Ryan Walters WITHDRAWS committment to U of Minnesota

[wbmd]

As reported in todays St. Paul Pioneer Press by Charley Walters, former St. Thomas Academy star Ryan Walters has changed his mind about playing for the University of Minnesota.


Charley Walters
Pioneer Press
Updated: 04/17/2010 11:38:15 PM CDT

Ryan Walters, the former St. Thomas Academy hockey star who announced earlier he would play for the Gophers, withdrew his commitment on Saturday. Walters was MVP of the U.S. Hockey League's all-star game this year, playing for Des Moines, Iowa, where he played the past two seasons.

[HSHockeyFan08]

I wonder if he was pressured by the Gopher staff to withdraw his commitment...That is a loss for the Gophers. He will be an impact player wherever he ends up.

[Tigers33]

The last thing the Gophers need is another player from St. Thomas Academy that left their high school early. Apparently the Gophers are full this year and wanted him to play juniors again. Funny thing is he said no, ha! Good luck buddy.

[muckandgrind]

The last thing the Gophers need is another player from St. Thomas Academy that left their high school early. Apparently the Gophers are full this year and wanted him to play juniors again. Funny thing is he said no, ha! Good luck buddy.

My bet is that Ryan Walters was more prepared to play college hockey this year than Nick Bjugstad...or Nick Leddy last year, or Aaron Ness the year before.

If I were Ryan, I would tell Lucia to buzz off as well. This is the problem with the the Gophers, they kiss the collective @sses of all these 18 year olds straight out of HS...tell them they are ready to play right away (when they aren't), and watch them leave to the professional ranks because the NHL teams know they can do a better job developing these young players in their own minor league system where they have more control....all the while, the players that Lucia NEEDS if he wants to have any shot at winning another title are left floating in the wind. The problem is that the Gopher "brand" isn't as sexy as it was a few years ago and players like Walters know that other, more quality, college programs will give them a chance to play.

[thiscrazygame]

The last thing the Gophers need is another player from St. Thomas Academy that left their high school early. Apparently the Gophers are full this year and wanted him to play juniors again. Funny thing is he said no, ha! Good luck buddy.

My bet is that Ryan Walters was more prepared to play college hockey this year than Nick Bjugstad...or Nick Leddy last year, or Aaron Ness the year before.

If I were Ryan, I would tell Lucia to buzz off as well. This is the problem with the the Gophers, they kiss the collective @sses of all these 18 year olds straight out of HS...tell them they are ready to play right away (when they aren't), and watch them leave to the professional ranks because the NHL teams know they can do a better job developing these young players in their own minor league system where they have more control....all the while, the players that Lucia NEEDS if he wants to have any shot at winning another title are left floating in the wind. The problem is that the Gopher "brand" isn't as sexy as it was a few years ago and players like Walters know that other, more quality, college programs will give them a chance to play.

Good luck Ryan you are alot of fun to watch and will do well wherever you land!!!!

[muckandgrind]

The last thing the Gophers need is another player from St. Thomas Academy that left their high school early. Apparently the Gophers are full this year and wanted him to play juniors again. Funny thing is he said no, ha! Good luck buddy.

My bet is that Ryan Walters was more prepared to play college hockey this year than Nick Bjugstad...or Nick Leddy last year, or Aaron Ness the year before.

If I were Ryan, I would tell Lucia to buzz off as well. This is the problem with the the Gophers, they kiss the collective @sses of all these 18 year olds straight out of HS...tell them they are ready to play right away (when they aren't), and watch them leave to the professional ranks because the NHL teams know they can do a better job developing these young players in their own minor league system where they have more control....all the while, the players that Lucia NEEDS if he wants to have any shot at winning another title are left floating in the wind. The problem is that the Gopher "brand" isn't as sexy as it was a few years ago and players like Walters know that other, more quality, college programs will give them a chance to play.

Good luck Ryan you are alot of fun to watch and will do well wherever you land!!!!

Yeah, you guys outed me alright!!!

