High Performance 18's Announced for National Tourney ***8

Granttenn · Post by **Granttenn** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:58 pm

HIGH PERFORMANCE 18'S

Team announced tonight on Hockey Hub. Some surprises on both sides, those who made it and names missing. Action was fast and most games very close. I'm glad I didn't have to choose. Was it politics as usual?? Of course points are only a part of it but those that made it with low points tended to be the well known kids i.e. Naas & Spinner w/ 2 pts between them in the 3 games..

GOALIES

Grant Martens - Jefferson
Hunter Sheppard - Grand Rapids

FORWARDS (alphabetical) School [Pts.]

Willie Brown - Hill Murray [3]
Tyler Cline - Blaine [4]
Tyler Funk - Hill Murray [3]
Westin Michaud - Cloquet [2]
Spencer Naas - BSM [0]
B. Notermann - Blaine [2]
Johny Panvica - Bl. Jeff [3]
Chris Pholkamp - Brain. [2]
Logan Rivard - Brainerd [5]
Tyler Sheehy - Burnsv. [4]
Steve Spinner - Eden Pr. [2]
Tyler Tomberlin - Andov. [3]

DEFENSE (alphabetical)

Johny Austin - BSM
Cole Bjugson - Roseau
Teemu Kivlhalme - Burnsville
Derek Olmschenk - CDH
Ian Scheid - Blaine
Alex Trapp - Dulut East
---------------------------------------

Who was biggest miss by selection commit.- Forwards?

Alex Strand - Roseau [4]
Austin Killian - N. Prague [4]
Zach Yon - Roseau [3]
Ben Falk - St Francis [3]

Any others?

Who Shouldn't have made it??

Spencer Nass - BSM [0]
B Nottermann - Blaine [2]
Chris Pohlkamp - Brain. [2]
Westin Michaud - Cloq. [2]
Tyler Funk - Hill Murray [3]

Anyone else??

How about Defense??

'

Nuts&Bolts · Post by **Nuts&Bolts** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:24 pm

I think you answered the question yourself about politics. Do you think Ken Pauley being involved with the senior group had something to do with Naas and Austin getting in? When I saw Austin, he was playing forward and was lost. Of course points should have something to do with forwards being selected from this format. Some may struggle with line mates or being in a weaker section but this wasn't the case with section 6. Yon and Strand (in that order) were the unluckiest of the two when it came to the name game. Same old crap - why waste the money on all the black Reebok jackets for the evaluators when they do little evaluating of what is on the ice in front of them that weekend?

UpNorthMom · Post by **UpNorthMom** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:01 pm

FYI - Yon and Strand were picked, but were unable to accept due to conflicting dates with other school activities.

Marty McSorely · Post by **Marty McSorely** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:29 pm

Some questionable picks but I don't think there are any wrongs. The WRONG was 100 guy's walking around in Reebok jackets thinking they were important and not doing evaluating or coaching a thing.

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:37 pm

UpNorthMom wrote:FYI - Yon and Strand were picked, but were unable to accept due to conflicting dates with other school activities.

This is also why some kids might have declined an invitation to play on one of the regional teams during the qualifiers. Relatively little to gain (and a few hundred bucks to lose) if you know you couldn't accept an invitation to move on to the next level due to conflicts in April.

Tip of my hat to any multi-sport athlete who is faithful to the sport that is in season. And I certainly hope that the selectors/hockey gurus are understanding...can you imagine the reaction if a kid told his high school hockey coach that he'd have to miss a mid-season game or two because he had been invited to play on an all-star baseball or lacrosse team?

GoldenBear · Post by **GoldenBear** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:30 pm

I know of two kids that declined because of baseball tryouts, one an up north good kid and another a Wayzata kid. Don't try out for baseball vs playing hockey in April....screwed up in my mind. I hope the Elite league understands the situation.

GoldenBear · Post by **GoldenBear** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:30 pm

I know of two kids that declined because of baseball tryouts, one an up north good kid and another a Wayzata kid. Don't try out for baseball vs playing hockey in April....screwed up in my mind. I hope the Elite league understands the situation.

Nobodyonya · Post by **Nobodyonya** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:24 pm

Marty McSorely wrote:Some questionable picks but I don't think there are any wrongs. The WRONG was 100 guy's walking around in Reebok jackets thinking they were important and not doing evaluating or coaching a thing.

I can attest to this. I was standing by 3 evaluators for 3 entire periods and if they did not have there Reebok jackets on I would of thought they came to the game to chat with each other not knowing a hockey game was being played. Knowing that not all were there to evaluate every game, but these 3 were accountable for the game that was in progress

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:56 pm

GoldenBear wrote:I know of two kids that declined because of baseball tryouts, one an up north good kid and another a Wayzata kid. Don't try out for baseball vs playing hockey in April....screwed up in my mind. I hope the Elite league understands the situation.

