0:05 This is The GPL Podcast, sponsored by Vintage Minnesota Hockey, your exclusive source for throwback Minnesota jerseys. 0:14 Visit vintagemnhockey.com Now, here's Hammy, Vegoe, and your host, Jupiter. 0:40 Welcome back to The GPL Podcast. 0:44 I'm your host, Jupiter, and of course, always with us is Hammeh. 0:48 How are you doing? 0:49 Not too bad, got some new music for this year, huh? 0:51 We do have some new music. 0:53 Vegoe, you're there too, boy? 0:55 Yep, I'm right here. 0:57 Looking forward to the season. 0:58 Oh, I think everybody is. 1:00 We've got a new music, we've got a sponsor this year in Vintage Minnesota Hockey, so things are looking up. 1:06 The season's coming, guys. 1:08 We're just a few days away. 1:09 Are you excited? 1:14 I'm definitely excited. 1:15 It's funny because we always have relatively high expectations every year for gopher hockey, but some years you're kind of like last year where you're almost expecting the moon because of what they returned for a team. 1:26 Yep, yep. 1:28 And this year, it's kind of like it was a couple years ago. 1:30 We lost some guys to the pros early and some good talent, and now we have some young guys coming in and some of the underclassmen starting to mature. 1:40 So it's almost kind of exciting because you don't exactly know what you're going to get, but you have a lot of talent there, so we'll have to see how it blends. 1:47 What are your initial thoughts, Veegs? 1:49 You excited? 1:50 You were down there earlier today. 1:52 Yep, I've been down there for the media day and then in the ability today again. 1:57 So got a little bit of perspective from Coach Lucia and what he's thinking. 2:01 And one of the big things this year is so many roles were defined going into last year that the guys were kind of expecting ice time in certain spots and things weren't going well. 2:12 It's kind of hard to change things up. 2:14 Whereas this is so much competition for ice time, our play time, penalty kill time, even for goaltending. 2:20 So it's gonna be an interesting season. 2:23 Well, let's kind of kick things off and let's get familiar with the new faces on the team, the freshmen. 2:30 Hammey, let's start with you. 2:32 Let's start with right at the top, Brent Gates Jr. 2:36 Ford played at Green Bay last year of the USHL. 2:39 What can you tell us about Brent Gates Jr.? 2:42 Well, he's kind of a good size kid. 2:44 He's a real good all around player. 2:46 I mean, he's I think more of a goal scorer and kind of a physical guy that's gonna kind of grind it out. 2:51 I mean, I think that's one thing we're gonna see a little bit more in this year's Gopher team. 2:55 I think we got a little more size, a little bit more physicality. 2:57 So he's one of those guys that should kind of bring some of that to the table. 3:01 It looks like from the early indications that he's gonna get some prime ice time. 3:06 I've heard earlier in the week that he was lined up with clues and, let's see, who was the other, it was clues and fashing. 3:15 So I mean, obviously, if that's how that remains, they have a lot of confidence in him. 3:20 So I think that he should be, he's coming off injury, but I would imagine, given the position that he's in there, that he's recovered pretty fully and it'll be interesting to see how he translates because he's still a pretty young guy despite his size. 3:35 Brock, was it Counts, Cats? 3:37 How do you pronounce that goaltender from the Minnesota wilderness, Veegs? 3:41 Do you know? 3:41 I don't know yet. 3:44 I imagine we'll figure it out at some point. 3:46 He sounds like he's just gonna be a practice guy, doesn't he? 3:52 Veegs? 3:54 From what I know, it sounds like Shirehorn's gonna be the guy that starts off a net. 4:01 Lucia was pretty tight to the best with how he's gonna handle his goalies, other than that they're gonna play one this weekend, which is probably a good thing. 4:10 But all the players are talking about having confidence in all four goalies, which is a lot of guys to share the net. 4:15 But I think Shirehorn is gonna get the first chance. 4:19 He's got a lot of experience in the USHL. 4:22 He's got a lot of experience in international tournaments. 4:25 And Lucia has talked about him being an athletic guy. 4:28 So he's obviously gotten the most attention early on and counts not so much. 4:35 I didn't think so. 4:35 He sounded like kind of a last second practice ad anyway. 4:38 So that's just the way it is. 4:40 Hammeh, what about this Ryan Norman kid right out of Shattuck? 4:44 Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what happens with him this year. 4:49 My preference was that he would play a year of USHL after Shattuck. 4:54 But I think because of what we saw with... 4:57 Oh God, his name slips my mind. 4:59 But he kind of decommitted and went up to another team like last spring. 5:03 Oh my God, I can't remember his name. 5:04 But anyways, I think that if he had stuck to his original commitment with the Gophers, that there's a pretty good chance that Norman would have played USHL this year. 5:14 So I don't really know honestly what to expect. 5:16 I think that he's probably gonna be one of those guys that me and all prior in and out of the lineup as a first year player, maybe not quite the prime guys that you can automatically assume as a freshman are gonna contribute. 5:27 So we'll see what happens, but he should, he's a good two way player and everything, but I just think he's kind of young and it'll take some time for him to translate to the college level. 5:37 Vegoe, we've been here about Novak, Tom Novak for quite a while. 5:41 What can you tell us about him? 5:43 People talk about him as a very steady two way player. 5:46 I think he was a second round draft pick. 5:49 He's one of the guys who's being slotted in, one of the top nine players in playing center. 5:55 So a lot of responsibility. 5:56 Guys like his skill and they like his hockey IQ. 6:01 Yeah, he's a real good playmaker. 6:02 I mean, he's, he could shoot the puck, but I mean, he's known more as his playmaking abilities. 6:08 And I know that a lot of people were pretty high on him last year. 6:14 Even, I know some, he got kind of dinged up and then he got kind of separated from the top line. 6:19 I think that that actually kind of helped him when he was in Waterloo was to play on a different line than Besser and some of those guys. 6:25 So I, it sounds like he's, you know, gonna be a good contributor right out of the gate. 6:31 And I'm sure that he'll do well on a power play because that's kind of playing to his strengths. 6:35 And then we've got Jack Ramsey. 6:37 Boy, that name sounds familiar, isn't it? 6:41 That it does. 6:42 You know, it's- 6:43 His sister was a star there for four years. 6:46 Yeah, and then- 6:47 Not to mention his dad. 6:48 Yeah. 6:49 Yeah, he's, you know, he's an athletic kid, you know. 6:52 He, you know, I really think that he was recruited early on, you know, just to kind of play that kind of role player type of a situation. 6:59 He's, to me, I mean, I'm not saying he's going to be exactly like Serratore was, but I think he's like in that vein, you know, a coach's kid who knows the game, who plays smart, you know, plays hard. 7:10 He's kind of bigger physical kid. 7:12 So I think that, you know, I'm not expecting he's going to turn into a big scorer in college because he hasn't really proven that, you know, in the junior level, but I think that he'll be one of those guys that adds a lot of grit and character to the team. 7:23 And you can tell he really wants to be a Minnesota player. 7:26 He was one of the first kids out of this class to commit to Minnesota. 7:30 Yep, he definitely was. 7:32 Vegoe, what do you know about this Darian Romanko guy? 7:36 I know that he was the last guy to commit to this class. 7:38 He was. 7:39 And he's a big player. 7:41 I think they're looking at him to play center. 7:44 I think out of the freshman centers, he's probably more of a fourth line type center guy, played in the NHL. 7:51 Guys are saying he's fitting in well, asking a lot of questions. 7:55 One of the things that the players are talking about is all the young guys need to communicate on the ice. 8:01 And I think that's especially important for fourth line guys to communicate on the ice and make sure to make the safe plays and be aware of where the opponents are. 8:10 So it'll be interesting to see how he fits in the lineup and if he stays there. 8:14 So, Jack Sadak out of Lakeville, North Hammy. 8:21 Yeah, I mean, he's got a lot of talent. 8:24 I've heard some good things. 8:26 He was kind of one of those kids that you think, well, he's coming right out of high school hockey and so you don't really have huge expectations just because, especially as a defenseman, you think, okay, there's gonna be a big transition period. 