Albert Lee Team

[Blue&Gold]

If this forum relied solely on fact instead of gossip, there wouldn't be many posts every day.

Welcome to the world of hockey forums.. Really, I mean that. However, you better get a "thick-skin suit" of some sort, because in MN hockey, EVERYONE that posts is an expert. Even when they all disagree, they're all experts. You'll get used to it if you stick around.

I think that the analogy of giving someone a summer job is not a good one as giving a kid who doesn't belong a spot on a Tier II program is a recipe for disaster not only for the team, but the kids as well. But I'm fortunate to have been involved in programs that didn't do that. I can only think of a couple of kids in the USHL that may have applied to that scenario. There may be a few this coming season with some ownership changes, but the programs will suffer for it to the point of it not being a problem in a couple of years. Every program will be accused of doing this, of course because EVERYONE is an expert and they can all judge talent better than the GM, coaches and owners..

Good luck this coming season, and I'll be anxious to have your report at the end of the season to see if it all went as well as you had hoped..

[Puckguy19]

Does anyone know what Paul Willett has moved on to. I had heard his wife had a job in Albert Lea, and that they were planning to stay in the area, but have heard nothing since mid-July.

[suntzu]

Does anyone know what Paul Willett has moved on to. I had heard his wife had a job in Albert Lea, and that they were planning to stay in the area, but have heard nothing since mid-July.

Puckguy, I talked to someone close to Paul recently and he said that accepted the assistant's position with the Minnesota State women. Best of luck to him...

[DannyCalifornia]

info:

WH 080808: Willett Named Assistant Women's Hockey Coach
8/8/08
Paul Willett, who coached the Mound Westonka High School boys' hockey team from 2004-2008, has been named assistant coach with the Minnesota State women's hockey program.

The announcement was made today by Jeff Vizenor, MSU women's hockey head coach.

"We are excited to have Paul join the Maverick hockey program," said Vizenor. "He brings a great wealth of experience coaching hockey all over the state. We look forward to him bringing energy and excitement to the rink every day as we work toward bringing our program to new heights.'

A native of International Falls, Minn., Willett guided the Mount Westonka boys team to a 58-49-3 record in his four seasons with the program. Under Willett the White Hawks advanced to the Section 6A finals in 2005 and posted a pair of section semi-final appearances in 2007 and 2008. Recognized by USA Hockey as a master coach, Willett was a member of the USA Hockey's National Select 17 player development camp coaching staff and has served as a head coach, player evaluator and instructor at several Minnesota Hockey advanced programs. Willett. 37, was the Director of Hockey Operations for the Crow River Youth Hockey Association from 1998-2004 and served as a head coach in the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association with several teams from 1990-96.

A University of Minnesota-Duluth graduate, Willett and his wife, Amy, have three children.

[snappy19]

I am from MN and I am on the Albert Lea thunder. Alot of Sh@t on this site from people that think they know. For all you morons that think you have insight on MAIN CAMP or the team you DON'T.

The GM and the OM are good guys and tell it like it is. They are all about development and getting players to the next level. The OM's kid playing on the team, if you knew what you where talking about instead of the sh@t you think you know. You would know he came from the CSHL and in main camp was in the top 3 players who had the most points for the camp. Then again you weren't there and you are a moron that likes to talk crap. Probably becasue your kid got cut or you where a player that got cut.

The new head coach is a way better choice then the first one. I am glad Coach Willett got a new job, but not many of the players liked him even the ones from MN. He was not personable and we could see right threw him. He will do better with the girls.

So for all of you that want to talk crap go ahead but the team will be better then expected.

[Tony Soprano]

MSU position looks to be a better opportunity for Paul in the long run vs. Albert Lea. Best of luck to him.

[Blue&Gold]

I am from MN and I am on the Albert Lea thunder. Alot of Sh@t on this site from people that think they know. For all you morons that think you have insight on MAIN CAMP or the team you DON'T.

