Bringing a 17 year old Finn in to the U mid-season seems quite a stretch.
partial sarcasm but interesting situation none the less.
If Bob is hunting for a potential impact addition midseason.
One of the Hockey East media people seems to indicate it'll be a different team that wears similar colors. One in another major metro area, a time zone east. Maybe one that we've already played…
Bringing a 17 year old Finn in to the U mid-season seems quite a stretch.
Well… didn’t Bob steal Sampo Ranta from Wisconsin like 2 days before team practices started?
Bringing a 17 year old Finn in to the U mid-season seems quite a stretch.
Well… didn’t Bob steal Sampo Ranta from Wisconsin like 2 days before team practices started?
Kinda. Ranta could not get into school at UW, ( shocking I know ) so he had to go somewhere else.
I actually give a @#$* about the Twins
Looking down from my High Horse
Morality Police
And, snagging an 18 year old right before the beginning of practices is a whole different level from trying to get a 17 year old foreign citizen enrolled in school mid season (likely without the student permit yet, as well)
Joey Cullen is special.
Assuming getting Wyatt and Brooks leads to getting Joey, you got to tip your cap to Bob.
this guy agrees.
https://twitter.com/mnhshockeytalk/status/1992064170930716719?s=46
Love it. Brotens, Michelettis, Hankinsons, Reillys, Mittelstadts. Any other brother trios I’m forgetting?
Love it. Brotens, Michelettis, Hankinsons, Reillys, Mittelstadts. Any other brother trios I’m forgetting?
Going back a ways, but there were five Meredith brothers
Joey Cullen is special.
Assuming getting Wyatt and Brooks leads to getting Joey, you got to tip your cap to Bob.
this guy agrees.
https://twitter.com/mnhshockeytalk/status/1992064170930716719?s=46
Long ways away but I wonder if Joey ends up accelerating and playing his draft year in college hockey with his brothers.
Joey Cullen is special.
Assuming getting Wyatt and Brooks leads to getting Joey, you got to tip your cap to Bob.
this guy agrees.
https://twitter.com/mnhshockeytalk/status/1992064170930716719?s=46
Long ways away but I wonder if Joey ends up accelerating and playing his draft year in college hockey with his brothers.
That would be 2027-28, right? I mean I guess it would be kinda cool if they all came in the same year but I don’t see the reason to rush Joey unless he absolutely shreds his NTDP u17 season.
Love it. Brotens, Michelettis, Hankinsons, Reillys, Mittelstadts. Any other brother trios I’m forgetting?
The Carlsons, of course!
Yes, I’m aware Jack wasn’t in the movie.
Joey Cullen is special.
Assuming getting Wyatt and Brooks leads to getting Joey, you got to tip your cap to Bob.
this guy agrees.
https://twitter.com/mnhshockeytalk/status/1992064170930716719?s=46
Long ways away but I wonder if Joey ends up accelerating and playing his draft year in college hockey with his brothers.
That would be 2027-28, right? I mean I guess it would be kinda cool if they all came in the same year but I don’t see the reason to rush Joey unless he absolutely shreds his NTDP u17 season.
If he is the above, then yes you probably do as he’s not staying past that if he’s truly “generational”.
in any regard, excited to see the Cullens on campus whenever that is
Love it. Brotens, Michelettis, Hankinsons, Reillys, Mittelstadts. Any other brother trios I’m forgetting?
I’ll throw out one more Minneapolis family. Had to do a little research here, I knew two Alms were Gophers, but apparently there were four.
“GARY ALM: BROTHERS AND GOPHER TEAM WENT ON GUTS AND HUSTLE”
I’ll quit hijacking the thread now.
Mark, Tom, and John PohlLove it. Brotens, Michelettis, Hankinsons, Reillys, Mittelstadts. Any other brother trios I’m forgetting?
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never really talked to them...they never reached out...")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Minnesota was never tied to him.
