I would love to know what Bob plan is for recruiting skaters. There doesn't seem to be any panic with regard to the lack of commits as we haven't seen any unusual NAHL players commit yet. That leads me to believe he has some sort of plan. But this is just such an unusual lack of activity I am mystified and can't wait to see the outcome.
Hopefully there is a plan.
Am I the only one not really seeing the reason for panic? There aren’t a ton of holes to fill in the upcoming years. As fun as it would be to grab players every other week people do realize that recruits need to be assembled into a team eventually right?
For example, very preliminary projections:
Hendrickson-Moore-Mooney
Ziemer-Clark-Kurth
Townsend-Pahlsson-Lamb
Falloon-Mittelstadt-Moore
Wheres the gaping hole on next years team? Maybe if you wanna push Falloon to an extra skater with a Benak or Misa type?
The big criticism would be there is no star. Mo Cooley or Snuggerud or Rinzel.
Of course, a sum of its parts team can do quite well and many players in the pipeline could be collegiate stars by the time they are upperclassmen. Next year's team may lack an All-American (assuming departures are as expected) yet could win a lot of games with depth and balanced scoring.
As far as recruits are concerned, Rombach and Phillips could be excellent defenseman. Rombach is massive and looks like he does a bit of everything...should be a high draft pick who can handle big minutes early. Phillips was a project - and still has warts - but by all accounts has made huge strides at the program. Bigger than Rombach, mean, and a tremendous athlete. I think our defensive pipeline is hugely underrated.
Besides lacking high end talent, I guess it’s 4 lines…. I mean that’s putting a lot of hope into your top line.
Duplicate post - disregard.
I would love to know what Bob plan is for recruiting skaters. There doesn't seem to be any panic with regard to the lack of commits as we haven't seen any unusual NAHL players commit yet. That leads me to believe he has some sort of plan. But this is just such an unusual lack of activity I am mystified and can't wait to see the outcome.
Hopefully there is a plan.
Am I the only one not really seeing the reason for panic? There aren’t a ton of holes to fill in the upcoming years. As fun as it would be to grab players every other week people do realize that recruits need to be assembled into a team eventually right?
For example, very preliminary projections:
Hendrickson-Moore-Mooney
Ziemer-Clark-Kurth
Townsend-Pahlsson-Lamb
Falloon-Mittelstadt-Moore
Wheres the gaping hole on next years team? Maybe if you wanna push Falloon to an extra skater with a Benak or Misa type?
i agree next years forward group is probably ok. Competing nationally probably relies on Moore taking your leap to Meyers level (don’t see why he couldn’t) and then a guy like Zeimer or Lamb becoming a more focal point guy. There won’t be a consensus AA coming into the year and the forwards won’t “scare” anyone, but they should have contributors up and down the lineup again. If Moore leaves, I really don’t love how we look down the middle
I would love to know what Bob plan is for recruiting skaters. There doesn't seem to be any panic with regard to the lack of commits as we haven't seen any unusual NAHL players commit yet. That leads me to believe he has some sort of plan. But this is just such an unusual lack of activity I am mystified and can't wait to see the outcome.
Hopefully there is a plan.
Am I the only one not really seeing the reason for panic? There aren’t a ton of holes to fill in the upcoming years. As fun as it would be to grab players every other week people do realize that recruits need to be assembled into a team eventually right?
For example, very preliminary projections:
Hendrickson-Moore-Mooney
Ziemer-Clark-Kurth
Townsend-Pahlsson-Lamb
Falloon-Mittelstadt-Moore
Wheres the gaping hole on next years team? Maybe if you wanna push Falloon to an extra skater with a Benak or Misa type?
Well, you definitely jump at the opportunity of adding a big name 1st-round Canadian draft pick like Misa, Martone, McQueen, Bear, etc. if the opportunity is there, even if it is likely a one-and-done scenario.
For your line chart, Jacob Kvasnicka is also in the picture for the forward group, but I guess I'm wondering if he, L.J. Mooney, and even Mace'o Phillips on defense are ready to make the jump straight from the NTDP. Motzko has talked about getting older and having recruits play multiple seasons of juniors, so I don't know if we can assume that they'll all come in. Also, there is the potential that Oliver Moore signs (I don't think he should) which would be another big center hole to fill.
