Another disappointing Gopher draft

Donate To GopherHole
B

beat bucky

Banned
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
371
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Want proof of my contention that Don Lucia is failing to recruit top players, just look to this year's NHL draft. The highest Gopher picks...
mid 3rd round #80 Brent Gates to Anaheim
late 3rd round #85 Tom Novak to Nashville
Meanwhile, first round NHL talents like Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Zach Werenski, Colin White, Kyle Connor, and Brock Boeser go elsewhere.
You wonder why the Gophers are not winning championships anymore. There it is.
 

We didn't win any with Phil Kessel, Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, Blake Wheeler, or Nick Bjugstad either. Winning isn't JUST about talent. Talent helps, but you need other ingredients too. Our biggest star in 2002 was Leopold, who is at best a journeyman player in the NHL. If I knew exactly what needed to be done to win a title I'd be coaching hockey, not yakking on the internet.
 

Fair enough. But it should bother Gopher fans when Minnesota-born, NHL first rounder Brock Boeser would rather go to the Fighting Who than his hometown program.
By the way, this is the first year in I don't know how long that the Gopher hockey team will not have 1 NHL first round pick on the roster. And that is just as telling about the level of talent that Lucia has been recruiting of late.
 

I understand. We should be able to get commitments from most of the in-state players we target, but when you're fishing in such a huge pond a couple trophy fish are bound to elude your hook. Also, as much as it pains me to admit, schools like North Dakota, Michigan, BU, etc have attractive things to offer too such as winning pedigree, fancy arenas and such. Zach Praise, Jack Johnson, and Anders Lee going elsewhere probably can't be all pinned on Coach Lucia. Next year might be a bit down as far as talent level looks, but coming soon is a whole crop of blue-chippers. From there, its up to the coaching staff to get them to work hard. I get your concerns, but try to stay a bit more optimistic.
 

If by blue chippers you mean Zuhlsdorf (5th round) and Sadek (7th round), then I suggest the term has lost its meaning. Norman may be the only guy coming next year that's a top 5 round NHL draftee.
I know its hard to face but Lucia is just not getting the job done anymore.
 


I was looking further down the road than them. The names escape me, but if I recall correctly we have a bunch of guys committed from Shattuck. That's a great pipeline to have.

All that said, I agree Lucia should move on. As I've said on other threads, I think the best thing for the Gophers is a fresh voice behind the bench. I think that change could breathe new life into the program the same way Coach Lucia did when he took over for Coach Woog.
 

UncleSam'sMisguidedChild said:
I was looking further down the road than them. The names escape me, but if I recall correctly we have a bunch of guys committed from Shattuck. That's a great pipeline to have.

All that said, I agree Lucia should move on. As I've said on other threads, I think the best thing for the Gophers is a fresh voice behind the bench. I think that change could breathe new life into the program the same way Coach Lucia did when he took over for Coach Woog.
Click to expand...

Agree.
 

You pay much attention to hockey? Norman was eligible to get drafted this year...

The blue chippers are Lindgren, Wait, Reedy, Mansicalco, Mittelstadt, Nelson... This year might be tougher than the past few but the future isn't bleak.
 

I don't really follow US hockey too much but I am wondering if the USHL isn't having a negative effect on MN hockey. Based on the recent draft, all the best US hockey layers are playing in the USHL and Minnesota has no team. I know the best MN players paly in the USHL at places in Wisconsin, Iowa and Fargo but wonder if taking the best players out of state at age 16 weakens their desire to become Gophers.

Why doesn't the Twin Cities, Duluth and/or elsewhere have a USHL team?
 



Winnipegopher said:
I don't really follow US hockey too much but I am wondering if the USHL isn't having a negative effect on MN hockey. Based on the recent draft, all the best US hockey layers are playing in the USHL and Minnesota has no team. I know the best MN players paly in the USHL at places in Wisconsin, Iowa and Fargo but wonder if taking the best players out of state at age 16 weakens their desire to become Gophers.

Why doesn't the Twin Cities, Duluth and/or elsewhere have a USHL team?
Click to expand...

Well, the St. Paul Vulcans were somewhat successful but the Minneapolis/St. Paul hockey market is now too saturated with options. As for Duluth, its a failed socialist, welfare city and residents there barely have enough resources to support Bulldog hockey. The championship NAHL franchise in Cloquet hardly draws.
 

bonin21 said:
You pay much attention to hockey? Norman was eligible to get drafted this year...

The blue chippers are Lindgren, Wait, Reedy, Mansicalco, Mittelstadt, Nelson... This year might be tougher than the past few but the future isn't bleak.
Click to expand...

Norman was still at Shattuck this year, for God's sakes, so he may still go around the 5th round?
As for the future being brighter, I need to document file that, so I won't have to read it again after next year's collapse...
 

I always crack up when I read threads like this. A number of the very best college players are not the highly touted pro prospects. You have to build a team. Not a group of skilled individuals.

Not to mention the reality that high draft picks tend to bail on you before they ever reach their true potential at the college level (you're lucky to get two years out of most 1st round guys). Which is why Lucia and Co. altered their recruiting approach to go after more players that were more likely to be impact guys at the college level regardless of whether they fit the pro prospect mold (i.e. smaller players that often times thrive in college hockey... which are the types that the pro teams tend to shy away from with high picks... most high picks are 6'0" or taller because the NHL has a bias for bigger players)
 

Hammy's point about when players reach their potential is astute. Unlike the NBA, the NHL has an effective AHL system where they can put players that are not NHL ready to play NHL style hockey. If we look back to Nick Leddy, he is a "pro" talent who has had a successful NHL career so far. He only played one year for us, and I thought he was a pretty ineffective defenseman for us that year. If we were filling our roster with pro talent like Nick Leddy, I think we'd be in for a rough ride.
 



The reality is if you focus too heavily on the high draft pick guys, you are really giving yourself a small window of time to capitalize on it before you're likely going to have to rebuild. Watch what happens with teams like BU and UND in two or three years after they see the likely exodus of players after a year or two of college. It is a major gamble. They will be in a tough spot

If you miss winning a title in that short window, you are likely going to see a more extended rebuilding process because you'll end up lighter in the upperclassmen (your main leaders) for a few years. After the Gophers had the EJ/Kessel/Okposo era, we saw the result of their departures in subsequent seasons (although that wasn't the sole reason for those down seasons). Less quality/reliable veteran talent because the main cogs that got a lot of the key ice time had left before they became a junior and we ended up counting on guys that weren't ready for the responsibilities.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom