Blues Sign Prospect Thomas Vannelli of the WHL Tigers

Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)

Post Reply
scorekeeper
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 1:08 am

Blues Sign Prospect Thomas Vannelli of the WHL Tigers

Post by scorekeeper » Mon Mar 17, 2014 3:44 pm

Congratulations to Tommy Vanneli. A nice reward after a great rookie season! http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=709879

MrBoDangles
Posts: 4090
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:32 pm

Post by MrBoDangles » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:44 am

2 points in 11 games to 41 points in 59 games?

Why did he not make the cut at the U?

scorekeeper
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 1:08 am

Post by scorekeeper » Tue Mar 25, 2014 10:36 am

MrBoDangles wrote:2 points in 11 games to 41 points in 59 games?

Why did he not make the cut at the U?
Lots of guys sit in the bleachers at D1 programs. For ice time, only high school is worse. 4th line junior players log more ice than those guys by a 2:1 margin or better. Heck, 4th line bantam players log more ice than the bottom half of a high school/college program

MrBoDangles
Posts: 4090
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:32 pm

Post by MrBoDangles » Tue Mar 25, 2014 11:51 am

scorekeeper wrote:
MrBoDangles wrote:2 points in 11 games to 41 points in 59 games?

Why did he not make the cut at the U?
Lots of guys sit in the bleachers at D1 programs. For ice time, only high school is worse. 4th line junior players log more ice than those guys by a 2:1 margin or better. Heck, 4th line bantam players log more ice than the bottom half of a high school/college program
You might want to read the article you posted. The two points in 11 games were from the USNDTP.

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:30 am

MrBoDangles wrote:2 points in 11 games to 41 points in 59 games?

Why did he not make the cut at the U?
Because he sucks as a student.

Academics.

imlisteningtothefnsong
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:16 am

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:50 pm

Sorry Puck, it was St Louis who told him to get to the Dub, not his GPA. An inside scoop says to him, " stay at UofM and it will take you 2 yrs after you graduate to get developed enough after the U to play pro, or go now and be ready in less than 2." Simple math even for an averge student!!! Went for the $$ and opportunity, not due to the GPA.

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Fri Apr 25, 2014 1:29 am

imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:Sorry Puck, it was St Louis who told him to get to the Dub, not his GPA. An inside scoop says to him, " stay at UofM and it will take you 2 yrs after you graduate to get developed enough after the U to play pro, or go now and be ready in less than 2." Simple math even for an averge student!!! Went for the $$ and opportunity, not due to the GPA.
Hmmm..........

Sept. 17, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota men’s hockey head coach Don Lucia announced today that freshman Tommy Vannelli has elected to leave the program.

“After a few weeks of trying to balance academics and athletics
, Tommy made the decision this morning that college hockey was not the best route for him at this time,” Lucia said. “We accept his decision and will move on as a team.”



Tommy Vannelli leaves Gophers men's hockey before college career began
by Derek Wetmore, 1500ESPN.com Updated 7 months ago | 1300 reads

Tommy Vannelli's run with the Gophers hockey program appears to be over before it began.

The former Minnetonka star, who would have been a freshman, has decided to leave the program, the team announced. In a statement Tuesday, head men's hockey coach Don Lucia said Vannelli didn't feel college hockey "was the best route for him at this time," given the academic requirements.

Vannelli, a 2013 second round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, will instead play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, according to Mike Russo of the Star Tribune.

He was expected to be a solid contributor for the Gophers.

Sats81
Posts: 2732
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:29 am

Post by Sats81 » Thu May 08, 2014 2:10 pm

puckbreath wrote:
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:Sorry Puck, it was St Louis who told him to get to the Dub, not his GPA. An inside scoop says to him, " stay at UofM and it will take you 2 yrs after you graduate to get developed enough after the U to play pro, or go now and be ready in less than 2." Simple math even for an averge student!!! Went for the $$ and opportunity, not due to the GPA.
Hmmm..........

Sept. 17, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota men’s hockey head coach Don Lucia announced today that freshman Tommy Vannelli has elected to leave the program.

“After a few weeks of trying to balance academics and athletics
, Tommy made the decision this morning that college hockey was not the best route for him at this time,” Lucia said. “We accept his decision and will move on as a team.”



