GOPHERS 2014-2015

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Post by Gopher Blog » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:21 pm

Tigers33 wrote:How many times have the gophers missed the NCAA since Lucia has been here?
4 times. His very first year after taking over from Woog and then the three year stretch from 2008 to 2011 (which was a perfect storm of negativity with is illness, Guentzel departing after 2007-2008 season, Hastings leaving after a year, etc)

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 8:05 am

Ok so he has missed the tournament 4 years out of his 16. I heard North Dakota is working on 14 straight seasons.

How many times has duke, North Carolina, Kansas, or Michigan st not made the NCAA tournament in the last 16 years? That's who we are compared to on the basketball side, right?

My point is I see it being number 5 next year. I hope I am proven wrong, but that's my opinion. If that happens that would be 5 times in 17 years.

They are gonna simply lose to many bodies this year, and cammarata will have to have a breakout year if this team is going to be successful next year.

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Post by Sats81 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 9:47 am

Tigers33 wrote:Ok so he has missed the tournament 4 years out of his 16. I heard North Dakota is working on 14 straight seasons.

How many times has duke, North Carolina, Kansas, or Michigan st not made the NCAA tournament in the last 16 years? That's who we are compared to on the basketball side, right?

My point is I see it being number 5 next year. I hope I am proven wrong, but that's my opinion. If that happens that would be 5 times in 17 years.

They are gonna simply lose to many bodies this year, and cammarata will have to have a breakout year if this team is going to be successful next year.
Relax, they will make the NCAA's next year. Kloos is gonna have a huge year (50 + pts) Novak is a better recruit than people wanna give him credit for, the goalie recruit is solid and the D lose Brady (good riddance) and M. Reilly. They lost a lot more 2 years ago in Haula, Bjugstad, Budish, Alt, Schmidt and recovered just fine.

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:51 am

Sats - agreed they lost more talent, which is funny cause lots of people on here ripped some of those guys. However, this year they lose a lot of bodies.

Wilcox
Marshall
Skjei
Reilly (probably)
Rau
Warning
Ambroz
Boyd
Isaackson

That's a lot of kids that they are losing. I could see fasching - bristedt - Kloos being a pretty potent line next year but after that I don't see much.

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Post by Sats81 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 11:13 am

Tigers33 wrote:Sats - agreed they lost more talent, which is funny cause lots of people on here ripped some of those guys. However, this year they lose a lot of bodies.

Wilcox
Marshall
Skjei
Reilly (probably)
Rau
Warning
Ambroz
Boyd
Isaackson

That's a lot of kids that they are losing. I could see fasching - bristedt - Kloos being a pretty potent line next year but after that I don't see much.
I think Jake Bischoff is gonna turn out to be an excellent college defender who will play 4 years. I am also one of the few who believe Steven Johnson is gonna be a very good college hockey player as well. He was in the press box the majority of the season but watch for him to open some eyes next year. Seeler is gonna be very big in terms of both experience and a edgy, physical tough game. Laugh all you want, but I don't think losing Brady Skjei is a huge blow. Marshall will be replaced as will Warning and Isaackson.

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 11:50 am

I have said all along the locker room dynamics will be much better. I haven't been a Marshall fan from day 1 so I am glad to see him gone. As for skjei I agree but I do think he has the best potential to be a good nhl defenseman. I disagree with bischoff, but agree with Steve Johnson. I saw 0 to little improvement from bischoff or brodzinski. Both will need to play a larger role next year.

I am a huge gopher fan so I hope I am wrong in lots of areas but I believe the freshman are only as good as the upperclassmen. Next year I don't see the upperclassmen being that great. It's unrealistic to think any freshman will come in and dominate unless they are an Eichel type of player. The reason some players do succeed their freshman year is because of the talent around them.

Forward wise Kloos and cammarata HAVE to be great next season.