The GM and the OM are good guys and tell it like it is. They are all about development and getting players to the next level. The OM's kid playing on the team, if you knew what you where talking about instead of the sh@t you think you know. You would know he came from the CSHL and in main camp was in the top 3 players who had the most points for the camp. Then again you weren't there and you are a moron that likes to talk crap. Probably becasue your kid got cut or you where a player that got cut.

The new head coach is a way better choice then the first one. I am glad Coach Willett got a new job, but not many of the players liked him even the ones from MN. He was not personable and we could see right threw him. He will do better with the girls.

So for all of you that want to talk crap go ahead but the team will be better then expected.

You might want to take a few classes while you're playing. Just sayin'... (maybe something around writing or communication.. you might need it if you plan to go on to college..)

I think that nobody really knows how this is going to work out until the season is well underway. However, as a new player in the program, you don't really know anything at this point either. With some experience in the world of Juniors.. I can tell you that what you like now may be a problem to you in 4 months. You think that the owner and GM are good guys and tell it like it is may not be exactly what happens. HOWEVER, if it all works out as you want it to, nobody will be happier for you than I am. The world of "Juniors" can be a great experience, or a horrible experience. And those experiences can be on the same team and the same season, just different players end up being at at the end of different sticks.

Good luck in your season, and have fun playing hockey at a very high level. It's not for everyone, but it can be a great year in your life.

[crash]

They will be the fourth best Jr. team in So. MN/No. IA

They will also draw the least of the four!

Ice Hawks
North Iowa
Owatonna
Albert Lea

Perkins kid is not good, he wouldn't make the Ice Hawks or Owatonna but because he won the genetic loto he gets to play in the NAHL?

It happens everywhere(Little Crouse in North Iowa, Keil in Kenei, Peled in Des Moines, ect) but in this case it was pretty clear the kid was bad and he was getting special treatment.

Look out but I bet this team isn't NEAR .500!

Go Outlaws!

[Stabbin31]

Crash, REALLY? with the GO OUTLAWS?

Less then .500, ok I agree. Yes you are right, it does happen at every level. Saw the Kiel kid play AAA last year, big kid moves well, a little sloppy with the puck. Skates well enough however, and has a mean streak. Little crouse who is a cousin I think, belongs in the NAHL, nothing flashy, but solid all around, I think this is a bad example. I threw up in my mouth a little when you wrote Peled. OH MY GOD! is all I have to say.

GO BROWN BEARS!

[Stabbin31]

Snappy,

I hope you know it not about liking the coach, is he going to hold your hand and bring you cookies when you guys loose by 30? Doubt it. Lets see how much you like him when the team that was picked FOR him goes 0 and LIFE.

Good luck kiddo

[Blue&Gold]

The sad thing about this whole situation is that Jr. hockey in MN will get another black eye and the nay-sayers will have a field day. The Tier III teams have worked hard to be viable, with Rochester leading the way. Along comes a couple of ding-a-lings as coaches or owners, and suddenly the Rochester's of the league have to fight to show that there is credibility in Jr. hockey. (things are looking better as I understand it in their league.. but time will tell I guess.) The previous owners in Owattona made a joke of the program and have moved on to create havoc in the USHL. Hopefully both leagues are strong enough to battle that and move beyond it. (Des Moines' only saving grace is that perhaps the coaching staff can work things out.)

If rumors of players buying roster spots in Albert Lea has ANY credibility to it, this will be one ugly season. I don't know if the rumors are true (something like $8k to $15k per spot is what is floating around) that a player can buy their way on, or if it started due to some "fee" that they are charging, but that won't fly long if they don't have a lot of success. If they win, then they are the smartest team owners around.. (wouldn't count on that though)

Sometimes successful business people spend their money on things for their kids. Some buy them one-piece sticks. Some buy them cars. A chosen few buy them hockey teams to play on with their friends and hope to buy them onto college or pro teams if necessary. Think about how that team will do when the owner's kid moves on.... Can you envision that scene of the Titanic breaking up and heading for Davey Jones' locker?

But enough, I wish all the kids good luck in the coming season, and I hope that all the teams will have success and bring some pride to their communities.

