The overreaction to anybody questioning the direction of recruiting and the program in general is getting ridiculous. I’m not saying fire Bob but to not have concerns right now seems naive to me.
I think we all know that college hockey is hard to predict and nobody has it all figured out. But as far as this team, I have a hard time seeing this roster as currently constructed (not final) being better than the one that just flamed out against Notre Dame and lost to UMass in round 1.
I wouldn't go as far as saying we can't win under Motzko going forward (maybe recruiting becomes good again? not impossible) but I think mlhouse makes some good points and I agree with most of the post. Also not gonna blame anyone for making a bold prediction on a message board.
The overreaction to anybody questioning the direction of recruiting and the program in general is getting ridiculous. I’m not saying fire Bob but to not have concerns right now seems naive to me.
Fully agree. I’m not in the fire Bob camp per say, but the trajectory is downward and red flags in recruiting relative to the expectations of this program:
2020-21: 2nd Round
2021-22: FF
2022-23: Runner Up
2023-24: 2nd Round
2024-25: 1st Round
Next years roster on paper has less talent than 2024-25. I understand it still has good talent and the roster doesn’t guarantee anything but let’s call it what it is.
Berchild and Lutner going to Denver. Mason West not visiting.
Everything above is a fact and I am interested in the facts from the “this is Gopherhole” “everyone is Bonin” camp?
My view is that at a certain moment it becomes difficult to connect with young people. I cringe when Bob makes public statements re: NIL like “our guys get burritos” when recruits want to hear “we are working hard to advocate for our top talent because we have a strong market at Minnesota”.
The overreaction to anybody questioning the direction of recruiting and the program in general is getting ridiculous. I’m not saying fire Bob but to not have concerns right now seems naive to me.
Fully agree. I’m not in the fire Bob camp per say, but the trajectory is downward and red flags in recruiting relative to the expectations of this program:
2020-21: 2nd Round
2021-22: FF
2022-23: Runner Up
2023-24: 2nd Round
2024-25: 1st Round
Next years roster on paper has less talent than 2024-25. I understand it still has good talent and the roster doesn’t guarantee anything but let’s call it what it is.
Berchild and Lutner going to Denver. Mason West not visiting.
Everything above is a fact and I am interested in the facts from the “this is Gopherhole” “everyone is Bonin” camp?
My view is that at a certain moment it becomes difficult to connect with young people. I cringe when Bob makes public statements re: NIL like “our guys get burritos” when recruits want to hear “we are working hard to advocate for our top talent because we have a strong market at Minnesota”.
you’re right on the commits going elsewhere. It will be interesting to see how they pan out, develop, and grow, and if they’re as big of misses as some people think they will be when they hit campus.
The overreaction to anybody questioning the direction of recruiting and the program in general is getting ridiculous. I’m not saying fire Bob but to not have concerns right now seems naive to me.
I am not necessarily either, or at least it is clear that the university is not going to fire him.
I posted some of these thoughts before and the thread got deleted as this is a very homer site.
One of the issues I brought up then was that the defense of Bob is the same defense people would have made about Doug Woog and Don Lucia two years before they were fired.
I think the clock is ticking on this and while a program can have ups and downs as it did in the past, the real issue is that the modern world of college athletics is much different than it was before. There is INSTITUTIONAL pressure to drive recruits to powerhouse college franchises. They are mostly locked in for the major sports and if the Gophers miss the boat on this it will be much more difficult to get back on top. Maybe since hockey is not a major revenue sport it will not be such a monopoly, but look at the schools the Canadian players follow: Michigan, Michigan, Michigan.... That is the big revenue at play.
Mooney with a goal and two assists tonight. 11 points in 5 games, would be the first gopher to lead the U18 team in scoring in this tournament since kessel. Townsend had a hat trick tonight as well.
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
Who says you get to decide whether or not people can think it's time for a coaching change?
Ever since the 22/23 title game it has been clear to me that Bob will not win the big one, other people may disagree and that's fine. But if I hold that opinion, it would be foolish for me to think Bob is the best option to lead this team. Factor in the last 2 recruiting cycles, and it's time for a change in my opinion.