8:38 And I'm sure there will be to some extent for him. 8:41 But I've heard good things early on. 8:44 I don't know how much playing time he's gonna get right out of the gate just because I think that some of last year's freshmen, those three guys are gonna be playing a lot. 8:52 And of course, we have some of the returners like Brzezinski and those guys. 8:55 So I don't know that, I'm sure he'll get some spot duty and if there's an injury involved, I'm sure he'll get ample playing time. 9:02 But I think it's just gonna be one of those situations where it's gonna be a learning year for him and hopefully he'll be able to contribute when he gets his opportunities. 9:13 Oh, Curtis Simonson, is that how you pronounce his name? 9:19 Anyone know? 9:19 I'm pretty sure that's it, yep. 9:22 What do you know about him? 9:23 Is he another bit player hammy or Veegs? 9:26 I mean, what do you wanna think? 9:29 Go ahead, Veegs. 9:30 Well, I think he was another late commit to this team to provide some depth. 9:35 You look at this team, they've got 6D that they feel they can count on, but of course there can always be injuries and things like that. 9:42 So I think he's brought in as more of a depth player. 9:46 Lucia's kinda said that he's gonna start with the six guys who are returning first and give them a shot, see if they can do it. 9:54 I think he's more of a depth player. 9:56 Yeah, and if you see, if you look at the Gopher kind of recruiting pipeline, they had a number of scholarship defensemen that are gonna be coming in here the next year or two, and there's not, I don't know how much attrition there's gonna be in that time, but I don't know if that's gonna be significant enough. 10:13 So they had to bring somebody in that wasn't going to necessarily cost them a lot of scholarship or anything along those lines. 10:19 So that's kind of why I think that they brought somebody like Simonson in kind of late, that probably wasn't gonna be a very costly player to bring in. 10:28 And what sounds like it's gonna be our starting goaltender, well, we don't know yet, is it Eric Scheierhorn is how you pronounce it, Veegs, or is it Sheerhorn? 10:35 Sheerhorn. 10:36 Sheerhorn. 10:37 Sheerhorn. 10:37 Sheerhorn, I wasn't sure, so I just thought I'd ask. 10:40 Obviously, Hamme, you've spoke how this is a pretty good get late in the game. 10:46 What are your thoughts on this kid? 10:48 Well, I mean, I've been saying it basically since last spring that to me, he's the guy that you kind of have penciled in right now as the starter for, at least I would expect the bulk of the games this year. 11:01 Played really well, USHL goalie of the year. 11:04 Obviously, when you have those kind of credentials coming into college, being an older guy as well, that you kind of expect him to step in and play well. 11:13 I've heard that he looked really good this summer and he's looked relatively good early in practice time. 11:20 It's captain's practices and all that. 11:23 But I've actually heard that he's probably more of like Wilcox in the sense that he's more of a game type of a goalie. 11:28 He plays better in games than he actually does in practice. 11:31 So hopefully that'll translate as the season goes on. 11:35 And the last of the freshman is Tyler Sheehy. 11:38 What do you know about him, Veegs? 11:41 Probably not as much as Hammy, but I know that he's probably gonna get a shot at the top nine. 11:46 So, you know, they're looking at some skill for him in the lineup. 11:51 It kind of a smaller guy. 11:52 I mean, he's not real big, but he's kind of like built kind of compact. 11:55 And he's kind of, I think a little bit tougher to knock off the puck, given his size. 11:59 So I think that, you know, he's one of those guys that can, you know, provide some offense. 12:04 He's not just, you know, a passing guy. 12:06 He can shoot the puck. 12:07 He's a good goal scorer. 12:09 So I think that he'll be a nice all-around addition to the team. 12:13 Now that does it for the freshmen, but there is a new face that was on the team last year, but had to sit out a year and that's Nick Seeler. 12:19 What can you tell us about him, Veegs? 12:22 Nick Seeler is a player who was kind of in the background last year. 12:26 Transferred in from Omaha and sat out the year. 12:30 Don Lucia said that he has already made himself known in practice. 12:34 He's a physical defenseman, pretty good size and they've actually had to tell him to tone it down in practice a little bit because he was popping guys a little too hard and Lucia said that this is a guy that Minnesota fans haven't seen for a while. 12:48 So he was a wild draft pick and should step in and play a pretty significant role right away. 12:54 Yeah, I've been saying since last year that he's gonna be our most physical defenseman this year. 12:58 I have no doubt about that. 12:59 I mean, he's, he definitely likes to hit, you know, he's a guy that I think is gonna bring kind of that Demarque-y kind of feel to him. 13:08 I mean, I don't know if he's gonna necessarily take the penalties like that, but you know, he's definitely gonna be a physical guy that's gonna make his presence known. 13:15 Other teams are gonna definitely be looking out for him on the ice. 13:19 And I don't think he's just a bruiser. 13:21 He looks like he's pretty mobile out there on the ice. 13:23 So I think he's gonna bring a lot to the Gophers. 13:27 Yeah, I'm definitely not trying to project him as just like a one-way, kind of a big slug type of a guy. 13:32 He definitely has some good skills, but he definitely is gonna bring an element, like Lucia said, that we haven't really seen with a lot of our defensemen in recent years. 13:43 Well, you can always send us questions via Twitter, if you're listening live. 13:47 Just use the hashtag GPL Podcast, and we'll try to answer your questions. 13:51 I notice a good old Matt Barron wants to know, what's your favorite beer, Hammeh? 13:57 My favorite beer? 13:59 Jesus, you're asking the wrong dude. 14:00 I know, but that's what he wanted to know. 14:03 Yeah, you know, I. 14:07 I'm not like, see, Veegs is the guy who's like the total beer expert. 14:12 I'm not like that. 14:13 I just. 14:14 Well, then what's your favorite beverage, I should say? 14:17 Beverage, well, I had far too many Long Island ice teas about five weeks ago. 14:23 And trust me, I was praying to the porcelain god the next day. 14:27 Kind of swore off drinking for a little bit. 14:30 So that's what I had last. 14:33 Well, Veegs, let's let you answer the question. 14:35 And what's your favorite beer? 14:37 I think the last time I had a Long Island, I was probably up at Grandma's in Duluth. 14:41 And I think I remember that. 14:43 Yeah, I had a good time that weekend. 14:45 I think I was wearing a vintage Minnesota Jersey that weekend, too. 14:48 It was a lot of fun. 14:50 But I think the best beer for me is probably Goose Island Bourbon County. 14:55 Comes out once a year, right after Thanksgiving. 14:58 And it's a phenomenal beer if you can get your hands on it. 15:02 I have to admit, I like pumpkin beers at this time of year. 15:05 I kind of dig it. 15:07 Veegs always tells me like one or two that I should get. 15:09 And I usually forget to get them, but nonetheless. 15:13 Tim Hanifke wants to know, thoughts on Lucia being on Twitter. 15:17 Is the Don turning soft? 15:19 No, first off, obviously it's the official Don Lucia account, but I'm sorry. 15:25 I think the tweets coming out so far look like Brian Deutsch, the SID, all the way. 15:32 His fingerprints are all over it. 15:35 Yeah, I don't think Don knows how to get on Twitter. 15:38 Yeah, you know, I kind of get the feeling like when I see, especially the links to things like the Gallagosky stuff, you know, he's retweeting stuff or whatever. 15:47 I just kind of like, you know, not that Coach probably doesn't know how to do this stuff entirely, but I kind of have the feeling that he just doesn't strike me as a guy that's going to waste a hell of a lot of time doing this stuff. 15:57 He's like, he probably was battling tooth and nail. 16:00 Do I really have to do this shit? 16:02 You know, he's- 16:03 You're probably right. 16:04 Yeah, I mean, so I kind of think that it was more like, well, you should probably have one. 16:09 It's good for publicity and whatever else. 16:12 I'm sure he buckled because of that, but- 16:16 Yeah, I woke up, what was it, Saturday or Sunday morning and I saw that. 16:19 I'm like, is this for real? 16:20 And I actually tweeted at Minnesota said, is it for real? 16:22 And he said it was, so- 16:24 I get the old funny that he tweeted at the fake Don Lucia account. 16:29 Which was pretty good. 16:31 I'll take it from here. 16:32 It's pretty much what the Don said towards fake Don Lucia. 16:35 And if you don't follow fake Don Lucia, do so. 16:39 It is a pretty, it's pretty funny if you ask me. 16:43 Yeah, it was pretty funny. 