Seriously, I'm not saying that Walters would be the straw that stirs the drink...but he is the type of player you need on a championship roster. The recent championship teams had players like Grant Potulny, Matt Koalska, Matt DeMarchi, etc....IMO, Walters is a blue collar type of players just like those guys were...and someone who would probably give the program four solid years. Other than losing Motzko and Guentzel, the biggest problem the Gophers have is that don't have the dependable role players that all championship squads have....

Why doesn't Lucia exhibit the balls to tell players like Ness, Leddy and Bjugstad that they would (have) be better off getting a year of seasoning in the USHL before rushing them into a spot they aren't ready to handle? Because that is where they all belong.

Mark my words, Walters will have plenty of big time D1 programs calling him and he'll land on his feet just fine.

[Lakeviewing]

Good for Ryan, I have watched this kid playing with my son in a number of off season affairs. This kid can finish. Probably a four year player at the U of M. Maybe needing four years to establish himselve, but a solid WCHA player. This is the type of player the U of M needs to compete at a higher level. A pure goal scorer. The Don missed on this kid. The Ness kid looked loss this year and lets give Leddy another year. Walters would have given to be a senior level player. Ryan has so much more potential and probably would fit into a different program. As a young freshman, Bjugstad will have a small presents with the Gophers in scoring.

My bet is that Ryan Walters was more prepared to play college hockey this year than Nick Bjugstad...or Nick Leddy last year, or Aaron Ness the year before.

If I were Ryan, I would tell Lucia to buzz off as well. This is the problem with the the Gophers, they kiss the collective @sses of all these 18 year olds straight out of HS...tell them they are ready to play right away (when they aren't), and watch them leave to the professional ranks because the NHL teams know they can do a better job developing these young players in their own minor league system where they have more control....all the while, the players that Lucia NEEDS if he wants to have any shot at winning another title are left floating in the wind. The problem is that the Gopher "brand" isn't as sexy as it was a few years ago and players like Walters know that other, more quality, college programs will give them a chance to play.

Good luck Ryan you are alot of fun to watch and will do well wherever you land!!!!

Yeah, you guys outed me alright!!!

Seriously, I'm not saying that Walters would be the straw that stirs the drink...but he is the type of player you need on a championship roster. The recent championship teams had players like Grant Potulny, Matt Koalska, Matt DeMarchi, etc....IMO, Walters is a blue collar type of players just like those guys were...and someone who would probably give the program four solid years. Other than losing Motzko and Guentzel, the biggest problem the Gophers have is that don't have the dependable role players that all championship squads have....

Why doesn't Lucia exhibit the balls to tell players like Ness, Leddy and Bjugstad that they would (have) be better off getting a year of seasoning in the USHL before rushing them into a spot they aren't ready to handle? Because that is where they all belong.

Mark my words, Walters will have plenty of big time D1 programs calling him and he'll land on his feet just fine.

[wbmd]

Here is more of an explanation as to why Walters won't play for the Gophers.

http://www.startribune.com/blogs/914001 ... c:_Yyc:aUU

[murray]

which one of you guys won a ncaa championship on the last decade? he doesnt fit at the UofM. move on. have a great career. make the state of minnesota proud to have had you as a youth.
also which one of you has the crystal ball to predict he would be around for four years?

[muckandgrind]

which one of you guys won a ncaa championship on the last decade? he doesnt fit at the UofM. move on. have a great career. make the state of minnesota proud to have had you as a youth.
also which one of you has the crystal ball to predict he would be around for four years?

Sorry...Lucia is close to using up all his cred from his championships. The Gophers aren't even the best program in the State of Minnesota right now. They haven't been the NCAA tourney the past couple of years, which is unacceptable. The program is circling down the drain right now. Changes need to be made.

[justaguess]

Minnesota high school hockey does not prepare players to compete immediately in the WCHA. With a few exceptions, players need to spend time after high school playing more intense hockey.

Why is this true? Our high school season is 17 weeks long, if your team goes all the way to State). A Tier 1 U18 season is about 28 weeks long. In that span, we play 25-30 games and they play about 70 games. If both teams have six practice/game events per week, The Minnesota h.s. guy skates about 150 hours and the U18 player skates about 250 hours.