The Elite league makes a point of noting that their game and practice schedules allow for participation in other Fall sports (e.g. limited mid-week practices, most games on weekends). USA and Minnesota Hockey encourage kids to play more than one sport. Seems like there's at least one article per month in Let's Play Hockey that cautions against focusing solely on hockey 365 days/year.

And yet...

The number of year-round hockey schools/training program increases every year. The number of off-season tournaments and USA/MN hockey-endorsed camps and festivals increases every year. And I strongly suspect that the evaluators/coaches that are in charge of putting together select teams and elite leagues are tied into this local year-round industry (either directly or by association). You would hope that playing a spring sport and/or not being part of the year-round programs wouldn't be held against a player when it came time to issue invitations to Elite League tryouts (or offering guaranteed roster spots, for that matter). But then most of us would hope that winter ends this weekend, and there's fat chance of that happening.

I'm not a huge fan of the privates, but at least they seem more willing to support and encourage the multi-sport athlete (perhaps out of necessity). Really helps when your high school hockey coach is also the school's baseball coach or the football team's defensive coordinator.

Nobodyonya · Post by **Nobodyonya** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:19 am

almostashappy wrote:
GoldenBear wrote:I know of two kids that declined because of baseball tryouts, one an up north good kid and another a Wayzata kid. Don't try out for baseball vs playing hockey in April....screwed up in my mind. I hope the Elite league understands the situation.
The Elite league makes a point of noting that their game and practice schedules allow for participation in other Fall sports (e.g. limited mid-week practices, most games on weekends). USA and Minnesota Hockey encourage kids to play more than one sport. Seems like there's at least one article per month in Let's Play Hockey that cautions against focusing solely on hockey 365 days/year.

And yet...

The number of year-round hockey schools/training program increases every year. The number of off-season tournaments and USA/MN hockey-endorsed camps and festivals increases every year. And I strongly suspect that the evaluators/coaches that are in charge of putting together select teams and elite leagues are tied into this local year-round industry (either directly or by association). You would hope that playing a spring sport and/or not being part of the year-round programs wouldn't be held against a player when it came time to issue invitations to Elite League tryouts (or offering guaranteed roster spots, for that matter). But then most of us would hope that winter ends this weekend, and there's fat chance of that happening.

I'm not a huge fan of the privates, but at least they seem more willing to support and encourage the multi-sport athlete (perhaps out of necessity). Really helps when your high school hockey coach is also the school's baseball coach or the football team's defensive coordinator.

By past experience and from my friends current experience this definitely
hurts a player by not participating in hockey tourneys/programs in the off season. The non exposure a player receives by not engaging in these events does not get his name out there. A player that participates every year beginning with the 15's festival on up has a better chance of being selected rather than a better performing/talented player that does not sign up for these events due to another sport. I am not going to name any names so as not to degrade a player, but all you have to do is take a look at the final rosters for these tryouts. Another area that neglects a player from making the final cut is the school they belong to. Don't see any players on the rosters that play for a low calibur winter hockey team, but has the ability amongst them all.

Vapor · Post by **Vapor** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:34 am

Very true . Not only do the private schools need the athletes in multiple sports, but the Northern school wouldn't survive. Kudos to those athletes for showing some loyalty.

Shinbone_News · Post by **Shinbone_News** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:55 am

I know a big rangey defenseman from a state champion hockey team of a few years back. 6'2", 190# great hands, smooth skater. He also happened to be an elite soccer player, and wanted to play soccer in college, so he rarely played summer hockey, couldn't participate in elite league or HP. That was a choice he made and he was good with it.

What astonished ~me~ is that he never got a SINGLE look or call from a hockey scout or coach of any kind.

Maybe the word was out that he was a soccer stud and that's all it took to shut down any outside interest.

I bring it up just to echo NobodyOnya's comment. If you want to play at the highest levels beyond high school, i.e. impress a scout or coach from juniors or college, it seems like you pretty much have to focus on hockey 365 as soon as you get a sniff of that varsity roster. Look at a kid like TJ Roo, who is a great player but played during down years for Totino-Grace, and might easily have been overlooked like a Mork or Bianchi, but he seems to show up for every off-season showcase available, and he usualy makes the cut (although I think he's still looking for a college offer, too).

Anyone who's already on the radar probably has more freedom to multi-sport, especially if they're at a high profile private -- like LaValle, maybe, but even he's an uncommitted at this late date, isn't he?

The politics are interesting -- scouts don't want to look bad, so they go with what they think are "sure bets," and those are going to be kids they've seen on rosters A LOT, certainly more than once or twice, and certainly out-of-season. (Plus they can sit around and gossip with other "evaluators" during the games instead of actually doing their jobs).

Any bubble player (and lets face it, they're almost all bubble players once you get past the usual suspects) hasn't got a chance if he's not only showing up at all of this summer stuff but actually making an impact.

TTpuckster · Post by **TTpuckster** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:39 am

UpNorthMom wrote:FYI - Yon and Strand were picked, but were unable to accept due to conflicting dates with other school activities.