[Stabbin31]

B&G

I hope you are not ripping Rochester, from what I have heard and know, they have and are busting their balls off to give JR hockey a good name in So Minn. They seem to do things the right way for both the sport and for the players. I am pretty sure I get what you are saying, but wanted to clarify.

This AL thing has become a nightmare. I check out a couple of other sights on the net (I dont post, I have a home here) and it is all the rage. I know it is a small sample size and small brain power size, but there seems to be a lot of know it all idiots both on and off the team down there. Are we sure this is not a Peled owned team?

My pick

GO Blackhawks

GO OUTLAWS

GO ICE HAWKS

GO anyone from the MET or whatever.

[woodley]

People on the forum keep calling out Peled from the problems in Owatonna last year. . . . . you should probably look a little closer at which other owner's kid was on the team. Peled's kid worked hard and is a good kid. He accepted scratches several times near the end of the season and didn't whine to Daddy. . . . on the other hand. . . . .

[Stabbin31]

Woodley,

Yeah, true we are a little hard on the Peled kid, and he is not the only problem last year in SoMinn. He is still really bad though.

Bennett Schneider is the other really player in question. He was not as bad a player as Peled, but still pretty bad.

[woodley]

Stabbin,

No doubt Peled would not have played but for Daddy owning a portion of the team. . . . Schneider was a cancer. Papa Doc (Schneider) was also a cancer. . . at least, from what I understood, Peled tried to be a team player. I do know for a fact that many of the rest of the kids on the team cheered inside (and sometimes out loud) every time Schneider got his *** kicked.

Oh, well, on to a new and hopefully much better year!! Enough from me about last year's team. It will be interesting to see if Cullen can make a brand new team successful again.

[Blue&Gold]

Not dissin' Rochester at all. They have a great program going on and I wish they would go to NAHL and then maybe USHL... MN needs quality programs that can bring in the fans. What MN doesn't need is another Jr. program that is a sad excuse for what it's trying to do. (AL perhaps, or Owatonna?)

Probably my only issue with the Rochester program is the trash-talking about how they're better than most NAHL teams, yet no way to prove it. But as long as they are successful, it's all fun...

[Stabbin31]

Ok, thats what I thought, you just never know on these boards. All is well and good.

I wish they would go NAHL as well, they would have a lot of success there and already as you said have a GREAT fan base. From what I have read and heard, and somewhat agree, is that if they were to play in the NAHL, they would be competitive. I dont think they think they would walk away with it. I do feel they run a better program then a lot of NAHL teams. That is from what I have seen and heard from people outside the org. They may not send as many people D1, but they do send more kids to college hockey then most if not all other T3 and a lot of T2 programs.

OH, based on attendance, they would have been the 3rd best drawing team in the NAHL last year.

GO OUTLAWS!!!

[Marty McSorely]

They don't know how to count. I was there for a youth tourney and went to a game against Wisc. Shots were 50 to 55 on the board.....That had to be attempts.

Secondly they posted an attendance of 1800 and there were maybe 500 there.

[Stabbin31]

Unless you have paid professional stat keepers, there is always going to be some variance in counts.

As far as attendence, I have been to a few Ice Hawks games, each had to have 1000 plus. Plus that rink seats like 4000, so 1500 can look a lot smaller then it really is. They keep gate records in Roch, tickets sold v. tickets used. My guess is their numbers are pretty close.

The game I went to v. Wisco on New Years eve last year, there were easily over 2000 there. It was louder for a T3 game then a lot of the D1 games I have been to. Great atmospher for the kids.

[goldy313]

Unless you have paid professional stat keepers, there is always going to be some variance in counts.

As far as attendence, I have been to a few Ice Hawks games, each had to have 1000 plus. Plus that rink seats like 4000, so 1500 can look a lot smaller then it really is. They keep gate records in Roch, tickets sold v. tickets used. My guess is their numbers are pretty close.

The game I went to v. Wisco on New Years eve last year, there were easily over 2000 there. It was louder for a T3 game then a lot of the D1 games I have been to. Great atmospher for the kids.