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Post by Sats81 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 12:09 pm

Tigers33 wrote:I have said all along the locker room dynamics will be much better. I haven't been a Marshall fan from day 1 so I am glad to see him gone. As for skjei I agree but I do think he has the best potential to be a good nhl defenseman. I disagree with bischoff, but agree with Steve Johnson. I saw 0 to little improvement from bischoff or brodzinski. Both will need to play a larger role next year.

I am a huge gopher fan so I hope I am wrong in lots of areas but I believe the freshman are only as good as the upperclassmen. Next year I don't see the upperclassmen being that great. It's unrealistic to think any freshman will come in and dominate unless they are an Eichel type of player. The reason some players do succeed their freshman year is because of the talent around them.

Forward wise Kloos and cammarata HAVE to be great next season.
Thought Bischoff improved greatly from last year to this year. He is very solid defensively and covered a lot of M. Reilly's risk taking.

I think Novak will have 30 points next year.

Kloos will be great. Cammy i'm not gonna hold my breath on.

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:15 pm

Gopher blog - my example of his great recruiting is the junior class.
Reilly
Reilly
Reilly
Skjei
Wilcox
Michaelson

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:18 pm

Sats - is 30 points good?

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Post by Sats81 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:28 pm

Tigers33 wrote:Sats - is 30 points good?
For a freshman playing college hockey I would say very good. As upperclassman playing college hockey I think it's a very respectable season.

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Post by Gopher Blog » Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:03 pm

Tigers33 wrote:Gopher blog - my example of his great recruiting is the junior class.
Reilly
Reilly
Reilly
Skjei
Wilcox
Michaelson
I'm not sure ripping a class that has a two time All American, an all time great Gopher goalie, and a 1st round pick (albeit a guy that didn't entirely live up to the billing) is entirely wise

Connor Reilly would look much better if not for injury. Ryan Reilly was never expected to be anything more than a depth player and every class is going to have a few of those.

The only serious bust in that group is Michaelson and I blame that one on the bonehead top assistant they had at the time (Hill).

The reality is there is not one coach anywhere that hits it perfect with every player or every class. You just have to minimize the mistakes as best as you can

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Post by Gopher Blog » Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:05 pm

Sats81 wrote:Thought Bischoff improved greatly from last year to this year.
Absolutely agree. Bischoff was one of the most improved/reliable guys on the team this year. I think he is going to have a couple of very good seasons as an upperclassman

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Post by Tigers33 » Tue Apr 07, 2015 10:48 pm

I wasn't ripping the junior class. You just don't get it do you? Maybe if you didn't look your maroon colored glasses so often. I was talking about the amount of effort put into recruiting that class.

3 brothers (basically taking the third one got the better two to come here)
A forward recruited when he was about 14 it seemed like.
1st round defenseman.
And a good goalie.

I bet the don put in about 15 minutes of recruiting this class. Yes Reilly was an all American defenseman but grade him defensively please. I would say he is an average ALL AROUND defenseman. He especially seemed to disappear come tourney time. He is second to none as an offensive defenseman.

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Post by Gopher Blog » Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:27 am

Tigers33 wrote:I wasn't ripping the junior class. You just don't get it do you? Maybe if you didn't look your maroon colored glasses so often. I was talking about the amount of effort put into recruiting that class.
You might want to make it more clear in your original post then because your post was hardly crystal clear on your point.

I was critical of the team most of the season so I am hardly wearing maroon glasses here. I just don't agree with blind criticism. I'd rather take a balanced approach to it. I have hardly been afraid to criticize but I also feel if we are going to do it, let's do it with what reality reflects rather than circumstantial things we imagine.

Let's be honest... every comment you've made on Lucia's recruiting effort is based on your own assumptions. You have nothing fact based that states he puts in significantly less time on this area than what his head coaching peers do. It's not like you are comparing his actual travel schedule to scout players to other head coaches. Unless you have some actual hard proof over the long haul on how much time he puts in, all you are giving us is a personal opinion. Which is not necessarily a fact on how it actually is.

In any program, the assistants are going to be the road warriors because that's what is called for. The bulk of the scouting and "grunt work" in recruiting is done by the assistants and those guys definitely put the mileage in. Especially Potulny. The head coach does some but he has to run the team during the season so he isn't going to be on the road as much as the assistants during that time.