Even with our recent notorious Edina pipeline, we didn't offer him (or pursue..) though..? Something just seems bizarre there
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
He has been quoted as saying that multiple times. He said Bob didn’t recruit him around the time he committed to Michigan State.
Right or wrong, I never get the sense that Bob over recruits to guys he’s not truly interested in. He doesn’t seem to put feelers out to a wide net. He knows the guys he wants and goes after them hard. Similar situation to Alex Bump I feel like, for whatever reason he wasn’t interested.
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
You are correct. Only Bob and his staff and Mason West really know what happened. Maybe West's family advisor reached out to Bob and staff and said "don't bother". Maybe it is an NIL situation. No matter who is the coach, the Gophers will lose some top end guys. I'm still waiting for Bobby Brink to flip to the Gophers.
I actually give a @#$* about the Twins
Looking down from my High Horse
Morality Police
Speaking of Edina, anyone hear anything on Schneider (and Fitzhenry)?
Obviously still early, but Fitzhenry looks like the higher profile player of the two based on NTDP production.Speaking of Edina, anyone hear anything on Schneider (and Fitzhenry)?
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
I don’t really find it that bizarre. The Gophers only have 2 senior forwards to potentially replace and I’d take Kvasnicka, Cullen, and Katz all over West. 6’6” project pick not even playing a full season of junior straight to college hockey has struggle written all over it imo.
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
I don’t really find it that bizarre. The Gophers only have 2 senior forwards to potentially replace and I’d take Kvasnicka, Cullen, and Katz all over West. 6’6” project pick not even playing a full season of junior straight to college hockey has struggle written all over it imo.
can't say I agree with you on that one. The ceiling is extremely high on West (there's a reason he's a first round pick). Maybe the above guys come in with a little more "polish", but you take every first round talent you can get over them especially as he may have a runway much more Stramel and give you several years rather than the 1 or 2 and done that gets seen.
On top of that, we didn't even fill the roster and are rostering Harris up front.
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
I don’t really find it that bizarre. The Gophers only have 2 senior forwards to potentially replace and I’d take Kvasnicka, Cullen, and Katz all over West. 6’6” project pick not even playing a full season of junior straight to college hockey has struggle written all over it imo.
can't say I agree with you on that one. The ceiling is extremely high on West (there's a reason he's a first round pick). Maybe the above guys come in with a little more "polish", but you take every first round talent you can get over them especially as he may have a runway much more Stramel and give you several years rather than the 1 or 2 and done that gets seen.
On top of that, we didn't even fill the roster and are rostering Harris up front.
Neither of which would be solved by recruiting West.
The fact he didn’t even reach out and try to recruit Mason West is flat out ridiculous.
https://twitter.com/bigredust/status/1993120947486745020?s=46&t=UtlPiq7Vt1Te97QT76L7LQ
Not really sure where else to put, so mods please feel free to move if not the right place.
Did I hear this right (from this interview today) that Mason West said Motzko & Gophers never really reached out to him or tried to recruit him...(ie, the quote "I never heard from them")..?
Was that known that we didn't offer or even try to go after him? I may have missed that then if so
if so that would be wildly bizarre. obviously we'll never know more than that as Bob is never going to comment on it. not like he was exactly "under the radar" so that's a definite miss if they didn't touch base early
I don’t really find it that bizarre. The Gophers only have 2 senior forwards to potentially replace and I’d take Kvasnicka, Cullen, and Katz all over West. 6’6” project pick not even playing a full season of junior straight to college hockey has struggle written all over it imo.
can't say I agree with you on that one. The ceiling is extremely high on West (there's a reason he's a first round pick). Maybe the above guys come in with a little more "polish", but you take every first round talent you can get over them especially as he may have a runway much more Stramel and give you several years rather than the 1 or 2 and done that gets seen.
On top of that, we didn't even fill the roster and are rostering Harris up front.
