Clark cup seemed to follow him around
Clark cup seemed to follow him around
If trend lines hold - and this is a very scientific take - we will win the next four national championships.
Per Schlossman, Denver wanted to push back McLaughlin's roster spot until next year, and that is why he became available. I think you are going to see more of this because of the CHL players wanting to play right away and teams having to make decisions on who to try to push back a year.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
Per Schlossman, Denver wanted to push back McLaughlin's roster spot until next year, and that is why he became available. I think you are going to see more of this because of the CHL players wanting to play right away and teams having to make decisions on who to try to push back a year.
See? tBob knew this would happen and has been waiting in the wings like a mad scientist ready to pounce.
The combine is of limited value as its not actually hockey, but Phillips and Rombach were absolute rockstars. They placed in the top ten in several of the events. Particularly Phillips. Seems he is quite an athlete.
The combine is of limited value as its not actually hockey, but Phillips and Rombach were absolute rockstars. They placed in the top ten in several of the events. Particularly Phillips. Seems he is quite an athlete.
I saw that Phillips scored top 5 in the bench press which is both impressive and funny given that he has to bench 20-30 more pounds than the average combine player. I believe they have to bench half their body weight.
Also made impressive when you consider his wingspan, which makes it tougher to elevate significant weight. I know a common complaint of the Gophers is not playing a physical game, but no worries there with Phillips.
https://twitter.com/USHL/status/1932833965980729674
Maceo Phillips – NTDP
Hometown: Wayzata, Minn.
Shoots: Left
HT: 6’6
WT: 233
College Commitment: Minnesota
NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 61
Year-In-Review
Phillips skated in 60 games this season with the U18 team, 25 of which came in the USHL. The Minnesota native had three points (2-1-3) in the USHL this winter, along with 67 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating. He’s also not afraid to fire the puck at opposing goaltenders. Phillips logged 31 shots in USHL action and 63 on the season overall.
“Maceo’s a naturally gifted kid and he’s just a big, strong athlete,” said NTDP head coach Greg Moore. “He’s a powerful skater, he’s strong along the boards and in front of the net, and he intimidates people with his presence on the ice. He can absolutely wire the puck too and has a great shot, and I think he’s someone that’s going to be a beast at the next level and as he continues in his development.”
Jacob Rombach – Lincoln Stars
Hometown: Blaine, Minn.
Shoots: Left
HT: 6’6
WT: 209
College Commitment: Minnesota
NHL Central Scouting Final Ranking: 42
Year-In-Review
Rombach skated in 57 games this season, which was his second in the USHL. The Minnesota commit offers teams plenty of size and a reliable defender while giving opponents fits with his towering frame.
Rombach added 18 points (3-15-18) as well and the offensive side of his game continues to evolve. He finished the regular season a plus-29, which was tied for seventh among all USHL skaters, and also helped the U.S. win gold at the World Junior A Challenge.
“First of all, Jacob’s a special person,” said Lincoln head coach Rocky Russo. “He’s very mature, he’s very detailed, his priorities are in line and he has such a desire to get better every day. Then when you look at him as a player, there’s so much to like, and his game’s evolved so much from the beginning of last year to where he is today. His puck retrievals are almost automatic, he’s able to get up ice and join the play, his gaps are fantastic and you rarely see him out of position.
“He’s such a challenging player to go up against and when you see a big guy like him, more often than not the question is the skating. But Jacob’s skating is excellent. He’s just continued to get better in every area ever since he walked through our doors.”
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/1933561855265681744
Best skaters
1. L.J. Mooney, C, U.S. NTDP
2. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver
3. Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State
4. Lukas Sawchyn, RW, Edmonton
5. Matthew Schaefer, LHD, Erie
6. Sascha Boumedienne, LHD, Boston University
7. Ilyas Magomedsultanov, LHD, Lokomotiv
8. Michael Misa, C, Saginaw
9. Lirim Amidovski, RW, North Bay
10. Lasse Boelius, LHD, Assat
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
That is high praise. Knew he was a good skater but didn't expect to see him ahead of someone like Potter.
That is high praise. Knew he was a good skater but didn't expect to see him ahead of someone like Potter.
if he were 2 inches taller, he'd be a 1st round lock. think he'll end up being similar to kyle rau based on how he plays the game
https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/1933561855265681744
Best skaters
1. L.J. Mooney, C, U.S. NTDP
2. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver
3. Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State
4. Lukas Sawchyn, RW, Edmonton
5. Matthew Schaefer, LHD, Erie
6. Sascha Boumedienne, LHD, Boston University
7. Ilyas Magomedsultanov, LHD, Lokomotiv
8. Michael Misa, C, Saginaw
9. Lirim Amidovski, RW, North Bay
10. Lasse Boelius, LHD, Assat
There are several players here who could be targets for the Canes. Benjamin Kindel is a smart, talented forward who fits our mold in Carolina. We considered scoring winger Jakob Ihs-Wozniak. Michigan State commit Eric Nilson is a fit. But Cullen Potter, the best skater in the draft, is too appealing to pass up with his speed and skill by the Canes — Wheeler
https://twitter.com/coreypronman/status/1933561855265681744
Best skaters
1. L.J. Mooney, C, U.S. NTDP
2. Cameron Schmidt, RW, Vancouver
3. Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State
4. Lukas Sawchyn, RW, Edmonton
5. Matthew Schaefer, LHD, Erie
6. Sascha Boumedienne, LHD, Boston University
7. Ilyas Magomedsultanov, LHD, Lokomotiv
8. Michael Misa, C, Saginaw
9. Lirim Amidovski, RW, North Bay
10. Lasse Boelius, LHD, Assat
There are several players here who could be targets for the Canes. Benjamin Kindel is a smart, talented forward who fits our mold in Carolina. We considered scoring winger Jakob Ihs-Wozniak. Michigan State commit Eric Nilson is a fit. But Cullen Potter, the best skater in the draft, is too appealing to pass up with his speed and skill by the Canes — Wheeler
Bio InfoPositionCHeight5' 10"TeamArizona StateWeight
So what's your point? That someone thinks Potter is a better skater than a Gopher recruit? I'm sure there are 100 "experts" with 100 different opinions on each prospect. I posted one that thought Mooney was the best in his eyes because this is a Gopher board.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
@frozen4champs Absolutely no disrespect towards Mooney, no doubt he’s a tremendous talent. But I’ve been following this draft class for the past 6 months & for guys like Scott Wheeler - Cullen Potter is the consensus top rated “skater” in the 2025 draft class, Wheeler also projects Potter to be 16th overall pick.
