Mueller.....whl?

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DW

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Only rumors so far, from Sid in the Star Tribune no less and a few posters here and abroad. No real concrete news though.
 

MN_Gopher

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He will be a gopher. I cant imagine him playing elsewhere. He committed at 15 i think. It is his dream to wear maroon and gold and play at Mariucci. I cant see him being this close and playing somewhere else. I think he and Kessel are good friends and Stoa too. He is not trying to emerge out of their shadow or anything. He seems to be a complete team guy. So i cant see him going to the WHL to make his own name.
Maybe he and Okoposo could end up on the same team in the USHL.
 

chaachie12

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Word on the street in Minnesota is that he is headed back to the USNDT for 1 more year on the U-18 team and then to Minnesota and a top 2 or 3 NHL draft pick. Lets hope KEssel stays for his second year...that would be a special team.
 

DW

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chaachie12 said:
Word on the street in Minnesota is that he is headed back to the USNDT for 1 more year on the U-18 team and then to Minnesota and a top 2 or 3 NHL draft pick. Lets hope KEssel stays for his second year...that would be a special team.

I thought he had already committed to the USHL for next season? I think there was an article out there about it as well.
 

chaachie12

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DW said:
I thought he had already committed to the USHL for next season? I think there was an article out there about it as well.

No commitment that I have heard...I hope so. I doubt he will go the WHL route, but it is possible. My guess is he is deciding between USNDT or Sioux City. Who knows really though?
 

VOB

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chaachie12 said:
No commitment that I have heard...I hope so. I doubt he will go the WHL route, but it is possible. My guess is he is deciding between USNDT or Sioux City. Who knows really though?


You can be 100% certain that it is not Sioux City and it is very improbable that he will be back with the NTDP after notifying the team that he was leaving.

It looks very very good for the WHL right now.
 

derbyfan

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Why would he go USHL over NTDP? If he's deadset on getting a scholarship, NTDP would definitely give him the best competition.
Why go a step down into the USHL?
 

stocktrader

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VOB said:
You can be 100% certain that it is not Sioux City and it is very improbable that he will be back with the NTDP after notifying the team that he was leaving.

It looks very very good for the WHL right now.
Interesting. Well if this is true it speaks volume for Mueller's character, passion and dedication for the game.
 

HabLover

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derbyfan said:
Why would he go USHL over NTDP? If he's deadset on getting a scholarship, NTDP would definitely give him the best competition.
Why go a step down into the USHL?

If Kessel stayed with the USNTDP for his 17 yr old season, then I'm sure Mueller will as well.
 

VOB

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derbyfan said:
Why would he go USHL over NTDP? If he's deadset on getting a scholarship, NTDP would definitely give him the best competition.
Why go a step down into the USHL?

Article on the Sioux City website a few months back stated that Mueller visited with the Musky brass and toured their facility and notified them that he informed the NTDP that he would not be back and would be making his decision on whether to play for Sioux City or the Silvertips of the WHL over the summer.

The fact that he failed to attend the main tryout camp for Sioux City can lead one to believe that he has in fact made up his mind and there will be many upset people in Gopher country once his intentions are made public.

For what its worth, a pretty good source has informed me that he will indeed be going to the WHL but things do change so you never know and my sources or myself are never 100% correct (far from it actually ;) ) so there is still hope for fans of that fuzzy rodent.
 

VOB

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stocktrader said:
Interesting. Well if this is true it speaks volume for Mueller's character, passion and dedication for the game.


Not sure I follow. Remember that when he verballed, he was what 15 years of age so things change as do players. I don't think it will reflect poorly on his character because he decided to turn his back on an earlier commitment
 

MN_Gopher

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All college guys say he is going to the USHL and all pro junior guys say he will go WHL. He did commit at 15 and just last year he was still exited about being a future gopher when he played at Mariucci.
The thing i do not get is that people seem to think the WHL is a better way to the NHL. Will Mueller be a higher toughted prospect if he goes WHL? Well he is probally projected a top 5 lock for the 06 draft, can't improve much there. Will he get more money if he goes WHL. Nope. Will he enter the NHL earlier if he goes WHL. No gurantee either way. Will he get to play in front of his family and friends for all home games, no. Will he live out his hockey dream and play for the team he has rooted for all his life, no. Will he stick with his hockey friends, no.
The WCHA is IMHO the best amature conference out there. 4 players still in the league from the 04 draft, 4 players from the 03 draft, and if i can projcet Skille, Lee, possibly Nikasen and Stoa for next year, and Okoposo, Johnson, Mueller, and Kessel the year after. The last 4 hobey winners. Champions 5 of the last 6 years. That is the making of one tough conference. MVP's, high draft picks, and champions make for a tough conference.
So why is the WHL so much better?
If it his descion is to go to the WHL, hey i will be pissed he is one hell of a player. But what can i do about it.
Did the NCAA hurt Kariya or Heatley? They went 1-2 in their years and have very good NHL careers for themselves. If Mueller is that good he could spend next year in Mexico playing roller hockey on grass and come in to the NHL and do just fine. I' ve heard that Vanek will leave the USHL to enter the draft, then he will go to the WHL to force the Sabres hand, same thing with Kessel he was "supposed" to go juniors last year. So until he plays a game. Its all stuff i ve heard before just insert hot prospects name. _____ is going to juniors instead right?
 

stocktrader

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VOB said:
Not sure I follow. Remember that when he verballed, he was what 15 years of age so things change as do players. I don't think it will reflect poorly on his character because he decided to turn his back on an earlier commitment
I meant it as a positive, I was not being sarcastic.
 

VOB

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MN_Gopher said:
. Will he enter the NHL earlier if he goes WHL. The WCHA is IMHO the best amature conference out there.


Bingo! Yes he will enter the NHL earlier by playing in the dub this year! Think about it. He plays one season, gets drafted and signs a contract as opposed to playing one more season in the NTDP and then going on to play for the Gophs before turing pro.

Your opinion of the WCHA is noted but I, along with many others, do not share it.

As I mentioned earlier, there is still a chance that he will play for the Gophs but that chance appears to be much smaller than it was even a month ago.
 

MN_Gopher

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While it is more likely that if he plays one year in the WHL and then be drafed signed is better, it is not a lock. There is no rule that a player coming out of the USHL cannot go diectly to the NHL. He could not go the the WHL and still never be a gopher.
 

Schlep Rock

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MN_Gopher said:
While it is more likely that if he plays one year in the WHL and then be drafed signed is better, it is not a lock. There is no rule that a player coming out of the USHL cannot go diectly to the NHL. He could not go the the WHL and still never be a gopher.

Who was the last player to go from Junior A to the NHL/AHL... last kid I can remember was Ivan Huml (Boston) and now look what happened with his development.
 

hckyphotographer

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It's been interesting reading everyone's opinion's on what Mueller will do. I am an Everett season ticket holder and would love nothing more than to see him in Silvertips green this fall.

Guess we will find out at training camp in 10 weeks!!
 

Canadian Chris

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10 weeks eh? God that's good to hear. That's the one thing I love about hockey...especially here in PG, there's a short....actually, scratch that, THIS year, there is a short off season for hockey. But to hear WHL camps are a mere 10 weeks away makes it seem sooooooooo close...I could probably not care less where Mueller goes, but the fact that training camp is coming up makes me happy!
 
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