Neither of which would be solved by recruiting West.
neither did any of the guys mentioned by the prior poster. Just that they’d take all of them next year where maybe you’re addressing 2 out with those 3 in and that full roster is contingent on Harris remaining rostered.
more meaning you take talent and make room for it. We have room. There isn’t really a reason to not have even talked to him. Maybe he looked ahead and is going to go aggressive in the portal, but I’d rather have West coming in next year even if he needs some time to continue to adjust.
Again obviously we have no idea what really happened as you’re never going to hear Bob weigh in, but it’s a curious look for that to be what West is saying about it
If a kid is interested in a particular school can they reach out to the school to express interest?
If so then you can’t complain that you weren’t on a schools radar. 🤷♀️
Sharing for sight
'Gophers never reached out to Edina two-sport star Mason West'
I think we've gone past that and have arrived at:Are we reaching the "Beating a dead horse" phase yet?
Unfortunately, the complainers have come out of their hiding places in the walls and apparently have decided to stage a takeover for the season.
Right now I'm imagining the Bill Burr bit where he mocks the Schwarzenager trolls over his tryst with his maid with the line, "Absolutely reprehensible behavior".
I’ll probably get ripped for this, but Im in the camp that is ok with Bob not recruiting West for a couple reasons.
1) West basically says Michigan State was first and he committed relatively quick, which potentially didn’t give Bob the chance.
2) when he committed he was not considered a first round talent and more an intriguing athlete with size.
3) he seems like a prospect who projects way more as an impact player in the NHL than college and likely isn’t around long enough in college to meet expectations.
what is unfortunate though is this comments are gaining national attention and that is going to hurt Bob in the recruiting world. I believe Bump had similar comments that didn’t get as much attention. You know other coaches are using this against us now.
Oh boy yeah I can hear the devastating conversations now-
Coach K
"You know Travis, Bob Motzko at Minnesota didn't even recruit John Smith. Now I know he's reached out to you and made you a full offer after your visit to Minneapolis, but he didn't recruit John Smith."
😉 😀
West committed just prior to the draft, so the hype was there. He also mentioned Michigan State offered him first, though the timeline is unclear. Ultimately, I would love to hear more context but we never will.
I don't think it can be used in negative recruiting. Not sure what the angle would be there; every school misses on players and commits flip for reasons completely their own.
It’s negative publicity around Bob and his ability to identify and recruit top players. Seems to me a coach could spin that against Bob in a recruiting battle.
It’s negative publicity around Bob and his ability to identify and recruit top players. Seems to me a coach could spin that against Bob in a recruiting battle.
You'd essentially be insinuating to the recruit even though Motzko is recruiting you, he cannot identify talent, which is a bold move. You can certainly question the West approach and however you may view it, but the staff was on a recruiting roll this period, so it has not hindered anything.
I’ll probably get ripped for this, but Im in the camp that is ok with Bob not recruiting West for a couple reasons.
1) West basically says Michigan State was first and he committed relatively quick, which potentially didn’t give Bob the chance.
2) when he committed he was not considered a first round talent and more an intriguing athlete with size.
3) he seems like a prospect who projects way more as an impact player in the NHL than college and likely isn’t around long enough in college to meet expectations.
You already know West is going to play his best every time he comes to Mariucci. Probably going to knock us out of a regional final at some point lol.
You already know West is going to play his best every time he comes to Mariucci. Probably going to knock us out of a regional final at some point lol.
Obviously a bad miss for Motzko, a coach who just had a bumpy recruiting season.
However, as much as I hate it that this kid will be playing for MSU, there are talented players all over the league who would want to play at Minnesota. All Bob has to do is find them and sign them. That's the thing about the portal, recruiting mistakes can be remedied.
You can go back in this thread and look at who we were hoping for August 1st, 2024. That list consisted of Berchild, Moe, Kvasnicka, Trottier all above West. You can make the argument that Bob should’ve done a better job spotting his trajectory but the fact of the matter is West was a late bloomer. 4th or 5th round pick in the USHL draft if I recall. By the time we made an effort it was likely too late.
Bob criticism is totally reasonable here. I still like to think that this staff’s track record of identifying and developing talent speaks for itself, so if he wasn’t pursued, there was likely a reason.