@frozen4champs Absolutely no disrespect towards Mooney, no doubt he’s a tremendous talent. But I’ve been following this draft class for the past 6 months & for guys like Scott Wheeler - Cullen Potter is the consensus top rated “skater” in the 2025 draft class, Wheeler also projects Potter to be 16th overall pick.
and Pronman thinks its Mooney. They're both senior writers who heavily cover the NHL draft. Further, "many" scouts tag Schaefer as being the best skater in the draft as well (because of his size). There's not a consensus (as we clearly see) because its a grossly abstract review. Maybe someone likes the edgework better. Maybe someone likes the speed. Maybe someone likes the size moving as it does.
Again, what is your point? It's great Mooney is up there and for some to think he's the best skater in the draft. Its high praise. Literally the only point.
@bearpaw28 Pronman is also a pretty well respected draft expert. No doubt that Potter will be drafted higher, by probably a few rounds, but as a Gopher fan it is nice to see Mooney getting some love and seeing what others say about him. We all know about his weaknesses, which starts with his size. In his mock draft he has Potter at 31 and Mooney at 102. Like all mock drafts, players could go higher or lower than projected.
Mooney is an elite skating forward who buzzes around the ice. His top speed and edge work are clearly NHL caliber. He has a very good skill level and is very dangerous attacking off the rush due to his skill/speed combination. He was a highly touted player for years, but he just never grew. He's barely 5-foot-7 and was injury-prone this year, which didn't help his case. He competes hard enough and doesn't shy away from physical play. In his best games, he looks like he has a legit chance to play NHL games despite his frame, but that player showed up inconsistently this season.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
@frozen4champs I guess the thing of note (who’s the best skater aside) is that Mooney will be around for 3-4 years and provide jump similar to Oliver Moore, although I think Mooney might be even more dynamic at the D1 level.
I am excited to watch Mooney this fall. I expect him to have a much better impact than Oliver Moore.
I am excited to watch Mooney this fall. I expect him to have a much better impact than Oliver Moore.
Moore has speed and a decent shot but lacks physicality and hockey IQ.
I hope he has a steady NHL career but I have doubts.
I was very disappointed in Moore’s hockey IQ, at least with the puck. It restricted him big time from having an impact with MN. That’s why I was surprised he signed as I think that he could have learned a lot from another year. On the flip side, I think being down the lineup in the NHL may allow him to play a simpler game and not overthink when he has the puck.
I was very disappointed in Moore’s hockey IQ, at least with the puck. It restricted him big time from having an impact with MN. That’s why I was surprised he signed as I think that he could have learned a lot from another year. On the flip side, I think being down the lineup in the NHL may allow him to play a simpler game and not overthink when he has the puck.
he just always reminded me of the kid who the game gets going so fast and he's doing so much so quickly that his brain just never quite caught up with telling his muscles what to do next. Chicago will be a fine place for him to learn and I expect he'll get at least a second contract if not carve out a long term career (fast guys who can play bottom 6 and kill penalties don't grow on trees). He'll never grow into the high impact guy we hoped he'd be here at the NHL level, and that's ok as you need those guys in your lineup as well. Likely to be one of those that never just quite found "it" to take it over the top.
I know we’re starting to move away from the intended topic of the thread but honestly all of the guys who signed early, except for Snuggerud, probably should have stayed another year.
I know we’re starting to move away from the intended topic of the thread but honestly all of the guys who signed early, except for Snuggerud, probably should have stayed another year.
all depends on how you want to argue it as goal is to get to your second contract as fast as possible. If you're going to play NHL minutes, then its worth it to go to me for sure. If you bounce down to the AHL, gets more dicey. Now that we're a bit further away, I guess most make sense to me aside from Chesley.
Rinzel: would've gotten better, but he'll play in the NHL next year. Reasonable to go imo
Moore: would've gotten better, probably should play AHL next year but Chicago is a cluster fuck so we'll see
Kurth: he's not ever going to be an NHLer. He graduated this year so question of if wanted to move on or stay. I get the leaving. He wasn't going to be any better staying another year
Wood: think we all knew it would be a 1 and done. Nashville is at the point of needing bodies. I'll be curious to see what becomes of him if he ends up being one of those big bodies guys like Bjugstad who just stick around forever or if he's a quick flame out at the NHL level. Would guess he'll bounce back and forth a little this year. Didn't really seem to get much better this year so can't say another year would've helped, other than that he'd be the focal point this year offensively which probably is more helpful than what role he'll play next year.
Chesley: this is the one that's probably most confusing to me. Would've probably been our PP1 guy (for better or worse) plus big minutes again which may have set him up to come into the NHL lineup instead of the AHL. Washington seems to really like him so they may have pushed harder on him to come in at that point.