Over a three-year varsity career, this means that the U18 player skates 300 more hours than the Minnesota High School player. This is the equivalent of 2 full seasons extra. Even if a Minnesota kid picks up some fall hockey in the Elite league, he is still at least a full season behind the other U18 players when he leaves high school.

And when they try to go straight to the WCHA, they are not ready to compete.

That is one big reason the Gophers are at best an average team right now.

[Tigers33]

It has absolutely nothing to do with the place they play hockey. An 18 year old kid could play hockey in high school, USHL, NAHL, AAA, or MN Junior League. He is not going to step in at the age of 18 and make a difference in the WCHA. It has nothing to do with the location they played up until than. It has to do with their age.

I would guess the Gophers were either last or 2nd to last in their average age in the WCHA. This is why they are losing now. However, if you tell Leddy to go to the USHL he will respond saying nope. The Wild, now the Blackhawks, probably would not even allow that cause he will develop more in College than the Juniors. So...experts out there. What do you say to kids like Leddy, Schroeder, Bjugstad, and other these other young phenom players that are to young to compete in the WCHA.

Other teams are winning because they are getting 19-20 year old freshman. Somehow the Gophers need to figure this out, and not always get the "Best" players.

[Zamman]

Stop recruiting the kids and recruit some men. Go for the juniors for two or three years. Ambroz is coming in and at least he has played juniors. Aaron Less, er Ness should have stayed for his real senior year and then gone on to juniors. Bjugstad should also stay for his seniort year then two years of juniors. I have been a Gopher fan all my life and am ashamed at the play of these kids.
I find it pretty sad that the "big" college team and the so-called pro team int he state of hockey are so bad. It is time to man up and recruit the men, not the boys.

[breakout]

Minnesota high school hockey does not prepare players to compete immediately in the WCHA. With a few exceptions, players need to spend time after high school playing more intense hockey.

Why is this true? Our high school season is 17 weeks long, if your team goes all the way to State). A Tier 1 U18 season is about 28 weeks long. In that span, we play 25-30 games and they play about 70 games. If both teams have six practice/game events per week, The Minnesota h.s. guy skates about 150 hours and the U18 player skates about 250 hours.

Over a three-year varsity career, this means that the U18 player skates 300 more hours than the Minnesota High School player. This is the equivalent of 2 full seasons extra. Even if a Minnesota kid picks up some fall hockey in the Elite league, he is still at least a full season behind the other U18 players when he leaves high school.

And when they try to go straight to the WCHA, they are not ready to compete.

That is one big reason the Gophers are at best an average team right now.

Have you ever heard of the expression trust, but verify? Just for fun, I looked at the Gopher roster. If I counted right, all but four of last year's Gopher hockey squad played Jr. or at NTDP. Plus, they had 20 NHL draft picks. The team likely has other issues vs. bringing in young men that played Jr.

http://www.gophersports.com/SportSelect ... PSID=38856

That being noted, I agree that Walter's would have been a very good Gopher hockey player.

[mulefarm]

I thought Schroeder was an impact player is freshman year. I believe he was on one of the top 3 WCHA teams and the end of the season. More of a concern, would be why he didn't play with the same desire this year?

[muckandgrind]

It has absolutely nothing to do with the place they play hockey. An 18 year old kid could play hockey in high school, USHL, NAHL, AAA, or MN Junior League. He is not going to step in at the age of 18 and make a difference in the WCHA. It has nothing to do with the location they played up until than. It has to do with their age.

I would guess the Gophers were either last or 2nd to last in their average age in the WCHA. This is why they are losing now. However, if you tell Leddy to go to the USHL he will respond saying nope. The Wild, now the Blackhawks, probably would not even allow that cause he will develop more in College than the Juniors. So...experts out there. What do you say to kids like Leddy, Schroeder, Bjugstad, and other these other young phenom players that are to young to compete in the WCHA.