16:44 I asked Lucia today if, you know, he was gonna announce the goalie decision on Twitter and he said, definitely not. 16:51 And the only reason he got on there was to take it from fake Don Lucia and try to put him out of business. 16:58 But he has no idea who fake Don Lucia is. 17:01 Although it must be someone close to the program because he gets a lot of inside info on the Don's activities. 17:08 You know, I've had people there ask me about fake Don Lucia and I have no idea who it is. 17:12 I don't think some of the bigwigs there know who it is. 17:16 They think it might be an insider, but who knows who it really is? 17:21 It's worth the follow. 17:24 It is worth the follow. 17:25 It is pretty funny. 17:28 And good sense of humor. 17:30 Definitely good sense of humor. 17:31 He definitely loves his hair a little too much. 17:35 Well, guys, we have a sponsor for The GPL Podcast. 17:40 It's been a few years. 17:41 We've tried a little bit in the past, but now we have somebody who's willing to pay for us. 17:47 We're all really happy about this, but the thing is, it's a legit website that I think quite a few of us have used. 17:57 It's a great audience for it. 17:58 So I wanna welcome a Vintage Minnesota Hockey Aboard. 18:04 I would like to welcome Vintage Minnesota Hockey as our very first sponsor on the GPL Podcast. 18:10 vintagemnhockey.com wants to take you back in time and keep the memories of Minnesota hockey heritage alive forever. 18:17 They have Minnesota hockey history from around the entire state. 18:21 Vintage Minnesota hockey is dedicated to those from Minnesota's past who have carved out Minnesota's rich hockey history from the state of hockey. 18:30 Personally, I love the online store. 18:32 I own a 2011 alternate white jersey with Gophers written across the front of it. 18:37 I love it and I can personally vouch for its quality. 18:40 You can even get your throwback jersey customized with your name, number or patches. 18:46 And as listeners of the GPL Podcast, you get a special 10% discount on all orders from their online store. 18:53 Just enter the code GPL Podcast, all lowercase and one word to receive this discount. 18:59 So visit Vintage Minnesota Hockey today at vintagemnhockey.com. 19:06 And there it is, our first advertiser on GPL. 19:09 I know you were speaking about it earlier, Veegs, but you own one of Kyle's jerseys, don't you? 19:15 Yeah, I've got a couple. 19:16 I've got an old Herb Brooks jersey and then an old John Mariucci jersey. 19:21 The old Brooksie one is wool, so it's especially nice for outdoor tailgating when I choose to rub it up. 19:27 Keeps you nice and warm. 19:29 Yeah, it's great. 19:30 It's a great look, always a conversation starter. 19:33 Good job reading the copy, dude, because you didn't have that Joe Maurer monotone. 19:40 This is Joe Maurer. 19:42 Oh, man. 19:42 I'd like to represent, at least you had some emphasis on the words. 19:47 I was definitely winging it, but I definitely support it because I've got a jersey from him and people have a hard time finding jerseys because, to be honest, the U has crappy jerseys. 20:00 And I know that they can't do the most recent jerseys, but he's got a lot of classic jerseys there from Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, St. 20:08 Cloud, the North Stars. 20:11 He's even got quite a few game warns there that you could purchase. 20:14 So you definitely should check it out if you get the chance and use the code. 20:19 You'll get 10% off your order and that's more you can ask for. 20:23 So be sure to check it out. 20:26 All right, guys, predictions. 20:29 Big Ten predictions, you know. 20:32 Should we just automatically put Wisconsin at the bottom and just start from there? 20:37 Well, I guess. 20:38 That's basically what I did. 20:39 Yeah, I mean, if you gotta go on last year, I suppose. 20:41 And considering that they looked like they're just trying to throw as many warm bodies on the team as possible just to like, you know, see what sticks to the wall. 20:50 So, you know, that would probably be my suggestion. 20:53 I mean, they'll have some good players. 20:55 You know, I think they'll be a little better than last year, of course, but I wouldn't suspect that we're gonna see like this worst of first kind of thing. 21:02 I definitely wouldn't expect that. 21:04 So we can all agree, even you have Veegs that Wisconsin at the bottom, at least for now, that's our prediction. 21:12 Yep, I mean, they've just got so many players in transition there. 21:17 I think Grant Bessey will have a good season. 21:19 But other than that, it's hard to see a lot of positives for them. 21:23 They were just so young last year and now they have to find a new goalie. 21:27 It's just gonna be rough. 21:30 Eves had to find new guys to coach with. 21:33 That's true. 21:34 I mean, Eves is, well, he fired all his assistants. 21:38 So whatever happens this year, it's on him. 21:42 You know, and the thing is, is I know that we all kind of enjoy watching them suffer a bit, but it is important for them to get things turned around from a conference standpoint. 21:51 I mean, you know, obviously, when all this conference stuff changed, we all expected that Wisconsin would be one of the real contenders every year to be, you know, for the NCAAs along with the Gophers and Michigan. 22:04 Like those would be the three teams you could really count on most years to be contenders. 22:08 And having Wisconsin suck the way they have, you know, has not helped the conference. 22:13 So eventually we gotta hope that that turns around. 22:15 I mean, even if we don't like seeing it, we still need them to be a better team. 22:20 You know, I think personally, I enjoy if they have a bad year like they did last year, but if they continue to do this, I won't enjoy it at all. 22:28 We need that rivalry there. 22:30 The conference needs them to be strong. 22:33 So yeah, it was fun last year, but come on Wisconsin, you've gotta pick it up. 22:40 Well, I think they'll be fine next year. 22:42 I mean, they've got so many young players getting experience as long as they don't have a lot of mid-season flyers out of there. 22:49 They'll eventually get there. 22:51 Well, how much trouble is heaves in? 22:54 Well, that's the thing. 22:55 I mean, you have to figure that there is no more fall guy left. 22:59 There isn't. 23:00 Now with the new assistants, you can't blame the assistants anymore. 23:04 At some point, it's going to come down to the head guy. 23:07 And if he doesn't perform this year or next year, I mean, I'd be shocked if he's not gone, if he doesn't perform by the end of next year. 23:18 So Veegs, who do you have as your fifth place team then? 23:22 My fifth place team, I've got Ohio State. 23:25 I just don't think they have a lot of depth to compete with the top teams in the conference. 23:30 They played kind of a tight game at times last time, but I think they want to get up and down with their top line guys. 23:37 I just don't see a lot of depth there. 23:38 They've got a nice player in Greco, but I don't see him having much of a supporting cast. 23:44 What do you think, Cammie? 23:45 You're along the same lines with Ohio State? 23:48 Yeah, it's just so hard to figure things out with them. 23:54 Every year, you're just thinking, what's going to happen with these guys? 23:57 Are they going to be up, down? 24:00 Once they lost Osikie, it was like, what's going to happen with this program? 24:04 It just kind of continued in that no man's land. 24:07 You just don't know what to expect. 24:10 Let me guess, Hammeh, your next one is Michigan State or Penn State? 24:16 I think Penn State is improving now. 24:20 Yeah, I would probably say Penn State just because as much as I'm impressed with the progress that they have made, they still I think are a little bit a ways before they'll consistently be threatening the better teams. 24:35 I definitely think they're headed in the right direction. 24:38 I think we saw that last year, they're a competitive team. 24:41 Even when they're not winning, they're not necessarily getting slaughtered. 24:45 I think they're being very competitive. 24:47 But I just don't think that they have the guns quite yet to really be consistently threatening the top teams. 24:54 Number four for you, Veegs. 24:56 I've actually got Michigan in this spot, which is probably an outlier for a lot of people. 25:01 Well, they were picked by the coaches as number one too. 25:05 I know, but the coaches aren't usually right on this one. 25:07 True. 25:09 I think they've just got so many issues in that program. 25:12 They had a bunch of guys leave early last year. 25:14 Their goal timing was inconsistent. 25:16 They were flipping back and forth between them all year. 25:19 I just think they have a lot of guys looking out the door and looking at their NHL careers. 25:25 They have a lot of talent up front. 