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Jake Randolph, Toninato, Olson, and Repensky are graduating... Rumors of Mike Randolph coaching at UNO with Jake... Rumors of Meirs Moore and Conner Valesano leaving... how is this team going to be next year? Will they make it back to state? Will they be a top team?

Thoughts.

Going to struggle in a tough section.

Sad to see easts dominance come to an end

I could see East winning it all next year. You heard it here first. They graduate their top line and best defenseman, but if everyone stays they will still be a formidable team. Parker is shaping up to be a great goalie and a top line of Lungren, Valesano and Toscano is nothing to sneeze at. Moore, Beauliu (SP) and Kerr will be a solid returning defensive core. This could be Easts last chance from what I have heard. For some reason I can just see the storyline now... dream teams fails but they avenge it the next year... I hope so!

Elk River section to win. They will be good.

I would say Grand Rapids is the favorite. With Bischof they have the top player in the section and Larouque knows how to get them there!

If Mike is moving to ONU let us know, there will be lines around the block of former and current players and parents willing to help him pack and get out of town.

First off, Mike isn't going anywhere! He still has a couple years left to teach before he can retire & he's not going to spend his year just teaching. I don't think he is going to join the UNO staff, they are already in pretty good shape plus Jake isn't going right in to play any way. Where is Moore going to go? He didn't exactly have a lights out jr. year in either the elite league or the regular season. Valasano maybe if he's adamit about leaving but usually when the ust settles everyone comes back.

Its looking like Mike will leave. I have several sources from a coach 7aa

Finally a chance for Bruce Plant to coach 7AA!

luvuvgame wrote:First off, Mike isn't going anywhere! He still has a couple years left to teach before he can retire & he's not going to spend his year just teaching. I don't think he is going to join the UNO staff, they are already in pretty good shape plus Jake isn't going right in to play any way. Where is Moore going to go? He didn't exactly have a lights out jr. year in either the elite league or the regular season. Valasano maybe if he's adamit about leaving but usually when the ust settles everyone comes back.

Why would he spend his year teaching? He would spend his year coaching obviously. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves here...where the hell is Blais going?! Why would Randolph leave to become an assistant at UNO... that would make no sense.

EHSHack wrote:Finally a chance for Bruce Plant to coach 7AA!

No offense meant, but the man was pretty clear about how he felt about parents that b**ch.

puckhead58 wrote:

EHSHack wrote:Finally a chance for Bruce Plant to coach 7AA!

No offense meant, but the man was pretty clear about how he felt about parents that b**ch.

Exactly. Bruce has a great thing going in Hermantown. Why on earth would he leave the Hawks and stick his head into that hornet's nest?

Lee

EHSHack wrote:

luvuvgame wrote:First off, Mike isn't going anywhere! He still has a couple years left to teach before he can retire & he's not going to spend his year just teaching. I don't think he is going to join the UNO staff, they are already in pretty good shape plus Jake isn't going right in to play any way. Where is Moore going to go? He didn't exactly have a lights out jr. year in either the elite league or the regular season. Valasano maybe if he's adamit about leaving but usually when the ust settles everyone comes back.

Why would he spend his year teaching? He would spend his year coaching obviously. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves here...where the hell is Blais going?! Why would Randolph leave to become an assistant at UNO... that would make no sense.

Why would he spend his year teaching??? Ummmm, because he's a TEACHER! The man doesn't just coach hockey, he is also an elementary school teacher in Duluth. He is within a few years from his full teacher retirement, why would he give up any bit of that to go become an asst coach. So if he's going to have to teach, why wouldn't he coach? Plus, asst coaches at that level do a majority of the scouting/recruiting for their teams. First, kind of tough to watch your kid when you're out recruiting & second, most college asst's are young enthusiastic just got done playing excited about hockey...Mike is an X's & O's genius, but he is none of those other things.

I think you'll see Mike leading the Hounds again during the 2012-2013 Season.

East Loses 4 (regular playing) forwards and 2 D. The top 3 forwards are hard to replace and Repensky is a top D. They did play much of the year without 2 of those guys and were ok.

If they don't lose anyone to Jr's. Here is the Demise of East:
Lundgren 16-35 51
Valesano 12-23 35
Toscano 17-16 33
Forbort 8-13 21
Davidson 6-5 11
(those are all basically 5-5 numbers as the top line played most of the PPs - if you don't compare that to last year's underclass, I would be drooling about who was coming back)
On D:
Moore 13-34 47 (not sure that was a bad season as indicated earlier)
Beauliee 4-18 22
And the top G who looks to be turning into a solid tender.

They will also have 5 D who have all played serious varsity minutes. B. Hughes is solid and played much of the year. Also - they have a JV team (and more than a few got some minutes this year)

I'd wait at least a year before anyone starts holding their breathe for East to fall on its face. I'd actually advise not doing so at all too dangerous.

Do you really think they can't plug in a forward and a third line.

I still see East as being a formidable team next year. They won't be on a totally different level like this years team but I think they will definitely be in the running of the 7AA crown, along with GR, Andover, Elk River, CEC. Could be another good and mucked up section!

