Any Centennial Curmudgeons on here? (Lucas McGregor)

[Slap Shot]

So it's gone from 8-10 to, "3 is [sic] all but confirmed"?

[WestMetro]

I’m hearing 4 confirmed names by several sources, and 3 others with names still unconfirmed so still uncertain

Plus one varsity kid

[hockey59]

McGregor was going to be traded from Sioux Falls. He didn't like that option so he quit. Literally packed up and quit on the spot and said he's done playing hockey. This all happened before anything was pulled by the U. How do i know? I have a relative that plays on the team that knows him. Junior hockey is a hard life. Sioux Falls is likely one of the better places to play as far as experiences for the boys. They get 10,000 fans each night. The Stampede are a big deal down there. To from there to some of the other teams can be a letdown regardless of wins/losses.

No question that getting dealt like a poker chip will sour the junior experience. For Mr. McGregor that would have been 3 teams in 1 year (Bloomington, Sioux Falls, Team X). There is asshats at junior that will trade just for the sake of trading. Absolute grind for sure and the kids who play 3 years of junior (plus) is amazing resilience. Playing that many games dealt like a piece of meat, well bottom line you should get paid for that type of profession. Totally understand if a kid decided to bunch it and would not judge in the least.
I hope Lucas McGregor returns to a D3 lineup should he decide to still want to play hockey in the future. 25 games, academic balance and darn fun to play for enjoyment of the game. If not all the best to the young man in which ever endeavor he decides to pursue in life.

Very well stated NW Old! Wishing LM all the best, whatever he decides to do going forward. Heard on GPL that he may be enrolling at the U as a regular (non athlete) student. If that’s the case, he still ends up attending the university which was his first choice...

[PuckNA]

Talk has been a lot of de-commits 10+ on the Gopher side, Motzko and the staff won't announce a verbal de-commit (heck they don't announce "formally" a verbal commit). Off ice issues caught a few, to many small skill guys no grit, some that he never had an interest in at SCSU so why would he want them now? Players usually won't announce a de-commit until they have something else in place as to not appear "unwanted". McGregor, sounds like scholarship was pulled, then de-committed, USHL trades hurt mentally as well. Hard road if not 100% committed and focused, he has from what I heard "hung up the skates" at least for now. Going to the U for school only.

Also, what about DE commodity GW? Heading the wrong direction? USHL 5th pick round one, traded, left USHL to BCHL, rights traded already in BCHL. It's a tough road, even the best athletes can struggle.

[MrBoDangles]

I said it before on another thread.. but Roman Ahcan was was cut in preseason camp by cellar dwelling Central Illinois last year. Ended up probably being Cedar Rapids' best player last year! I think Ben Brinkman did a "after" stint with Waterloo last year and never touched the ice.. I'm sure his family said what in the world... and did all they could to look out for him, to bypass and get with the Gophers. There are countless stories like this and it's interesting when looking at the junior team rosters.. many big HS names are struggling to get a real chance. Brink had a pretty good "after" last spring and a averaged around .4 points a game.. then a just a few months later he's getting first line minutes and able to show his talents that WE all knew he has....First or second and PP unit minutes surrounded by top talent is key. Many of these coaches/GMs are from other parts of the country or Canada and know little about Minnesota.. I'd actually bet money that way more hype is given to players coming in from AAA programs. We're kind of in our own little world here..
Take the time to look through USHL/NAHL rosters and many big Minnesota names (crazy amount actually) are going through the same grind... tough thing for McGregor but hope he rethinks it.

[The Exiled One]

Exiled -

Was his loyalty questioned before he left SCSU? If not why should it be considered a long term issue? Fact is he inherited a terrible roster and some recruits that don't fit his coaching needs and he has every right to try and improve the situation. If he's bailing on recruits 2 years from now then maybe there is something to that, but until then you do come off more scorned than logical.

Already said I was scorned. Take it however you see fit.

My point is that perception drives reality. Everybody will have a different perception of Motzko and the Gophers based on their individual perspectives. Some will seem him as disloyal. Some will see him as loyal. I'm just predicting that his methods to this point will have consequences. You're free to disagree. I also predict that he WILL bail on recruits two years from now, in which case an "I TOLD YOU SO" will obviously be unnecessary.

