U-M Hockey @ MN BTT Sat Open Thread

Submitted by I Bleed Maize N Blue on March 9th, 2019 at 4:11 PM

Welp. Game 1 just had to be an OT loss. Now it's win or go home.

Time: 5PM ET

Watch: FSD+

Listen: MGoBlue Audio

 

Let's Go Blue! Grill them gophers!

And stay out of the damn box!

Alton

March 9th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^

Quinn Hughes in the lineup, but with a 7th defenseman (Christian Meike) in the lineup as well--just in case Hughes can't make it through the game.

Wolverine Devotee

March 9th, 2019 at 5:24 PM ^

I'd rather have a team of juniors and seniors that give a shit than these guys who are here for 1-2 years and have their foot out the door their entire career. Results have varied but for the most part we haven't been very good with them. 

rob f

March 9th, 2019 at 5:31 PM ^

I think, just like it is in hoops, that it's getting the right mix that's important.  Build a team of experience and leadership and add a couple two-year-and done stars... but make sure you have talented goaltending over everything else.

Alton

March 9th, 2019 at 5:45 PM ^

To answer your question with a question...

Other than Quinn Hughes, who out there isn't going to stay all four years?  Are you saying M would have been better off telling Hughes they weren't interested?

 

stephenrjking

March 9th, 2019 at 6:11 PM ^

Michigan has no one-and-dones that we know of, either, so this seems like a red herring.

However, "prospects with the potential to leave early" is certainly the profile that Quinn Hughes fits. Also several guys that would have made this team better had they joined the team, for that matter.

Teams that have that kind of player include defending champion UMD, who lost Joey Anderson after two years this past offseason and has guys in Riley Tufte and Scott Perunovich that are high draft picks that are real departure threats.

The year before Denver won the title. By my scan of the roster there are at least 5 guys (I could be missing a couple) that would be eligible to play this year that have gone pro instead. 

In 2016 Michigan had a team loaded with prospects. They were beaten by North Dakota, who went on to win the title. North Dakota was loaded with pro prospects, including Brock Boeser, who is scoring nearly a point a game for the Canucks this year. 

So, yeah, they can win the thing. 

Wolverine Devotee

March 9th, 2019 at 6:01 PM ^

I'm gonna wait until all of Red's guys are gone before I judge Mel. 

Zero leadership at all this season. No one out there should be wearing a C. 

Tony Calderone held the team together last year. Vocal leader who wasn't silent when guys on the team weren't giving it their all and got them in line. 

jbrandimore

March 9th, 2019 at 6:36 PM ^

The bold is because this site still sucks on mobile and it’s often the only way you can write replies.

I do realize there are verbal commitments in hockey many years in the future. My point is - who cares? Work and flip some of them.

We are basically the Alabama of college hockey (minus bagmen). 

Go flip recruits.

stephenrjking

March 9th, 2019 at 6:42 PM ^

1. We aren't the Alabama of college hockey. We're a top five program, but we're not Alabama.

2. The bagmen work for the OHL.

3. You probably weren't following the big deal JH recruiting cycle and didn't register the situations with OW or BW that directly affected this team.

4. Which recruits do you think Mel should have focused on flipping? Which ones should he focus on now?

jbrandimore

March 9th, 2019 at 6:55 PM ^

I am not saying I follow it closely enough to be able to name names. It’s also true the OHL poached a couple. Again - who cares?

If you consider OW a 5 star and he doesn’t come, do what football or basketball would do and flip a 3 or 4 star.

I also remember our fanbase whining for years about facing teams with 22-24 year old players who aged out of the OHL.

Then, adopt this approach until the teenage recruiting picks up.

Just stop with all the excuses and “well we can’t do anything until the 2022 recruiting class.”

stephenrjking

March 9th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^

You read one article by Brian, disagree with it, and... that's it?

You say this:

I also remember our fanbase whining for years about facing teams with 22-24 year old players who aged out of the OHL.

Then, adopt this approach until the teenage recruiting picks up.

Leaving aside the fact that players who play in the OHL are ineligible to play in the NCAA, recruiting overage players is a key component of Mel's recruiting strategy and even if you didn't know that just from following the team it's right there in Brian's write-up of the recruiting situation.

Hockey is not basketball or football, and your insistence on the program behaving in the same way, with no knowledge of the subject, is RCMB/talk radio stuff. 

Additionally, nobody has said "well we can't do anything until the 2022 recruiting class." 

Which is good, because it's not true. Not quite as foolish a statement as the one you made about the coaching transition being a disaster, but not true all the same.  

Maize in Cincy

March 9th, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^

No need to bash the program.  They had a 2 goal lead in the frozen 4 last season.  Sure, the defense was suspect last year too but it's just been a rough year.  They can bounce back.

Ty Butterfield

March 9th, 2019 at 6:02 PM ^

Looks like how the basketball game will end up later. I may just go to bed now.