right now since nothing had been changed with the number of roster spots.
Cut Harris and then Begley. Seems simple to me
Cut Harris and then Begley. Seems simple to me
If they wanted to do that they would have done it when the portal opened. Pretty shitty to do that to a player now and it also sets a precedent that it could happen to anyone at anytime. Do you really want the school to have a reputation of just cutting anyone? Seems like a bad thing to put in to recruits heads.
"Look what they did to Harris & Begley, they can do that to you as well. Come to our school instead, we will not screw you over like they did to those players."
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Cut Harris and then Begley. Seems simple to me
If they wanted to do that they would have done it when the portal opened. Pretty shitty to do that to a player now and it also sets a precedent that it could happen to anyone at anytime. Do you really want the school to have a reputation of just cutting anyone? Seems like a bad thing to put in to recruits heads.
"Look what they did to Harris & Begley, they can do that to you as well. Come to our school instead, we will not screw you over like they did to those players."
I doubt any D1 team would’ve grabbed Harris from the portal, and Begley would’ve been iffy on finding a new D1 home too.
Also, isn’t there some exception which allows for transfers outside of the window if a player gets cut? I’m fairly sure that was how Clayton Phillips transferred and started playing for PSU immediately.
Sports can be pretty cruel. I don’t think it will matter to any recruits we’d be afraid to lose, because such guys don’t see themselves as Harris/Begley-tier players.
Just saying... They may be trying to keep a good reputation to not doing things like that to players they already made clear that they wanted to keep them.
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Cut Harris and then Begley. Seems simple to me
If they wanted to do that they would have done it when the portal opened. Pretty shitty to do that to a player now and it also sets a precedent that it could happen to anyone at anytime. Do you really want the school to have a reputation of just cutting anyone? Seems like a bad thing to put in to recruits heads.
"Look what they did to Harris & Begley, they can do that to you as well. Come to our school instead, we will not screw you over like they did to those players."
I doubt any D1 team would’ve grabbed Harris from the portal, and Begley would’ve been iffy on finding a new D1 home too. Also, isn’t there some exception that allows for transfers outside of the window if a player gets cut? I’m pretty sure that’s how Clayton Phillips transferred and started playing for PSU immediately.
Sports can be pretty cruel. I don’t think it will matter to any recruits we’d be afraid to lose, because such guys don’t see themselves as Harris/Begley-tier players.
Harris and Begley should understand their place on the totem pole. Harris was a D3 player who was a depth add. Begley chose to stay as a non-scholarship walk-on with no guarantee of playing time. D3 and club hockey exist for a reason, so players who want to play and can't crack a D1 roster can have an opportunity. They should NEVER feel secure on a top-tier D1 roster because, lets be frank here, they really shouldn't be here. All I heard last offseason was how they couldn't just go get CHL players because "There aren't enough seats on the bus." Had to get a D3 transfer to fill out the seats because we didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by taking their spot with a CHL player. And we paid for it. Life lesson we all learn at some point: life isn't fair and your spot is never granted. I understand it's a delicate spot for Larson, but it comes with the territory. If you're not trying to put together the best team every season, or REALLY planning for the future through diligent recruiting, then what are we doing here?
Agreed. If they'd told Harris and Begley in the initial batch that there very well may not be a slot on the team for them, then sure, that's fine, that gave them the opportunity to try to move on if they wanted, or, stick around and take their chances.Just saying... They may be trying to keep a good reputation to not doing things like that to players they already made clear that they wanted to keep them.
If they told those two that there were slots for them on the team, taking that away at this stage makes for a bad reputation for the coaching staff. Not a good way to start their tenure with the team.
It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
The program has plenty of $$$. See: Ziemer & Mooney’s return announcements; each one had their own NIL sponsor attached on the post.
Not saying that UMN doesn't have some NIL $ at their disposal for hockey...but there's a pretty big difference between using NIL to get Ziemer & Mooney to return compared to landing a guy like DuPont.
@jupiter this is big time college hockey screw their feelings. Larson's job is to win a championship can't do that with Begley and Harris playing minutes
You really have no idea how the world works do you?
How about this...
Your GPL account is good. I plan to keep you on board here.
But wait, I think I will ban you after telling you that you were safe. Screw your feelings!
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And it wouldn't be right after. It would be a couple months later, after the ability to register for another message board was locked down for a year (yeah, internet doesn't work that way... just work with me for the analogy), so you didn't have a chance to even TRY to go somewhere else.
