Parise to the Devils

[goldy313]

Zach Parise left UND and should be suiting up for the New Jersey Devils tommorrow night. Alot of chatter about it on siouxsports.com and prideonice.com, but it was confirmed by Blais this morning. No word on Vanek or Ballard as of yet though. <p></p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

what a great player he is, so much talent and hustle. the devils like the mn players and that is one of the reason's they are always one of the top teams in the league. good luck to him and thank goodness we don't have to see him take the gophs apart anymore.<br><br>as for vanek, i'm not sure he ever will have an impact in the pro game. he can't kill penalties, he can't be on a checking line, his only hope is that he scores goals and an awful lot of them. he hasn't had the improvement from his frosh to the soph year that he needs to show the nhl people he can be a big goal scorer in the nhl. granted he was hurt for about 6 games but even if he wasn't he would have ended the year with about the same goal total he had last year. he needed the improvement similar to a brett hull. hull score 30 his frosh year and the next he had 50, stats like this tell me a guy can and is ready to score at the nhl level. besides hull was a little better on the d side also... <p></p><i></i>

[MNPuckster27]

Thats great, Parise will be tearing up the NHL in no time... Does anyone know what type of contract he signed? How big was the bonus? I'm sure it was a pretty nice amount to get him to leave... <p></p><i></i>

[BDPP]

Parise' got what seems to be a 3 year 3.2 million dollar deal. Nice work and a congratulations goes out to him for that. He will do very well I am sure. New Jersey, like the Buffalo Sabres, like the Minnesota players...<br><br>Hubbaa, saying Vanek will not do very well because he had 50 points each year instead of going from 30 to 50 like Hull is plain stupidity. He was on the bets team the past 2 years, the teams go-to scorer and had more points then Hull in his freshmen year and that hurts him? Come on! One must also not forget that he is NOT Brett Hull nor a Brett Hull type player...<br><br>Good luck Parise and the Devils, without the Wild this year I could be cheering for the Devils, or the Lighting, or the Islanders? I guess all 3 of them have Jefferson kids on them now, whom to cheer for...? <p></p><i></i>

[nolookpassguy]

Vanek must learn what back checking is before he takes off for the NHL. He is a liability in that area. I realize it may sound kinda of silly saying a guy who scores like he does, may be a liability, but he needs to learn that there is another end of the rink out there. He knows his way around the offensive end, but at the next level, you better be able to produce at both ends. As a Gopher fan, I hope he stays. I also could see him leave early, only to play in the minors for a few years...or longer. Vanek is a wonderfully offensive skilled player, but I'm not so sure he is a all around great player. Either way, I've enjoyed watching him up to this point & I hope to see him continue to develope...preferably wearing the "M". <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub33.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUser ... passguy</A> at: 3/30/04 2:33 pm<br></i>

[scheids316]

I agree that Vanek isn't ready for the NHL, but I think he will be leaving very soon.<br><br>hubbaa's points about Vanek are kind of ironic, considering he praises Parise for his readiness for the NHL, and his point production went down this year, just like Vanek's did. He scored less goals, and ended with fewer points, just like Vanek did. So why is Parise so much more talented?<br><br>Please do some research before you state something like that. <p>Scheids<br>(A legend in his girlfriend's mind.)</p><i></i>

[benc14]

your right, vanek should not leave the gophers although he most likely will. i think it is great for the souix to get rid of parise, and it is great that the devils get parise<br> <p></p><i></i>

[petey1321]

...and he would have been have a Jaguar LAST YEAR. He skipped a year in school when he went to Shattuck. What could have been...alas.<br><br>Congrats to Zach on being awesome. <p></p><i></i>

[ER2001]