I would also remind you that the vast majority of the players they land are guys that are in very high demand. They recruit these guys by going up against the other heavyweight programs out there. It's not like just walking down to the local store and buying some milk. It takes a lot of work and time. Yes, a few recruits will be easier than others (either because of ties to the program or things of that nature) but most are not.

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Post by Sats81 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 11:21 am

Tigers33 wrote:I wasn't ripping the junior class. You just don't get it do you? Maybe if you didn't look your maroon colored glasses so often. I was talking about the amount of effort put into recruiting that class.

3 brothers (basically taking the third one got the better two to come here)
A forward recruited when he was about 14 it seemed like.
1st round defenseman.
And a good goalie.

I bet the don put in about 15 minutes of recruiting this class. Yes Reilly was an all American defenseman but grade him defensively please. I would say he is an average ALL AROUND defenseman. He especially seemed to disappear come tourney time. He is second to none as an offensive defenseman.
Definitely not a Lucia fan, but come on! Connor Reilly, believe it or not, at one point (before his first knee injury) was a highly touted prospect, and projected top 6 forward (I still think when all is set and done he will have had a very respectable college career). Mike Reilly say what you want about the kid, but if Lucia and the U wouldn't have got him 95% of the fan base would have called for his head. Mike has all world puck skills and is an excellent skater with a heavy shot. Does he defend great? No. Does he need to put on some muscle to play in the NHL? Yes. Was he a bust? NO. Ryan Reilly is what he is. A hard working, gritty role player who brings energy to the lineup when he is there. Every team needs guys like him. Wilcox at times many would argue was one of the greatest goalies in program history. Brady I have watched play since he was a 7th grader and my opinion has NEVER wavered on him: Big, strong, excellent skater, all world potential, but not the highest hockey IQ. I know the NHL sees all that potential and drools, but time will tell if he ever fills that. AJ is a kid who ALWAYS beat people with his speed. Very fast. However, as a good friend of mine always says: "he never learned to play hockey in traffic with the puck on his stick" and this shows. Spot on assessment. Kid was dominant through HS and probably the best MN player in his birth year, but leaving HS early to play in Waterloo, then going to the U as an 18 year old DID NOT HELP.

Overall, I think this was a pretty solid recruiting class.

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Post by Tigers33 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 1:38 pm

Again...

I am not ripping the class. Next topic please.

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Post by Sats81 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:07 pm

Tigers33 wrote:Again...

I am not ripping the class. Next topic please.
Saying you bet Lucia put in 15 mins of recruiting the class isn't ripping it? What is then?

Unfortunately recruiting isn't as simple as just getting "the best kids" committed. There are so many variables that play into it and unfortunately, most people fail to see this. When things don't go the way they "perceive" they should they blame recruiting. Like I have said earlier, Gophers overachieved last year and underachieved this year. It is what it is.

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Post by Tigers33 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 5:53 pm

So just to make sure I am clear you think it is hard to recruit at the u of Minnesota?

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Post by Sats81 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 6:04 pm

Tigers33 wrote:So just to make sure I am clear you think it is hard to recruit at the u of Minnesota?
I know its not as easy as your typical "armchair fan" such as yourself seems to think. Just because they are the Gophers doesn't mean they get whatever recruit they want by default, and based off of some of the posts you have made in this thread, its rather clear you don't understand the recruiting process like you seem to think.

You don't always want the "best" players. You want the "right" players.

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Post by Gopher Blog » Wed Apr 08, 2015 6:56 pm

I'd rather be recruiting from the position that the Gophers have than any other college. Especially considering the talent that is developed in its own backyard.

However, the scrutiny that a Gopher coach is under with regard to recruiting is more intense than any other school for that very reason. It is a blessing but a curse in a certain respect.

With all the talent that is available to it (especially locally), the coach has to make some tough choices on who to pursue. In general, I think they have done a good job over the years. But they will make errors too and the scrutiny on them during those occasions is much more intense than pretty much anywhere else.

