Thoughts about Duluth East?

[DEHS Dan Green]

Anyone?

[HShockeywatcher]

The worst team in the history of MSHSL, right?

Not sure why we need more threads to discuss them, but I would say they're good. One of the best in the state. Like in karl's rankings, I think it's silly to have the winning team ranked right below the team they just beat.

Are they the best team in state? Not sure, but I'd have them and Edina 1 and 2 right now.

[karl(east)]

I think I have one or two in my head. I will try not to ramble on for too long.

To the surprise of some of our friends to the south, East has clearly proven it is in the elite tier of teams in the state this season. You could argue they are #1, but right now the space between nos. 1 and 5 in the rankings is so miniscule it hardly matters. Considering that East is a very young team, that's quite the achievement.

What's gone well:
-The first line may not quite be EP's or Wayzata's, but it is one of the best in the state. The chemistry is very impressive.
-They are pretty deep, and the second and third lines consistently generate quality chances.
-Jeanetta is having a stellar season in goal. He is probably the best netminder on a top-5 team. He may not be on the draft board, but he is steady and solid.
-The defense, which is very young, has shown signs of improvement.
-Their pretty passing makes them one of the most entertaining teams in the state to watch. Many of their goals have been the result of impressive setups that the other team had no prayer of stopping. The passing game means East SOG totals often fail to reflect gameplay, as they take their time setting up the perfect shot. This is interesting in that it's a complete reversal of what they did last year, when they simply threw a million pucks on net and hoped for the best. Kudos to the coaching staff for adjusting to the talent on hand.

What still needs work:
-The scoring is disproportionately first line heavy. To his credit Randolph seems to recognize this and is still trying to sort out the right combinations on the lower lines. The talent is there; they just need to get it going.
-The defense will probably be the biggest factor in how far this team goes. If they play smart and avoid turnovers in their own zone, they'll go far. If they cough it up too often like they did in the Edina loss, this team probably won't see St. Paul. They need to show that their recent improvement is no fluke.
-From time to time they get a little too caught up in their pretty passing when it'd probably be easier to just crash the net.
-Beating EP in January is great, but ultimately means very little. They cannot get overconfident.

No matter what, it's hard East fans to not get excited about this team. They're the real deal.

[HockeyMN1]

They're pretty equivalent to EP/Edina/Hill/Wayzata/whatever other top team. This year's section/state tournaments will be madness.

[mj79]

Just curious .. But Why is EP and East above Edina? Didnt Edina beat them both? Or was it the loss to Rapids that put them down.. If thats the case I would think EP would have fallen even farther down the row with the Eagen loss..

Meh


1) Edina

2) Eden Prarie

3) East

4) H-M

Thats just me.. I pick Edina at the top because of their record and who they have beat.. I put East below EP because IMO..... EP looked like the better team... Yes East had its second half of the second period run , and nice pretty plays , But EP looked, Faster, quicker to the puck, the passing was on, and they did dominate shots.. Even tho that means nothing, JoJo Won the game for east ( and maybe a D or 2 )

[crosscheck20]

East is pretty good but im wondering if ep and kyle rau had an off night?

[breakout]

I think I have one or two in my head. I will try not to ramble on for too long.

To the surprise of some of our friends to the south, East has clearly proven it is in the elite tier of teams in the state this season. You could argue they are #1, but right now the space between nos. 1 and 5 in the rankings is so miniscule it hardly matters. Considering that East is a very young team, that's quite the achievement.

What's gone well:
-The first line may not quite be EP's or Wayzata's, but it is one of the best in the state. The chemistry is very impressive.
-They are pretty deep, and the second and third lines consistently generate quality chances.
-Jeanetta is having a stellar season in goal. He is probably the best netminder on a top-5 team. He may not be on the draft board, but he is steady and solid.
-The defense, which is very young, has shown signs of improvement.
-Their pretty passing makes them one of the most entertaining teams in the state to watch. Many of their goals have been the result of impressive setups that the other team had no prayer of stopping. The passing game means East SOG totals often fail to reflect gameplay, as they take their time setting up the perfect shot. This is interesting in that it's a complete reversal of what they did last year, when they simply threw a million pucks on net and hoped for the best. Kudos to the coaching staff for adjusting to the talent on hand.