Tommy Vannelli leaves Gophers men's hockey before college career began
by Derek Wetmore, 1500ESPN.com Updated 7 months ago | 1300 reads

Tommy Vannelli's run with the Gophers hockey program appears to be over before it began.

The former Minnetonka star, who would have been a freshman, has decided to leave the program, the team announced. In a statement Tuesday, head men's hockey coach Don Lucia said Vannelli didn't feel college hockey "was the best route for him at this time," given the academic requirements.

Vannelli, a 2013 second round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, will instead play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, according to Mike Russo of the Star Tribune.

He was expected to be a solid contributor for the Gophers.
And you believe the media's "word" to be legit why?

imlisteningtothefnsong
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:16 am

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Tue May 20, 2014 9:55 am

Quote "And you believe the media's "word" to be legit why?"


:idea: :idea: Thank you!!

oldschoolpuckster
Posts: 162
Joined: Wed Mar 09, 2011 10:51 am

Post by oldschoolpuckster » Tue May 20, 2014 7:09 pm

imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:Quote "And you believe the media's "word" to be legit why?"


:idea: :idea: Thank you!!
That didn't feel good at all..........did it?!?! :D

Congratulations on your youngster being drafted to the WHL (highest drafted MN player too) You and I might not always play well in the sandbox, but I wish him the best of luck in the future.

imlisteningtothefnsong
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:16 am

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Wed May 21, 2014 8:26 am

HAHA, it did, only because I was thinking that, but did not want to keep beating it to death. Thanks for saying that Oldschool, I appreciate your sentiments. Like most everybody, I just want the MN boys and girls to play as long as they can and love the game. Each path is different, my boys certainly will agree with that. Some turns, some u-turns some by choice some by misguided trust. Luckily they love the game and continue to find ways to play. I support and love the game whether it's Bitner out in PDX, some gal in Eau Claire, Fashing at the U or my fat as$ huffing and puffing on an weak forecheck and an absent back check on some late night midweek glory day game. I love the game and those that play it. Also, I absolutely love the grenade launching that goes on in these forum chats!!! I fly the flag high for where my boys are playing, leaving a large bullseye on my back!! As I said before, often wrong, but never in doubt, and enjoy the shots I take.
Hope someday to see you at the rink.

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Thu Jun 26, 2014 11:33 am

Sats81 wrote:
puckbreath wrote:
imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:Sorry Puck, it was St Louis who told him to get to the Dub, not his GPA. An inside scoop says to him, " stay at UofM and it will take you 2 yrs after you graduate to get developed enough after the U to play pro, or go now and be ready in less than 2." Simple math even for an averge student!!! Went for the $$ and opportunity, not due to the GPA.
Hmmm..........

Sept. 17, 2013

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota men’s hockey head coach Don Lucia announced today that freshman Tommy Vannelli has elected to leave the program.

“After a few weeks of trying to balance academics and athletics
, Tommy made the decision this morning that college hockey was not the best route for him at this time,” Lucia said. “We accept his decision and will move on as a team.”



Tommy Vannelli leaves Gophers men's hockey before college career began
by Derek Wetmore, 1500ESPN.com Updated 7 months ago | 1300 reads

Tommy Vannelli's run with the Gophers hockey program appears to be over before it began.

The former Minnetonka star, who would have been a freshman, has decided to leave the program, the team announced. In a statement Tuesday, head men's hockey coach Don Lucia said Vannelli didn't feel college hockey "was the best route for him at this time," given the academic requirements.

Vannelli, a 2013 second round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, will instead play for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, according to Mike Russo of the Star Tribune.

He was expected to be a solid contributor for the Gophers.
And you believe the media's "word" to be legit why?
Tell me why it wouldn't be.

keepyourheadup
Posts: 1102
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:07 pm

Post by keepyourheadup » Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:47 am

Unless Medicine hat can put 30 or 40 pounds on the kid in short order I'm skeptical Tommy will only take 2 years to develop. The contract is a great way for the Blues to say " we like where you are heading and you are in our future plans" Huge upside hear but far from ready to defend 225 pound power forwards. As for the academics.....that was only a part of the decision from what I've heard.

