UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

[zoofer]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Hey Guys......love the dedication from everyone, no matter their course of trying to right the ship! I am fully behind Dan Enders and Coach Souza trying to engage the Alumni and solve our current situation....While I haven't partaken in any of these discussions yet, I have been talking with some of my former teammates regarding what we should be attempting to bring UNH back to where we should be, in the National discussion, and seen as a team no one wants to play!! Recently, we had dinner at Libby's and then went to the Miami game...….attendance was 1600? Yes students on vacation but it was a team that would've sold out the Whitt in years past.....
To try and be brief, and I'm sure you'll let me know how and what you think on this idea, we basically are ****ed that kids come to the Boston area and look at BC, BU, Lowell, and Providence without ever coming to look at (yes, I am biased) the beauty of the UNH campus! How do we get top prospects to visit? A couple of my dinner-mates travel the world finding talent for their respective hockey clubs.....they KNOW who and what is available for top prospects...ALL ages, all leagues! So let's agree that Coach Souza is willing to go and sit in these prospects living rooms.....the problem is $$$$. Will UNH give him and his staff the money to go to Europe, BC, Canada, or Russia for a couple of weeks to find these kids? It will take some serious cash that I'm not sure UNH will pony up......Have the Friends group got that cash or donors with it for a month on the road? Then, do they have the means to get said recruits and family (father or mother) here for a visit? You get my drift.....but realize this isn't a small issue, it takes serious and long term commitment...…..if we could get a couple of decent recruits, the 12, 13 and 14 year old, see and hear the UNH brand, see the colors worn by family members and maybe we establish ourselves...….like we did in Sarnia and Petrolia, and other places previously.....

That's the gist of our discussions......obviously, there is a lot more to be done but if we do not get these quality, top notch players to campus so they see UNH, what other avenues will give us the best building materials needed? Cheers....

[Dan]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

I had an offer from a WCHA school, but never visited. I considered a couple of Ivy League schools. UNH was my first official visit...

THAT is often how you get kids to campus and commit them - by being first to offer or first to host them. This is why a common refrain from me calls for a much more aggressive approach to recruiting. Identify and target the players you want, offer them and have them visit ASAP. If UNH waits until later this winter - and Ardanaz moves up and plays a few games with Vernon - then he probably garners a few more Big10, Ivy or NCHC offers and heads somewhere else...

Be the kid's first offer/visit and you will have a HUGE advantage. No matter how highly regarded a recruit they may be. This is how Northeastern has become a factor. It is simply the nature of the recruiting game today - with kids committing so young. UNH will either play the game or get left behind. They don't need a massive budget, they need to efficiently maximize the one they have. The days of heading out and taking multiple looks at players or spending trips just evaluating (and for the most part home-visits - most kids commit long before these are even allowed) are over, for now. You do your prep work ahead of time, you make your trip and you offer if you like what you see...

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

THAT is often how you get kids to campus and commit them - by being first to offer or first to host them. This is why a common refrain from me calls for a much more aggressive approach to recruiting. Identify and target the players you want, offer them and have them visit ASAP. If UNH waits until later this winter - and Ardanaz moves up and plays a few games with Vernon - then he probably garners a few more Big10, Ivy or NCHC offers and heads somewhere else...

Be the kid's first offer/visit and you will have a HUGE advantage. No matter how highly regarded a recruit they may be. This is how Northeastern has become a factor. It is simply the nature of the recruiting game today - with kids committing so young. UNH will either play the game or get left behind. They don't need a massive budget, they need to efficiently maximize the one they have. The days of heading out and taking multiple looks at players or spending trips just evaluating (and for the most part home-visits - most kids commit long before these are even allowed) are over, for now. You do your prep work ahead of time, you make your trip and you offer if you like what you see...

Totally agree that it's great to get them on campus right away..and offer! What I have already seen as a fan of 5 years now tho is the concern about some of the younger commits changing their mind; see Farabee, Joel. (of course, I know zipp about what he was up to but he was 14 when he committed? Is that young for a recruit?) And, of course, players de-commit every team faces it, not just us.

Also Dan, you were going to do a take on Providence, still up for that? I know they will be tough...but we usually manage to do something with them.

[UNH1932]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Zoofer

I see your passion and hope UNH is helpful in recruiting. I do not know that it is all about $. Our recent recruiting has been very good to excellent and it may take a year or two to get where we want to be. I am not a fan of committing 12,13 and 14 year old kids. I would prefer no recruiting until the fall of their junior year in high school.

Our attendance is better than almost all of the hockey east teams. Colgate was about 300 people for both games. I would guess 1500-2000 at Colorado College, Good turnout for VT, Umass and BU. BC was empty and though we are far from sellouts, we have more in the stands than almost all Hockey East Schools. I am not optimistic about great turnout for Providence or Dartmouth. We shall see what the future holds. I hope our four injured players are back soon.

