I am also a Gopher enthusiast/obsessive....I have to disagree with all those that have been saying Harrington has been rock solid this year. He has played 1 good game, imo. That being his last, against Michigan State. He has made poor decisions, taken bad penalties, and been all-around not very good. Let's not forget he was benched for the third period just 2 weeks ago. Does he have the potential to be good? Yes. Will he end up this season good? Probably. It is IMPOSSIBLE to say he has been "rock solid" at anything so far this year.
Potulny has got tremendous vision and hands. He is a great college player, I don't know if he is elite status though, I mean NHL elite. Right now he is a man amongst boys, and that may cross over to the NHL, we will have to see.
I think the scary thing about this Gopher team is what is on the horizon. There is a chance (albeit small) that they could have 6 or 7 first round draft picks on this team in 2 years (Wheeler, Chucko, Stoa, Frazee, Mueller, Erik Johnson, and if Kessel commits) Yikes. Chances are some of those guys will slip into the second round, but all are considered first round talents. This team should be amazing for several more years.
They are playing great this year, so far. They have a history of peaking at the right time, so lets hope this stretch isn't the peak, and that is yet to come...which if that is the case watch out.