25:30 They've got some real skill there. 25:31 They've got Warinski, who's probably one of the best defensemen in college hockey, and Downing, who's a real physical defenseman. 25:39 I just don't think they play cohesively enough to be successful. 25:43 I think they're going to struggle. 25:45 Red Berenson in the past has been able to keep players. 25:49 He's done an excellent job. 25:51 Some people have felt over the last five or so years that Red is starting to lose that luster on keeping these players. 26:00 Well, I think that's common with a lot of coaches these days. 26:03 One of the interesting things that came out of availability today was I was asking Lucia about what is he emphasizing this year? 26:10 He really talked about communication and not communication on the ice like Justin Kluce talks about. 26:15 He talks about communication off the ice, about captains coming to him weekly, having a meeting, making sure everyone's on the same page and has buy-in on what's happening, and giving the captains some power to carry out change through the team. 26:29 And I think that's a big change for a lot of these old coaches where they're used to just being able to tell kids what to do, when to do it, and if they don't like it, they bench them. 26:37 Well, now when you do that, the NHL is calling because these kids are free agents by the age of 27. 26:44 So if things aren't working out in college, they want to get them in the NHL. 26:48 And unlike Major Junior, the kids aren't protected. 26:51 They can go play minor pro hockey right away. 26:56 So you've got Michigan at number four, who do you have at number three, Veegs? 27:00 I've got Penn State at number three. 27:02 I think Guy Gadowski has a lot of things going. 27:04 I like his defensemen. 27:06 They're getting to the point where they're getting enough talent, where they've got guys who can get them in transition. 27:11 And they generate lots of shots. 27:14 They put the puck on net and they had a couple impressive road games last year and I think they've got something going there. 27:21 They've got a great home crowd, a great atmosphere there. 27:23 I think Penn State, on my surprise for Nate Wells' prediction, was Penn State making the NCAAs. 27:31 Interesting. 27:33 Well, Hammeh, who's your number three? 27:37 I've got Michigan State. 27:39 I think specifically Hilda Brandt is such a really good goalie. 27:43 I think when you have that kind of a situation, a goalie that you can really count on, it's something that you can just kind of build upon. 27:52 Granted, they're not, I think, a team that's going to blow anybody's socks off as far as their skills and anything along those lines, because they're not really, at least they weren't last year, a real high-scoring team or anything, but I think that they play that style where they'll be competitive and with a good goalie as their backbone of the team, I think that they'll be consistent enough to finish in that slot. 28:17 So back to you, Veegs. 28:19 You've got Michigan State and Minnesota left. 28:21 Who are you putting number two? 28:23 I've got Michigan State as number two, I think Hildebrand. 28:25 You're such a homer. 28:27 Of course. 28:28 It's the team I watch all the time, so of course we have high expectations for them. 28:32 But Michigan State's got great goaltending. 28:34 I think they've got a group that's been together long enough to play competitive hockey in every game. 28:41 You don't see them get too checked out of their systems and making teams go through layers to get to their goalie. 28:46 But when they get there, they've got a good one. 28:48 All right, Hammeh, you've got Minnesota and Michigan left. 28:52 Are you going, Homer? 28:53 No, I am going to pick Minnesota second, although I won't be shocked if they end up in first. 29:02 I just think that this year, with some of the question marks that we have, particularly in goal, it's kind of hard for me to feel absolutely confident that I can just slot them in the top spot automatically when you have some of that. 29:15 Especially in a key spot like goalie, we certainly have guys that are going to be stepping into new roles, and I think the talent is certainly there, and they'll be capable of handling those things. 29:26 But coming into the season, I'm not going to be convinced of them being able to achieve that until I see a little more and actually watch them prove it. 29:36 The thing I am heartened about that I think last year's team didn't have is I feel a lot more confident in the leadership this year. 29:44 I think we kind of talked about it last year in terms of some of the off-the-ice stuff and some of the conflict that was going on behind the scenes. 29:52 I think that this year's leadership, like Justin Clues and some of those guys, I think they really kind of saw firsthand how that could impact the team. 30:00 Last year's team was obviously very, very talented, and it wasn't a talent issue. 30:05 I think it was just really we saw how important chemistry and some of the intangibles are, and it just didn't translate last year. 30:11 And I think that I've heard very good things already about how the leadership is trying to get the guys together, not just on the same page on the ice, but off the ice, trying to make sure that there's comradery and that even the young guys feel a part of the team. 30:25 So when we've had really good seasons, we've had really good leadership, and I think that that's what we have this year. 30:41 Sorry, I did it again. 30:42 Yes, I was holding... 30:43 Did you put your mute on? 30:44 I had the mute button, I started talking, not even knowing again. 30:47 I knew it, I knew it. 30:48 Yeah, I should have known. 30:49 Well, Hammeh, you had Michigan first, Vegoe, you have Michigan fourth. 30:54 You guys kind of feel different about Michigan. 30:57 Yeah, I just think that leadership is important, and I'm not sure if Michigan has it. 31:02 I think they have a lot of guys who are looking at NHL, and they've got a lot of question marks in goal who have proven that they're question marks. 31:09 I think when you look at Minnesota, they have question marks in goal, but we haven't really seen how they're gonna react to the college game. 31:16 One of the things I heard today was that they did think Shearhorn was an athletic goalie like Wilcox, and that this is the first time he's had a goalie coach in a couple years. 31:27 And so I think over the season, you're gonna see him get even steadier, but one of the things that go for goalies is they're not under a lot of pressure throughout the entire game. 31:37 It's a lot more rushes coming at them, and I think the athleticism could be a positive there. 31:45 Well, I think the thing you have to remember, people have to remember about Wilcox is he did not have the greatest year last year. 31:52 I mean, he had obviously a freshman year and a sophomore year, he was very good, but if you look at his numbers last year, they weren't nearly as good as what they were the prior two years. 32:02 I think we could see it with our own eyes that he didn't quite make those key saves quite as often. 32:08 It seemed like in the past he would steal a goal or two maybe even in certain games, and we just didn't quite see that level of play last year. 32:18 So he didn't set the bar super high, and I think that that's something that this year, whoever's gonna be the starter, likely Shearhorn, I mean, those guys are not gonna feel like they have to be world beaters to just replicate what happened last year, so. 32:34 All right, Veegs, I'm curious, just a prediction here. 32:38 Who's your breakout player this year? 32:40 Who's the guy who's been okay for the first few years, but it's gonna break out this year? 32:47 Breakout player, I think we'll see Brudzinski really be one of the breakout players from the defensive core. 32:54 I think he had a tough time finding the ice last year, and he's got a lot of offensive skill, and when you're playing behind a guy like Mike Riley, there's not a lot of opportunities for you to show that. 33:05 So I think this year he's gonna get a lot of looks and opportunities, and I think he's probably the breakout guy from the defensemen. 33:13 What do you think, Hammeh? 33:14 Who's gonna step it up? 33:16 Well, I think we're gonna see a number of guys step it up just simply because of the fact that there's some key spots that opened up, but I really, I'm looking kind of towards Bristead to be a guy that steps up, just because, I mean, I think people forget that last year was really his first year in North America, playing North America hockey, coming from another country, making all that kind of a transition, and that's not gonna be easy, and yet, he still played pretty well overall, considering that fact. 33:45 And I just think that he's a guy that works hard, he's very consistent in terms of his effort level, and I would suspect that he's gonna get some good opportunities in terms of some power play time and things of that nature. 