If, during the theoretical internet forum "Open enrollment period" being open, you were told that he'll let you post here, but if someone else that I like better comes along, he may block you... that would be reasonable. You know the options, you can make your choice whether to stay or leave. If he's said "yes, you can post here for the next year" then changes afterward, that's where the problem is. In the future, who would believe him when he said "yes, you're a member here"
Obviously, someone can get kicked out (or off the team) for serious misbehavior, but, that's not what we're talking about here.
@jupiter there's not a championship at risk here. At the very least he should have told them they got a 50 50 shot.
It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
You are still in the people business, even if it is more transactional than it ever has been. I would trust Larson has been up front with those two while still leaving the door open for an add if opportunity arises.
I get it I just hope that's not what's blocking them from adding a center (assuming there are any left).It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
You are still in the people business, even if it is more transactional than it ever has been. I would trust Larson has been up front with those two while still leaving the door open for an add if opportunity arises.
It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
You are still in the people business, even if it is more transactional than it ever has been. I would trust Larson has been up front with those two while still leaving the door open for an add if opportunity arises.
yeah if Larson did not have the conversation with Begley/harris and their respective families, that in itself is concerning.
If he told them they had a spot, yeah you don’t cut them. That isn’t something you want circulating in Minnesota circles.
I would assume Larson has been smarter than that and was very transparent about their anticipated roles (same as he was with guys who transferred like Clark, Gruba, etc who had fairly big roles last year). I think they both stayed because they loved the guys and are not thinking they’re likely to play many/any minutes.
I get it I just hope that's not what's blocking them from adding a center (assuming there are any left).It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
You are still in the people business, even if it is more transactional than it ever has been. I would trust Larson has been up front with those two while still leaving the door open for an add if opportunity arises.
tbh with the relative lack of any chatter, it’s feeling more like they may just feel they’re good with the roster. I don’t love that with being so unproven down the middle, but the roster is certainly more talented than last year (not that that is saying much)
hopefully just waiting until draft status and the combine is finished up and these guys can decide what they want to do based on their drafting teams
I don’t love the idea that they “promised” roster spots to Begley and Harris (if that is actually what is happening) but I’m willing to see how Larson’s vision plays out. He hasn’t even coached a game yet so let’s see what he can do his first year and go from there.
I’m sure his vision for roster construction will play out over a couple of years and he may not have all the pieces year 1, but he’s reshaped the roster in a big way in only a few months.
Cullen finishes at 12 in wheelers final rankings and is the top ranked American forward
Cullen, a Minnesota commit, has a fascinating development story. The son of former NHLer Matt Cullen, he was tiny when he showed up to the national program (5-5 and 120 pounds). But he was also one of the youngest players in the class, and now that the growth has come, he’s up to 6-1, he still has a lot of the little-guy elements to his game, and all of a sudden, a ton of development opportunity in front of him still, as he gets stronger in his frame. He also tore his hip flexor off the bone this year due to all the growth, but had some of the best games from an offensive standpoint that I watched in this class this season when healthy. He was far and away this NTDP age group's most talented player. He was also one of the standouts at this year's Chipotle All-American Game, where he had a goal and two assists before tweaking his hip again, and had the puck on a string late in the year and into U18s. He’s an extremely shifty on-puck handler who blends shoulder fakes into agile cuts and very noticeable lateral mobility in and out of turns and cuts. He's an offensive thinker who can pull you in with his blend of footwork and stick work and then beat you one-on-one the first time or open you up to put a puck into space for a teammate on the next. He has inside and outside edges in full control. He has deception. He can be direct or play out wide. His eyes are always up. And while there are times when he can play one-on-one too much and turn pucks over, you want him playing with freedom because he can make the big play. He was clearly more talented than his production last year indicated, and caught my eye dating back to U17 worlds in Sarnia when he was really small. When he's at his best, he has the puck all night and is knifing through or past coverage to make things happen. There are some visual parallels between him and James Hagens (who, coincidentally, he models his game after). He's a winger, a little less competitive and doesn't have the same pedigree, but he's also taller. Hagens went seventh, but I fully believe Cullen now belongs at the edge of the top 10 conversation.
I don’t love the idea that they “promised” roster spots to Begley and Harris (if that is actually what is happening) but I’m willing to see how Larson’s vision plays out. He hasn’t even coached a game yet so let’s see what he can do his first year and go from there.