What still needs work:
-The scoring is disproportionately first line heavy. To his credit Randolph seems to recognize this and is still trying to sort out the right combinations on the lower lines. The talent is there; they just need to get it going.
-The defense will probably be the biggest factor in how far this team goes. If they play smart and avoid turnovers in their own zone, they'll go far. If they cough it up too often like they did in the Edina loss, this team probably won't see St. Paul. They need to show that their recent improvement is no fluke.
-From time to time they get a little too caught up in their pretty passing when it'd probably be easier to just crash the net.
-Beating EP in January is great, but ultimately means very little. They cannot get overconfident.

No matter what, it's hard East fans to not get excited about this team. They're the real deal.

IMO, to win a state championship you must have great and timely goal tending. You need to have a stud D man or two, preferably two. You cannot be overly dependent on one line or one player.

One thing I do know is that Randolph is a quality coach.

[karl(east)]

East is pretty good but im wondering if ep and kyle rau had an off night?

Rau scored 2 goals, so I don't think he was the problem.

Having seen quite a bit of both teams this year (I've probably actually seen more of EP, thanks to myfoxhockey), this result doesn't shock me at all. I agree with mj79; EP is probably a little better. But not very much.

And in response to the other question, Edina is down at #3 more because of that tie against Blaine, though the GR loss is looking a little worse now that GR is struggling.

[mj79]

GR will be tough for east in sections , no doubt. Big seeding game comin up this week where gr plays cec. So if cec wins how does that wet up the seeds? East pretty much clinched the number one spot. But I really wanna see east and cec at amsoil in the section final. That would be a HUGE crowd and a great atmosphere.

I still can't believe gr got beat as bad as they did to htown. Yea they are good but gr had to be off their game. Not making excuses but that was way to lop sided. I would love to see htown/ ep this year

[Danglesnipe&celly Tro]

Solid team not a lot of talent just good fundamental puck skills. Very smart players, they don't make mistakes. Jeanetta should get more attention than he does. Randolph is a little over rated.

[EHSHack]

But I really wanna see east and cec at amsoil in the section final. That would be a HUGE crowd and a great atmosphere.

Its too bad the East students dont really care about hockey this year.

[PeaceFrogs]

An excellent team dominated by Juniors and Sophmores. Have been to several games and it seems to me that Karl is right, instead of simply shooting endlessly at the goal (as in the past several years) this team has numerous players that are true goal scorers. It's amazing how many clanks of the pipe I have heard which in years past would have been shots aimed in the goalies chest.

I heard/counted seven shots that missed the goalie and hit the pipes in the GR game.

[EHSHack]

Solid team not a lot of talent just good fundamental puck skills. Very smart players, they don't make mistakes. Jeanetta should get more attention than he does. Randolph is a little over rated.

I disagree. This is one of the more talented East teams in recent memory.

[mnmouth]

Thats just me.. I pick Edina at the top because of their record and who they have beat.. I put East below EP because IMO..... EP looked like the better team... Yes East had its second half of the second period run , and nice pretty plays , But EP looked, Faster, quicker to the puck, the passing was on, and they did dominate shots.. Even tho that means nothing, JoJo Won the game for east ( and maybe a D or 2 )

Were you at the game on 1/15?? Karl got it right when he said that East may spend too much time looking for the pretty pass than just shooting or crashing the net. The had plenty of opportunities against EP, they just did not shoot the puck enough. At no point, did East look like they were in trouble in that game, nor did they even spend the game chasing. Except for the shots, that game was played equal. Good thing for East, also, that Jeanetta is a better goalie. That will be the difference come sectionals and beyond.