33:59 So I really think that he's a guy that we could potentially see really step up big time. 34:04 Okay, I'm looking at the roster guy, and I see a name I don't recognize. 34:08 Who is Mike, what, Smetula? 34:13 Smetula. 34:14 Smetula. 34:15 He's the transfer, he's not gonna be playing this year. 34:17 He'll be sitting up for the NCAA rules, but he's a very good offensive player that will definitely be contributing next year to next year's team, but he'll be sort of in the same shoes that Nick Seehler was in last year, so he won't be, he'll just be a practice guy this year, but he won't be playing. 34:32 Yeah, I just looked at that, it was just kind of throwing me off there. 34:34 Yeah, he was a point-of-game player for Northeastern. 34:39 For me, I'm thinking the return of Connor Riley. 34:44 Boy, that kid was big early last year, and I'm thinking he's gonna come back better than ever, and he could be quite the impact on the team this year. 34:54 At least that's what I'm hoping, and that's what I'm predicting. 34:56 Connor Riley for me. 34:58 Well, one of the things about Connor is Lucia says this is the best he's ever looked skating. 35:02 Mm-hmm. 35:03 So, which says something. 35:04 You know, this is a kid who's been injured a lot. 35:06 You know, he's been a little unlucky with ACLs, and you know, he's back and he's gone through the rehab, and he says his injured knee feels stronger than his other knee, so. 35:16 Well, that's definitely positive. 35:18 I mean- 35:18 Or his recently injured knee. 35:20 Yeah, well, let's hope, yeah, exactly. 35:22 Let's hope he stays healthy this year. 35:23 He's certainly had some rotten luck the last handful of years. 35:27 Yeah, and he was a great one-timer threat last year for the power play, so. 35:31 He was. 35:32 Hopefully he can bring a little bit more to the ice this year. 35:34 I will say that I think, you know, it'll be important for Vinny to step up this year. 35:39 Let Terry, you know, I think that, you know, he's one of those guys that we've been kind of waiting to break out, you know, and I'm hoping that, you know, with some kind of increased ice time and maybe playing on a line with a little bit more offensive guys this year that maybe he'll kind of break out because we definitely need him. 35:55 You know, he's a guy that I think is a good player, but we just haven't seen him kind of click quite yet at this level. 36:02 Another question from Twitter. 36:03 Remember, you can always tweet us if you're listening live or using the hashtag GPL Podcast. 36:09 It's from Eric Raymond. 36:11 Let's start with you, Hanny. 36:12 Best guest at the lines or at least who plays? 36:16 I assume he means this Saturday night in the Hall of Fame game at Vermont or against Vermont. 36:22 Well, I was told by a very good source the other two days ago that the lines at the time, I'm not saying this is definitely what the first lines, our first game lines are gonna be, what the top line was, Gates, Clues and Fashing. 36:39 And then it was Riley, Novak and Bristead for the second and then Sheehee, Lattery and Camerata on the third and then Ramsey, Romanko and Michelson on the fourth. 36:51 So I don't know if they're gonna tweak that or, but as far as early indications go, I'm guessing that's probably what they will be for, as far as the forward lines. 37:02 Vig's Camerata has got to pick it up this year. 37:06 Yeah, he went to a skating coach this summer to try and improve his stride because he did look like a periphery player last year, and I think he's got to find a way to get himself in open space with his legs a little bit more and not just be on the periphery. 37:22 He's got to find a way to get involved in the game and get to that home plate area in the offensive zone a little bit more. 37:28 To me, he's the X factor for this team this year because if he goes in the tank and plays pretty mediocre like last year, I don't think the team's gonna do quite as well. 37:40 If he kind of starts to reach that potential offensively, it kind of makes that kind of an impact. 37:46 I have a feel a lot better about this year, but he definitely is a kid that has to start being more engaged. 37:52 I mean, nobody's gonna say he's gonna become a big bruiser or anything, but he's got to get more engaged in the play, in the corners and puck battles and just show a little bit more fight. 38:02 He just doesn't seem, in the past, he just hasn't had that fight, and I want to see some of that this year. 38:07 I think last year was the first time he really faced a lot of adversity on the ice because he's always been such a good offensive player and he didn't have that last year. 38:16 He didn't really seem to answer the bell with that challenge last year, so hopefully he'll learn from it and he'll bring something this year that's gonna be more consistent. 38:24 I don't think he was working. 38:26 Well, that's what I said. 38:27 You got to work and the leadership let him be this kind of a lazy ass out there last year. 38:35 Well, I mean, I think it's one of those things where, you know, the coach probably looks around and says, well, I'm giving this kid, you know, probably 90% scholarship or whatever. 38:43 And, you know, and it's like he's got more skill than the guys that aren't playing. 38:48 And so it's almost like you feel in a sense obligated to play him and they probably should have benched him, you know, once or twice just to get his attention. 38:56 But like I said, he definitely didn't seem to answer some of the adversity that he faced last year. 39:02 So hopefully, you know, he's kind of learned from that and will have a little bit more tougher mentality this year. 39:07 Let's hope so. 39:09 Let's hope so. 39:09 Cause we need him to put some pucks in the net. 39:14 Well, boys, we have the Vermont Catamounts coming in on Saturday for the Hall of Fame game. 39:21 Do we know anything about Vermont, Veegs? 39:24 We just know that they're a veteran team who's done very well in hockey East. 39:29 None of the players or coaches commented much on the team. 39:35 So, I think everybody on the Gopher side is focused on what they can do. 39:40 But I think they're gonna have to play a responsible game. 39:43 I think it's gonna be a close one. 39:44 Pammy, any thoughts on Vermont? 39:48 You know, it's these early season games are just so hard to really know. 39:54 Cause you just don't know what players have stepped up and worked their ass off in the off season and look like a completely different guy than the last year. 40:01 And as we've seen in the past, even Gopher teams that return a lot of guys, maybe they start off sluggish and you just don't know. 40:09 I mean, obviously with the pair wise, the way it is, and with the Big Ten kind of being a little bit sketchy again this year, or likely gonna be sketchy, these are gonna be important games to start off the season and try to win some of these non-conference games to make sure that you're in a good position at the end of the year, that you're not kind of biting your fingernails, wondering if you're gonna get in or not. 40:32 Yeah, well, we're just hoping they don't lay an egg. 40:35 For what, the whole season or for the game? 40:37 Well, just open things up Friday night, because if they're not up for the following weekend, then we've got more concern. 40:44 But just do something Saturday night, just keep us from being bitter. 40:51 Well, I think there's gonna be some jitters going on Saturday night. 40:54 I mean, they're gonna be playing a team of a lot of 22, 23, I think there's a couple 24-year-olds on that Vermont team. 41:01 And that's a big step up for guys like Gates who are just barely 18. 41:06 And some of the other young guys who are gonna be in the lineup. 41:10 So there's a big difference in that four or five years. 41:14 Well, and for first, you get some of these guys, their first home game and some of that stuff. 41:18 So I'm sure there's gonna be some nerves in that sense. 41:21 But I'm just kind of hoping that we see a lot of energy, a lot of, I mean, you never know if it's gonna be clicking early in the season with Lions and that kind of chemistry and all that. 41:32 So hopefully we'll see some good work on the power play and some good chemistry amongst the Lions. 41:38 So as long as they work hard and, you know, I feel pretty good about their chances of winning that game, but you know, you just never know early in the season. 41:46 Well, before we close up shop for the night, Veegs, you've been waiting to write this story for a few months now, but today you wrote about approved renovations that are coming to Mariucci. 41:56 What can you tell us about it? 41:58 Yeah, the university signed off on a $4.3 million project that's been about four years coming for Don Lucia. 