Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
I don't think Jack or the Devils felt nearly as bad about his rookie season as some of the fans did. He did a lot right, in particular his zone entries.
WJC: 2021 Team USA Roster Talk
- Thread starter Jaykay
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I don't think Jack or the Devils felt nearly as bad about his rookie season as some of the fans did. He did a lot right, in particular his zone entries.
I watched him closely last season and can confirm that he was better than his numbers would indicate. He likes to make daring dashes through the opposition, but he was beating two guys and getting stopped by the third. In junior he would just beat all of them, but it’s not so easy in the NHL. The point being that he still feels confident enough to try to make something happen. He’ll soon learn the right time to make the pass and the right time to dangle, and also hopefully get some more help from a team that struggled across the board last year offensively.
What a surprise that our guys are not interested when it is not about their olympic dream or draft/prospect status. Either USA Hockey is really doing something badly wrong or players just don’t give a flying F about their national team. I guess it is the second option...
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
The company that pays his multi million dollar a year salary has the last say - not Jack.
Jaykay
Registered User
Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Gold Medal Game is Jan. 5. He'd probably need Jan. 6 for travel and rest, so he could then rejoin Leafs training on Jan. 8. Friedge has been saying that training camps may be very short this year, so it's possible that a Jan. 15 start date opens training camp on Jan. 5. But the Leafs may not play the first day of the season, and training camp could be 8 or 9 days. The Leafs also might not care if he misses day 1 or 2 of training camp for a Gold Medal game, so I think it's highly plausible.
It seems like the only real ways he wouldn't be available is if the Leafs mandated he was there for day 1 of training camp with a Jan 5. start or if training camp was actually two or three weeks. But I can't realistically see any way that the Leafs training camp is starting any earlier than Jan. 2 because the NHL agreed that non-playoff teams would get an extra week of training camp, and I don't think training camp would open for those teams until at least the day after Christmas.
And if the Leafs raised concerns, I'd be okay with having Robertson for most of the tournament, and then releasing him before the last game or two, if needed. We are going to probably take 14 forwards, so we don't need the roster spot. I'd much rather have our best players for as long as possible and then plug someone else in later than have a worse player in that spot the whole tournament.
Providence College's six best offense forwards all playing together on the top-two lines in tonight's opener at Boston College (with high scoring BCHLer Poisson filling in for an apparently injured Max Crozier)...
A lot of takes regarding 'similarities' between Sandelin and Leaman by people who appear not to follow much NCAA Hockey - coaching two stingy defensive teams doesn't tell the whole story about either and certainly not in comparison to one another...
A lot of takes regarding 'similarities' between Sandelin and Leaman by people who appear not to follow much NCAA Hockey - coaching two stingy defensive teams doesn't tell the whole story about either and certainly not in comparison to one another...
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Pavel Buchnevich
Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Leaman is going to have to prove us wrong. A lot of us are tired of these NCAA coaches who are hired because they overachieve with a team of mostly grinders. As I've said many times before, I'd like to see them use a good NTDP coach. I wouldn't even mind a good USHL coach, an NHL coach whose currently out of a job, a NCAA coach of one of the big programs like BU, BC, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Harvard, or even an AHL coach. We've tried this archetype of coach too many times. Maybe Leaman does well, but I'd like to see a different type of coach next year.
Why don’t they put in a NTDP guy? He would have actually coached the bulk of these very players already and should have some deep insight on their proper utilization. Seems pretty logical.
duxfan1101
Registered User
Henry Thrun still not in Dubuque's lineup tonight. He hasn't played in nearly a month now.
EDIT: Looks like Thrun has just gone to WJC camp a bit early
EDIT: Looks like Thrun has just gone to WJC camp a bit early
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Its clear you've always preferred the CHL, where as I solely watch NCAA hockey at this level outside of the WJC - and I don't have any problem with a wait and see approach to evaluating coaches or hiring coaches from any number of backgrounds, but Leaman isn't Sandelin and not all college coaches are cut from the same cloth. Your assertion that college hockey coaches are bumblers who don't know how to manage offensive skill is off base...
Bob Motzko handled himself pretty well in 2017-2018 despite hailing from SCSU, where he had to develop and win with 'second-tier recruits'. He isn't a better or worse option because he's now at Minnesota. No one stifles offense from gifted recruits more than Jeff Jackson at Notre Dame, these days - HE is the guy who is cut from the same cloth as Sandelin, if anyone is. No college coach does less with more than Granato at Wisconsin. I've seen a few clamors for David Carle at Denver - he is a straight-up junior Sandelin in his approach at DU (despite the gifted talent he recruits)...
It's not about the coaches who 'get' the top talent - it's about the coaches who can get the most out of their talent (and in the WJC sense, can do so immediately). They can come from anywhere - including the NCAA. And that's not exclusive to their success recruiting or coaching at a larger school. Trust me. You've named the schools that seem to corner high-end recruits, but certainly not the schools that best manage skill players...
A guy like Motzko is someone you would prefer (as I would) because of the type of game he coaches - an uptempo brand of hockey that allows skill guys to flourish and doesn't focus solely on keeping the score low. Dick Umile, at New Hampshire, was likely never truly considered, but he would be that kind of coach. Jerry York, despite his age would be that guy. I do think Pearson at Michigan would be a great choice. Rohlik at OSU likely fits that mold and so would Madigan at NU (though I think his assistant coach is truly his secret sauce). A coach who excelled in this style (when his recruiters were stocking his cupboards) was Enrico Blasi at my alma mater, Miami University - the fact that his later assistants struggled doesn't mean he'd suddenly trip over himself when seeing the skill at a WJC practice. Dean Blaise coached in this style.