I’m sure his vision for roster construction will play out over a couple of years and he may not have all the pieces year 1, but he’s reshaped the roster in a big way in only a few months.
I would think our new regime did tell Harris + Begley their roster spots aren’t guaranteed if anybody else comes in. It’s plausible those 2 simply decided they’re willing to take such a risk, given that both most likely would NOT find a new D1 home if they had entered the portal.
When Larson got hired, he immediately had a bunch of these tough convos w/ many players on last year’s team. All of whom played much bigger roles than Begley & Harris did.
So I don’t really think he’s particularly soft or sentimental w/ these 2 guys; they probably just knew better than to gamble on the portal.
Tbh I’d do the same, it’s the best odds of staying on a D1 roster at all. If more cuts do happen I’d think to myself “eh may as well just get my degree from the U and have one hell of a story to tell down the road”
I don’t love the idea that they “promised” roster spots to Begley and Harris (if that is actually what is happening) but I’m willing to see how Larson’s vision plays out. He hasn’t even coached a game yet so let’s see what he can do his first year and go from there.
I’m sure his vision for roster construction will play out over a couple of years and he may not have all the pieces year 1, but he’s reshaped the roster in a big way in only a few months.
I would think our new regime did tell Harris + Begley their roster spots aren’t guaranteed if anybody else comes in. It’s plausible those 2 simply decided they’re willing to take such a risk, given that both most likely would NOT find a new D1 home if they had entered the portal.
When Larson got hired, he immediately had a bunch of these tough convos w/ many players on last year’s team. All of whom played much bigger roles than Begley & Harris did.
So I don’t really think he’s particularly soft or sentimental w/ these 2 guys; they probably just knew better than to gamble on the portal.
Tbh I’d do the same, it’s the best odds of staying on a D1 roster at all. If more cuts do happen I’d think to myself “eh may as well just get my degree from the U and have one hell of a story to tell down the road”
This is how I’d see it as well in terms of how I’d expect Larson to have played it
The program has plenty of $$$. See: Ziemer & Mooney’s return announcements; each one had their own NIL sponsor attached on the post.
Not saying that UMN doesn't have some NIL $ at their disposal for hockey...but there's a pretty big difference between using NIL to get Ziemer & Mooney to return compared to landing a guy like DuPont.
Sure yeah but I think that distinction mostly reflects a coaching philosophy that values returners over unproven talent. Doesn’t really mean anything re: our program’s financial/NIL situation.
Just the way that many people online (mostly other B1G hockey fans) talk about Gopher men’s hockey, you would think our program’s finances and NIL resources must be a St. Cloud-level disaster. But in reality we’re the most lucrative and most well-endowed (fiscally speaking) program in college hockey.
@walker-barely-know-her he should have cut begley and Harris loose when he let all the other underperforming players go. This has been a roster building error so far. Obviously if he gets a high end center I'll shut up.
@walker-barely-know-her he should have cut begley and Harris loose when he let all the other underperforming players go. This has been a roster building error so far. Obviously if he gets a high end center I'll shut up.
I doubt it.
I don’t understand getting bent out of shape over the 8th D and 15th F. They aren’t gonna play. Who cares. If they’re that well liked in the locker room then fine.
Boy, was I wrong. I thought the negative comments would not start until after the 1st period of the Tech game and people would give Larson a chance to see how he does. I miss the mute button.
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I don’t understand getting bent out of shape over the 8th D and 15th F. They aren’t gonna play. Who cares. If they’re that well liked in the locker room then fine.
Iron sharpens iron, day to day, in practice.
If they are B1G, Minnesota Gopher players, I'm fine with them on the roster at 8 and 15. If they're there as a gift because they are nice? Well, hell, we all now a lot of nice young men.
Either way, it's year 1...I'll trust the process.
Boy, was I wrong. I thought the negative comments would not start until after the 1st period of the Tech game and people would give Larson a chance to see how he does. I miss the mute button.
Wait, we'll be up 6-0 by then, what will be negative?
Boy, was I wrong. I thought the negative comments would not start until after the 1st period of the Tech game and people would give Larson a chance to see how he does. I miss the mute button.
I mean people have a right to critique. We’re definitely still a little testy after last season.
Center is definitely their biggest question mark. I’m of the belief they have enough there but I get why some would be concerned.