Devils got a press release on their website about Parise, heres the link: <br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.newjerseydevils.com/2004/htm ... <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><br>without a doubt a Devils like the MN players. Martin playing for them and now Parise soon to be. Any idea what position Parise will be playing? <p>Redemption for Long</p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

scheids,<br><br>there is a huge difference when one player exerts all his energy in the offensive zone versus one that exerts his energy on both ends of the rink. my point about vanek is that at the nhl level he will have to play d, he can't even do that well at the college level. parise can and does, he does play both ends of the ice better than anyone in college so his point total being down a little doesn't mean as much as vanek's, simply because vanek only plays one way. the way vanek plays now he will have to score at least 40+ goals a year in the nhl, his goals will have to go way up at the college level for him to be able to do that in the nhl with the nhl coach looking the other way as far as his d goes. thus he should one day have the same numbers as a guy like a hull in college if he plans on playing d in the nhl like he plays it now... <p></p><i></i>

[spudhockey94]

Hull had 30 goals his freshman year and 50 his soph year. A little different than points. Vanek better score more goals or learn to play defense to get to the next level. <p></p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

spudhockey94,<br><br>you just said what i was trying to say in only a couple sentences. i hope one day he can play consistantly in the nhl but i think at this point he is a ways from that point. <p></p><i></i>

[puckheadx2]

I am not sure how Jefferson takes credit for a kid that played until age 8...and then spent the rest with Shattuck. Now tell me how you take credit for him being a Jag??? He played in the program for what 2 years. That's like taking credit for Peter Mueller after 1 year of Peewees and 1 year of Bantams. <p></p><i></i>

[petey1321]

I've tried to post this several times, so if it comes up a bunch, sorry.<br><br>Parise left Jefferson in 6th grade (not after age <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 8) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... lasses.gif ALT="8)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> after playing one or two years of peewees (I don't remember exactly, but shutout could surely tell you). I also recall him being a mite when I was still a mite, which means he spent some 7-8 years in the Jefferson program before leaving for Shattuck. The fact that he could go from Jefferson Peewee A to skipping a year in order to be a Bantam AA at Shattuck speaks to the quality of players he was playing with (like Gilbert and Duncan, for instance, as it was their class he played with, I believe). Obviously he would have been great wherever he played, but to suggest that his situation is similar to Mueller's is preposterous. Lastly, I never said that Jefferson should "take credit" for Parise, I just said that if he stayed, he would have been a senior there this year instead of a freshman at UND.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[bisketboy]

Rumor out there is that Buchenski and Green will follow Parise's lead and join the NHL. What a huge loss to the program. Can they still be top Dog without these guys? <p></p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

petey,<br><br>there seems to be a ton of kids of incredible talent that leave or i should say don't continue in the jefferson hockey system and this number appears to be at almost an all time high. do you know if there is any one reason that is mentioned more than other reasons why kids leave the program? I imagine some has to do with "recruiting" these players but i'm wondering what you have heard. <p></p><i></i>

[petey1321]

It's tough to say. One reason that I think is pretty significant is that JHS hasn't won a state title in 10 years. When I was growing up, they won it 4 years out of 6, so nobody wanted to do anything but be a Jaguar. But, when Trebil left and those guys went with him, that all started to change (and no, I'm not blaming it on Trebil, that's just what happened). With a lack of winning it all, it seems like there is less pride being taken in being in the Jefferson program, and it might not be a very significant decline in that respect, but it's enough to get people who are disgruntled in some way out of there. It's also enough to get people thinking that they might have a better chance of winning if they go to a different program, wherever that may be. (There are also a couple cases (Kaiser and Rollwagen come to mind) where an older brother went to Holy Angels with Trebil, so it was natural for them to go with their brother.)<br><br>I don't think this applies to Zach Parise, by the way. His dad became Shattuck's hockey director, and obviously Zach was going to go with him...nothing could have kept the Parise boys around. The only way I can see to stem this tide is for the Jags to pull it together and win one, which is why I was so excited to see them doing well this year. If the kids realize that the coaching is there (and it is, to be sure), and there are chances to succeed after Jefferson still (and there are), then hopefully they will stay. Also, as has been mentioned earlier, Mueller came into the program and left a couple years later, so he doesn't really fit this description either. <p></p><i></i>

[packerboy]

