OT: The Official 2019/2020 HS Hockey thread

[puckMAN]

The High school hockey season kicks off tonight.Lets get some picks for state champions going here.

AA - EP over Rosemount

A - Hermantown over EGF

Click to read more...

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Eden Prairie has to be the favorite for AA. They added 3 D1 players to an already stacked team. Langenbrunner moved into the EP area from Cloquet, he's a Harvard commit. Ben Steeves from New Hampshire, who will play D1 wherever he wants and a North Dakota commit who transferred from Shattuck, Jackson Blake. Not sure if technically a transfer but he played for Shattuck last year and Bantams at Eden Prairie apparently.

High expectations from my pals over there.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Outrageous.

 

[Northerner]

FSN is following my alma mater, JHS, this season. Herb Brooks' alma mater and countless quality players over the years. The team I don't believe is going to embarrass themselves - some decent talent on the team. They had a sophomore who scored 5 goals one game last season - his dad played Juniors and his uncle (Sean Pogreba) went to UMD and was a Mr. Hockey finalist in 1996. Couple other players with some potential.

 

[Northerner]

My Johnson Governors shut out 9th ranked TRF 3-0 so they aren't bad this year.

 

[TaLoN]

BHS: Blake ineligible, will explore options

Eden Prairie sophomore Jackson Blake is ineligible to play varsity hockey for the Eagles until Jan. 28, 2020.
The ruling from the Minnesota State High School League maintains that Blake did not enroll at Eden Prairie High School until the second semester after withdrawing from Shattuck-St. Mary's in December of 2018.

"Jackson wants to play hockey with the guys he grew up with," Jason said. "We will explore all options before we decide what's best."
Among those options is skating for the Eagles' junior varsity until he is eligible for varsity action.
The Chicago Steel hold Blake's USHL rights after drafting the forward in the second round of the USHL Phase I Draft last spring.
"If the powers that be in Minnesota would allow it, the Chicago Steel would certainly love to have an elite talent like Jackson Blake join us for some games during this period of time that he is ineligible," Steel General Manager Ryan Hardy said.
"We are heartbroken for him that he won't have a full season to experience playing with his friends and representing his community," Hardy continued. "As an organization, we always try and make decisions through the lens of the player. As such, we are committed to doing whatever is best for Jackson and his long-term development. We certainly don't believe that him playing JV for the next 7-8 weeks is it."

Bad ruling imo. Not like the kid is being a mercenary. He grew up playing EP youth hockey. His dad talked him into trying Shattuck, and he didn't like it and just wanted to go back to playing with his friends at EP.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Should've enrolled on time.

 

[57special]

Those are the rules. Commonly known and abided by. If they didn't have them, you'd have players jumping between privates and publics mid season, which would invite all sorts of recruiting violations.

 

[TaLoN]

Those are the rules. Commonly known and abided by. If they didn't have them, you'd have players jumping between privates and publics mid season, which would invite all sorts of recruiting violations.

He left the MSHSL and wanted to go back home. This isn't at all close to the scenario you describe as possible. Each case is different and should be treated as such. If it's obvious that someone is jumping to jump, then yes, don't allow it. If a kid is just going back home to the program he left, I don't see the point.

This is punishing a kid for being a kid.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He left the MSHSL and wanted to go back home. This isn't at all close to the scenario you describe as possible. Each case is different and should be treated as such. If it's obvious that someone is jumping to jump, then yes, don't allow it. If a kid is just going back home to the program he left, I don't see the point.

This is punishing a kid for being a kid.

I'd rather have set rules.

 

[57special]

Different rules for different kids/schools? Madness.

 

[TaLoN]

Different rules for different kids/schools? Madness.

No, make an exception for kids returning home. It's one thing if a kid is clearly trying to be a mercenary. That's what the rules are there to prevent. This clearly isn't that.

 

[2Pair]

No, make an exception for kids returning home. It's one thing if a kid is clearly trying to be a mercenary. That's what the rules are there to prevent. This clearly isn't that.

So, allow any high school player to try out for one of the higher end schools knowing that they can "return home" if they get cut? Yeah, that wouldn't lead to any trouble.

 

[TaLoN]

So, allow any high school player to try out for one of the higher end schools knowing that they can "return home" if they get cut? Yeah, that wouldn't lead to any trouble.

From my understanding, he wasn't cut.

 

[2Pair]

From my understanding, he wasn't cut.

does that make a difference in your argument?

 

[TaLoN]

does that make a difference in your argument?

To me? Yes. I don't like seeing kids punished for first trying listening to his dad's advice, then deciding he enjoys playing with his friends more.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He’s a sophomore. He can sit 16 games and then play the next two and a half years with his friends.

Shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[TaLoN]

He’s a sophomore. He can sit 16 games and then play the next two and a half years with his friends.

Shouldn’t be a problem.

I agree, it shouldn't be a huge problem in the long run. I just disagree with the ruling in this case.

 

[57special]

57special jr. was courted by a private school for hockey/baseball before he started HS/Freshman yr. It was made very clear to us at the time that it was now or never to change schools, or he would have to forgo a year of eligibility to play Varsity. This is commonly known amongst athletes, especially at the big schools where athletes are often wooed by privates.

To grant a special exemption for this one person without any compelling reason why(i.e. death/injury of a parent resulting in financial hardship) would be the death knell for the rule such as it is. If Blake wants to play with his buddies he can always play JV, no?

 

[joelef]

nsp is co-oped with Minnehaha Academy and Tartan is down to single A. ely could shut down its program,
Competitive fit drives eight hockey programs to change classes

Armstrong/Cooper, Cambridge-Isanti, Dodge County, St. Francis and Tartan are all single A

 

[Northerner]

Strange seeing Andover and Rosement in the top-3 (AA).

MN Boys' Hockey Hub | Rankings

I guess that "white flight" thing could have these sorts of programs on the up-and-up as the inner-city folks flee further and further outside of the immediate suburbs.

 

[57special]

Rosemont just has a strong class of athletes in that age group. Don't know the story with Andover.

 

[SupremeNachos]

Strange seeing Andover and Rosement in the top-3 (AA).

MN Boys' Hockey Hub | Rankings

I guess that "white flight" thing could have these sorts of programs on the up-and-up as the inner-city folks flee further and further outside of the immediate suburbs.

There are way to many tiers of suburbs these days. The big boys (Edina/Minnetonka/Woodbury) have priced themselves out of a lot of people looking to move from the cities. That and there is only so much space to go around. They are running out of farm plots to sell to developers in Woodbury so Cottage Grove has been taking a lot of the overflow with the same gigantic houses.

 

[57special]

Some people want the 3 garage, 3000+ sq. ft, new homes that you find in Lakeville and the like. Others are fine with the old, musty single garages and more cramped spaces of the city, and older burbs.

Living in the city is all fun and games till you have kids. Then a different calculus kicks in. Schools, safety, services, parks, facilities, taxes....everyone has their own decisions to make. Being close to cutting edge restaurants, clubs, craft brewerys, and "the action" becomes less important.

Race may matter to some, but far less than the above(and other) factors, IMO.

 

[Northerner]

There are way to many tiers of suburbs these days. The big boys (Edina/Minnetonka/Woodbury) have priced themselves out of a lot of people looking to move from the cities. That and there is only so much space to go around. They are running out of farm plots to sell to developers in Woodbury so Cottage Grove has been taking a lot of the overflow with the same gigantic houses.

I think 50 years from now, North Branch, Forest Lake, are going to be powerhouses due to the flight thing.