My question on recruiting - and I do not intend this to be challenging so much as expanding the discussion - what are the major concerns? Numbers? It seems the lack of commitments over the past year is one of the big worries.
Everyone acknowledges Berchild was a recruiting miss. He has been fantastic at the NTDP and it is easy to see him playing three years of college hockey. His loss stings.
On the flip side, a lot of people wanted Parker Trottier and he had 5 points in 39 games. We would be losing our minds if we saw this production from an early add. Logan Lutner should be a solid collegiate player but he is not tracking to be a difference-maker.
A miss IMO would be Noah Davidson but as a non-Minnesotan he does not get discussed.
We obviously have not seen a Canadian junior add (unless you want to kind of cheat and include Hayden Reid. We will see how this pathway plays out.
Moe, Kvasnicka, Rombach, etc. are all good players and local for those who care about it. I do not see the pipeline as an issue. See Schneider, Fitzhenry, Scott, Geiger, etc. go elsewhere? Then I will hear some alarm bells.
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
no place will be able to "buy" championships in any sport that is a team-based sport. Individual ones (say like track, wrestling) maybe, but not team sports given the need for depth/cohesion and the 1-and-done environment that allows for even superstar teams to lose.
That said, you certainly can increase your chances through NIL and buying players (hence why Michigan provided they get the CHL guys they're rumored to and BU will be top 5 teams) as getting there and being a 1 seed certainly make the path easier.
at the end of the day in hockey in a 1 and done environment, even if you're 80% likely (no one is this high realistically) to win each game, still puts you at a less than 50/50 chance to get it done come postseason and realistically, those odds on a game by game basis are way closer to 60% for even the best teams come postseason play.
Not giving up on Berchild yet... Carle might leave before before he makes it to Denver's campus.
I’m holding out hope as well but I feel like I heard something about that we wanted to try going somewhere that wasn’t Minnesota and didn’t want to go to school in Minneapolis. Now, those were only rumors so there might be zero validity to all of that. Who actually knows. Also, even if some of that stuff is true, we’ve seen other players commit somewhere else while they were in HS thinking that they wanted to try somewhere other than home and then went to USNDTP or other junior teams and then realized that they missed home so again, who knows. Now I’m just rambling lol and at the end of the day it’s all purely academic.
Not giving up on Berchild yet... Carle might leave before before he makes it to Denver's campus.
I’m holding out hope as well but I feel like I heard something about that we wanted to try going somewhere that wasn’t Minnesota and didn’t want to go to school in Minneapolis. Now, those were only rumors so there might be zero validity to all of that. Who actually knows. Also, even if some of that stuff is true, we’ve seen other players commit somewhere else while they were in HS thinking that they wanted to try somewhere other than home and then went to USNDTP or other junior teams and then realized that they missed home so again, who knows. Now I’m just rambling lol and at the end of the day it’s all purely academic.
Unless Carle leaves for an NHL Head Coaching job… the chance of Berchild flipping is about the same as the chance of Bobby Brink flipping yet TODAY! Maybe they can flip Cullen Potter from ASU while they’re at it too! lol At least Mooney looks really good, he will help next season! 👍
The ability to adapt is always the key skill with college sports (especially recruiting).
My personal feeling has always been that the younger coaches may not have some of the coaching acumen of the older guys but they make up for it with the ability to connect/adapt (especially recruiting) because they usually aren't married to a specific way of doing things. Adapt or die.
These days you have to "think" just as much like a Salesman/Business Dev. Manager as you do a coach. You might not like somebody like PJ Fleck but that kind of salesmanship and willingness to do things differently tends to work. I'd never doubt Motzko as a coach. I am not sure I see the desire to adjust at this stage though. If it happens, its begrudgingly so.
I love the U and will always cheer for them (in every sport). But college sports is kind of "meh" these days. In my eyes, it actually has less loyalty than the pro game... which is really saying something. Of course, part of that is because the talent is immature with little life experience and has been coddled way too much.
Not giving up on Berchild yet... Carle might leave before before he makes it to Denver's campus.