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Mon Jul 07, 2014 2:26 pm

keepyourheadup wrote:Unless Medicine hat can put 30 or 40 pounds on the kid in short order I'm skeptical Tommy will only take 2 years to develop. The contract is a great way for the Blues to say " we like where you are heading and you are in our future plans" Huge upside hear but far from ready to defend 225 pound power forwards. As for the academics.....that was only a part of the decision from what I've heard.
I'm also curious about his +/-. He was on a good team, scored a lot of points in both regular and post season, yet was very much in the - column ?

May have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of things it would seem.

mulefarm
Posts: 1675
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 10:01 pm

Post by mulefarm » Mon Jul 07, 2014 7:06 pm

keepyourheadup wrote:Unless Medicine hat can put 30 or 40 pounds on the kid in short order I'm skeptical Tommy will only take 2 years to develop. The contract is a great way for the Blues to say " we like where you are heading and you are in our future plans" Huge upside hear but far from ready to defend 225 pound power forwards. As for the academics.....that was only a part of the decision from what I've heard.
They also said the samething about Gardiner and Leddy and they seem to being doing alright in the NHL. More importantly is skating and being able to move, if he can do that, he has a very good chance of making it.

keepyourheadup
Posts: 1102
Joined: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:07 pm

Post by keepyourheadup » Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:07 pm

I hope he makes it, I truly do but have you met the kid? He is about as slender as you'll ever see a contact sport athlete be. Like I said, I love this kids upside but give him time. He's a 95 so per the CHL rules he can't play in the A, unless he sticks with the Blues he's got 2 years left in Medicine hat. Gardinar was a much bigger kid and Leddy while not huge has the lower body of a much bigger man.

Sats81
Posts: 2732
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:29 am

Post by Sats81 » Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:38 am

keepyourheadup wrote:I hope he makes it, I truly do but have you met the kid? He is about as slender as you'll ever see a contact sport athlete be. Like I said, I love this kids upside but give him time. He's a 95 so per the CHL rules he can't play in the A, unless he sticks with the Blues he's got 2 years left in Medicine hat. Gardinar was a much bigger kid and Leddy while not huge has the lower body of a much bigger man.
Agree with all of this, Gardiner also played 3 full years at Wisco as well. Yes, Leddy's lower body is pretty thick, Vanelli is extremely slender. I like his chances a lot. Give him 2 more years.

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Wed Jul 09, 2014 12:43 pm

<shrug>

You guys may be right, but I think he'll be a bust, due to his apparent (large) defensive problems.

imlisteningtothefnsong
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:16 am

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Sun Oct 05, 2014 7:21 am

He is one of your "verbatim" requests

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Mon Oct 20, 2014 5:17 pm

imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:He is one of your "verbatim" requests
(late reply I know)

Not sure I follow ya here; he stayed his senior hs year, correct ?

imlisteningtothefnsong
Posts: 321
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:16 am

Post by imlisteningtothefnsong » Fri Oct 24, 2014 4:12 pm

Sorry pb, it has been a while.... I was referring to some info that was shared by an agent familiar with TV's situation at the U. Who knows how accurate it is, but what I was told the move was initiated by the Blues organization. My point is whether it's HS or University if you are one of a very few players that has a shot and the club tells you to take it that it would be hard for a family to say no. I can not honestly speak to his exact reasons, but the info I was told seems to make sense. I do agree with the prevailing wisdom around here that staying with your friends and playing or chasing your options may not affect your outcome and or visibility. I have only few regrets for my boys, but it is not that we strayed from the path. They have enjoyed the ride, and good lord willing will end up with a diploma!!

puckbreath
Posts: 692
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2013 10:08 pm

Post by puckbreath » Sun Oct 26, 2014 11:07 am

imlisteningtothefnsong wrote:Sorry pb, it has been a while.... I was referring to some info that was shared by an agent familiar with TV's situation at the U. Who knows how accurate it is, but what I was told the move was initiated by the Blues organization. My point is whether it's HS or University if you are one of a very few players that has a shot and the club tells you to take it that it would be hard for a family to say no. I can not honestly speak to his exact reasons, but the info I was told seems to make sense. I do agree with the prevailing wisdom around here that staying with your friends and playing or chasing your options may not affect your outcome and or visibility. I have only few regrets for my boys, but it is not that we strayed from the path. They have enjoyed the ride, and good lord willing will end up with a diploma!!
Ah, got it, thanks. No need to apologize; I missed your reply in the first place !

Agree with your thoughts.

Post Reply