[CakeScout17]

I re-read article from last May where Motzko was quoted re: Gopher roster - "we need to get tougher and older".
By this Fall Motzko had flipped 3-4 players? so for every flip, deduct a previously 'committed' kid, right?
Welcome to the real world. Players come and go, pro's get traded at drop of a hat, sometimes merely as rentals...nature of the beast.

Tons of cliches to offer up but my recent favorite is:

Pressure melts snowflakes but can create diamonds.

[612hockeytown]

So it's gone from 8-10 to, "3 is [sic] all but confirmed"?

And?

Pretty sure my source is pretty reliable. He has kids playing hockey at different levels including the highest level. Seems to always be in the “know.” Being a Blaine resident and one of the two main facilities - I just hear a lot of stuff.

And WM is hearing up to 7. 4 of the names I heard are confirmed. I don’t put names out there EXCEPT I had heard Mac quit hockey (confirmed TRUE). I was hoping it wasn’t true and was more curious. Kid was on top of the world in Feb and March. A lot happens in 6 plus months.

[O-townClown]

Here is the Gopher pipeline from Heisenberg with their date of commitment. Nevers was the first Motzko verbal. Anyone below him was the Lucia regime. Ones in bold italics are crossed off, which must mean the decommits.

I think the real question - whether Lucia, Motzko, or just a random guy like me - is do you still want all these kids. Pretty safe to say several are likely to fall through, which says more about early recruiting than it does the people involved.

Jack Perbix-RW 9/22/2018
Ryan Johnson-D 8/10/2018
Luke Mittelstadt-LD 6/25/2018
John Mittelstadt-F 6/25/2018
Jackson Lacombe-D 6/24/2018
Garrett Pinoniemi-LC 5/21/2018
Bryce Brodzinski-RW 5/20/2018
Ben Meyers-LW 4/15/2018
Mason Nevers-RC 4/5/2018
Lucas McGregor-LC 3/15/2018
Jared Moe-G 11/15/2017
Joe Miller-RC 10/27/2017
Noah Tussey-LC 10/27/2017
Nick Williams-LD 10/17/2017
Rhett Pitlick-LC 10/13/2017
Jake Braccini-LW 9/5/2017
Cruz Lucius-RW 8/31/2017
Chaz Lucius-RW 8/31/2017
Aaron Huglen-C 8/29/2017
Jake Ratzlaff-RD 7/20/2017
Jack Jensen-LC 11/15/2016
Jake Boltmann-RD 9/29/2016
Mike Koster-LD 8/18/2016
Niklas Norman-LC 6/8/2016
Colin Schmidt-RC 5/6/2016
Kaden Bohlsen-RC 4/18/2016
Jaxon Nelson-RC 4/16/2015

[WestMetro]

OTC - my info is that others are confirmed as well.

[Bonin2121]

Bohlsen is gone. Sounds like McGregor.

I would not be surprised if another four from that list get let go.

[Gopher Blog]

McGregor was going to be traded from Sioux Falls. He didn't like that option so he quit. Literally packed up and quit on the spot and said he's done playing hockey. This all happened before anything was pulled by the U.

Which is why the remarks of some on here are laughable. Of course, college loyalties can influence that laughable ignorance.

Kinda hard to be disloyal when:

A) You were not the coach to make the offer in the first place

B) A player makes his own choice first

[WestMetro]

OTC - for some reason Sam Huff was not on that original list ?

[O-townClown]

OTC - for some reason Sam Huff was not on that original list ?

He shows on the final 2017 & 2018 lists but is not on the 2019. His name is in red on the 2018, but I'm not sure what that means. Could be that he signed an NLI or was expected to arrive on campus.

[MrBoDangles]

Ben Ward is another that was a huge story and commit... What's going on there?

[WestMetro]

I think Huff already did sign a NLI. But Im not so sure he is still headed to the Gophers. Any others who know Sams status for sure?

[GoldenBear]

Sam is a free agent. Unfortunately he’s on the injured reserve for Gren Bay now. I hope he gets healthy and finds a home GB

[WestMetro]

Thanks GB , matches what Ive been hearing