@maroon_and_gold because it may prevent them from picking someone up who can turn a good season into a great season.
I don’t understand getting bent out of shape over the 8th D and 15th F. They aren’t gonna play. Who cares. If they’re that well liked in the locker room then fine.
@maroon_and_gold because it may prevent them from picking someone up who can turn a good season into a great season.
We have ZERO reason to believe that Larson decided he would rather keep Harris and Begley instead of getting a top center and/or DuPont.
Firstly, this offseason has made it very clear that Larson’s not afraid to send roster players packing.
Secondly, for all we know, DuPont + let’s say Mason West could both commit to Minnesota tomorrow, thus causing Harris/Begley to hang it up, be student managers, whatever.
Also, how many elite D1 centers do you think (1) exist, (2) are realistically available?
Like every year a huge % of the top point producers available in the portal are random 24y/o Atlantic Hockey guys, and when they go to B1G they often can’t keep up that same scoring pace.
Completely off topic and completely random, but that might not be a bad thing, there was a conversation going on a month or two ago about best Gopher teams and someone mentioned the 1991 season. Any reason why that one in particular stood out? I don’t think they even made it to the Frozen Four that year.
@walker-barely-know-her To answer your question, no idea if there are elite ones, but there are a lot of really good ones in the CHL who may want to play at Minnesota instead of going to the AHL.
Also I think Mason west needs time to develop. I think he can be a great player but definitely won't be as a freshman.
@walker-barely-know-her To answer your question, no idea if there are elite ones, but there are a lot of really good ones in the CHL who may want to play at Minnesota instead of going to the AHL.
Which ones would you be happy with as our #1 C
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Brett Larson joins the show:
It's more about the impact that would potentially have on future recruiting imo. IDK why those guys are still on the roster but that's a different question.
You are still in the people business, even if it is more transactional than it ever has been. I would trust Larson has been up front with those two while still leaving the door open for an add if opportunity arises.
And likely would advocate for them too for whatever program would try and scoop them up.
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Brett Larson joins the show:
really interesting pod
Liked the info on Cullen and his role and how his development role will look (basically making plans for every single player on how to get better; should sell super well to recruits imo).
Also like to hear that Larson seems to be taking personal recruiting very seriously, talking about flying up to Everett a couple of times.
The NIL stuff seems about in line with what we thought. We have money to spend but we aren't going to be leading the league dropping NIL money (you could tell Larson wanted to say like we saw with the McKenna sweepstakes).
Also lmao that the "random AI name generator" came up with Micki Dupont (Landon's dad). Pretty obvious they're recruiting the kid but pretty funny watching Larson dance around it. He's a very good interview. Imagine he'll connect really well across the board, both in MN and up in the CHL
Lastly, I really appreciate Larson's candor in talking about players. Seems like he'll be pretty up front about what guys need to work on (mentioned Burnevik needing to work on skating in past and improved). Larson seems very, very bullish on the D core
Brett Larson joins the show:
really interesting pod
Liked the info on Cullen and his role and how his development role will look (basically making plans for every single player on how to get better; should sell super well to recruits imo).
Also like to hear that Larson seems to be taking personal recruiting very seriously, talking about flying up to Everett a couple of times.
The NIL stuff seems about in line with what we thought. We have money to spend but we aren't going to be leading the league dropping NIL money (you could tell Larson wanted to say like we saw with the McKenna sweepstakes).
Also lmao that the "random AI name generator" came up with Micki Dupont (Landon's dad). Pretty obvious they're recruiting the kid but pretty funny watching Larson dance around it. He's a very good interview. Imagine he'll connect really well across the board, both in MN and up in the CHL
Lastly, I really appreciate Larson's candor in talking about players. Seems like he'll be pretty up front about what guys need to work on (mentioned Burnevik needing to work on skating in past and improved). Larson seems very, very bullish on the D core
Very interesting comments on DuPont... Sure seems like the door isn't 100% closed.
Brett Larson joins the show:
really interesting pod
Liked the info on Cullen and his role and how his development role will look (basically making plans for every single player on how to get better; should sell super well to recruits imo).
Also like to hear that Larson seems to be taking personal recruiting very seriously, talking about flying up to Everett a couple of times.
The NIL stuff seems about in line with what we thought. We have money to spend but we aren't going to be leading the league dropping NIL money (you could tell Larson wanted to say like we saw with the McKenna sweepstakes).