Also I wonder how much hoopla is being made over this if West goes in the 2nd or 3rd round like he was projected to.
Does Chicago take him that high if the last tall, lanky, raw MN high school player they took late in the first round didn’t pan out as well as it did? (Rinzel)
That list consisted of Berchild, Moe, Kvasnicka, Trottier all above West.
Berchild was also unfortunately a miss. I don't know much about kvasnicka but I do think Moe is going to be a good player for us.
This Mason West thing has me thinking now. Is Bob Motzko truly a high level recruiter, or does he benefit from the fact that most Minnesota kids grow up wanting to wear the M long before he ever calls?
The program is pretty dang reputable even to out of state kids. The question is whether he’s actually winning recruiting battles through evaluation, strategy, and finding overlooked talent, or if the strength of our recruiting is simply tied to the depth of the Minnesota talent pool and the power of the brand.
Can we find a consistent list, year after year of guys he identified early or took a chance on who weren’t obvious targets at the time. Have there been true diamonds in the rough that he brought in? Or is the success mainly coming from landing the elite kids that would have come here regardless of who the head coach is?
I’m fairly neutral on this and I’m not saying he should have taken West. There will always be good players that don’t get the look but I feel it’s fair question. Are we seeing great recruiting, or just great geography?
Realistically a mix of both. You don’t need to be Einstein to recruit O Moore, Snuggerud, etc. but you do it every time. I’ll give Bob a ton of credit on LaCombe and Rinzel. Not incredibly hyped up guys when they committed but the raw potential was obviously there. A couple developmental masterclasses there.
He did pick Knies out of Arizona🤷♂️. and successfully flipped Cooley which dominoed Mooney. He’s certainly had his moments on the recruiting side on things. Landing the Cullens inevitably ending up with Joey will be his grand final act.
I’d push back on the idea that LaCombe and Rinzel were overlooked or quietly developed here. Both were already highly regarded prospects. LaCombe and Rinzel were first round draft picks, and their development at Minnesota was strong but followed the trajectory they were already on. That reflects the strength of the Minnesota hockey system more than any under the radar recruiting success.
It is a feather in the cap for Bob that players like Knies and Cooley chose Minnesota, and there is value in that. But those were obvious targets and elite prospects that any top program would have pursued and it’s great we got them! The question is whether we are identifying and developing players who were not already on everyone’s radar. Programs like Denver, Maine Western Michigan etc seem to get an edge by finding those types of players and building them into impact contributors.
Another concern is retention. If our development track were viewed as truly exceptional, you would expect players, agents and NHL teams to support staying longer. Instead, it frequently feels like players leave as soon as they are able. Yes it happens at other programs as well but seems more prolific here. Nobody faults someone for heading to the NHL, but players like Kurth, Chesley and possibly O Moore could have benefited from another season, yet still appeared eager to move on.
The broader question is whether Minnesota is effectively blending elite talent with sharp evaluation and real developmental depth. If we can combine high-end prospects with some diamond in the rough recruiting, and keep those players long enough to maximize that development, it may be the step needed to elevate the program to its full potential a la early 2000’s.
Another concern is retention. If our development track were viewed as truly exceptional, you would expect players, agents and NHL teams to support staying longer. Instead, it frequently feels like players leave as soon as they are able. Yes it happens at other programs as well but seems more prolific here. Nobody faults someone for heading to the NHL, but players like Kurth, Chesley and possibly O Moore could have benefited from another season, yet still appeared eager to move on.
I do not find this concern valid. Last year? Sure. You can look at Moore and Kurth and wonder if there was something which could have been done to retain them. Overall, however, they have gotten the extra year from Lacombe Snuggerud, Johnson, even Cooley for a minute, and these are not too far in the rear view. I would argue retention has been a strength for this staff.
Every coach has a shelf life, so it is fair to wonder if/when Motzko's is up. I don't think he has completely lost what made him successful at SCSU and here.