If you just want to see skill allowed to skill, then Guy Gadowski at Penn State should be the choice (though the defense would likely be atrocious).
Not every college coach is the same because they coach in college. You don't have to respect the level, but teams, strategies and styles vary greatly as they would in any league.
Sandelin is a big picture coach - if I wanted the US WJC Team to win a long season of competition, he'd have the team playing the right way at the right time. His complete, team-building approach may not work in a short tournament. Leaman is much more offensively inclined and creative in his short term approach and his past line-ups at PC and Union are much more likely to group top talent than Sandelin's approach at UMD.
Sandelin likes to take a top talent and pair him with other players that he might lift, in an effort to roll four lines and be relentless. Leaman's history indicates he is more likely to take a player (like a freshman Jack Dugan) and immediately play him on a line with his top two returning scorers to build a truly dangerous line (not doing this was Sandelin's biggest critique from last season)...
It doesn't mean he'll do that on the US team, that he wont make decisions we don't agree with or that he'll have success at this year's tournament - but he is NOT a carbon copy of Sandelin from 2019 per his own resume. If you want to criticize him, do so for who he is, not a perception based solely on an evaluation of someone else...
Bob Motzko handled himself pretty well in 2017-2018 despite hailing from SCSU, where he had to develop and win with 'second-tier recruits'. He isn't a better or worse option because he's now at Minnesota. No one stifles offense from gifted recruits more than Jeff Jackson at Notre Dame, these days - HE is the guy who is cut from the same cloth as Sandelin, if anyone is. No college coach does less with more than Granato at Wisconsin. I've seen a few clamors for David Carle at Denver - he is a straight-up junior Sandelin in his approach at DU (despite the gifted talent he recruits)...
It's not about the coaches who 'get' the top talent - it's about the coaches who can get the most out of their talent (and in the WJC sense, can do so immediately). They can come from anywhere - including the NCAA. And that's not exclusive to their success recruiting or coaching at a larger school. Trust me. You've named the schools that seem to corner high-end recruits, but certainly not the schools that best manage skill players...
A guy like Motzko is someone you would prefer (as I would) because of the type of game he coaches - an uptempo brand of hockey that allows skill guys to flourish and doesn't focus solely on keeping the score low. Dick Umile, at New Hampshire, was likely never truly considered, but he would be that kind of coach. Jerry York, despite his age would be that guy. I do think Pearson at Michigan would be a great choice. Rohlik at OSU likely fits that mold and so would Madigan at NU (though I think his assistant coach is truly his secret sauce). A coach who excelled in this style (when his recruiters were stocking his cupboards) was Enrico Blasi at my alma mater, Miami University - the fact that his later assistants struggled doesn't mean he'd suddenly trip over himself when seeing the skill at a WJC practice. Dean Blaise coached in this style.
If you just want to see skill allowed to skill, then Guy Gadowski at Penn State should be the choice (though the defense would likely be atrocious).
Not every college coach is the same because they coach in college. You don't have to respect the level, but teams, strategies and styles vary greatly as they would in any league.
Sandelin is a big picture coach - if I wanted the US WJC Team to win a long season of competition, he'd have the team playing the right way at the right time. His complete, team-building approach may not work in a short tournament. Leaman is much more offensively inclined and creative in his short term approach and his past line-ups at PC and Union are much more likely to group top talent than Sandelin's approach at UMD.
Sandelin likes to take a top talent and pair him with other players that he might lift, in an effort to roll four lines and be relentless. Leaman's history indicates he is more likely to take a player (like a freshman Jack Dugan) and immediately play him on a line with his top two returning scorers to build a truly dangerous line (not doing this was Sandelin's biggest critique from last season)...
It doesn't mean he'll do that on the US team, that he wont make decisions we don't agree with or that he'll have success at this year's tournament - but he is NOT a carbon copy of Sandelin from 2019 per his own resume. If you want to criticize him, do so for who he is, not a perception based solely on an evaluation of someone else...
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Brooklyndevil
Registered User
His two biggest problems were not being physically ready and not much help on his wings
In the long run he may reach the level his talent suggests but in retrospect he should have either been on a college campus or playing in the OHL.
Physically and tactically he was not prepared to play at the NHL level and the situation in New Jersey was not conducive to development. Had things been normal this year, it likely wouldn't be the worst thing for him to start the year in Binghamton, which would have given the opportunity to play in all situations without doing so in the glare of the NHL.
themelkman
Always Delivers
Its too bad that they refused to do that last year. I find teams are always either rushing players up or not letting them get a chance, very little in between.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
While the results weren't there I thought Hughes held his own. Granted, it wasn't up to the standards of previous #1/#2 picks but I think it's safe to say we've been spoiled of late.
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
I still maintain that trying to have Hughes break into the league at centre was a mistake from day 1. He should have started on the wing and then transition to centre later on.
themelkman
Always Delivers
tigervixxxen
Optimism=Delusional
ORRFForever
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- Oct 29, 2018
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tigervixxxen
Optimism=Delusional
Nobody should be joining after today but who knows how they can massage the rules
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
Same rules as the Swedish players I would think. They would be out.
Kudo Shinichi
Registered User
- Apr 20, 2012
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Wasn't the team supposed to cut like 2 forwards and 1 defenseman? So are they going to consider these players as the cuts? It might be too late to bring a player who wasn't initially invited
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