Does anyone really think that the programs produce these talented kids? Did So St Paul produce Housley? Roseau.. Broten? No. If it was the program then there would be a Broten every year in Roseau and a Housley every year in SSP.<br><br>Sure, good programs are important. They nurture, encourage and polish the talent. But the most important ingredient is genetics and then the kid's desire. <br><br>Jefferson's program hasnt changed much. Neither has SSP's. They dont have the same kids they used to. <p></p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

packerboy,<br><br>the programs help the kids develop by good coaching and just plain encouragement. i think the main ingredient to having top notch talent is relative to how much time the kid(s) spend playing or skating outdoors. kids should be encouraged to play outdoors at every level by every coach. when i'm in ssp i ride around town to the rinks and when i see 2-3 kids out there skating that is a high number, usually i see none. housley was outside everyday with his brother larry (u of m) for hours, and they weren't the only ones that showed up at the outdoor rink. that team had at least a dozen kids that were rink rats, and that is why they had about 6 d-1 players in addition to phil. the numbers are also down in ssp, but they could have still a consistantly good team if kids played outside more. jefferson still has great players in its system, many as petey pointed out leave for various reasons, but they do have one of the highest talent pools in state still and with all the kids they lose to still produce a strong program at the high school level is scary if these kids would stick around.<br><br>what new power was built basically by kids playing outside? centenniel. coincidence? no, when the kids get outside and play they realize this is funner than sitting home in front of the game boys and much better for them... that is the trick, to get the boys outside much more than they are now.... <p></p><i></i>

[packerboy]

hubbaa, <br>Why arent all of the kids who played outside with Housley just finishing up a 20 yr NHL career as the leading American born all time scorer then?<br><br>I think the idea that you can make or mold a kid into a sports star is just nonsense. Sure, if a child skated more outside he would probably get better and thats why I mentioned the desire factor but that isnt going to do it if he/she doesnt have the genes. <br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[hubbaa]

packerboy,<br><br>i think you read too much into my post. i never mentioned all kids that skated outside would be as good as a housley, but i will say if more did the state would have more d-1 and pro's. i never said anyone could mold anyone into a sports star either, not sure where you get these crazy ideas. what i'm saying is that if kids were introduced to outside skating and hockey at young ages like in the past and were much less reliant on indoor ice just to skate these kids would realize that playing outside with all their friends is a blast and because of this they would develop a lot of creative skills that seem to be lacking in the indoor players. would this make all these players superstars? hell no. what it would do is increase the talent level and increase the number of kids that play d-1 and eventually pro hockey from this state.<br><br><br>as far as genes sure that plays a factor, i guess i might call it athleticism to a degree. i've seen a lot of players that supposedly have the genes and absolutely no desire as you mention in your post. i guess i would take desire over genes anyday. i've seen more people make it on desire than on genes... <p></p><i></i>

[Hockeyfever]

congrats to parise on makin the jump to the big leagues but i'm not sure why he did it right now, Not sure on the status of this NHL hold-out thing with the players but i've heard it'll prbly next year....so he'll play a few 5-6 games (maybe more,not sure) and then sit out a year..?. a little smarter staying another year 'till hold-out "threats" are cleared?.....I also agree with the whole thing about vanek needing to work on the other (backchecking) side of the game.....but then again...brett hull (not comparing) is a floater and capitalizes on chances and he's an all-star. It's all how see the game i guess. <p></p><i></i>

[timmyo]

I remember this conversation when Paul Martin turned pro, as well. "Why now," bemoan the fans of the college team. "Doesn't he know that ... (a) he needs to finish his education; or (b) how much fun college hockey is; or (c) pro hockey will always be there after college anyway."<br><br>You're living in the Emerald City, folks. Take off the green glasses.<br><br>The Devils offered Parise a $975,000 signing bonus and a chance to do what the kid has always wanted to do. He can finish his education any time he wants with that kind of a savings account. Hockey is fun to a hockey player - sure, pros is a grind, but I can't imagine that playing in front of 15-20 thousand fans night in and night out isn't fun (and the travel grind is I'm sure ameliorated somewhat by 5-star hotels, great food, and 1st class flights). Finally, the volatility of the NHL's situation, rather than advising caution, seems to demand immediacy in action - that big contract may not be there next year.<br><br>Yikes. Where do I sign? <p></p><i></i>