Who's Not Coming Back '10-'11?

[Penalty Shot]

Karl, I think your statement is very well thought out. Andy's a good kid and I continue to find it alarming the way the Duluth News Tribune covers Duluth East hockey especially Rick Weegman. This article along with the article about Forbort leaving early last year seemed to bring out the worst in him (or maybe his true character). He almost seemed to pit father vs son. Was that the point of the article?
Too bad Randolph did'nt give him anything to latch onto, seems Randolph learned a valuable lesson last year about what kind of a journalist Weegman is.
I think the paper owes Andy and his family an apology, I agree with you Karl, Weegman tok advantage of a really good kid instead of acknowledging that he might not have very much interviewing experience and giving him a break.
I also think the Green Bay coaches comments are very harsh and should have been explained or explored to a deeper degree. He didnt do any Junior coaches or scouts any favors by making those comments. These types of comments make for high school coaches to be very protective of the players and will encourage coaches to keep their players away from the Junior coaches and scouts. Ultimately the players can be hurt from this type of attitude.

[woodstick]

Latest on Lane:

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id ... up/Sports/

[karl(east)]

Karl, I think your statement is very well thought out. Andy's a good kid and I continue to find it alarming the way the Duluth News Tribune covers Duluth East hockey especially Rick Weegman. This article along with the article about Forbort leaving early last year seemed to bring out the worst in him (or maybe his true character). He almost seemed to pit father vs son. Was that the point of the article?
Too bad Randolph did'nt give him anything to latch onto, seems Randolph learned a valuable lesson last year about what kind of a journalist Weegman is.
I think the paper owes Andy and his family an apology, I agree with you Karl, Weegman tok advantage of a really good kid instead of acknowledging that he might not have very much interviewing experience and giving him a break.
I also think the Green Bay coaches comments are very harsh and should have been explained or explored to a deeper degree. He didnt do any Junior coaches or scouts any favors by making those comments. These types of comments make for high school coaches to be very protective of the players and will encourage coaches to keep their players away from the Junior coaches and scouts. Ultimately the players can be hurt from this type of attitude.

I agree completely. I suppose there is a time and a place for investigative journalism and playing people off one another, but high school sports is not it. In both this article and the Forbort one last year, Weegman has managed to make just about everyone look bad.

This article reminded me of why I stopped reading the DNT. Almost no substantive content, and when there is some, it's about something that is either a) not worth writing about, or b) displays questionable priorities.

Playing the quotes of a high school kid against his dad definitely falls into the latter category. Probably the first, too. Not only that, this article sure raises a lot of questions to the casual reader who doesn't follow East hockey very closely, and I doubt there will be a follow-up that fills in any of those gaps. It wasn't even thorough journalism; it was simply an article designed to raise as many questions as possible.

I'd recommend that no one involved in East hockey comments on anything to the DNT for the forseeable future. Sadly, interviews with this paper are now more trouble than they're worth.

[stripes4hire]

hey Karl(east) i was in Cloquet last weekend and saw Nolan Meyers playing for Cloquet is he going to Cloquet next year?

[dlhhockey]

hey Karl(east) i was in Cloquet last weekend and saw Nolan Meyers playing for Cloquet is he going to Cloquet next year?

Yes, Meyer is playing for Cloquet. Hope he understands that Esse's expectations are just as high as Randolph's.

[youngblood08]

I think it's even funnier that the Elite Leagues big draw is "To keep kids from leaving" well I guess thats what happens when you let Sophmores in. It gives them a big ego thinking they are the best we have to offer.

[RushnCircles]

how in the world did nolan meyers end up at cloquet ? does his family still own stewarts ?

[The Exiled One]

Code: Select all

F - Kyle Osterberg - Lakeville South - NTDP
F - Nate Arentz    - Lakeville North - Victory Honda AAA
F - Austyn Young   - S St. Paul      - Sioux Falls-USHL
D - Mike Reilly    - Holy Angels     - Shattuck St. Mary's
D - Ben Marshall   - Mahtomedi       - Omaha-USHL
D - Andy Welinski  - Duluth East     - Green Bay-USHL
D - Brady Skjei    - Lakeville North - NTDP
G - Colin Olson    - Apple Valley    - NTDP

Fogarty and Sit are OFF the list, as they will be participating in the Elite League.

[Night Train]

Anyone heading back to Russell Stover AAA?

When will Shattuck name their teams?