42:07 Mariucci Arena was great in 1993, but it's been a long time since it opened, and they haven't done much to the player areas. 42:16 They've done the video board and the ribbons and the audio and the suites, but the locker rooms and everything is pretty much the same. 42:24 So they're gonna start at the end of the season. 42:26 Don said April 1st would be when they'd start the work, and they have to basically gut out the basement level of the arena to create all the space. 42:37 And I think when recruits are looking at all that neon green in North Dakota and the lounge and kitchens that are there, they wonder why Minnesota doesn't have that. 42:48 Well, next year they will. 42:50 They'll get started on that. 42:52 And then the following season, they'll work on some of the training stations and shooting areas, puck handling areas. 42:59 And that will be the second phase of the renovation. 43:02 That includes weight room, right? 43:04 The second phase? 43:05 Yep, second phase will be all that training stuff. 43:08 The first phase is more the comfort and amenities that a lot of the other schools have. 43:13 Because right now, Minnesota does have a really great strength program run by Cal Deets. 43:18 And I don't think that's necessarily the weakness. 43:21 It's kind of the bells and whistles that recruits see elsewhere. 43:25 Well, and they all, of course, I mean, I agree that Cal Deets is great. 43:29 But I mean, they all want to see the new shiny stuff and the weight rooms and all that stuff. 43:34 And so, you know, we were talking about this on GPO. 43:36 I remember somebody was kind of complaining about ticket prices and that they don't care if we have the latest and greatest of, you know, the stadiums and amenities and all that stuff. 43:46 And I'm like, well, okay, if you feel that way, that's fine. 43:49 But then don't ever complain about losing recruiting battles and losing more games and whatever, because having the latest bells and whistles and things to attract recruits are very important. 44:01 And so you can't have it both ways where you're gonna complain about wins and losses and losing recruiting battles, but then you don't want, you know, you don't want the team or the programs to have nice things for their players. 44:12 So they, you know, whether they spend it on ticket price, you know, the ticket prices are a big deal or not. 44:18 Nonetheless, it's still a part of it. 44:19 So don't complain too much. 44:22 Well, Vegoe wrote a whole story on this. 44:25 We get some photos of the new renovations, everything over on the homepage on GPL. 44:29 So make sure you go check it out. 44:32 Anything else you guys want to talk about? 44:34 I think that Hall of Fame looks kind of cool that they're gonna put in there. 44:37 I mean, the rendition that they have for that picture, that looks pretty cool. 44:40 That does. 44:41 Yeah, one of the points I have to make is to make everything Gophers on, when you come in, that double door. 44:48 Make sure you know where you are. 44:50 Mm-hmm. 44:51 Well, I'm looking forward to it. 44:52 You know, we might not get the change in ice size, at least nothing in the near future, but you and I have both been down there, and it's nothing to write home about, Veegs. 45:05 Yeah, it's a hockey rink. 45:07 That's about all it is. 45:09 What did they say? 45:11 Like, I know that it was gonna be years off, but I mean, what in terms of the resizing the rink, did they say much about that? 45:19 Just that it's last on their list right now, because they've gotta do these two phases, and with all the stuff happening with the Athlete Village, Title IX, the track, there's a lot of expenses that are being asked for by other programs, so I think it's a longer term thing. 45:37 It's gonna cost about two million, I think, to do the ice sheet change, because they have to do a lot of work to rework the refrigeration. 45:46 They have to get rid of the R22 and replace it with the ammonia refrigeration, and that supposedly has to happen by 2020. 45:55 So I think that's the timeline they're looking at for changing the rink. 45:59 And they're talking about a hybrid-size rink, right? 46:01 It's not gonna be NHL, it's not gonna be Olympic, it's gonna be in between, correct? 46:05 Yeah, it would be 200 by 92 with NHL corners. 46:11 That's what they're looking at. 46:12 The first two phases are completely funded now, is that correct? 46:16 Yep, totally funded, signed off by the Board of Regents. 46:19 It was just a timing issue, because by the time the Board of Regents approved it in July, it was too late to get the work done for this season, and they'd be working into January. 46:30 So rather than have that mess happen during the season, they just decided to delay it till April, and then they'll be able to complete that first phase by next season. 46:39 And that's the right thing to do. 46:42 Yeah, you don't want to create the distractions and upset everything around there. 46:46 I think that's the wisest thing to do. 46:48 Because the plan is, you know, the visitor's locker room where it currently is now is going to be removed. 46:54 You know, the whole home locker room would be taking up that whole area down there. 46:57 They'll have to almost create a new visitor's locker room. 47:00 So it's going to be quite the change. 47:02 So something you just don't want to do. 47:05 They call that entombed space that they aren't using. 47:08 So they're going to shift all that to the other side of the rink. 47:11 So they're going to put, where there isn't anything over there right now, correct? 47:15 I mean, they don't have a hallway that goes, I mean, I haven't been to that side. 47:18 So they have to make an actual hallway for the visitor's locker room eventually, correct? 47:23 Yep. 47:24 Okay, that's what I thought. 47:25 So that's all going to be new space over there for them to use. 47:28 Okay. 47:29 Well, it'll be exciting to watch. 47:31 And hopefully, you know, hopefully we'll see those changes and keep the program moving, guys. 47:38 And no complaints about the TV schedule this year or what? 47:42 I mean... 47:42 Well, there's people complaining. 47:43 You know, the only complaint I have that I'm guessing the reason why, you know, your numbers are down, blah, blah, blah, ratings, you know, is that there's not one place to go for Gopher Hockey anymore on TV. 47:58 They're on a bunch of different channels. 47:59 And, you know, people are lazy. 48:03 I'm sorry, they're just lazy. 48:04 Oh, I don't know where to find it. 48:06 You know, get off your ass and find it. 48:08 It's there. 48:09 I mean, it does suck. 48:10 We're not just on Fox. 48:11 We're on Big Ten, CBS, you know, Americas, whatever. 48:15 Whatever it is, find the game and watch it. 48:17 Because the more you watch it, the better TV schedules and the better TV ratings they'll get. 48:22 So, just watch it. 48:25 So explain to me this, the American Blabbity Blot stuff or whatever. 48:29 I mean, what channel is that locally for us? 48:33 It's syndication. 48:34 So it's whoever wants to buy it, I believe. 48:36 So, we're probably looking like a channel 45 kind of thing? 48:40 Well, last year it was 23.2. 48:44 Well, whatever it was, right. 48:46 Yeah, so we'll have to see. 48:47 We don't know where that channel is going to be yet. 48:50 So that one's going to be a little bit harder to find. 48:54 Yeah. 48:54 Well, at least for out-of-towners, for sure. 48:56 Go to the game, listen to it on the radio, who cares? 49:00 It's at Notre Dame and that's why it's on the network because Notre Dame wouldn't just sell it to someone like ESPN. 49:07 Yeah, well, we'll see. 49:09 It doesn't matter. 49:10 They're mostly on TV, so people find it, quit your bitching. 49:14 Notre Dame's not that far away either. 49:17 Every year it's the same thing. 49:18 Everybody's hand-wringing about the stuff and then the schedule comes out and it's like, oh, well, it's not so bad. 49:24 Well, Big Ten is showing less games. 49:26 So it was, you know, we kind of knew that was coming. 49:30 Rick Pizzo was saying that they're not getting the ratings that they wanted to and mostly the ratings only come from Minnesota. 49:36 It would help these other schools, you know, actually had people watch the games, but you know, Minnesota's the moneymaker. 49:42 Minnesota's the TV team. 49:45 Well, I mean, you know, Wisconsin's got to pick their crap up. 49:49 That's part of it. 49:51 And I mean, their schedule is falling off the map. 49:54 Didn't I see like they're like way down for TV stuff? 49:58 I mean, coverage. 50:00 So, I mean, they're they can't even really get their own people in their own state to watch their stuff. 50:05 It looks like. 50:08 Oh, boy. 50:08 It's going to be a fun season, boys. 50:11 That's all that matters. 