I’m holding out hope as well but I feel like I heard something about that we wanted to try going somewhere that wasn’t Minnesota and didn’t want to go to school in Minneapolis. Now, those were only rumors so there might be zero validity to all of that. Who actually knows. Also, even if some of that stuff is true, we’ve seen other players commit somewhere else while they were in HS thinking that they wanted to try somewhere other than home and then went to USNDTP or other junior teams and then realized that they missed home so again, who knows. Now I’m just rambling lol and at the end of the day it’s all purely academic.
Unless Carle leaves for an NHL Head Coaching job… the chance of Berchild flipping is about the same as the chance of Bobby Brink flipping yet TODAY! Maybe they can flip Cullen Potter from ASU while they’re at it too! lol At least Mooney looks really good, he will help next season! 👍
Perhaps, but we cannot be the teams that gets the left overs and leavings. To be a competitive team, which for the University of Minnesota hockey means competing for a national championship (for U of M football it means making it to some bowl game), we need to get the bulk of the top MN talent and mix it in with a top level player from out of state like a Vanek or Haula.
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
no place will be able to "buy" championships in any sport that is a team-based sport. Individual ones (say like track, wrestling) maybe, but not team sports given the need for depth/cohesion and the 1-and-done environment that allows for even superstar teams to lose.
That said, you certainly can increase your chances through NIL and buying players (hence why Michigan provided they get the CHL guys they're rumored to and BU will be top 5 teams) as getting there and being a 1 seed certainly make the path easier.
at the end of the day in hockey in a 1 and done environment, even if you're 80% likely (no one is this high realistically) to win each game, still puts you at a less than 50/50 chance to get it done come postseason and realistically, those odds on a game by game basis are way closer to 60% for even the best teams come postseason play.
For the major revenue sports, however, they have bought different levels of college participation and the television revenues which drive it all follow. This is especially true in basketball. Minnesota over the past several years has produced some of the top college level recruits. What chance has the University of Minnesota stood in recruiting them: ZERO.
The money in basketball is in the ACC and handful of other schools. Minnesota is just a participant looking in at the big boy talent.
In football, it is the SEC. All of those teams cheated to get their. Once they got there, they legalized the cheating AND THEY STILL CHEAT.
Adding the transfer portal which a player can leave immediately without any penalty just makes college athletics a mercenary game in the major revenue sports and it is becoming that way in the others.
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
no place will be able to "buy" championships in any sport that is a team-based sport. Individual ones (say like track, wrestling) maybe, but not team sports given the need for depth/cohesion and the 1-and-done environment that allows for even superstar teams to lose.
That said, you certainly can increase your chances through NIL and buying players (hence why Michigan provided they get the CHL guys they're rumored to and BU will be top 5 teams) as getting there and being a 1 seed certainly make the path easier.
at the end of the day in hockey in a 1 and done environment, even if you're 80% likely (no one is this high realistically) to win each game, still puts you at a less than 50/50 chance to get it done come postseason and realistically, those odds on a game by game basis are way closer to 60% for even the best teams come postseason play.
For the major revenue sports, however, they have bought different levels of college participation and the television revenues which drive it all follow. This is especially true in basketball. Minnesota over the past several years has produced some of the top college level recruits. What chance has the University of Minnesota stood in recruiting them: ZERO.
The money in basketball is in the ACC and handful of other schools. Minnesota is just a participant looking in at the big boy talent.
In football, it is the SEC. All of those teams cheated to get their. Once they got there, they legalized the cheating AND THEY STILL CHEAT.
Adding the transfer portal which a player can leave immediately without any penalty just makes college athletics a mercenary game in the major revenue sports and it is becoming that way in the others.
yeah I agree with this. Is part of why coaches who don’t want to adapt and play in the NIL environment will have to change their recruiting strategy and team composition to compete
Just like others I had to check to see where I was here for a minute! Watching rosters and recruits this off-season has really hammered home the point of you only know who is on your team when they see the whites of their eyes on the ice on campus. Before that happens it's all smoke and mirrors in this new day of NIL and agents/advisors being able to direct players now.