[mj79]

But I really wanna see east and cec at amsoil in the section final. That would be a HUGE crowd and a great atmosphere.

Its too bad the East students dont really care about hockey this year.

Sad. When I was there in the late 90s our entire school was at the games. We knew what school spirit was and got everyone into the game.

The students in the past 5 yrs might as well not even show up. Except fit the loudmouth kid that yells out funny stuff once n a while

[EHSHack]

But I really wanna see east and cec at amsoil in the section final. That would be a HUGE crowd and a great atmosphere.

Its too bad the East students dont really care about hockey this year.

Sad. When I was there in the late 90s our entire school was at the games. We knew what school spirit was and got everyone into the game.

The students in the past 5 yrs might as well not even show up. Except fit the loudmouth kid that yells out funny stuff once n a while

No the crowds have been decent up until this year. Not as good as back in the 90's and stuff, but much better than now.

[karl(east)]

Its too bad the East students dont really care about hockey this year.

Sad. When I was there in the late 90s our entire school was at the games. We knew what school spirit was and got everyone into the game.

The students in the past 5 yrs might as well not even show up. Except fit the loudmouth kid that yells out funny stuff once n a while

No the crowds have been decent up until this year. Not as good as back in the 90's and stuff, but much better than now.

This is true. Two years ago, East's student section was by far the most active of the eight AA schools in the state quarterfinals. They were decent last year. But this year, they appear to be mute. Kinda sad, considering how good this team is.

This team definitely has a lot of talent, but most of it is concentrated in the junior and sophomore classes. Barring defections to juniors or the NTDP, they could easily be the preseason #1 next year.

Also, I just noticed East has the lowest number of raw GA of any team in the state. That's impressive, especially when you take SOS into consideration (their competition for this title includes Bemidji, Breck, and Totino-Grace).

[HawkeyPower]

I still can't believe gr got beat as bad as they did to htown. Yea they are good but gr had to be off their game. Not making excuses but that was way to lop sided. I would love to see htown/ ep this year[/quote]

Opportunity will be Feb. 1st at Eden Prairie.

[old goalie85]

I don't know why everyone is so surpised that this may be the best team in the state this year. this group was a very talented bantam and pee-wee group as well.

[HShockeywatcher]

I don't know why everyone is so surpised that this may be the best team in the state this year. this group was a very talented bantam and pee-wee group as well.

Doesn't East have very talented lower levels year in and year out and not produce at the high school level that type of success regularly?

[mj79]

I dunno.. To me ( on paper ) the amount of seniors East will lose this year is Heavily out weighed by the amount of junior and Sophomore talent coming back next year .. I think NEXT year East has a real good chance to become the best ( or one of the best ) teams east has had in 8 years or so..

STILL , no huge big time scorers, or the potent D we are used to , but a good combination of everything that makes a good team..

#25 Phil Beaulieu IMO is gonna be an Excellent D man... Kinda small, but then again , hes already on the first line , and is only a freshman, so Randolph probably sees something in him as well

[mj79]

Also , what does their Goalie situation look like for next yr.. Considering both Starter and backup are seniors this yr

[High Flyer]

Anyone?

Kind of would like to know why Marshall and Hermantown are not on thier schedule. Is this DE not wanting to play them or the other way around?

Any insider care to share the facts regarding this?

[ddd10]

Parker has been having a good year at JV in goal with around 94-95% save percentage and 1 GAA. Was alternate to nationals for advanced 15 last year.

[east hockey]

Anyone?

Kind of would like to know why Marshall and Hermantown are not on thier schedule. Is this DE not wanting to play them or the other way around?

Any insider care to share the facts regarding this?

Cue the broken record music. Karl, you want to get this? By rule, I'm only allowed to respond to the same question twenty times in one lifetime.

Lee