Compare these potential incoming freshman:
- Kvasnicka - smaller forward who turns 18 on 8/10
- Mooney - undersized forward who turned 18 on 3/8 and who missed a large chunk of time due to an injury this season
- Moore - good-sized forward who turned 19 on 12/7 and has one full year in the USHL
- Phillips - massive defenseman who is still raw that turned 18 on 2/25
vs. the incoming freshman this season:
- August Falloon - came in at the age of 20 after three full USHL seasons
- Erik Pahlsson - came in at the age of 20 after one season in the USHL and two seasons in the Swedish J20
- Beckett Hendrickson - came in at the age of 19 after playing one additional USHL season post the NTDP
- Brodie Ziemer - came in at the age of 18 straight from the NTDP and was definitely ready to make the jump
- John Whipple - came in at the age of 18 straight from the NTDP, but he could've benefitted from an additional year in the USHL
- Leo Gruba - came in at the age of 20 after two full seasons in the USHL
So, 4/6 freshman joined the team after more than one season in the USHL. There is definitely the chance that all or some of them come in next season but are they truly ready to?
For future potential commits, I have to admit that it was odd being at the state tournament and having zero Gopher commits to watch. It’s funny, out of the ten Mr. Hockey finalists, the one who is uncommitted, Jackson Rudh, is likely my favorite player of the bunch and I’d definitely welcome him on the Gophers. Kraft received all the attention and rightly so, but I think Rudh projects out to being just as good of a player.
Otherwise, assuming that he plans to play hockey, Mason West has to be a focus of the coaching staff with his physical attributes and dominant play in the tournament/this season. He has already joined the Fargo Force and posted two points in three games.
For sophomores that can verbally commit on 8/1, Freddie Schneider and Luca Jarvis from Stillwater are two super skilled forwards that would be great gets for us. Both made varsity as freshman and are top players of their age group.
Mooney and Phillips will both be here next season. Phillips is so physically mature for an 18 year old, you don’t see that very often. Mooney is just too high end to send to juniors, you want him in your lineup asap. 1 year of juniors isn’t gonna fix the fact he’s 5’7.
On the other hand I project Kvasnicka plays a year in the USHL next season. He stands to have the most to gain from the extra year. Undersized but scrappy, putting on some weight would be good before playing against men in college. Kwaz COULD play bottom of the lineup minutes for the Gophers next season but I think playing on a juniors team’s top line is so much more beneficial. Then he and Moe come in as polished freshmen in 2026-27.
What fun would that be?I would love to know what Bob plan is for recruiting skaters. There doesn't seem to be any panic with regard to the lack of commits as we haven't seen any unusual NAHL players commit yet. That leads me to believe he has some sort of plan. But this is just such an unusual lack of activity I am mystified and can't wait to see the outcome.
Hopefully there is a plan.
Am I the only one not really seeing the reason for panic? There aren’t a ton of holes to fill in the upcoming years. As fun as it would be to grab players every other week people do realize that recruits need to be assembled into a team eventually right?
I would love to know what Bob plan is for recruiting skaters. There doesn't seem to be any panic with regard to the lack of commits as we haven't seen any unusual NAHL players commit yet. That leads me to believe he has some sort of plan. But this is just such an unusual lack of activity I am mystified and can't wait to see the outcome.
Hopefully there is a plan.
Am I the only one not really seeing the reason for panic? There aren’t a ton of holes to fill in the upcoming years. As fun as it would be to grab players every other week people do realize that recruits need to be assembled into a team eventually right?
You are not, I do expect Bob to try to add a high-level transfer though.
Any word on if we are in on some CHL kids. Could be really fun if Bob hits on some big names. McKenna or Misa
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GPL's Resident Cabin Enthusiast & Cadets Hockey Fan
Any word on if we are in on some CHL kids. Could be really fun if Bob hits on some big names. McKenna or Misa
There was a rumor Misa was going to be a Gopher a few months ago but that feels very far-fetched. I would expect some CHL adds over the next few years but not Top 5 pick types.
Go get Danny Nelson. He should be in the Portal given the coach retired. Throw NIL at him.
Go get Danny Nelson. He should be in the Portal given the coach retired. Throw NIL at him.
He's not leaving. The coach who will take over is the same one who recruited Fransisco, Garcia, Trottier, Quinlan and will definately be going after Nelson's little bro who is at NTDP but cannot commit until Aug 1.
@jlw I couldn't agree with this more. Look at some of the goalie talent out of MN in the show and the blue chip prospects and we either don't land them or simply don't pursue them! Potential case in point with Xavier Wendt. Wilcox was the last exciting in-state get IMO.