Other teams are winning because they are getting 19-20 year old freshman. Somehow the Gophers need to figure this out, and not always get the "Best" players.

I would tell them that it would be in theirs, and the Gophers best interest to spend a season in the USHL to grow and develop their game. If they want to play for the Gophers bad enough, they would take that advise. Playing a year in Juniors, then jumping to the college game would still probably get that player to the NHL just as fast, or maybe even faster than the Canadian Junior route because of the 20 year old rule the NHL and the CHL have

...basically, if a NHL team signs a Canadian Junior player under the age of 20, they have to play in the NHL...whereas if they sign a player under the age of 20 that is playing NCAA, they can send them to their AHL club....big beneift there.

The Gophers shouldn't have to kiss ANYONE'S @ss to play with them, least of all some 17 year old kid. This state is chalked full of quality D1 talent. The Minnesota program just needs to figure out who best fits their team and go that route.

[breakout]

It has absolutely nothing to do with the place they play hockey. An 18 year old kid could play hockey in high school, USHL, NAHL, AAA, or MN Junior League. He is not going to step in at the age of 18 and make a difference in the WCHA. It has nothing to do with the location they played up until than. It has to do with their age.

I would guess the Gophers were either last or 2nd to last in their average age in the WCHA. This is why they are losing now. However, if you tell Leddy to go to the USHL he will respond saying nope. The Wild, now the Blackhawks, probably would not even allow that cause he will develop more in College than the Juniors. So...experts out there. What do you say to kids like Leddy, Schroeder, Bjugstad, and other these other young phenom players that are to young to compete in the WCHA.

Other teams are winning because they are getting 19-20 year old freshman. Somehow the Gophers need to figure this out, and not always get the "Best" players.

I would tell them that it would be in theirs, and the Gophers best interest to spend a season in the USHL to grow and develop their game. If they want to play for the Gophers bad enough, they would take that advise. Playing a year in Juniors, then jumping to the college game would still probably get that player to the NHL just as fast, or maybe even faster than the Canadian Junior route because of the 20 year old rule the NHL and the CHL have

...basically, if a NHL team signs a Canadian Junior player under the age of 20, they have to play in the NHL...whereas if they sign a player under the age of 20 that is playing NCAA, they can send them to their AHL club....big beneift there.

The Gophers shouldn't have to kiss ANYONE'S @ss to play with them, least of all some 17 year old kid. This state is chalked full of quality D1 talent. The Minnesota program just needs to figure out who best fits their team and go that route.

I think it's good advice to play higher level hockey prior to playing in college. However, I counted 21 of 25 players listed in last year's Gopher lineup that had beyond high school experience. The last three years of Gopher hockey demonstrates that playing Jr. doesn't mean success. D1 College hockey is a faster, more physical game vs. playing in USHL.

Take a look at Ryan Flynn. Maybe he will have a good pro career. He was an Ann Arbor/NTDP product, one of U.S. best players, played on the US Under 20 as one of the best players in the world for his age and did not have a great Gopher career. How about that for the cookie cutter, you need to play Jr. route?

Additionally, you have timing issues. Ryan Walters was likely a victim of the Gopher's upcoming recruiting class. One person rated it as best in the nation for 2010. Is Ryan better than Eric Haula? I don't know.

On another note, I have read people's beliefs that the Gophers should recruit outside of Minnesota. Was Walters a victim of the wants of some Gopher fans? Condon, a Wisconsin native and Haula, a Finland native may have taken Ryan's spot. As the old saying goes "be careful of what you wish for".

[brandy38]

The problem is that Lucia's most prized recruits--the ones that come out of high school such as Ness, Leddy, and Schroeder--have too many expectations placed upon them and get way too much ice time at a "young" collegiate age. Even if they played no juniors, it would be nice if Lucia could keep players from jumping to the pros so early so that Seniors and Juniors could eat up the lion's share of the ice time while the kids fresh out of HS, if they don't want to do juniors, play on the 3rd or 4th lines or the last defensive pairing.

