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Another early commit yet to play a high school game? Congratulations to the kid that will be a good player. Wonder how much younger the Gophers are going to go. #desperateDon

Nuts&Bolts wrote:Another early commit yet to play a high school game? Congratulations to the kid that will be a good player. Wonder how much younger the Gophers are going to go. #desperateDon

I wouldn't call it desperate considering the list of options the kid had.

If the Gopher coach didn't land a player like Brinkman and the kid goes to UND or some other school like that, he'd get critiqued harshly for that too.

This is a smart commit by the U. One of the top D for his age class in the country. Great athlete with size. Great kid. Great family.

stromboli wrote:This is a smart commit by the U. One of the top D for his age class in the country. Great athlete with size. Great kid. Great family.

I can attest to that (great kid, great family). Very humble, which can be partially attributed to the coaching he's received (not only through hockey).

Congrats to the kid but honestly if he wants to improve as a hockey player he should have waited until he could drive and signed with North Dakota.

Gopher Blog wrote:

Nuts&Bolts wrote:Another early commit yet to play a high school game? Congratulations to the kid that will be a good player. Wonder how much younger the Gophers are going to go. #desperateDon

I wouldn't call it desperate considering the list of options the kid had.

If the Gopher coach didn't land a player like Brinkman and the kid goes to UND or some other school like that, he'd get critiqued harshly for that too.

I agree with that. I also do not see any desperation in getting a commitment from a guy who will not suit up for them for 3-4 years at the soonest.

The system is broken, not the U...not the kid.

The U: Notre Dame has already plucked 2 of the best 9th Graders in Minnesota (Silianoff and Janicke). Brinkman visited South Bend...he's friends with Silianoff and played with Janicke in NY at National Camp. Imagine if they lost the best player in the state??? The pundits would have killed the Don.

Kid: Brinkman tweeted that day "I can't take it anymore...." He just wanted to be done with the process and move on. Casey Mittelstadt hadn't played a HS game and is going to turn out just fine. So will Brinkman.

Is 9th grade too young to commit? Ask BC and BU, they are all over these kids, too. It's not just the Gophers (or Notre Dame).

Here is our article on the Brinkman commit (we describe his game, show pics, and interview him).


Article Link: http://www.youthhockeyhub.com/news_arti ... _id=967184

So don't Don at the same time try to introduce new rules to your programs benefit that will limit opportunities nationwide for older players that pay there dues and earn a scholarship later in life. I remember reading a story about a guy who delayed college and served in the military. Got done with his service to his country and went to college where he started wrestling on the college team in his early 30s. If he can get a scholarship that's great. This is a good thing for the individual and schools instead of the age based discrimination Big 10/Don is looking for along with his verbal commitment puppetry to see how things shape up over the next 3 or 4 years.

Going to work out great for the Mankato State and SCSU type programs out there.

Risky since so many top end kids that have taken the giant slide recently..

Yes, the U type programs can back out, but never will.

JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

Nuts&Bolts wrote:So don't Don at the same time try to introduce new rules to your programs benefit that will limit opportunities nationwide for older players that pay there dues and earn a scholarship later in life. I remember reading a story about a guy who delayed college and served in the military. Got done with his service to his country and went to college where he started wrestling on the college team in his early 30s. If he can get a scholarship that's great. This is a good thing for the individual and schools instead of the age based discrimination Big 10/Don is looking for along with his verbal commitment puppetry to see how things shape up over the next 3 or 4 years.

Proven players are killing Don's program because he has to bet on the young guns.

Self motivation that is easy to read through..

More players are entering the NHL from college every year because of the ability to develop at older ages. They won't touch it!!

MrBoDangles wrote:
JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

This is the first string of Edina kids going to the U in quite sometime, so I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you mean these kids who have committed are scaring other commits away? You can't really assess that these kids are hurting the program yet, so I think you are confused.
Family ties I agree with you, but Edina really has had no part of the U recently. All of the Edina kids are at Notre Dame, Ohio state, RPI or Princeton. The last Gopher that also played for Edina was Budish, and after that I am not even sure, probably around 2005 or 2006. So two or three guys in 10 years? The Budish teams should have won championships, but I don't think the one Edina kid is to blame for them not winning it all. Nanne was the only other Edina committ I can think of, but you all scared him away and said he sucked so he left and now he is on a better team and doing better statistically then a majority of the gophers and specifically Vinni, who was the desired family member.
So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

green4 wrote:So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

Not fair to say they've stunk when they've made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years and to the Frozen Four in two of those years (including a runner-up finish in 2013-14). Meanwhile Notre Dame with all those Edina boys have only made the NCAA Tournament two of the last four years and were one and done both times.

