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Tommy Vannelli (Minnetonka) committed to the University of Minnesota tonight. According to the hub, he chose Minnesota over Ohio State.

http://www.mnhockeyhub.com/news_article ... _id=148514

Great pickup by theDON. Best d-man in the state. Dominant in the Elite League this fall, reminds me a lot of Nick Leddy. This kid just keeps getting better too. Sky is the limit for him.

Sats81 wrote:Great pickup by theDON. Best d-man in the state. Dominant in the Elite League this fall, reminds me a lot of Nick Leddy. This kid just keeps getting better too. Sky is the limit for him.

Is he projected to be a 1st round draft pick?

As of now, no. There aren't any Minnesota High School kids in the 1st round. Last I heard, the earliest MN High School kid currently would be Hurley and he is ranked at 48th..

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/8 ... -rankings/

NOTE: These list change all the time, but this is the latest I could find.

Kind of brings alot of questions to my mind when we (MN home grown community based hockey) can't get more than 1 kid in the TOP 50

1. Are our home grown MN kids under-rated or over-rated?
2. We get a ton players playing college, D1 & D3 - why not drafted?
3. Do you HAVE to leave early to get a shot at being drafted high?
4. Does 23 games a year really work? - NO thats easy, but..
5. Is the so called "Elite League" working?

Look at that list. (1) kid in the first round "projected" as of now is from the USHL - and thats a damn good league.

Kind of bums me out - but then again its really is a WORLD game - Fins, Russia, US, CAN, Swedes, Norway - you name it

SuperStar wrote:Kind of bums me out - but then again its really is a WORLD game - Fins, Russia, US, CAN, Swedes, Norway - you name it

This is why; the talent pool is worldwide!

This is why; the talent pool is worldwide!

I think nationwide has had a bigger impact. Players in the USHL, NAHL, CJHL, etc. come from 30 states now. 20 years ago they came from just a few States. And, more every year.

observer wrote:

This is why; the talent pool is worldwide!

I think nationwide has had a bigger impact. Players in the USHL, NAHL, CJHL, etc. come from 30 states now. 20 years ago they came from just a few States. And, more every year.

To know for sure you would have to compare the ratio of U.S. (Minnesotans and non-Minnesotans separately), Canadian and European players 20 years ago vs. what it is today.
(Or last year because there is no today).

But back to topic, congratulations to Tommy Vannelli and also to the Gophers who are getting a great player! The Gophers' future looks very bright indeed.

Congrats !!!! Great Family.

mulefarm wrote:

Sats81 wrote:Great pickup by theDON. Best d-man in the state. Dominant in the Elite League this fall, reminds me a lot of Nick Leddy. This kid just keeps getting better too. Sky is the limit for him.

Is he projected to be a 1st round draft pick?

That's what the rumor is...

clutterbuck22 wrote:Tommy Vannelli (Minnetonka) committed to the University of Minnesota tonight. According to the hub, he chose Minnesota over Ohio State.

http://www.mnhockeyhub.com/news_article ... _id=148514

That didn't last long.

The Exiled One wrote:

clutterbuck22 wrote:Tommy Vannelli (Minnetonka) committed to the University of Minnesota tonight. According to the hub, he chose Minnesota over Ohio State.

http://www.mnhockeyhub.com/news_article ... _id=148514

That didn't last long.

Just heard.....bummer for the U.

Try this instead
Originally Posted by turk181:
Tommy Vanelli gone? https://twitter.com/chrismpeters
Yup. University's official statement:

“After a few weeks of trying to balance academics and athletics, Tommy made the decision this morning that college hockey was not the best route for him at this time,” Lucia said. “We accept his decision and will move on as a team.”

Paging Mr Dougherty

Wish Tommy the best of luck. Probably wasn't an easy decision. Hope he finds the balance he is looking for. Talented kid with a bright future.

blindref wrote:Try this instead
Originally Posted by turk181:
Tommy Vanelli gone? https://twitter.com/chrismpeters
Yup. University's official statement:

“After a few weeks of trying to balance academics and athletics, Tommy made the decision this morning that college hockey was not the best route for him at this time,” Lucia said. “We accept his decision and will move on as a team.”

Sounds like he is going to stay at the U and focus on academics. Good for him. Good luck.

WarmUpTheBus wrote: Sounds like he is going to stay at the U and focus on academics. Good for him. Good luck.