Gophers not on the short list 🙄
https://twitter.com/mikemorrealenhl/status/1903059626263720295?s=46
Not an impressive recruiting trend the last year or two.
Yep, shut the program down.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
If Fitzhenry, West, Dessner, Jarvis all pledge to different blue bloods come fall, I will raise the alarms.
Worth noting a few "misses" from last year's cycle are losing steam. We would be freaking out about Parker Trottier having only 5 points in 33 games. Logan Lutner looks like a solid player yet not a high-end prospect at a major program.
Berchild and Davidson look like they would be great to have. You can lament the misses without portending doom.
Please refer to his former signature block, which stated that his replies were 50% honest, 50% sarcastic and it was up to the reader to decide which was which.That seems a bit dramatic, don’t ya think?
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Yeah, I understood what he meant. Just thought it was a bit of an over exaggeration, lol.
Unfortunately, for a lot of people, that degree of over exaggeration is needed for them to maybe take a step back and think about it. You just got caught in the cross-fire.Yeah, I understood what he meant. Just thought it was a bit of an over exaggeration, lol.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Gophers not on the short list 🙄
https://twitter.com/mikemorrealenhl/status/1903059626263720295?s=46
It's really hard to know if that list is the list West provided or just a list?
Gophers not on the short list 🙄
https://twitter.com/mikemorrealenhl/status/1903059626263720295?s=46
It's really hard to know if that list is the list West provided or just a list?
It feels like West would have provided his favorites...hard to see the author just pulling them out of thin air. Notre Dame and Michigan State make sense. Just one example but Charlie Stramel could be a cautionary tale at Wisconsin.
If Lamb is on the 3rd line next season, this team will be just fine…
Formerly known as davey j.
Gophers not on the short list 🙄
https://twitter.com/mikemorrealenhl/status/1903059626263720295?s=46
It's really hard to know if that list is the list West provided or just a list?
It feels like West would have provided his favorites...hard to see the author just pulling them out of thin air. Notre Dame and Michigan State make sense. Just one example but Charlie Stramel could be a cautionary tale at Wisconsin.
Yeah just was interesting they quoted Lee about him (who played at ND and mentioned Jackson) with the article clearly being much more written towards the NHL and writing some big name schools rather than an actual college hockey assessment. Just would say I wouldn't write it off like those are his top 3 unless he actually says they are somewhere concrete, especially given he's been football first to this point.
Yeah, I understood what he meant. Just thought it was a bit of an over exaggeration, lol.
Steve is on the right track as far as my sarcasm goes. I just don't put a lot in what is posted online. There has been way too many times that something is reported and turns out not to be the truth. I have seen a ton of stuff about injuries to players, and the "reporting" is false or inaccurate. How many times have we seen players commit elsewhere and then change their mind? (Cooley and Faber to name a couple) We also seem to judge kids instagram and assume that if he follows a certain team, that means he is going there. Sometimes it's true, and sometimes not.
Also, some people seem to think the Gophers should get every kid who put on skates in Minnesota. The truth is, some kids may not "fit" the culture of the program or they want to get away from home. It always makes me laugh at the outrage of some who think we should get every Mr Hockey. This is not 1984, when we got them all, and they all played in the WCHA the year after high school. I would bet that if some of the current Gopher recruits would have stayed in high school, they would have won Mr Hockey. That is all good, but I would rather have a kid (if he wants) play in the USHL or U 18's and play 60+ games per year and then step in to play in the B1G. It is very rare that a high school kid can make that move and succeed. I can also guarantee that Bob has offered kids a scholarship under the condition that he play a year in Juniors after high school and some kids decline that and go elsewhere.
Bottom line is, there is no perfect way to know if a 17 year old kid will continue to develop into an NHL all star. Building a team takes more than 26 1st round draft picks and I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make those decisions.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
You definitely need a mix. The best team the gophers had in my time watching was the one from 2 years ago with some USHL guys like Kurth and Lamb who stick around for 3-4 years (ideally) and play further down the depth chart in year one, maybe a late bloomer like farm kid who def needed extra time in the USHL, and then some high end player like Cooley (idc if that player comes from another state). Ideally you somehow get someone like him to stick around for 2 years like Boeser but it’s fine if he doesn’t. Maybe that team would’ve been better if Lucius was on it but it also might’ve just tied up a spot that meant one of those incoming USHL guys transferred to another school or something.