I would rather have a recruit play at least a year of USHL. I had the luck to go see a game in Cedar Rapids in March . Can't wait for Ambroz BTW.

[BBB]

Take a look at Ryan Flynn. Maybe he will have a good pro career. He was an Ann Arbor/NTDP product, one of U.S. best players, played on the US Under 20 as one of the best players in the world for his age and did not have a great Gopher career. How about that for the cookie cutter, you need to play Jr. route?

Not quite following you here. He is hardly the cookie-cutter jr player as he came in as a true freshman and didn't play any full seasons in the USHL. I think that is what people want to see happen with the gophs. I don't think he scored more than 15 goals in his entire gopher career. Would he have been more dominant had he played 60-120 USHL games and was just finishing up his sophomore yr?

[Gopher Blog]

Not quite following you here. He is hardly the cookie-cutter jr player as he came in as a true freshman and didn't play any full seasons in the USHL.

Playing two years in the NTDP is pretty much the equivalent to two years in the USHL. I don't think people care when a player comes in as long as long as he has had some junior hockey time (whether it is before or after HS graduation).

[breakout]

Not quite following you here. He is hardly the cookie-cutter jr player as he came in as a true freshman and didn't play any full seasons in the USHL.

Playing two years in the NTDP is pretty much the equivalent to two years in the USHL. I don't think people care when a player comes in as long as long as he has had some junior hockey time (whether it is before or after HS graduation).

Exactly, especially now since U18 plays in the USHL.

[BBB]

Except when Flynn was there they played in the NAHL (not as good as the USHL; smaller, less talented players; not nearly as deep of rosters, less intimidating road buildings, etc.) and he scored about a point every 3 games in the NA. Is anyone surprised he chipped in a point every 3 games for the Gophers?
Now send him to the USHL after Ann Arbor for a year or two and have him on the PP, PK and in key situations and you'll get better results.

[Gopher Blog]

Except when Flynn was there they played in the NAHL (not as good as the USHL; smaller, less talented players; not nearly as deep of rosters, less intimidating road buildings, etc.) and he scored about a point every 3 games in the NA. Is anyone surprised he chipped in a point every 3 games for the Gophers?
Now send him to the USHL after Ann Arbor for a year or two and have him on the PP, PK and in key situations and you'll get better results.

I'd say a year on the U18 team playing against a dozen D1 teams along with int'l tourneys against top world players and some NAHL isn't quite as bad as you appear to think.

Besides, you're splitting hairs a bit by the NAHL vs. USHL stuff. USHL is better but the gap isn't that wide. Especially when you are a team of 17 year olds going up against mostly 19 and 20 year olds.

[mulefarm]

Except when Flynn was there they played in the NAHL (not as good as the USHL; smaller, less talented players; not nearly as deep of rosters, less intimidating road buildings, etc.) and he scored about a point every 3 games in the NA. Is anyone surprised he chipped in a point every 3 games for the Gophers?
Now send him to the USHL after Ann Arbor for a year or two and have him on the PP, PK and in key situations and you'll get better results.

I'd say a year on the U18 team playing against a dozen D1 teams along with int'l tourneys against top world players and some NAHL isn't quite as bad as you appear to think.

Besides, you're splitting hairs a bit by the NAHL vs. USHL stuff. USHL is better but the gap isn't that wide. Especially when you are a team of 17 year olds going up against mostly 19 and 20 year olds.

I think you better go watch a couple of USHL and NAHL games if you don't think the gap isn't to wide. NAHL has some good top end players but the depth of those teams isn't even close.

[Gopher Blog]

I think you better go watch a couple of USHL and NAHL games if you don't think the gap isn't to wide. NAHL has some good top end players but the depth of those teams isn't even close.

I have seen them both over the years. So your suggestion means little to men. It is a matter of opinion how wide the gap is... and it isn't really even the debate here. The reality is a guy who plays two years in the NTDP (back then or now) is still getting two years of a full hockey schedule against mostly older players and they are challenged. Hardly a pushover schedule for a bunch of 17 year olds