EHSHack wrote:

luvuvgame wrote:First off, Mike isn't going anywhere! He still has a couple years left to teach before he can retire & he's not going to spend his year just teaching. I don't think he is going to join the UNO staff, they are already in pretty good shape plus Jake isn't going right in to play any way. Where is Moore going to go? He didn't exactly have a lights out jr. year in either the elite league or the regular season. Valasano maybe if he's adamit about leaving but usually when the ust settles everyone comes back.

Why would he spend his year teaching? He would spend his year coaching obviously. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves here...where the hell is Blais going?! Why would Randolph leave to become an assistant at UNO... that would make no sense.

So, a WCHA/NCHC assistant position isn't worth a high school coach considering? Especially with his son there? Maybe Randolph just wants to have the time necessary to watch his son compete at the next level.

Puckguy19 wrote:

EHSHack wrote:

luvuvgame wrote:First off, Mike isn't going anywhere! He still has a couple years left to teach before he can retire & he's not going to spend his year just teaching. I don't think he is going to join the UNO staff, they are already in pretty good shape plus Jake isn't going right in to play any way. Where is Moore going to go? He didn't exactly have a lights out jr. year in either the elite league or the regular season. Valasano maybe if he's adamit about leaving but usually when the ust settles everyone comes back.

Why would he spend his year teaching? He would spend his year coaching obviously. I think everyone is getting ahead of themselves here...where the hell is Blais going?! Why would Randolph leave to become an assistant at UNO... that would make no sense.

So, a WCHA/NCHC assistant position isn't worth a high school coach considering? Especially with his son there? Maybe Randolph just wants to have the time necessary to watch his son compete at the next level.

No, I dont think it is. Not to be an assistant at his age and especially with what he has going with the Duluth East program. Head coach? Of course. I think it would be akin to what happened in the show Friday Night Lights (AMAZING show if you havent seen it. Over now but best on TV) where Coach Taylor leaves Dillon HS after winning the State Championship to become an assistant at SMU. He never becomes part of the inner circle and ends up coming back to Dillon. Except once he leaves East he will never be let back is my guess.

EHSHack wrote:Finally a chance for Bruce Plant to coach 7AA!

Only chance of that happening is if Hermantown opts up.

Randolph won't be leaving there to coach anywhere else. The legacy he has built up there cannot be touched and he won't tarnish it by becoming an assistant coach for a mid-level college team.

EHSHack wrote: No, I dont think it is. Not to be an assistant at his age and especially with what he has going with the Duluth East program. Head coach? Of course. I think it would be akin to what happened in the show Friday Night Lights (AMAZING show if you havent seen it. Over now but best on TV) where Coach Taylor leaves Dillon HS after winning the State Championship to become an assistant at SMU. He never becomes part of the inner circle and ends up coming back to Dillon. Except once he leaves East he will never be let back is my guess.

Not that I'd use a TV show as your best evidence, but I do agree with you. What is underrated is the retirement from a public education profession. Maybe he gets offered early retirement. That would change things. But I'm guessing he's smart enough not to throw away a teacher's retirement plan for a few years of higher level assistant hockey coaching. Perhaps after, but I'm guessing not before it's offered.

It's not as if UNO is the Boston Bruins. I think he'd be an idiot to leave before retirement for an assitant job with the Gophers or Sioux, for that matter.

I doubt Randolph leaves East. I think they will be a good team next year but will have trouble with Rapids, especially with Bischoff supposedly staying.

This section will be fun to watch again next year. It seems Kuhlman and the Michaud boys will be a fun line to watch. They are more hockey players than they are in size or strength.

I think also that a section made up of private schools entirely in the cities is a great idea. I also expect Hermantown to get to state every year if they stay in their current section.

I really would have liked to see East get that state championship for that first line. As a huge fan of CEC, I just like to see our north do well at state. I did chat with Conor this year as a hockey fan. He told me that everybody is leaving the current East team for juniors, etc. from this years team. The important pieces that is.

My sources don't have a definite on coach Randolph next year. I really enjoy the rivalries my Lumberjacks have with many teams. And I respect all hockey programs in the north. I'll be at the all star game tonite enjoying the sport

Sats81 wrote:I doubt Randolph leaves East. I think they will be a good team next year but will have trouble with Rapids, especially with Bischoff supposedly staying.

To win the 7AA crown next year teams will literally need to go through East if they return all who can return. Their 2nd and 3rd lines are intact, as is most of their D, including their netminder. These kids will no doubt further develop. The question remains, who stays?

mnmouth wrote:

Sats81 wrote:I doubt Randolph leaves East. I think they will be a good team next year but will have trouble with Rapids, especially with Bischoff supposedly staying.

To win the 7AA crown next year teams will literally need to go through East if they return all who can return. Their 2nd and 3rd lines are intact, as is most of their D, including their netminder. These kids will no doubt further develop. The question remains, who stays?

Agreed.

Does anyone have first-hand knowledge that Randolph was offered an assistanc coaching position at UNO? He's a great high school coach, but that doesn't mean he would automatically be given an assistant coaching position at a college team, regardless of if his kid is going there or not.