50:13 I'm definitely looking forward to it. 50:14 Like I said, I think with the new blood and kind of think with the leadership kind of focusing on making sure there's that kind of camaraderie this year, you know, I think that we'll see a little bit more of a cohesive team and I think that we'll see some more physicality so that's always gonna, you know, that kind of tends to bring guys together when guys are playing physical and standing up for teammates and whatever. 50:34 So I feel pretty good about this year. 50:37 Hopefully it'll translate to wins, but I mean, you don't know until you start seeing how they perform. 50:42 But I'm feeling pretty good about the team this year. 50:44 Any last thoughts, Veegs? 50:46 Two things we didn't touch on Hudson Fasci is playing through injury all of last season. 50:51 He had some surgery in the off season to clean things up. 50:55 So, he says he's 100% healthy for the first time in a while. 50:59 And look for Jake Bischoff to get some power play opportunities. 51:04 Don Lucia is looking for a defenseman who can run power play, and he was one of the guys he mentioned. 51:09 I'm assuming he's talking Brodzinski and Bischoff for those being the two top likely candidates to lead the power play, is that correct? 51:18 He hasn't been real defensive about who it's going to be. 51:21 He says he's never had so many spots open for guys to compete. 51:25 He's going to give veterans the chance to win those spots early, but he hasn't really said much about who's going to be where. 51:31 Those two would to me seem like the most likely candidates, especially- 51:37 Yeah, that would make sense to me too. 51:39 Yeah, I mean, with Brodzinski's shot, to me, he's got a great shot, and he'd be one of those guys that, kind of like Nate Schmidt was a few years ago, were just taking bombs with that big shot, and kind of creating offense, and I don't know that he'll have that kind of a year, but I think that he'd be one of those kinds of guys that we could really step up into that role. 51:58 Well, Vegoe, you recorded a bunch of audio today, and I was going to play some of it, but I figured, you know what, I'll just add it to the end of the podcast, so if anyone wants to listen to it, just download the podcast, and boy, you had about 15 or 20 minutes' worth of audio, didn't you? 52:12 Yeah, it was a pretty nice session today. 52:15 Well, I will add that to the end of the podcast, so if you're listening live, sorry, just download it later. 52:21 We'll have it up in about an hour or so, so that's going to do it for this week's GPL Podcast. 52:28 I want to thank Vintage Minnesota Hockey for being our first sponsor. 52:33 It's always nice to have somebody paying to listen to us. 52:36 We'll be back next week. 52:37 We'll talk about the Bulldogs coming to town. 52:43 Highly ranked Bulldogs. 52:44 Until then, thanks. 53:16 The group is ready to go, no exhibition game, so the real bullets start flying. 53:19 Well, you know what, it's going to be interesting. 53:21 It's the first year we haven't had one. 53:23 And I was trying to debate, do we want an exhibition game? 53:26 I don't know how much we've got on the exhibition games the last few years. 53:29 They gave us a chance to practice more, but we haven't had the dry run, so to speak, with the bright lights on and put the uniform. 53:37 And so I'm sure it's going to be a little bit different, especially for the freshmen. 53:41 So it'll all be new, but the big thing for our team is going to be the returning guys. 53:46 I think when I look at the group of forwards, they're going to be counted on. 53:50 And I think every guy to a new man looks better than what they did, especially the key guys that we're counting on. 53:55 And I think those guys that played, especially in our top nine last year, that are returning all are in a position to have increased production. 54:04 I'll be very surprised if they all don't. 54:08 Any goalie plans at all for the weekend? 54:10 Yeah, one's going to play. 54:11 Good. 54:12 That's good. 54:13 I don't think we're going to pull our goalie for 60 minutes. 54:15 So I think we're going to do, we'll have one of them play. 54:19 We haven't made any decisions yet on what we're going to do with that. 54:24 Whoever we start, that'll be the coach's decision on who's going to play the first game. 54:29 And then after that, it'll be who's going to be able to hold the spot or it'll be depending upon how they play. 54:36 I mean, that's the hard part with the goaltending position that until you actually play games, you really don't know. 54:41 So, whoever plays is not going to have much experience and that's just part of it with our group this year that we have, especially early on, I mean, we're going to have a lot of guys that haven't played a lot of college hockey and just got to play. 54:54 I'm intrigued by Shearhorn's international. 54:56 He's had four major tournaments that he's been in. 54:58 Can you expand a little bit on those? 55:00 Well, he's experienced. 55:03 And I think that's the one thing he's got going for himself is that he had a very good year in the USHL playing for Muskegon. 55:10 I think there's going to be a learning curve for him because it's the first time in a few years where he's actually had a goalie coach to work with, with Justin, who's done a terrific job with our goalies over the years. 55:20 And so Justin's trying to get him to change some elements of his game and think about maybe things that he hasn't. 55:28 He's such a reactive goalie. 55:30 It reminds me a little bit of Adam when he was young. 55:32 He's just so athletic. 55:33 But once Adam quieted his game down, I think that's when you really saw him take off. 55:39 But he played a boatload of games. 55:41 He played for the US team at Christmas time up in Canada where they won the tournament along with I think Tyler Sheehy and we had three or four guys on that team, Tommy Novak. 55:52 So those are all good experiences. 55:55 But it's going to be different. 55:58 Once he gets an opportunity at the collegiate level, he talked to any of the goalies now that come from the junior level. 56:03 It's like, the guys shoot the puck a little bit better. 56:05 They can pick the corners more so than maybe that their level they were at. 56:09 So he's got the background. 56:12 Now he's got to show he can do it at this level. 56:15 Still waiting on the goalie. 56:18 But you kind of had a full week of practice with this. 56:19 Do you have an idea of who you're going to play in this game on Saturday? 56:22 Yeah, I mean, I think right now that I'm pretty comfortable with who the six defensemen are going to be. 56:28 And comfortable with probably 11 out of 12 forwards that they're going to play. 56:32 Early on, like any year, those guys are going to have to go in and out of the lineup a little bit and to see who's going to deserve some of those spots. 56:41 We'll have a lot of different guys. 56:43 Conner didn't finish the year last year, and we turned over our goalie, we turned over three defensemen. 56:49 So we could have 10 new guys in our lineup on Saturday than what finished the year last year. 56:54 Justin indicated that communication is so key this year, that's been an emphasis from you. 56:59 Would you agree with that? 57:00 Is there anything else you're emphasizing? 57:02 It's like anything, I think you look at yourself first and at areas that you can do better as a staff. 57:08 And I want to make sure that I'm doing a good job communicating what our expectations are with every player, what role they need to fill, areas that they can improve. 57:19 And whether it's meeting with the captains on a weekly basis or touching base with all the players on a regular basis, so they have a good understanding. 57:28 And then it goes from there. 57:30 If the guys have issues, go through the captains. 57:34 The captains have a lot of say. 57:35 You give them input on things that we do around here and get their thoughts because you want to make sure they have a buy-in with everything that we're doing. 57:43 And then that leads to you got to have great communication on the ice. 57:47 That's such a big factor, and it's so often overlooked. 57:49 And especially the young guys, they come in and their lips are frozen when they're out on the ice. 57:54 And that communication becomes extremely important in talking. 57:58 And the older guys have to make sure they lead the way with that as well. 58:03 Like the chemistry developing between Cluess and Fashing? 58:05 Yeah, I mean, whether we keep them together, you know what, it means to be seen. 58:09 I just like the looks of some guys. 58:11 I mean, like Camerota looks his skating. 58:13 He went to a skating coach over the summer. 58:18 It's improved his play. 58:20 Vinny's the same way. 58:21 He looks like a different player. 