This year as everyone knows the Gophers are down due to heavy losses to graduation and to the pros, but they have improved quite a bit after a very slow start. They do have splits with the Edina-rich Irish and the Michigan Wolverines, so I guess if you want to say the Gophers stink then those two teams must stink too. Just wait though once they get those new Edina phenoms on the roster it will be Blades of Glory for the home team.

green4 wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:
JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

This is the first string of Edina kids going to the U in quite sometime, so I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you mean these kids who have committed are scaring other commits away? You can't really assess that these kids are hurting the program yet, so I think you are confused.
Family ties I agree with you, but Edina really has had no part of the U recently. All of the Edina kids are at Notre Dame, Ohio state, RPI or Princeton. The last Gopher that also played for Edina was Budish, and after that I am not even sure, probably around 2005 or 2006. So two or three guys in 10 years? The Budish teams should have won championships, but I don't think the one Edina kid is to blame for them not winning it all. Nanne was the only other Edina committ I can think of, but you all scared him away and said he sucked so he left and now he is on a better team and doing better statistically then a majority of the gophers and specifically Vinni, who was the desired family member.
So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

Probably the best thing to happen for Nanne.. I don't think anybody ever said he sucked.., maybe said gifted to the Gophers and draft pick to the Wild? I remember Edina parents even complaining on here.. He wouldn't have worked half as hard if ended up with the Gophs. You'll say "see" if he makes it far.. And I'll know the real reason why.

There's a lacking grit problem at the U..

MNHockeyFan wrote:

green4 wrote:So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

Not fair to say they've stunk when they've made the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years and to the Frozen Four in two of those years (including a runner-up finish in 2013-14). Meanwhile Notre Dame with all those Edina boys have only made the NCAA Tournament two of the last four years and were one and done both times.

This year as everyone knows the Gophers are down due to heavy losses to graduation and to the pros, but they have improved quite a bit after a very slow start. They do have splits with the Edina-rich Irish and the Michigan Wolverines, so I guess if you want to say the Gophers stink then those two teams must stink too. Just wait though once they get those new Edina phenoms on the roster it will be Blades of Glory for the home team.

You literally took the one part of my argument that I don't care about and turned it into a 2 paragraph response. I just picked the word "stunk" randomly. Label them whatever you want, it does not matter to me because it does not have much to do with my point. The point was Edina has had really no impact on the gophers in a long time. So when somebody blames Edina for the issues the Gophers have had, I felt like I should clarify. Sorry if I offended your Gopher pride.
I will say regarding the gophers, they just don't seem to meet expectations. Even when they made the championship, it felt like they underperformed. Maybe it is just me though.

MrBoDangles wrote:

green4 wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:
JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

This is the first string of Edina kids going to the U in quite sometime, so I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you mean these kids who have committed are scaring other commits away? You can't really assess that these kids are hurting the program yet, so I think you are confused.
Family ties I agree with you, but Edina really has had no part of the U recently. All of the Edina kids are at Notre Dame, Ohio state, RPI or Princeton. The last Gopher that also played for Edina was Budish, and after that I am not even sure, probably around 2005 or 2006. So two or three guys in 10 years? The Budish teams should have won championships, but I don't think the one Edina kid is to blame for them not winning it all. Nanne was the only other Edina committ I can think of, but you all scared him away and said he sucked so he left and now he is on a better team and doing better statistically then a majority of the gophers and specifically Vinni, who was the desired family member.
So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

Probably the best thing to happen for Nanne.. I don't think anybody ever said he sucked.., maybe said gifted to the Gophers and draft pick to the Wild? I remember Edina parents even complaining on here.. He wouldn't have worked half as hard if ended up with the Gophs. You'll say "see" if he makes it far.. And I'll know the real reason why.

There's a lacking grit problem at the U..

I don't think he would work less hard. He was always a hard working kid. I know a lot of Edina people complained, but I thought he was exactly what te gophers needed. A player who would work hard, recognize his role on the bottom 2 lines and stay four years.

green4 wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:
JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

This is the first string of Edina kids going to the U in quite sometime, so I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you mean these kids who have committed are scaring other commits away? You can't really assess that these kids are hurting the program yet, so I think you are confused.
Family ties I agree with you, but Edina really has had no part of the U recently. All of the Edina kids are at Notre Dame, Ohio state, RPI or Princeton. The last Gopher that also played for Edina was Budish, and after that I am not even sure, probably around 2005 or 2006. So two or three guys in 10 years? The Budish teams should have won championships, but I don't think the one Edina kid is to blame for them not winning it all. Nanne was the only other Edina committ I can think of, but you all scared him away and said he sucked so he left and now he is on a better team and doing better statistically then a majority of the gophers and specifically Vinni, who was the desired family member.
So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

I believe they have won the most games in college hockey over the last 4 years....

Corn Cobb wrote:

stromboli wrote:This is a smart commit by the U. One of the top D for his age class in the country. Great athlete with size. Great kid. Great family.

I can attest to that (great kid, great family). Very humble, which can be partially attributed to the coaching he's received (not only through hockey).

aren't they all great kids, great family?

the_juiceman wrote:

Corn Cobb wrote:

stromboli wrote:This is a smart commit by the U. One of the top D for his age class in the country. Great athlete with size. Great kid. Great family.