Also lmao that the "random AI name generator" came up with Micki Dupont (Landon's dad). Pretty obvious they're recruiting the kid but pretty funny watching Larson dance around it. He's a very good interview. Imagine he'll connect really well across the board, both in MN and up in the CHL
Lastly, I really appreciate Larson's candor in talking about players. Seems like he'll be pretty up front about what guys need to work on (mentioned Burnevik needing to work on skating in past and improved). Larson seems very, very bullish on the D core
Very interesting comments on DuPont... Sure seems like the door isn't 100% closed.
would sure imagine there's no rush whatsoever from a kid of this caliber who is also barely 17. Larson also made it pretty clear they're going to continue to recruit hard through the summer and see where things fall with dev camps
Brett Larson joins the show:
really interesting pod
Liked the info on Cullen and his role and how his development role will look (basically making plans for every single player on how to get better; should sell super well to recruits imo).
Also like to hear that Larson seems to be taking personal recruiting very seriously, talking about flying up to Everett a couple of times.
The NIL stuff seems about in line with what we thought. We have money to spend but we aren't going to be leading the league dropping NIL money (you could tell Larson wanted to say like we saw with the McKenna sweepstakes).
Also lmao that the "random AI name generator" came up with Micki Dupont (Landon's dad). Pretty obvious they're recruiting the kid but pretty funny watching Larson dance around it. He's a very good interview. Imagine he'll connect really well across the board, both in MN and up in the CHL
Lastly, I really appreciate Larson's candor in talking about players. Seems like he'll be pretty up front about what guys need to work on (mentioned Burnevik needing to work on skating in past and improved). Larson seems very, very bullish on the D core
Very interesting comments on DuPont... Sure seems like the door isn't 100% closed.
would sure imagine there's no rush whatsoever from a kid of this caliber who is also barely 17. Larson also made it pretty clear they're going to continue to recruit hard through the summer and see where things fall with dev camps
Might be wishful thinking, but its seems like there still could be roster additions before the start of the season.
Looks like exhibition with bemidji again on 1/2 2027 to open the second half
Completely off topic and completely random, but that might not be a bad thing, there was a conversation going on a month or two ago about best Gopher teams and someone mentioned the 1991 season. Any reason why that one in particular stood out? I don’t think they even made it to the Frozen Four that year.
The 1991-92 team sadly can be lumped in with the 2006 & 2007 teams as teams that were wagons and for whatever reason just didn’t have it in the playoffs. Throw 2013 in there too.
The 1992 team had Olimb, Klatt, Johnson, Hendrickson, Richards, Zmolek, Laylin, Dziedzic, etc. definitely loaded.
Completely off topic and completely random, but that might not be a bad thing, there was a conversation going on a month or two ago about best Gopher teams and someone mentioned the 1991 season. Any reason why that one in particular stood out? I don’t think they even made it to the Frozen Four that year.
The 1991-92 team sadly can be lumped in with the 2006 & 2007 teams as teams that were wagons and for whatever reason just didn’t have it in the playoffs. Throw 2013 in there too.
The 1992 team had Olimb, Klatt, Johnson, Hendrickson, Richards, Zmolek, Laylin, Dziedzic, etc. definitely loaded.
Interesting. That squad definitely does sound loaded. Didn’t Lake Superior State end up winning it all that year?
Throw in last year, 2024-25, as well. Looking back it is very unfortunate and almost mind boggling that the 2025 season fizzled out like it did. Really disappointing considering the roster construction.
Throw in last year, 2024-25, as well. Looking back it is very unfortunate and almost mind boggling that the 2025 season fizzled out like it did. Really disappointing considering the roster construction.
I literally bought tickets for that year’s natty title game in St. Louis after we shutout swept Michigan. Could tell going into October that our roster (on paper) was a wagon. And first half results seemed to prove it, even if our schedule was unusually weak.
Like, Huglen was slotted in at 4th line center (+PP/PK time) most nights. I guess something just didn’t really click going into the 2nd half. I think that Notre Dame playoff series was also an extra factor which contributed to guys gripping the sticks a bit too hard in the NCAA tourney.
Even then we still deserved to face WMU in that regional final, UMass sure as hell didn’t. Sadly those refs disagreed and they’re probably still reffing plenty of NCAA games.
Well the common thread with those 2000's teams was goaltending being mid at best.