Page 3 of 3
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:14 am
by winter15
[quote="BodyShots"]What size is Leddy? If he has size, then he probably could step right in and play for the gophers next year. If he is small, then you are just adding another undersized defensemen to an already small gophers defense. The gophs are getting killed in the defensive zone because they can't win any battles along the boards, and they don't have the size to move guys from in front of the net.
Ness - Fairchild - Wehrs (D1?) are all small
Fisher plays small, no aggresiveness
RJ - graduating
Lofquist - only big and physical defensemen they have.
They sure do miss Stu Bickel this year![/quote]
Leddy is like 5'11 which is like the same size as Fairchild and a inch taller then Ness and two inches taller then Wehrs. Looks like the gophers got another under size defense man.
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 10:59 am
by breakout
BodyShots wrote:What size is Leddy? If he has size, then he probably could step right in and play for the gophers next year. If he is small, then you are just adding another undersized defensemen to an already small gophers defense. The gophs are getting killed in the defensive zone because they can't win any battles along the boards, and they don't have the size to move guys from in front of the net.
Ness - Fairchild - Wehrs (D1?) are all small
Fisher plays small, no aggresiveness
RJ - graduating
Lofquist - only big and physical defensemen they have.
They sure do miss Stu Bickel this year!
I have read in the strib that Leddy is 6' and 185lbs. Probably not physically mature yet. I have heard that he is a late bloomer.
I suggest that the Gophs should have a mixture of size and skill on D.
Keep in mind, the Red Wings have two D men that are 5'9". They play because they are highly skilled, fast and smart.
Lofquist may be a tad bigger than the others. Not always a smart D and has a penchant for getting penalties.
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:01 pm
by HockeyMN1
breakout wrote:BodyShots wrote:What size is Leddy? If he has size, then he probably could step right in and play for the gophers next year. If he is small, then you are just adding another undersized defensemen to an already small gophers defense. The gophs are getting killed in the defensive zone because they can't win any battles along the boards, and they don't have the size to move guys from in front of the net.
Ness - Fairchild - Wehrs (D1?) are all small
Fisher plays small, no aggresiveness
RJ - graduating
Lofquist - only big and physical defensemen they have.
They sure do miss Stu Bickel this year!
I have read in the strib that Leddy is 6' and 185lbs. Probably not physically mature yet. I have heard that he is a late bloomer.
I suggest that the Gophs should have a mixture of size and skill on D.
Keep in mind, the Red Wings have two D men that are 5'9". They play because they are highly skilled, fast and smart.
Lofquist may be a tad bigger than the others. Not always a smart D and has a penchant for getting penalties.
I would not call Leddy a small defensman at all. He is not going to get pushed around by anyone. He is about 6', 6' 1'' maybe, and he is very strong. Leddy is not just another undersized d-man for the gophers next year.
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 6:12 pm
by wildthing
Leddy and Bickel are not in the same league. (Both played for EP)
Leddy will be above average his freshman year and will stand out with the Gophers when he is a sophmore, if not sooner.
Leddy's size
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:40 am
by Lakeviewing
winter15 wrote:BodyShots wrote:What size is Leddy? If he has size, then he probably could step right in and play for the gophers next year. If he is small, then you are just adding another undersized defensemen to an already small gophers defense. The gophs are getting killed in the defensive zone because they can't win any battles along the boards, and they don't have the size to move guys from in front of the net.
Ness - Fairchild - Wehrs (D1?) are all small
Fisher plays small, no aggresiveness
RJ - graduating
Lofquist - only big and physical defensemen they have.
They sure do miss Stu Bickel this year!
Leddy is like 5'11 which is like the same size as Fairchild and a inch taller then Ness and two inches taller then Wehrs. Looks like the gophers got another under size defense man.
Leddy, as a freshman, will not have to play 50 minutes of a 60 minute game. U of M will lighten his game load till he gets bigger and stronger to play against the heavier WCHA forward players. Lets revisit this in two years to see where he is at. My bet by year two, he is the best U of M defenseman on the team
Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:51 am
by Gopher Blog
Leddy is more of a Keith Ballard type than he is an Aaron Ness type. Leddy isn't thickly built as Ballard was when Ballard was a freshman but he has the similar style/attitude.
It is fun to watch Leddy play. His speed and the way he can control a game all over the rink is unmatched in Minnesota this year.
As for who to take between the two players, it is a very tough call. The one thing that might make me willing to tip the balance in Leddy's favor is elite defensemen tend to be less in number and certainly more in demand from a college/pro stand point than a scoring forward.