I can attest to that (great kid, great family). Very humble, which can be partially attributed to the coaching he's received (not only through hockey).

aren't they all great kids, great family?

Not necessarily.

Corn Cobb wrote:

the_juiceman wrote:

Corn Cobb wrote: I can attest to that (great kid, great family). Very humble, which can be partially attributed to the coaching he's received (not only through hockey).

aren't they all great kids, great family?

Not necessarily.

I agree, but everytime it's posted that a kid signs somewhere, there's always the "great kid, great family" line...just saying....

the_juiceman wrote:

green4 wrote:

MrBoDangles wrote:
JMHO, but feeling obliged to family/Edina ties is hurting the U in a big way.

*not saying Brinkman won't be a great player for Gophs.

This is the first string of Edina kids going to the U in quite sometime, so I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you mean these kids who have committed are scaring other commits away? You can't really assess that these kids are hurting the program yet, so I think you are confused.
Family ties I agree with you, but Edina really has had no part of the U recently. All of the Edina kids are at Notre Dame, Ohio state, RPI or Princeton. The last Gopher that also played for Edina was Budish, and after that I am not even sure, probably around 2005 or 2006. So two or three guys in 10 years? The Budish teams should have won championships, but I don't think the one Edina kid is to blame for them not winning it all. Nanne was the only other Edina committ I can think of, but you all scared him away and said he sucked so he left and now he is on a better team and doing better statistically then a majority of the gophers and specifically Vinni, who was the desired family member.
So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.
In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

I believe they have won the most games in college hockey over the last 4 years....

But no titles.... which is kind of my point. As good as they are projected to be or as good as they look in the regular season, by the end of the year, at least for me, I am left feeling a bit let down.
And it's not that I expect them to win every year, last year I thought they had no chance. But when I look at the 2012, 2013 or 2014 you thought there should have been at least one title from those teams.
But, that is just how I feel about the gophers, I don't go there, never did. I enjoy watching them but they are behind the Wild and high school teams so they are not a priority to me. I don't want to take this too far off topic, so I probably won't say any more on the subject.

Last year was supposed to be the year for the Gophers, so not sure about the no chance comment. The season was a major disappointment.

I don't really have a problem with the young commits. There have just been a lot of flops, so I no longer really think about how good they'll be at the college level until right before they're coming in. Most players are not getting better over their time at the U (yes I know some do), and that is on the staff or on the kids having big heads.

I am excited to see this kid play.

Bonin2121 wrote:Last year was supposed to be the year for the Gophers, so not sure about the no chance comment. The season was a major disappointment.

I don't really have a problem with the young commits. There have just been a lot of flops, so I no longer really think about how good they'll be at the college level until right before they're coming in. Most players are not getting better over their time at the U (yes I know some do), and that is on the staff or on the kids having big heads.

I am excited to see this kid play.

This!!^^

Rau brought the same fire from high school into his freshman year and I was thinking... Here we go! Then that spark seemed to die down after a while..

green4 wrote:But no titles.... which is kind of my point.

and UND hasn't had a title in 15+ years despite having the likes of Parise and Toews go through their program over that span. It's not quite so easy... especially in a "one and done" tournament in which a hot goalie can steal a game against a superior opponent. Yes, it is the ultimate goal but it isn't like these teams go through Best of 5 or Best of 7 series to get the title (there would be far less "underdogs" winning if it was that way).

Over the last four seasons, the Gophers have done well on the whole. Last year was a disappointment from an expectations point of view because of all the guys they had returning from the prior year's Frozen Four run. Not to mention, there was strife among some of the players. This year's UMD team is sort of reminding me of last year's Gopher team in terms of expectations vs. outcomes.

green4 wrote:So, JMHO, Edina has nothing to do with why the Gophers have stunk, unless it is because the gophs don't have enough Edina kids.

green4 wrote:In 5 years if the gophers still stink then you can blame Edina all you want.

green4 wrote:You literally took the one part of my argument that I don't care about and turned it into a 2 paragraph response. I just picked the word "stunk" randomly.

Well, you did manage to use both "stunk" and "stink" in two consecutive sentences, so that's not exactly what I would call "random".

Like GopherBlog says, winning an NCAA National Championship is not easy. You need some good bounces to go your way, and great goaltending, in a one-and-done tournament. There is a tremendous balance of talent in college hockey compared to what it was decades ago, when it was relatively easy to predict which team would go all the way and win it.

That said, if you were a Gopher fan, the recent losses in the Tourney to Union - and Yale - were obviously very disappointing. You would have thought the Gophers were better than those two teams, and should have won. But there is little doubt that fans of several other teams, like UND for example, can point to similar disappointments along their road to a NCAA Championship Trophy.

Bonin2121 wrote:Last year was supposed to be the year for the Gophers, so not sure about the no chance comment. The season was a major disappointment.

.

It was poorly phrased on my part. I feel the season was a disappointment, and once they got to the tournament, I didn't feel like they had a chance. Obviously anything can happen, but it felt unlikely. At the start of they year, I didn't feel like that.