The Rec Center holds 2500, not 4000. The biggest crowd ever in there was 2800 for a Century/Austin section final and there were people everywhere; on the steps, all around the glass, and on the roof area. The local paper puts Ice Hawks attendance at 1200-1800 for most games, the way the building is configured 1800 would look nearly like a sell out. Head counts usually put the Ice Hawks attendance at 500-600. The Mustangs used to have to have an accurate count (by USHL standards)and they drew in the 700 range and they outdrew the Ice Hawks by a fair amount.

Playing Tier 3 hockey in front of 600 people is something though as some other teams are lucky to draw 100. The Owatonna team had to move their home playoff games to Dodge County and put maybe 100 in there for those games.

Comparing Ice Hawks games to NAHL games isn't fair, the Ice Hawks play against some really poor teams, teams that wouldn't beat half the high school teams. The Hawks also only have a couple of kids each year that could make an NAHL roster and the Ice Hawks are usually head and shoulders above the rest of their league, nearly everyone on an NAHL roster could make a MJHL roster though. Could the Ice Hawks in their current configuration compete in the NAHL? Probably though they'd get beat quite a bit, they don't have the depth an NAHL team has nor the goaltending. At best they'd be a bottom third team.

I don't think the Ice Hawks could go NAHL and make it financially, right now they have a pretty good thing going; winning nearly every night and very little travel which holds costs way down. Also the cost per player is higher than NAHL, NAHL players only pay room and board; around $250-$400 a month, the MJHL collects a fee of around $6,500 per player to play. If the Ice Hawks went to the next level they'd have a lot of money to make up, from extra travel to equipment to player fees they would not now be getting. Fatis has a pretty good thing going in Rochester, the league has it's problems such as it's top francise left for the CSHL in 2006, but appears to be financially in good shape. I'm not sure what the reward for the owners would be in moving to the NAHL, the city failed to draw for a USHL team why would their attendance improve darmaitcally for a n NAHL team?

[Stabbin31]

Did you get cut by the ice hawks? You sound bitter

Sorry I did not have an accurate count on the number of seats, glad you do and glad you spent so much time on this, Grade A work.

GOLD(y) STAR

[Stabbin31]

AHHH, my brother played for the Mustangs, and they did not 700 EVER, I just called and asked him. He laughed a lot.

[hardice]

where's the official roster for the team? Why won't they post it? There will be lot of talk when it comes out. Lot of benders on the team if not for payments made for spots.. AL community will be spending hard earned money on less-than-quality hockey.. Hopefully the beer will be cold.

[ThundrStruK]

What happened to the last page of posts? I know they were getting a little off topic and a little too colorful but I didn't think they needed to be deleted. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the Albert Lea team.
The home town boy has quit the team. I hear he realized he was in over his head, couldn't keep up. He goes to one practice and finds out he is not the golden boy like he was on his high school team. Too bad he didn't give it at least a week. He may have eventually developed into a decent player and grown a little in the process.
Who is to blame here? Did the coach and team ownership put him on a pedestal in front of the local folk in order to sell tickets? Were they not being honest with the kid about his ability? Or did the kid not really have his heart set on playing hockey at a higher level, so when the going got tough he quit. Either way I hope the kid is doing what is best for himself. No matter what any coach, owner, or out of control fan says, these kids need to put themselves first at all times.

[RSI]

What happened to the last page of posts? I know they were getting a little off topic and a little too colorful but I didn't think they needed to be deleted. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the Albert Lea team.
The home town boy has quit the team. I hear he realized he was in over his head, couldn't keep up. He goes to one practice and finds out he is not the golden boy like he was on his high school team. Too bad he didn't give it at least a week. He may have eventually developed into a decent player and grown a little in the process.
Who is to blame here? Did the coach and team ownership put him on a pedestal in front of the local folk in order to sell tickets? Were they not being honest with the kid about his ability? Or did the kid not really have his heart set on playing hockey at a higher level, so when the going got tough he quit. Either way I hope the kid is doing what is best for himself. No matter what any coach, owner, or out of control fan says, these kids need to put themselves first at all times.

Nice of you to take a couple pot shots at the kid...
Maybe this will help http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/20 ... -concerns/