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Itll only be a few people, but my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and I will be at the Providence game on Saturday as part of our yearly man trip.

[Darius]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Itll only be a few people, but my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and I will be at the Providence game on Saturday as part of our yearly man trip.

Hopefully sporting old school Sioux sweaters!

[d.gerry]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Zoofer

I am not a fan of committing 12,13 and 14 year old kids. I would prefer no recruiting until the fall of their junior year in high school.

I'm not sure him was implying that UNH should try and get commitments from 12, 13, 14 year olds (as I agree in most cases that's too young); I think he was saying that this age grounp will start to notice UNH and hopefully see them as a school of interest down the road.

[deltabravo62]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

THAT is often how you get kids to campus and commit them - by being first to offer or first to host them. This is why a common refrain from me calls for a much more aggressive approach to recruiting. Identify and target the players you want, offer them and have them visit ASAP. If UNH waits until later this winter - and Ardanaz moves up and plays a few games with Vernon - then he probably garners a few more Big10, Ivy or NCHC offers and heads somewhere else...

Be the kid's first offer/visit and you will have a HUGE advantage. No matter how highly regarded a recruit they may be. This is how Northeastern has become a factor. It is simply the nature of the recruiting game today - with kids committing so young. UNH will either play the game or get left behind. They don't need a massive budget, they need to efficiently maximize the one they have. The days of heading out and taking multiple looks at players or spending trips just evaluating (and for the most part home-visits - most kids commit long before these are even allowed) are over, for now. You do your prep work ahead of time, you make your trip and you offer if you like what you see...

The only risk you run with looking at these kids and offering them early is if they do not pan out as well as they look at that age. I'm guessing that every school has those happen on some early commits but it is definitely a good strategy to get out there and take them early. I agree that UNH needs to get in on the game and I think the risk of some players not developing is worth the potential rewards, considering this happens no matter when or how you are committing players. This falls back on the coaching staff to be able to have as much foresight as possible with any kids they are in on getting. If you are getting on a plane to BC to look at a kid you have a pretty good idea that he is something you want. I am liking the amount of 16 y/o's they have been pulling out of the recruiting pool in the last 4 months or so. It sets a vision for the future and right now we can offer these younger guys a faster track to the college ice (especially on the blue line) because our current top end D group is 1-2 years away from being gone.

I think UNH can also be successful filling in the recruiting classes in the 6 months before bringing them in. Key words being filling in and not having that as your primary strategy. I would hope that we are out looking for some late blooming or decommit forwards to fill in next years group because that is where we need help and we are quite thin on incoming forwards at this point.

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Nifty article about our Sophomore Dman

http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/art...ophomore-slump

[Snively65]

Itll only be a few people, but my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and I will be at the Providence game on Saturday as part of our yearly man trip.

Hey, FS, I will buy you a beer at Libby's pregame, as thanks for your hard work on greatest teams thread.

[chickod]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

Nifty article about our Sophomore Dman

http://www.usahockeymagazine.com/art...ophomore-slump

That's very good! Am I the only one who "got" that? (see, the Bruins retired Rick Middleton's number tonight)

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Hey, FS, I will buy you a beer at Libby's pregame, as thanks for your hard work on greatest teams thread.

That sounds great. Ill be sporting a green Sioux jersey. I anticipate sticking out. . How far is it from Libby's to the arena?

Also, we shouldn't have any issues getting tickets the day of at the box office correct?

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

That's very good! Am I the only one who "got" that? (see, the Bruins retired Rick Middleton's number tonight)

hahaha I WISH I could be that cool....oh wait, of course I put that in there for a reason....(coming from a person who really had no clue about that nickname...until tonight watching it )

[HockeyRef]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

That sounds great. Ill be sporting a green Sioux jersey. I anticipate sticking out. . How far is it from Libby's to the arena?

Also, we shouldn't have any issues getting tickets the day of at the box office correct?

Not far; a mile maybe? And, I'll be looking for you at the game!! (or at Libby's; Snively you going to be there??)

[Snively65]

Re: UNH 2018-19: Souza The Opportunity

FS, there is freeparking in a downtown lot off Mill Road, which is off the oneway loop that includes Main Street; Libby's is on Main Street above that lot.

As HR notes, the Whitt is about a mile west on Main Street through campus, with most of the free parking just beyond the Whiit across the RR tracks (across the bridge).

There will be lots of UNH jerseys at Libby's, so you will definitely stand out. I like to arrive at the Whitt in time for practice, so I usually leave Libby's by 6 pm. Food and drink service is typically quick, but I will try to be at Libby's around 5 pm.

Correct; you should not have any concerns getting tickets, sadly.