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Post by karl(east) » Wed Apr 08, 2015 9:39 pm

I touched on the off-ice stuff earlier, but in watching the Gophers off and on over the years, the in-game adjustments leave something to be desired. They've got a pretty nice free-flowing offensive system, and in the best years the D is solid enough to hold up in its own end, no problem. But when Route One doesn't work, it seems like the Gophers don't adjust as well as other teams. It was especially obvious this season, but even in the past, Lucia has never struck me as capable of pulling off the decisive in-game switches you can see out of Hakstol or Sandelin or Blais. They don't switch things up all that much, and when they do go to a dump-and-chase or something like that, they rarely execute as well as other teams.

That's not necessarily a bad thing; the Gophers recruit so many good players that they should be able to impose their own style more often than not, and of course they should play to their strengths. It's served them quite well in a number of seasons. But when other teams get them off their game or they're just having an off night, the best coaches can get their teams to adjust on the fly by throwing in a new wrinkle. Lucia's Gophers have never struck me at being very good at that. I'm not sure if that's Lucia's fault or the players' fault or what, but it's noticeable.

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Post by Tigers33 » Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:06 pm

Sats - I noticed someone else made a comment about you that you are always correct in your mind. This topic got so far off base that it's pointless to even try and bring it back. I will comment on your most recent post. If you truly mean that then you are absolutely blind when trying to read my posts.

I give so much credit to guys like Matson, parenteau, serratorre, condon, alt, and helgeson. They aren't quite what you would label the stereotypical gopher hockey player. All play extremely hard, maybe not the most talented, but seem to play with an edge. To me those aren't the best players but the right ones. I am sure you read that through my posts, right?

I have noticed one thing about your posts...it apparently is your world and we are all living in it.

Karl...great post and spot on. I made a comment to someone how all coach's seem to coach from the bench, maybe get the white board out, motioning to players more so then don Lucia. He seems to sit back very laid back for the most part.

I feel like sometimes the gophers play with the personality their coach has and other years they play like the personality of their captain. This year might have been a combo of both. I still think a down year next year but if all stick around the following year that year could be pretty good.

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Post by Sats81 » Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:01 am

Tigers33 wrote:Sats - I noticed someone else made a comment about you that you are always correct in your mind. This topic got so far off base that it's pointless to even try and bring it back. I will comment on your most recent post. If you truly mean that then you are absolutely blind when trying to read my posts.

I give so much credit to guys like Matson, parenteau, serratorre, condon, alt, and helgeson. They aren't quite what you would label the stereotypical gopher hockey player. All play extremely hard, maybe not the most talented, but seem to play with an edge. To me those aren't the best players but the right ones. I am sure you read that through my posts, right?

I have noticed one thing about your posts...it apparently is your world and we are all living in it.

Karl...great post and spot on. I made a comment to someone how all coach's seem to coach from the bench, maybe get the white board out, motioning to players more so then don Lucia. He seems to sit back very laid back for the most part.

I feel like sometimes the gophers play with the personality their coach has and other years they play like the personality of their captain. This year might have been a combo of both. I still think a down year next year but if all stick around the following year that year could be pretty good.
You are funny. You talk yourself in circles. You made some pretty baseless comments and Gopher Blog and myself simply rebutted them. Most of the things you stated were opinions. Not facts. When someone spouts off about things they clearly don't know the facts on it makes them an easy target to correct. Bottom line is you don't know as much as you think and hopefully that is a bit more clear to you now. :roll:

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Post by Tigers33 » Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:11 pm

I know a lot more then you think :)

I am the one last year that knew for FACT Wilcox was coming back well before it became public and gopher blog didn't want to accept that I might actually of known something before him.

I also know rau this year is the main person to point fingers at for the locker room garbage. I know that for a fact :)

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Post by Tigers33 » Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:12 pm

As for the Lucia stuff some of it is fact and some opinions. Isn't that what this is...a forum for people to share their opinions.

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