07-08 Gopher Freshmen
Moderators: Mitch Hawker, east hockey, karl(east)
07-08 Gopher Freshmen
Here is the list...
#2 Kevin Wehrs D Plymouth, MN
#4 Stu Bickel D Chanhassen, MN
#7 Patrick White F Grand Rapids, MN
#11 Mike Hoeffel F North Oaks, MN
#18 Nick Larson F Stillwater, MN
#25 Drew Fisher F International Falls, MN
#28 Cade Fairchild D Duluth, MN
#33 Alex Kangas G Rochester, MN
I dont think it gets much better than that. The question here is, how good can these 8 guys be?
#2 Kevin Wehrs D Plymouth, MN
#4 Stu Bickel D Chanhassen, MN
#7 Patrick White F Grand Rapids, MN
#11 Mike Hoeffel F North Oaks, MN
#18 Nick Larson F Stillwater, MN
#25 Drew Fisher F International Falls, MN
#28 Cade Fairchild D Duluth, MN
#33 Alex Kangas G Rochester, MN
I dont think it gets much better than that. The question here is, how good can these 8 guys be?
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Size, mobility, and toughness. He was one of the toughest guys in the USHL and the Gophers needed to add some of that to their skill players on the blue line. He'll definitely keep the other team on their toes if they should try some cheap stuff.breakout wrote:OK Boblee, please tell me why Bickel is on that list. I know the gophs do a great job of recruiting. Please explain that one. Will he play much?
Did that guy light it up in JRs?
post 8237
Stu Bickel is an outstanding physical presence. He is tougher than nails, and he can shoot the puck a little bit as well.
Gopher Blog wrote:Size, mobility, and toughness. He was one of the toughest guys in the USHL and the Gophers needed to add some of that to their skill players on the blue line. He'll definitely keep the other team on their toes if they should try some cheap stuff.breakout wrote:OK Boblee, please tell me why Bickel is on that list. I know the gophs do a great job of recruiting. Please explain that one. Will he play much?
Did that guy light it up in JRs?
OK, who would YOU pair him with this year?
post 8246
Bickel and Fairchild would compliment each other nicely...but I do understand they will both be freshmen this year. Maybe R.J. Anderson.
Gopher Blog wrote:Size, mobility, and toughness. He was one of the toughest guys in the USHL and the Gophers needed to add some of that to their skill players on the blue line. He'll definitely keep the other team on their toes if they should try some cheap stuff.breakout wrote:OK Boblee, please tell me why Bickel is on that list. I know the gophs do a great job of recruiting. Please explain that one. Will he play much?
Did that guy light it up in JRs?
I saw him play a couple of times in high school. Back then, I questioned his skating and decision making with the puck. No doubt he is a big presence. Must have improved greatly in JRs.
Re: post 8246
boblee wrote:Bickel and Fairchild would compliment each other nicely...but I do understand they will both be freshmen this year. Maybe R.J. Anderson.
Putting him with an offensive type makes sense. Playing with a freshman may be a stretch.
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post 8248
Fischer just played his senior year at Moorhead, correct, before that was I'Falls. Good job on that. Very good hockey player. He will fit in nicely.SEC Scotty wrote:Fisher played for Moorhead and was a transfer from International Falls I believe. Had a very good year for Sioux Falls.
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Gopher Blog wrote:So what did you think of Bickel on defense back then?breakout wrote:I saw him play a couple of times in high school.
XXL orange cone
Like I indicated, he must have improved greatly since high school. Obviously he did otherwise the Gophs wouldn't have selected him.
What other schools did he visit?
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Interesting you would say he looked that way on defense back then. Because he didn't even play there full time until well into his junior hockey career. You must have quite some foresight to be able to tell how a guy played the position before it happened. Either that or you didn't really see him play and mistook him for somebody else.breakout wrote:Gopher Blog wrote:So what did you think of Bickel on defense back then?breakout wrote:I saw him play a couple of times in high school.
XXL orange cone

As for some of the other teams that were after him, SCSU, CC, OSU, and SLU.
If he never played "full time", how in the heck did he even make it to Juniors? By "full time" I assume he was never a top two lines player. So did his SIZE get him playing time in juniors since fighting is allowed there and not in HS?Gopher Blog wrote:Interesting you would say he looked that way on defense back then. Because he didn't even play there full time until well into his junior hockey career. You must have quite some foresight to be able to tell how a guy played the position before it happened. Either that or you didn't really see him play and mistook him for somebody else.breakout wrote:Gopher Blog wrote: So what did you think of Bickel on defense back then?
XXL orange cone
As for some of the other teams that were after him, SCSU, CC, OSU, and SLU.
I don't know the guy and have never seen him play, so I have no real opinion on him.
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What I meant, is he played forward back then. He didn't play defense full time until midway through his junior hockey career.RLStars wrote:If he never played "full time", how in the heck did he even make it to Juniors? By "full time" I assume he was never a top two lines player. So did his SIZE get him playing time in juniors since fighting is allowed there and not in HS?
Oh, I see. Thanks for the repy, makes sense now.Gopher Blog wrote:What I meant, is he played forward back then. He didn't play defense full time until midway through his junior hockey career.RLStars wrote:If he never played "full time", how in the heck did he even make it to Juniors? By "full time" I assume he was never a top two lines player. So did his SIZE get him playing time in juniors since fighting is allowed there and not in HS?
As it turns out, you are correct. Apparently I was wrong and did mistake him for someone else. My apology to Stu.Gopher Blog wrote:Interesting you would say he looked that way on defense back then. Because he didn't even play there full time until well into his junior hockey career. You must have quite some foresight to be able to tell how a guy played the position before it happened. Either that or you didn't really see him play and mistook him for somebody else.breakout wrote:Gopher Blog wrote: So what did you think of Bickel on defense back then?
XXL orange cone
As for some of the other teams that were after him, SCSU, CC, OSU, and SLU.
It's interesting seeing how often you rip others and others opinions. You are quite the PR guy for the U of M. Maybe you will offend one of Don's recruits or a recruits parent someday. Odds are, you probably already have.
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