Another topic discusses the difficulty young college teams like the Gophers have playing against college teams with rosters loaded with players that have 2-3 years of experience in the USHL. How will the high school aged players from Minnesota fare in the USHL?

[The Exiled One]

Anyone heading back to Russell Stover AAA?

When will Shattuck name their teams?

Another topic discusses the difficulty young college teams like the Gophers have playing against college teams with rosters loaded with players that have 2-3 years of experience in the USHL. How will the high school aged players from Minnesota fare in the USHL?

There aren't as many "straight from high school" players on the Gopher team as most people think. From last season, I only see Budish, Leddy, Fischer, and Ness. Budish and Leddy were definately able to contribute right away. That's four players from a roster of around 26. Wisconsin had two HS players and they were in the Championship game.

Next year could be a problem though, as it appears that Gardiner, Holl, Bjugstad, and Alt will be expected to contribute. Of those, I expect only Bjugstad and Holl to contribute somewhat.

[Tigers33]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

[The Exiled One]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

I've heard Holl was coming in to replace Leddy, but I might be wrong about that.

[mngopherfan]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

I've heard Holl was coming in to replace Leddy, but I might be wrong about that.

I heard from a Tonka coach that Holl is going to be at the U this fall.

[High Flyer]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

I wished the NCAA would take a closer look at what is going on in hockey. It is the only sport where players in most cases are expected to play 1-3 years of Junior Hockey, before playing at the college level. Any other NCAA sport, a student graduates from high school, comes in as a "true" freshman and either makes the team or red shirts. They then finish college in 4-5 years after graduating from high school.

[mulefarm]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

I wished the NCAA would take a closer look at what is going on in hockey. It is the only sport where players in most cases are expected to play 1-3 years of Junior Hockey, before playing at the college level. Any other NCAA sport, a student graduates from high school, comes in as a "true" freshman and either makes the team or red shirts. They then finish college in 4-5 years after graduating from high school.

Why? I don't think there is anything wrong with college hockey. What about the high school redshirts? What about the player that is a late bloomer?

[High Flyer]

Exiled...

Pretty sure Holl is not going to the U this season. Also, its not about going straight from high school to college, its all about their AGE! Thats the problem with the gophers. The gophers need to get 19-21 year old freshman like other teams. Not constantly get pure freshman players by their age. They should try this style of recruiting once...

Ness would be great if he was a freshman now, instead of a junior.

I wished the NCAA would take a closer look at what is going on in hockey. It is the only sport where players in most cases are expected to play 1-3 years of Junior Hockey, before playing at the college level. Any other NCAA sport, a student graduates from high school, comes in as a "true" freshman and either makes the team or red shirts. They then finish college in 4-5 years after graduating from high school.

Why? I don't think there is anything wrong with college hockey. What about the high school redshirts? What about the player that is a late bloomer?

There are late bloomers in every NCAA sport, but those other sports find a way to accomidate that fact. Students in all the other NCAA sports graduate from high school and then they continue thier educational path the following year as a 18 year old freshman, with all the other 18 year old freshman. Why should hockey be different than these other NCAA sports?

[mulefarm]

I wished the NCAA would take a closer look at what is going on in hockey. It is the only sport where players in most cases are expected to play 1-3 years of Junior Hockey, before playing at the college level. Any other NCAA sport, a student graduates from high school, comes in as a "true" freshman and either makes the team or red shirts. They then finish college in 4-5 years after graduating from high school.

Why? I don't think there is anything wrong with college hockey. What about the high school redshirts? What about the player that is a late bloomer?

There are late bloomers in every NCAA sport, but those other sports find a way to accomidate that fact. Students in all the other NCAA sports graduate from high school and then they continue thier educational path the following year as a 18 year old freshman, with all the other 18 year old freshman. Why should hockey be different than these other NCAA sports?

.
Hockey is different because there are leagues set up for that age group. No other sport has that. Also with the limited scholarships and amount of players needed, it would be impossible to red shirt a whole class like they do in football. Also for the late bloomer, there are very few junior colleges that have hockey compared to other sports, for him to continue his education and hockey. Many kids are held back from starting school and are 19 when graduating from high school.

[observer]

You're right. I think it's troubling for a lot of parents. No other college sport delays entry by 1-3 years like college hockey. Do you know how hard it is to start, and succeed, at school after taking 1-3 years off? Playing hockey, working out and drinking beer in Green Bay or Cedar Rapids isn't the best college prep. (not my son of course but that's what I hear) Is Anders Lee ready to hit the books just as hard at Notre Dame this fall as he would have been had he come directly from high school? Will his grades be as good?