That sentence "whites of their eyes" is a near word for word reaction from a local coach when asked about losing a couple recruits. Us as a fan base need to get used to that. There isn't a gentleman's agreement, NLI, or even commitment of the player to keep a recruit on track when an agent and NIL is in play. I wholeheartedly agree with @eric-vegoe that using NIL to recruit a player, which is an unknown commodity, is a bad investment. Using NIL to keep a roster intact is much better money spent.
Here is a possible preposterous statement but my bosses and I have talked at length this off-season about the portal and NIL and this is our conclusion...unlike other D1 sports, you will NOT be able to buy a NCAA D1 national championship through NIL. You will be able to buy conference championships but the Frozen Four is not a tournament you will be able to buy.
I'll end my rant with you people asking for Bob's head...just stop. He knows this game and this recruiting environment better you know how to breathe air. The goal is a natty each year but that is damn hard. I'll take conference championships each year and getting a chair at the table of the NCAA's each year for a SHOT at a natty each year over what 85% of what other programs end up with. Go Gophers!
I certainly hope Bob is not operating with his head in the sand on NIL. This line of thinking is exactly why people are concerned. And as mentioned he has made some *interesting* statements on the subject (ie our players get burritos). If this is the thought process, Berchild, Lutner and West are the canary in the coal mine. The future of college hockey is going to include real NIL and Bob better get with the program to figure that out. He should ask PJ Fleck and Niko Medved for help. If he can't figure it out or just chooses not to, he is going to be left behind pretty quick.
I certainly hope Bob is not operating with his head in the sand on NIL
I am certain that he is fully aware of the necessity of operating his program with the help of Dinkytown Athletes and NIL. Cooley was first player that I think Bob acknowledged to receive NIL which is where the burrito joke came from and I believe that burritos were a part of that NIL deal. Since that point I think none of us are under the delusion that Snuggy stayed around for another year because he bleeds maroon and gold, NIL probably played 99% of his decision to stay.
I have my feelings on the portal and NIL but NCAA D1 is now a business and if you don't adapt you will be left behind. That being said probably 75%, probably more, of D1 programs won't have million dollar collectives. My boss is on the board of the Minnesota State collective and he said that they are under NO illusion that they will have a million dollar collective for Coach Strand to play with in the next 3-5 years. Turns out that Glen Taylor doesn't give a rip about hockey.
Bob doesn't have that problem, there are a HELL of lot more opportunities for DTA to get donations from the Twin Cities. Now if only Bob could get the hockey alumni to buy in on DTA he would probably have even more to work with. So for people to be concerned because of Bob's flippant remarks about the portal and NIL I think we have noticed that he is using both when it serves the program's needs. There is one unconfirmed recruit that flipped his commitment that is getting the NIL even as an unproven commodity. That's the game and Bob is playing it.
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
USA takes Bronze at U18 World championship (wins in 3x3 OT) Future Gophers Kvas & Mooney were outstanding (during the tournament)👍 along with Potter from ASU & Berchild (especially for a 17 year old) going to Denver.
Catching up reading this thread over the past week and I think both sides have some merit to them. On the one hand, not too worried about the lack of recruits lately mostly because Bob isn’t done making moves yet this offseason. Let’s let him finish the painting before critiquing it.
On the other hand, you see all these rumors of big time players being rumored to a handful of our conference competitors, and you have to worry if we’ll keep up with the times. I think you HAVE to add a high end CHLer or two to keep up with the Jones’s this offseason. Adapt or get passed by.
I also think the Berchild, Lutner and West “misses” have raised my antenna in terms of recruiting. As others have said, I’ll be really interested to see what Fitzhenry, Schneider, Geiger and Scott do. If it goes similar to last year, I’ll be raising alarm bells.
Also I think it’s fair to be concerned about next season. As of now they’d be fighting to make the NCAA tournament with this roster. You can’t just lose Snuggerud, Wood, Moore, Kurth, Rinzel, Chesley and veterans like Koster, Huglen and Nevers and NOT take a step back.
Here’s to hoping they’ve a few big moves left to make this offseason.
I certainly hope Bob is not operating with his head in the sand on NIL
Since that point I think none of us are under the delusion that Snuggy stayed around for another year because he bleeds maroon and gold, NIL probably played 99% of his decision to stay.
