Mr Hockey 2012 Finalists

keepyourheadup · Post by **keepyourheadup** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:55 pm

I guess we'll find out if future potential or current accomplishments are used to determine the winner. Merchants numbers just make it hard to believe that he would win this award. Someone mentioned Skjei, lets not forget Lucia would be here as well as Mike Rielly. The 10 finalists would look quite different if we rolled the calender back to when most kids stuck around.

gitter · Post by **gitter** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:03 pm

mulefarm wrote:Wow, the top ranked nominee at 155. It's hard to believe that is the best Mn high school hockey can do!

MN is not the only place with an unusual draft situation. If you think this is a serious problem, it's not.

From TSN analyst Bob McKenzie:

"The highest-ranked forward from Canada is Belleville Bull centre Brendan Gaunce, at No. 13. If a Canadian forward fails to be taken in the top 10 overall – a possibility – it would mark the first time ever Canada did not have a top 10 drafted forward. The latest the first Canadian forward has ever been drafted was seventh overall in 1999, when the Washington Capitals took Kris Beech. There are only two Canadian forwards – Gaunce and Plymouth hard rock winger Tom Wilson at No. 20 – in TSN's mid-season top 20."

observer · Post by **observer** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:24 pm

Travis Boyd is a 93 and would be a senior at Hopkins if he hadn't accelerated his studies while with the NTDP. Joey Benik is attending his senior year of high school in Penticton with Mike Reilly.

Gotta be Kloos. I think we read where Central Scouting has been off on their projections as in this era of playmakers they're still enamored with size.

xy · Post by xy » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:38 pm

I wouldn't read too much into that NHL.com article saying that Merchant leads the list of candidates, and the fact that Opperman and Merchant are mentioned in the headline. It seems pretty obvious that the writer for the NHL website, who likely has never seen a Minnesota high school game, received a list of the Mr. Hockey finalists, decided to write a story about it, checked it against the latest Central Scouting rankings, and framed his story that way.

keepyourheadup · Post by **keepyourheadup** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 2:52 pm

Benik graduated from St. Francis in 2010

longdistancespectator8 · Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:09 pm

xy wrote:I wouldn't read too much into that NHL.com article saying that Merchant leads the list of candidates, and the fact that Opperman and Merchant are mentioned in the headline. It seems pretty obvious that the writer for the NHL website, who likely has never seen a Minnesota high school game, received a list of the Mr. Hockey finalists, decided to write a story about it, checked it against the latest Central Scouting rankings, and framed his story that way.

^ Couldn't agree more

observer · Post by **observer** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:27 pm

Benik graduated from St. Francis in 2010

Oops. A little confused there. Previously mentioned Mario Lucia is attending his senior year in high school in Penticton with Mikey.

northwoods oldtimer · Post by **northwoods oldtimer** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 3:50 pm

Why as a culture do we give out individual awards in team sports?

mulefarm · Post by **mulefarm** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:37 pm

northwoods oldtimer wrote:Why as a culture do we give out individual awards in team sports?

Great point!

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 5:15 pm

mulefarm wrote:
northwoods oldtimer wrote:Why as a culture do we give out individual awards in team sports?
Great point!

Is there a culture that doesn't give out individual awards or recognize individual performance for team sports? I'd argue that even being a team captain is an individual award, so it'd have to be some youth sports utopia where everybody gets a ribbon and everybody gets a turn to be captain.

Neuuman · Post by **Neuuman** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:09 pm

almostashappy wrote:
mulefarm wrote:
northwoods oldtimer wrote:Why as a culture do we give out individual awards in team sports?
Great point!
Is there a culture that doesn't give out individual awards or recognize individual performance for team sports? I'd argue that even being a team captain is an individual award, so it'd have to be some youth sports utopia where everybody gets a ribbon and everybody gets a turn to be captain.

I'm curious what 'culture' you are talking about? MN High School culture? USA culture? North American culture? Western hemisphere culture? World culture? I'm pretty sure all cultures within the world do this and have been for many years. I'm guessing they probably do it to recognize that some individual team members make a greater contribution to the group effort than others. I guess it's possible that in Communist countries this practice does not occur. Do you think Communism is the answer?

PuckU126 · Post by **PuckU126** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 9:13 pm

Neuuman wrote:Communism is the answer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39QwQrfpeYg

Eh, they have a rep for being pretty good at hockey.

Oldtimehockeyguy23 · Post by **Oldtimehockeyguy23** » Fri Feb 17, 2012 10:42 pm

northwoods oldtimer wrote:Why as a culture do we give out individual awards in team sports?

There's something wrong with this? Its a very positive thing.