And where did you hear that?

Bonin2121 wrote:

WarmUpTheBus wrote: Sounds like he is going to stay at the U and focus on academics. Good for him. Good luck.

And where did you hear that?

He pulled it out of his butt.

https://twitter.com/darrylwolski/status ... 2107832320

The Exiled One wrote:

Bonin2121 wrote:

WarmUpTheBus wrote: Sounds like he is going to stay at the U and focus on academics. Good for him. Good luck.

And where did you hear that?

He pulled it out of his butt.

https://twitter.com/darrylwolski/status ... 2107832320

From what I've heard, he isn't Vannelli's advisor though. I've been told he's still undecided. Though, if you think about it, managing academics and athletics is an issue he'd have at any university, so my guess is it will be WHL.

Bonin2121 wrote:

WarmUpTheBus wrote: Sounds like he is going to stay at the U and focus on academics. Good for him. Good luck.

And where did you hear that?

The Rocket Science Department at the U.

JDUBBS1280 wrote:

The Exiled One wrote:

Bonin2121 wrote: And where did you hear that?

He pulled it out of his butt.

https://twitter.com/darrylwolski/status ... 2107832320

From what I've heard, he isn't Vannelli's advisor though. I've been told he's still undecided. Though, if you think about it, managing academics and athletics is an issue he'd have at any university, so my guess is it will be WHL.

Tobin Wright is his advisor.

This is confusing. Did he think he was ready to play for Gophers as true freshman and then found out he wasn't?

Don't you usually play in the WHL in order to get to DivI?

barry_mcconnell wrote:This is confusing. Did he think he was ready to play for Gophers as true freshman and then found out he wasn't?

Don't you usually play in the WHL in order to get to DivI?

Once you play in the WHL (Canadian Major Juniors) you loose US College eligibility. USHL/NAHL is a more common route if you want to still play DI.

1. You can't play in the WHL/OHL or QMJHL or commonly referred to as the "CHL" - Canadian Hockey League. leagues and be eligible for NCAA - You forfeit any chance of getting a Sports Scholarship or play for any US Div 1 team. You CAN play in the BCHL and other Canadien leagues/Teams and still be eligible for NCAA scholarships, but not the CHL - Which consist of the WHL, OHL and the "Q".

2. Not sure if he thought he was ready or not. But I don't think anyone knows besides himself and parents maybe, if he is leaving or not.

3. Normally to get ready for College hockey one would play in the US Junior leagues. USHL, NAHL, Tier III etc..Or the BCHL and other Canadien Leagues. Just not the CHL. Since these leagues allow you to play and get sports Scholly's for US Schools. Not sure why he didn't choose this route.

Correct me if I am wrong.

SuperStar wrote:1. You can't play in the WHL/OHL or QMJHL or commonly referred to as the "CHL" - Canadian Hockey League. leagues and be eligible for NCAA - You forfeit any chance of getting a Sports Scholarship or play for any US Div 1 team. You CAN play in the BCHL and other Canadien leagues/Teams and still be eligible for NCAA scholarships, but not the CHL - Which consist of the WHL, OHL and the "Q".

2. Not sure if he thought he was ready or not. But I don't think anyone knows besides himself and parents maybe, if he is leaving or not.

3. Normally to get ready for College hockey one would play in the US Junior leagues. USHL, NAHL, Tier III etc..Or the BCHL and other Canadien Leagues. Just not the CHL. Since these leagues allow you to play and get sports Scholly's for US Schools. Not sure why he didn't choose this route.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Looks correct to me.

He would have been challenged plenty in the USHL if had wanted to retain his college eligibility while looking for a new school. Or, he could have transferred to any number of "easier" institutions and may have been eligible after Christmas break (assuming UMN grants his release). For whatever reason, he decided that, not only was the University of Minnesota not in his future, but that college hockey was altogether not in his future. As long as that's the determination, there's no reason NOT to play professionally in the CHL.

DISCLAIMER: He's still not officially on Medicine Hat's roster, but I'm fairly certain he's just negotiating his terms at this point. He was originally drafted by Tri-City of the USHL, but they chose not to protect his rights, so he could play for any team in that league he likes.

Too bad he didn't stick around for his senior year - may have helped them make a run - and then done a year of juniors. Que sera, sera.