While I agree with a lot of what you wrote, I don't with this. NIL isn't paying what a rookie in the AHL/NHL makes. I think bleeding maroon and gold was part of it (Dad and Grandpa played) and part of it was hearing from guys like his Dad that Pro hockey is a job and college hockey is a blast. And probably the biggest part was watching guys like Knies and Faber stay a year longer than some thought they would to get stronger and better so they can step right into the NHL and skip a year in the AHL. Play another year with your good buddies, party on campus and have a shot at an NC or enter the grind of the AHL with an ever changing cast of teammates. NIL helps the decision, but it doesn't sound like money is that high to compete with professional salary.
The 5-foot-7 Mooney was USA’s driver all tournament until he got injured and left early in the second period of the bronze medal game. I actually thought his least impactful game of the tournament was USA’s semifinal loss to the Swedes and he still had points on all three American goals in the game. His line with 2026 forward Mikey Berchild and 2025 forward Jacob Kvasnicka (who I thought made a case to at least get picked and looked like he’ll be a solid college player for Minnesota with his work ethic all tournament) was USA’s best, too.
His smarts stood out on the puck. He put a ton of pucks into space for his linemates. He flowed with play beautifully and found ways to navigate around the ice with his cutbacks in control. His ability to spin on a dime and lose and separate from guys, both in open ice and even inside the offensive zone, popped very consistently. He made some magic happen, putting defenders in the spin cycle inside the offensive zone with his ability to slip and slide around them. He was a neutral zone machine, creating a ton of entries and finding holes in coverage to weave through, cutting into space/gaps so well. And maybe most impressively, he was a competitive driver as well, playing in the guts of the ice and laying a few of the biggest non-Brady Martin hits of the tournament, tagging guys such as Anton Frondell and Ivar Stenberg. He was going to the net. He was winning battles along the wall. It was a very impressive week after an up-and-down season. I thought he outplayed the other two top little guys, Adam Benak and Cameron Schmidt, pretty clearly.
When he went down, USA looked like a completely different team. Team USA outscored the opposition 12-2 with Mooney on the ice in the tournament at five-on-five and he was my final cut for my tournament all-star team ballot at forward (it was down to him and Martin).
Mooney is Wheeler's 38th-ranked player for June's draft. Kvasnicka, Moe, and Rombach all honorable mentions. More on Mooney:
Mooney is — and will be — a fascinating case study. He’s one of the most talented and complete players in the 2007 age group at the program, the cousin of Utah’s Logan Cooley, and has been talked about for years for his skill, skating, the player he was in minor hockey and the player who came up and played really well as an underager with the 2006s last season. But he’s also incredibly tiny, and that makes him a real test for NHL teams to figure out in terms of where he should be slotted and whether he can overcome it. At the start of the season, NHL Central Scouting gave him a “B Rating” which “indicates a 2nd/3rd round candidate” on the back of his excellent second half and strong showing at last year’s U18 Worlds where, despite how small he is, he stuck at center and more than held his own as an underager. This year, though, he was impacted by injury and struggled at times in his return to action to have the same impact and score (he also moved between center and the wing on and off). He came on late in the year, though, and really sold me again with an outstanding showing at his second U18 Worlds, where he dominated games with his skating and maneuverability but also played physical, had the puck all the time and once again showed himself to be a true competitor. NHL Central Scouting slotted him 208th on their midterm list and 206th on the final list but that came out pre-U18 Worlds, and he’d be higher now.
Because of the injury, he lost some of his runway to show teams that he’s got what it takes. He has always been a top player in his age group (if you put him in an All-Star game of this draft class right now, he might stand out and make his linemates better). But can he be what he is against teenagers against pros someday, especially if he doesn’t get an inch or two and struggles to add weight to the skinny frame that he does have?