I don’t follow the recruiting much but it’s hard to see an Alex Bump and the Minnetonka kid who committed to Denver who lived in bob’s backyard go somewhere else. Not locking down the in state talent just raises a question to me. I get the “you can’t get ‘em’ all” thing but I guess I wish I knew more why not these types.
You mean the tonka kid with 1 goal?!?
I wanted Bump as well. Right around that time Cooley changes his mind to make the jump. I thought Bump would of been a nice replacement being late in the game of getting a good recruit I ran into a former player around that time that just golfed with Bob and he said Bob kindly told the bump family to look elsewhere. Some players are not worth the trouble he was saying.
- @feisty-golden-rodents I agree that some players may not be worth the trouble. At the same time, the trend of not getting recent Mr. Hockeys is not great.
No one's a miss until they start playing junior full-time. If you can't land a player because he wants to commit early, so be it.
I wanted Bump as well. Right around that time Cooley changes his mind to make the jump. I thought Bump would of been a nice replacement being late in the game of getting a good recruit I ran into a former player around that time that just golfed with Bob and he said Bob kindly told the bump family to look elsewhere. Some players are not worth the trouble he was saying.
This is my concern with Bob if true. It is a luxury to be a 1 or 2 seed the last 5 years so the “next coach” talk is ridiculous. Part of the job is dealing with challenging kids or parents to help them grow and mature. Especially if they have high end talent.
It’s a job and takes hard work, I hope he is staying hungry.
It’s all about fit. If they don’t think he’d fit, ah well move on. No one is perfect at judging this though, obviously. Take Grant Cruikshank. Came here and it just didn’t work. He wasn’t a cancer or anything, but he simply wasn’t effective. Moves again to Saint Cloud and has an amazing year.
Basically my point is no one has a crystal ball. But with the direction of the program overall thus far under Bob, I’m going to choose to believe he had a good reason to pass.
I think Bob has shown since he’s been here that he doesn’t really go after players that are perceived to not have a team first mentality or too focused on the offensive side of the game. It’s just his style of recruiting and culture he wants. Other coaches seem to be more willing to take a player with some “warts” with the hopes that the good outweighs the bad (in the case of Bump it seems to be working out well for WMU). No right or wrong way of approaching but just different styles. I think Bobs targets will consistently produce very good teams with a lot less volatility year to year. With that said, I do wish once in a while he’d take a swing at one of these boom or bust players trusting he can make it beneficial in his system.
like taking a chance on Misa for example!
Berchild is SSM/USDP (and maybe Tonka for youth) but also 2 years out and committed to a coach who likely won’t be there so tbd there.
burrows from tonka has one goal as freshman so not worried
Schlossman said within 20 minutes of berry's departure 5 teams had reached out to a specific recruit... I'd imagine we are one of those teams that reached out to zellers, boisvert is player to keep an eye on.
Formerly known as davey j.
I repeat, Blake Vanek is most definitely not a Gopher-caliber player!
I understand that is your opinion. My opinion is that I see a skillset that warrants a look. Ultimately doesn’t matter what us internet rubes think anyways.
From what I'm reading--
If Bob signs him, he is not worthy.
If Bob passes, Vanek will be discussed as a miss in 3 years.
It is a no win for Bob.
Side note-- Isn't the younger Vanek kids better? So, maybe sign him to secure the next ones.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
Wasn't signing John Mitts kind of to secure the signing of Luke Mitts? I guess maybe approach the Vanek kids the same way. My take on Blake...let him play a couple of years in juniors and if he develops sign him later. If other teams wanted him now he would have signed elsewhere by now correct? I imagine that tBob is well aware of Blake's existence so I don't think he will be out of sight, out of mind.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
And Casey Mitts.
Reilly Brothers for Mikey as well.
I was recently informed by a GPLer that I'm related to Airey
Wasn't signing John Mitts kind of to secure the signing of Luke Mitts? I guess maybe approach the Vanek kids the same way. My take on Blake...let him play a couple of years in juniors and if he develops sign him later. If other teams wanted him now he would have signed elsewhere by now correct? I imagine that tBob is well aware of Blake's existence so I don't think he will be out of sight, out of mind.
This is exactly my take as well. Keep an eye on him in juniors but if you’re telling me you’ve seen enough from him up to this point to warrant offering him you’re kidding yourself. If his last name wasn’t Vanek there wouldn’t be half as much buzz. No nepotism recruits! As tempting as it may be…
Again, don’t cross him off your list though, if things trend the right way in juniors give him the call.