The USHL and NAHL are businesses that are growing and will need even more bodies. Several colleges like the idea of incoming freshmen that are 89s as opposed to 91s so I don't see it going away. Just very interesting, unique, and unfortunate that that's the path our sport has taken. It also gives false hope to hundreds of players that probably should focus on academics in college as opposed to continuing the chase of what is likely an unrealistic goal for most.

My crystal ball sees several driving beer distributor trucks as opposed to working in finance on Wall Street.

[mulefarm]

You're right. I think it's troubling for a lot of parents. No other college sport delays entry by 1-3 years like college hockey. Do you know how hard it is to start, and succeed, at school after taking 1-3 years off? Playing hockey, working out and drinking beer in Green Bay or Cedar Rapids isn't the best college prep. (not my son of course but that's what I hear) Is Anders Lee ready to hit the books just as hard at Notre Dame this fall as he would have been had he come directly from high school? Will his grades be as good?

The USHL and NAHL are businesses that are growing and will need even more bodies. Several colleges like the idea of incoming freshmen that are 89s as opposed to 91s so I don't see it going away. Just very interesting, unique, and unfortunate that that's the path our sport has taken. It also gives false hope to hundreds of players that probably should focus on academics in college as opposed to continuing the chase of what is likely an unrealistic goal for most.

My crystal ball sees several driving beer distributor trucks as opposed to working in finance on Wall Street.

You are right, these leagues are a business. I don't agree with your opinion that it is unfortunate that hockey has taken this path. I would bet that a lot of these players who have played juniors have a better sense of what they would like to do, and probably value education more that thay did right after high school knowing their hockey careers are coming to an end. Many of the junior players take college classes or work a part time job. I think your general opinion about juniors is based on hearsay and not actually having any real association with players who have went that route.

[observer]

Interesting perspective on them realizing that the road is coming to an end after a couple more years. But, it is hard to head back to school after that realization.

Can/do they attend college without it affecting their eligibility?

[mulefarm]

I don't think they take a full load, just some generals. I'm not sure, but I don't think it affects their eligibility. Might be hard to get back at books for a semester, but after that things go ok.

[observer]

If they're enrolled in college, and taking classes, I don't know how it couldn't.

This discussion probably deserves a new topic because it's one that a lot of families are interested in. The families would love to hear real life stories. You don't want your player to give up their dream but you also want them to be realistic about their future. They're not going to get complete honesty from a USHL GM as their job is to fill the roster.

[keepyourheadup]

Great post Observer, I have the exact same concerns about Junior hockey. It seems that if you can be an everyday player in the ushl a kids chances are pretty solid, its the other junior leagues that make a parent question the odds of moving on to college hockey.

[old goalie85]

Why would they loose eligibility for taking some classes.

[Geno Snipes]

You're right. I think it's troubling for a lot of parents. No other college sport delays entry by 1-3 years like college hockey. Do you know how hard it is to start, and succeed, at school after taking 1-3 years off? Playing hockey, working out and drinking beer in Green Bay or Cedar Rapids isn't the best college prep. (not my son of course but that's what I hear) Is Anders Lee ready to hit the books just as hard at Notre Dame this fall as he would have been had he come directly from high school? Will his grades be as good?

The USHL and NAHL are businesses that are growing and will need even more bodies. Several colleges like the idea of incoming freshmen that are 89s as opposed to 91s so I don't see it going away. Just very interesting, unique, and unfortunate that that's the path our sport has taken. It also gives false hope to hundreds of players that probably should focus on academics in college as opposed to continuing the chase of what is likely an unrealistic goal for most.

My crystal ball sees several driving beer distributor trucks as opposed to working in finance on Wall Street.

You are right, these leagues are a business. I don't agree with your opinion that it is unfortunate that hockey has taken this path. I would bet that a lot of these players who have played juniors have a better sense of what they would like to do, and probably value education more that thay did right after high school knowing their hockey careers are coming to an end. Many of the junior players take college classes or work a part time job. I think your general opinion about juniors is based on hearsay and not actually having any real association with players who have went that route.

You also have to take in consideration that their is a big difference between an 18 year old who has never lived away from home and a 20-21 year old who has spent 2-3 years living away from home. These kids are much more mature and better prepared to be freshman at college.