I love the player. He’s got lightning-quick hands in traffic/one-on-one, quick feet, a quick release, a quick processing of the game and a unique ability to make plays. That combination of skating ability (he’s got natural acceleration and tremendous edges and can put defenders on their heels from a standstill and spin off them with ease) and skill is complemented by a willing work ethic and attention to detail defensively. He supports play well. He positions himself well off the puck. He doesn’t cheat for offense. He plays with determination and takes a ton of pucks to the guts of the offensive zone and even the front of the net, with a desire to get to the middle consistently. He’s crafty and knows how to play to his strengths and put pucks into space for others. He’ll flash skill off the rush and inside the offensive zone with his maneuverability. There are times when he’s deferential (in part because of his size) but his quickness helps him manage his deficiencies to be a very well-rounded player. He can also flat out make guys miss and can put them in the spin cycle, his edges are elite slipping through holes, he wins his fair share of battles, and I’ve seen him bowl over bigger players.
A lot would have to go right for him to play in the NHL someday but I’d be willing to take him in the middle rounds and he reminds me a little of Hurricanes prospect Justin Robidas, a small center with speed and two-way knowhow who was drafted in the fifth round in 2021 and had an excellent rookie season in the AHL for the Wolves and will probably play NHL games at some point. He’s more dynamic than Robidas, too.
I’ve got all three of the little guys higher than they’re going to go in this draft but I think each have a chance and I also just don’t think there are many players in this range that have more than “a chance” either.
What scares me about Mooney is him having the Cammarata effect. I liked Cammy but never reached the heights that he reached before he stepped on campus.
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
What scares me about Mooney is him having the Cammarata effect. I liked Cammy but never reached the heights that he reached before he stepped on campus.
Looking at locks (assuming no further departures):
Lamb
Ziemer
Clark
Hendrickson
Ludtke
Mooney
Moore
Mittelstaedt
Falloon
Pahlsson
Pritchard
Townsend
You are at 12. Kvasnicka and Moe the next obvious options. Kvasnicka has signed the NLI; Moe has a better frame. Perhaps Nevers if you are looking at a 13th forward and want the others to play big minutes in the USHL. Still room to add if you can net a good center.
Looking at locks (assuming no further departures):
Lamb
Ziemer
Clark
Hendrickson
Ludtke
Mooney
Moore
Mittelstaedt
Falloon
Pahlsson
Pritchard
Townsend
You are at 12. Kvasnicka and Moe the next obvious options. Kvasnicka has signed the NLI; Moe has a better frame. Perhaps Nevers if you are looking at a 13th forward and want the others to play big minutes in the USHL. Still room to add if you can net a good center.
Keep Kwaz and Moe in juniors then bring them in as impact freshmen in 2026
What scares me about Mooney is him having the Cammarata effect. I liked Cammy but never reached the heights that he reached before he stepped on campus.
You’ve clearly never watched Mooney. Cammy was all brains and hands. Skated like shit. Mooney is a great skater.
What scares me about Mooney is him having the Cammarata effect. I liked Cammy but never reached the heights that he reached before he stepped on campus.
You’ve clearly never watched Mooney. Cammy was all brains and hands. Skated like shit. Mooney is a great skater.
You are correct. I am glad to hear that he may exceed Cammy.
I am theofficial Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
Looking at locks (assuming no further departures):
Lamb
Ziemer
Clark
Hendrickson
Ludtke
Mooney
Moore
Mittelstaedt
Falloon
Pahlsson
Pritchard
Townsend
You are at 12. Kvasnicka and Moe the next obvious options. Kvasnicka has signed the NLI; Moe has a better frame. Perhaps Nevers if you are looking at a 13th forward and want the others to play big minutes in the USHL. Still room to add if you can net a good center.
Is Moe on track to graduate this year? I would have thought they'd have signed him already if he was.
Looking at locks (assuming no further departures):
Lamb
Ziemer
Clark
Hendrickson
Ludtke
Mooney
Moore
Mittelstaedt
Falloon
Pahlsson
Pritchard
Townsend
You are at 12. Kvasnicka and Moe the next obvious options. Kvasnicka has signed the NLI; Moe has a better frame. Perhaps Nevers if you are looking at a 13th forward and want the others to play big minutes in the USHL. Still room to add if you can net a good center.
Is Moe on track to graduate this year? I would have thought they'd have signed him already if he was.
Word was he was accelerating; possible he was not eligible during NLI period. Question marks there for sure.
