If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

[burd]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

This is just part one in a Happy series. Part two asks if you think your team could beat UMinn if it didn't have any Canadians.

[Bakunin]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

This is just part one in a Happy series. Part two asks if you think your team could beat UMinn if it didn't have any 25 year old Canadians.

Fixed for accuracy.

[FiveHole12]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Its not illegal or anything. But the point is that folks believe that BC had a major advantage that really no other top team I know of has received this year...keeping its best upperclassmen.

A point was made that BC is somehow smarter by recruiting many NHL undesirables...due to their smaller size. That doesn't hold. Frankly...from a western perspective...its unbelievable that BC could have kept its D corp intact. No other team I know of in the WCHA or CCHA would have lucked into keeping this set up:

Cross 6'3 Sr
Dumoulin 6,4 Jr
Shea 6'0 Sr
Wey 6'3 Jr

To show this example, Minnesota's last two NCs consisted of teams that had to overcome 6 of its top 9 scorers being underclassmen in 2002 and 3 of its top 7 scorers being freshmen in 2003.

Your points are inaccurate. Boston College loses top players to early departure every year.

Boston College lost 2 top forwards and a top 3 Dman to early departure after last season.
Cam Atkinson, Jr, F - 31-21-52
Jimmy Hayes, Jr, F - 21-12-33
Phillip Samuelsson, So, D - 4-12-16

Current BC players drafted by the NHL:
Defense: Cross, Sr., Dumoulin, Jr., Wey, Jr., MacLeod, So.
Forwards: Carey, Sr., Kreider, Jr., Hayes, So., Arnold, So., Gaudreau, Fr.

We expect to see Kreider, F and Dumoulin, D to depart early after this season.

Jerry York will reload and then coach them up to compete at championship level... AGAIN!
That's just the way it is. Sorry folks.

[5mn_Major]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Your points are inaccurate. Boston College loses top players to early departure every year.

None of your post even addressed my point.

My point was that BC had an advantage over other top teams due to age. Almost all of BC's top 5 scores were upperclassmen...frankly BC had the same advantage last year.

[carltonbarrett]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Yeah, BC/York never has to deal with losing good players early, only bumbs like Reasoner, Kobasew, Kolanos, Orpik, Pat Eaves, Petrecki, Schneider, Gerbe, Atkinson, J Hayes and almost certainly Kreider and Dumoulin after this year. They won it all in 2001 carried by 3 freshmen (Kobasew, Voce & B Eaves) and a sophmore (Kolanos), they won it all in 2010 skating 4 true freshmen on defense and being carried up front by a sophmore (Atkinson) and this year they are skating 5 freshmen forwards and again are getting a huge boost up front by a freshmen (Gaudreau) after losing their 4 top scorers from last years squad, including the leading 2 goal scorers who both left early. In addition, the 98 team that lost to Michigan in the National Championship game in OT and the 2006 team that lost to WI 2-1 in the National Championship game were both also ridiculously young on defense and at forward. If anything, they've been successful by having impact freshmen/sophmores.

[FiveHole12]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

None of your post even addressed my point.

My point was that BC had an advantage over other top teams due to age. Almost all of BC's top 5 scores were upperclassmen...frankly BC had the same advantage last year.

Ahhh, so sorry. I never saw 'age' mentioned in your post. BC roster average age: 20 years, 7 months as of 10/1/11.
BC Frozen Four notes, Page 11

FWIW, that's BC's system. Every line has their role and many players wait their turn as juniors/seniors to be relied upon for scoring (PP time, etc.) This years team is a bit different. Virtually three #1 lines roll over the boards and scoring is well balanced throughout the roster. 4th line has some very good frosh players and I see them becoming scoring factors as jrs/srs.
The BC staff is quite good at developing players.

So, without looking at everyone elses roster, you're saying every other team is fielding frosh and sophomores and BC is kicking everyone's arse because we have some jrs/srs on the roster? Show me.

[J.D.]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

So now UMD also gets fontaine back??? why don't you add brett hull while you're at it

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that shea has stayed four years and wey three years. The top two dmen are cross and dumoulin. Cross had knee issues each of his first three years. The only surprise is having dumoulin back this year...BC got lucky there. If other people can't handle the "advantage" of bc having great juniors and seniors, perhaps you need a new coach or need your team to change its recruiting philosophy.

[Tipsy McStagger]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Why are the UMD fans acting like last year's team was some kind of juggernaut? They finished 4th in the WCHA, didn't win the Broadmoor and had a great 4 game run in the NCAAs. That team from last year wasn't unbeatable, they just happened to not get beat.

[FiveHole12]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

None of your post even addressed my point.

My point was that BC had an advantage over other top teams due to age. Almost all of BC's top 5 scores were upperclassmen...frankly BC had the same advantage last year.

Guessing you are a MN fan? I checked the roster... lots of frosh/sophs.

Do your players go to college to get an education/enjoy the college experience or is it a 2 year stepping stone? Can't help you out with that one. Last I checked, most colleges are a 4 year education, sometimes 5.
Orosjo gonna have some fun with this.

[PAULE]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

You're making a mistake by using an early season BC game. In any season.

So what do we make of the win by CC over BC last year in the tournament?

[5mn_Major]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Guessing you are a MN fan? I checked the roster... lots of frosh/sophs.

Do your players go to college to get an education/enjoy the college experience or is it a 2 year stepping stone? Can't help you out with that one. Last I checked, most colleges are a 4 year education, sometimes 5.
Orosjo gonna have some fun with this.

Guess I'm a UND and DU fan also. They've already lost arguably their top players before the ink dried on the tourney...neither will play hockey as upperclassmen. Its just been a luxury for BC that other top programs haven't had is all.

[J.D.]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Again, then perhaps your team needs a new coach and/or a different recruiting philosophy. College hockey isn't about how many players you can get to leave after one or two years for pro hockey.

[carltonbarrett]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Guess I'm a UND and DU fan also. They've already lost arguably their top players before the ink dried on the tourney...neither will play hockey as upperclassmen. Its just been a luxury for BC that other top programs haven't had is all.

Can you folks read? BC DID lose 3 guys early after last year, including its two top goal scorers who combined for over 50 goals last year, and one of whom had a hattrick the other night for Columbus. After this year, we almost certainly will be losing to two more top players early in Kreider and Dumoulin. That's 5 bigtime players over 2 years, so how can you say BC doesn't have to deal with early defections?

[J.D.]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Carlton, it's pointless. Almost seems like certain people need to find excuses as to why their beloved program isn't as good as BCs.

[FiveHole12]

Re: If your best players hadn't gone pro, would your team beat BC?

Guess I'm a UND and DU fan also. They've already lost arguably their top players before the ink dried on the tourney...neither will play hockey as upperclassmen. Its just been a luxury for BC that other top programs haven't had is all.

Like I mentioned earlier, BC's staff is very good at developing players, many of whom start out as role players and work their way into scoring or other important rolls in the system. Look at the 2005-2006 season for example. Chris Collins first 3 years at BC were solid but nothing like we saw in his senior year (34-29-63). I'm sure the BC staff saw this type of potential when he was recruited, which is why he was recruited. Took 3 years of maturity and then bang. Appears to me that Austin Smith of Colgate had a similar college career.

Regarding the luxury BC has... I'm going to go out on a very thick limb here and say it's all part of the plan. The type of player, the character of the player, personality, etc, etc, etc all go into selecting recruits. They go out and get the kid that fits the system and is willing to abide by the rules. It's working for BC.