I thought maybe Hajcik (sp), from EGF might have made it.

noflybys · Post by **noflybys** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 12:47 pm

Sure there are politics involved... Watched a number of games and it would be very hard to pick 20 kids out of 80 in a three game tryout. Out of the 20 they picked you could take 10 and interchange the next 20-30 kids that didn't make it and still have a strong team. But congrats to the top 20 that did make it...

nahc · Post by **nahc** » Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:32 pm

Shinbone - TOTALLY agree with your conclusons. If a kid doesn't play hockey 24/7 - 365, seems scouts don't care at all........bet there are some GREAT hockey players out there who fit this bill.........

agreatdayforhockey · Post by **agreatdayforhockey** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 6:51 pm

I went to watch on sunday and some pretty unusual things were going on. First, Johnny Austin (bsm) was playing forward for sections 2/6. Second, Kivihalme (burnsville) seemed to be battling an injury and missed shifts at times. Third, Spencer Naas (bsm) wasn't playing despite being on the roster. This was the only 18's game I got a chance to watch. Anyone else notice weird things in the other ones?

urban iceman · Post by **urban iceman** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:12 pm

I'm confused with these selects tryouts. it seems that the performance of these players during this tourney are somewhat secondary. Ive seen some players stats that didn't get picked opposed to those who did and in some cases it doesn't add up! Are these teams pretty much picked ahead of these tryouts or what? Is it thanks for the money and good luck to you, or do these players at least get some college scout exposure for their efforts?

Roy01 · Post by **Roy01** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:34 pm

urban iceman wrote:I'm confused with these selects tryouts. it seems that the performance of these players during this tourney are somewhat secondary. Ive seen some players stats that didn't get picked opposed to those who did and in some cases it doesn't add up! Are these teams pretty much picked ahead of these tryouts or what? Is it thanks for the money and good luck to you, or do these players at least get some college scout exposure for their efforts?

The selection of players in this are somewhat notorious for being EXTREMELY political... Some excellent players have missed on an opportunity in the past for some other players who showed up and played 15 minutes of the tryout.

agreatdayforhockey · Post by **agreatdayforhockey** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:51 pm

urban iceman wrote:I'm confused with these selects tryouts. it seems that the performance of these players during this tourney are somewhat secondary. Ive seen some players stats that didn't get picked opposed to those who did and in some cases it doesn't add up! Are these teams pretty much picked ahead of these tryouts or what? Is it thanks for the money and good luck to you, or do these players at least get some college scout exposure for their efforts?

There were a decent amount of scouts there which was nice to see. This happens at all ages though. On the other hand, at the Great 8 we saw players like Lindstrom, Colford get passed up for the NIT despite being big name players.

observer · Post by **observer** » Wed Apr 03, 2013 10:03 pm

Speaking from experience I'll suggest the "scouts" and "evaluators" are lazy and don't do anything. Someone mentioned here they don't even watch. They're carrying around a crumpled piece of paper from a Squirt team that someone told them about 5 years ago.

A player last year scored the winning goal for the tourney winning team, I believe he was named MVP, and didn't get a spot for whatever the upcoming tourney is called.

I know politics are everywhere but I don't understand why. A tryout should mean a tryout. Why not find a couple of new bodies from time to time. Why not ditch a poser or two every other year. Things do change. I know players that were amazing Squirts, top 5, and aren't in the top 20 in their birth year any longer. I know players from top AAA Squirt teams that aren't in the top 60 players in their birth year now. Anyone else ever see the same?

Roy01 · Post by **Roy01** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:06 am

observer wrote:A player last year scored the winning goal for the tourney winning team, I believe he was named MVP, and didn't get a spot for whatever the upcoming tourney is called.

I know a few years back there was a goaltender that played exceptionally well and only gave up one goal through the whole tourney and wasn't selected for the NIT (this being Great 8 ). Faced a considerable amount of shots as well.

I'm not sure the "evaluators" pay much attention at all to what is happening over these games... As mentioned by observer, it seems as though players are titled as elite in youth and never re-evaluated until just prior to juniors/tryouts. I'd be nice to see players re-evaluated, maybe by outside the inner circle of "experts" on these selection committees...

little9BigRed · Post by **little9BigRed** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:10 pm

Since hockey is considered a late development sport, you would think scouts would keep an eye out for players that are late bloomers. So why is it that players are being drafted into juniors at such young ages?

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 4:20 pm

Roy01 wrote:I'd be nice to see players re-evaluated, maybe by outside the inner circle of "experts" on these selection committees...

Would they also hand out black Reebok jackets to these outsiders? Or is that color reserved for inner circle royalty?

observer · Post by **observer** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:52 pm

Not my quote.

Post by **east hockey** » Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:03 pm

observer wrote:Not my quote.

I fixed almostashappy's post, as originally he munged up something and it looked like you said what roy03 actually said.

Lee