58:24 Cluess is always going to play hard. 58:25 And I think Hudson's going to have a real good team. 58:29 He had a very difficult academic load last year. 58:31 He had a lot of injuries. 58:33 Seems like all year long he had a nagging injury and even had a little minor surgery to clean up something when the season ended. 58:40 And he just, he looks fresh. 58:42 He looks, you know, not skating in pain, like he was 90% of the year last year. 58:47 It just always seemed like it was something. 58:49 So those guys are going to have to have real good years. 58:52 But I think we have balance in what we've seen so far. 58:55 You know, right now we have three freshmen centers out of four. 58:57 I mean, you'd like to have, you know, a little bit more veteran up the middle, but we'll see if those guys are going to be able to handle it early on and, or just say, you know what, we got to give them experience. 59:05 And, you know, it might take them a month or so to understand all the responsibilities that go with it. 59:10 But we have some options if we feel that they can't do it, then he can always move to center. 59:14 So it's just, we have to start playing some games to find out more about our team and, you know, which direction we need to go as far as the coaching element is concerned. 59:23 With Justin being your top line center, what do you need to see from him this season? 59:26 I think the consistency that goes with that, you know, Justin's a really good player. 59:30 He's a tremendous skater, but now he's not one of three, you know, he's not hiding behind, you know, two seniors, Travis Boyd and Kyle Rowell, like he was last year. 59:40 Now he's the frontline guy. 59:42 He's gonna get those frontline minutes playing against top players. 59:46 And, you know, he's gonna have to be able to handle that responsibility on both ends of the rink. 59:51 He's been very good the two years he's been here, but now it's that added responsibility. 59:56 Can you be that go-to guy night in and night out? 59:58 Not, you know, every so many games, but now he needs to produce every night. 1:00:04 With three new center, what's been the emphasis for them this week to get them ready? 1:00:09 Just what their responsibilities are, mainly without the puck. 1:00:13 You know, it's not just them. 1:00:14 I mean, they may not be the first guy back because we pretty much play interchangeable system where it's gonna be, you know, first guy back, not necessarily the center. 1:00:22 I think they've done a good job on breakouts being low and slow where we want them. 1:00:26 But being able to get in, defend, that's a big part of it, you know. 1:00:32 When you're 18 or 19 years old and all of a sudden you're playing against 22 year olds, you know, physically makes a difference as well. 1:00:39 But defense is with a unit of five. 1:00:41 I mean, that's a big thing. 1:00:42 We gotta play as a group of five, not just one. 1:00:45 You know, racing having such a new roster. 1:00:47 It's different, you know what? 1:00:49 I mean, I thought about it a lot. 1:00:51 It's like, I almost feel like, I mean, we're going into that first game. 1:00:54 I always feel like it's 1999 again with the first team. 1:00:56 And, you know, we gotta play a game to see what they can do. 1:00:58 And, you know, that's where we're at with this group too. 1:01:00 I mean, we're, we've got some good players. 1:01:05 I think we've, I don't know if we have superstars, but I think we have a lot of good players and, you know, hopefully we can gel as quickly as we possibly can as a team. 1:01:14 And, you know, if we have an off night that we can learn from it and get better for the following week. 1:01:19 The Regents approved some updates to Mary Ritchie Arena this fall. 1:01:23 Do you have a good idea of when that's gonna happen and what's included? 1:01:26 Yeah, I mean, we could have started it this fall, but it wouldn't have been done till January, you know, redoing this downstairs area. 1:01:34 So basically, you know, the area from when you walk in the double doors all the way to our locker room is all gonna be go for hockey. 1:01:40 We'll move the visitors locker room to the other side, put a lounge down here, kitchen, you know, some hydro tubs and just things that we need to do. 1:01:49 So we have the money for the first phase, which is down here, you know, now we'll start that basically April 1st of next year and it'll be done in time for, you know, fall of 2016. 1:01:58 So that's the first step. 1:01:59 The second step then is, you know, redoing the weight room and, you know, adding some shooting stations. 1:02:04 And so Mayor Uchua was built in 93 and there's been a lot of facilities upgraded and built since that time. 1:02:11 And so we need to do our upgrades too. 1:02:14 You'd been talking about narrowing the rink a little bit and putting in NHL corners. 1:02:19 Does that kind of unhold and tell you for the interim issue? 1:02:22 Well, there's different phases. 1:02:23 So, I mean, that's the last phase as far as I'm concerned. 1:02:27 The number one, everything we want to do first is for the players and their development, their comfort. 1:02:32 And, you know, that's why this area has to be done first. 1:02:35 You know, the weight room will be done second and then we'll worry about that down the line. 1:02:40 Everyone healthy going into the service? 1:02:41 Yeah, we are. 1:02:42 You know what? 1:02:43 Everybody's healthy. 1:02:44 Not many guys are in the training room, little nagging thing here or there, but, you know, I'm sure that's all going to change once you, you know, the physicality of the game, you know, starts to increase. 1:02:53 What was your thought process behind not having the exhibition game and trying to, especially the team? 1:02:59 Well, I mean, I just feel, it seemed like, you know, some of these exhibition games, they've been kind of lopsided and, you know, when you out shoot somebody 45 to 50, and I don't know how much that does for you. 1:03:11 And you don't get any practice time. 1:03:14 So I just felt that, you know, maybe we could get some more benefit out of practice. 1:03:19 But, you know, maybe in hindsight, we'd like to play the game, but, you know, it's just the way it worked this year. 1:03:24 You know, we're not the only team that didn't play an exhibition game. 1:03:26 So, you know, I'm not sure how much it really helps you or hurts you once you get past, you know, the first period of Saturday. 1:03:33 Going in and playing Vermont, what do you, are you, is there anything that you can take from them? 1:03:39 Yeah, no, there's nothing we can take from them other than the fact that, you know, they were a team that, you know, made it to the Final Four in Hockey East last year. 1:03:45 And we all know how good a team they are. 1:03:47 And our Hockey East is how good a league that is. 1:03:51 They've got a lot of returning players. 1:03:53 And I think 14 or 15 of their skaters have played at the end of last year are returning. 1:03:58 So it's gonna be a really good test for us. 1:04:01 And we want to make sure that we played good teams. 1:04:03 We had some different options to play in the first game. 1:04:06 And, you know, we went with an option that we thought would give us a really good game and be an entertaining game for our fans. 1:04:11 Do you have a good sense on who the goalie is Saturday night? 1:04:14 Do you want to keep it internal or is tomorrow a big practice day? 1:04:18 No, I mean, you kind of have a packing order, but, you know, I haven't said anything to the goaltenders, so, you know, I have a pretty good idea who will probably play the first game on Saturday. 1:04:26 But, you know, we'll let that play out. 1:04:29 We'll probably let them know on, well, I will let them know on Friday. 1:04:33 We'll be playing on Saturday. 1:04:34 Are you going to use your new Twitter account to announce that? 1:04:37 Huh? 1:04:37 No, I won't be using that to announce that. 1:04:40 Just wanted to put fake out of business. 1:04:42 Have you figured out who that is yet? 1:04:44 No, I'll tell you what, I don't know, he's got insight for information over the years. 1:04:48 I never followed up, but my kids once in a while would send me something because they got some good chuckles out of it. 1:04:54 But no, I mean, it'll be good. 1:04:55 I mean, it's a way to reach out to alums and all that too when they do something nice and give them a shout out, whether it's the guys now starting on NHL team or somebody scores their first pro goal. 1:05:08 So just to, I'm not going to be one that, jeez, I went to lunch today. 1:05:14 I never quite understood that. 1:05:15 So, when you have something to say, then it'll come out. 1:05:19 But other than that, I'm not going to be on Twitter 24 seven. 1:05:23 I can tell you that. 1:05:31 I'd like to know who it was, though. 1:05:34 Some of us think, oh my God, I do see some of those things. 1:05:44 Thank you.