Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

I continue to worry about goaltending futures.

No disrespect to our CURRENT goalies, but I see these very solid goalies at other schools and sometimes I wonder what if......(Howie was still around.)

Maybe somebody should head to Finland? The Finns seem to have something in the water (or the vodka), since they are turning out a ****load of NHL goalies. I have offered to go in the past without any replies.

I think Rumpel is the elite recruit we've been missing since Elliott left school. I feel like he can come in an be an elite starting goalie as a freshman similar to what other goalies like Richard Bachman (CC), and Brad Eidsness (UND) have done recently. The ideal situation would be to find another transfer for 2011 to get back on our two year rotation but that might be asking to much.

Wisconsin Recruiting: Surprisingly Content

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

U-17 NTDP defenseman Joey Fiala is going to be visiting Miami in two weeks. He has been talked about numerous times on this board and on the 60 min blog. He's a local kid (Verona), and this visit to Miami scares me.

This is from an article I wrote in February talking about the need for us to lock down Fiala.

Wisconsin recruiting took a large step this weekend when we landed a premier goaltender for the 2011 season with Joel Rumpel. It's been the number 1 priority for a while now. In my opinion, our next step is to lock down Joe Fiala, a defenseman from Verona.

Fiala, who has been talked about here many times has recently accepted a mid-season invitation to join the USA NTDP U-17 squad full time. The NTDP has experienced an exorbitant amount of injuries and suspensions this season leading to Fiala's invitation.

At 6'2, 190 pounds, Fiala already has the size you look for in a Division 1 WCHA defenseman. His biggest problem was his every day competition at Verona high school. Moving to the USA NTDP will accelerate his development. We have two defensemen coming in for the 2011 season, Jake McCabe, and and Troy Hesketh. Fiala would fit in well in 2012, arriving with Chicago Mission defenseman Jordan Schmaltz.

Wisconsin Recruiting: Pay that man his money

[cross cheque]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

I continue to worry about goaltending futures.

No disrespect to our CURRENT goalies, but I see these very solid goalies at other schools and sometimes I wonder what if......(Howie was still around.)

Maybe somebody should head to Finland? The Finns seem to have something in the water (or the vodka), since they are turning out a ****load of NHL goalies. I have offered to go in the past without any replies.

Here's an outside prospective, Gudmandson is a great goaltender from what I have seen, but this isn't the EZAC or 2 team HE. The guy played 10 games in two years and then won 20 this year. 21 would have been great but that is a pretty solid performance. You are sooooooooooooo right about Finland, it's sounds like one of those elusive ponds with tons of monster fish that only locals whisper about. What if we went together representing both UND and UW, all disputes over player recruiting could be settled with a drinking contest?

[Chuck Schwartz]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

Here's an outside prospective, Gudmandson is a great goaltender from what I have seen, but this isn't the EZAC or 2 team HE. The guy played 10 games in two years and then won 20 this year. 21 would have been great but that is a pretty solid performance. You are sooooooooooooo right about Finland, it's sounds like one of those elusive ponds with tons of monster fish that only locals whisper about. What if we went together representing both UND and UW, all disputes over player recruiting could be settled with a drinking contest?

A) Wins should never judge a goaltender. If your team scores 10 goals a game but you give up 5 does that make you good? No. With that said, Goody had a solid year. Nothing great, but certainly not poor. As long as he doesn't lose us games, I was fine with his play this year.

B) I'm in for the drinking contest in Finland.

[FueledByRamen]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you

all disputes over player recruiting could be settled with a drinking contest?

After the years of paint thinner jokes, you really want to get into drinking contests with Wisconsinites?

[klumpmypants]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

It does not appear to have been mentioned, but how will the loss now of both assistant coaches affect further recruiting this off-season. Eaves is essentially a one-man band until he makes some new hires.

And what is the potential of losing some recruits that had already been locked up, especially those recruited by Coach Osiecki who could choose to follow him now?

[dggoddard]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

And what is the potential of losing some recruits that had already been locked up, especially those recruited by Coach Osiecki who could choose to follow him now?

It would be pretty poor form for Osiecki to go after his former Wisconsin recruits, so very doubtful it would happen.

Osiecki would be well served to remain tight with Eaves and pick up recruits that can't quite make it at Wisconsin. Odds are that there are going to be very few recruits in the near term that would be considering Ohio State & Wisconsin as their final two choices.

Osieski sounds like he is going to be going after waterbugs and hitters as he builds his program at Ohio State. These are going to be players that are bypassed by the traditional powers, but who may blossom into fine college players. He'll also probably be willing to take players a year early that the big boys want to park in juniors.

I don't think he'll have too much trouble cracking the Top 5 in the CCHA fairly quickly. Will he be able to crack the Top 3?

[Timothy A]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

It would be pretty poor form for Osiecki to go after his former Wisconsin recruits, so very doubtful it would happen.

I don't think he'll have too much trouble cracking the Top 5 in the CCHA fairly quickly. Will he be able to crack the Top 3?

Recruiting....he will be taking with himself immense knowledge of players that as a recruiter for UW. I'm sure Oz and Eaves have lots of guys on the UW radar, but for 1 reason or another there is a slim chance UW would offer to them. Does Oz recruit a player from this catagory for OSU? Or does he throw that book out and start over?

Cracking top 3....At the end of his 3rd year they will be in the top 3. I'm note sure Miami can maintain their current level, Red is showing a few signs of weakening and MSU hasn't been able to sustain a high level from year to year. I think OZ can leapfrog UND.

[dggoddard]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

Recruiting....he will be taking with himself immense knowledge of players that as a recruiter for UW. I'm sure Oz and Eaves have lots of guys on the UW radar, but for 1 reason or another there is a slim chance UW would offer to them. Does Oz recruit a player from this catagory for OSU? Or does he throw that book out and start over?

I was referring to Wisconsin's committed recruits. He's more that welcome to go after anyone who hasn't committed.

[klumpmypants]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

I was referring to Wisconsin's committed recruits. He's more that welcome to go after anyone who hasn't committed.

I agree he probably wouldn't make a play for one of their committed recruits, but suppose hypothetically there is a defenseman coming in who committed specifically because he wanted to work with Osiecki. That is the guy he knows and who convinced him to come. If he tells Oz he wants to go with him, you really think he would say no? Would Eaves still even want someone who didn't want to be there?

I don't know enough about the incoming recruits to know if someone fits this mold, but it seems at least plausible.

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

Oz ain't going after UW commits...it's real poor form and Oz ain't poor form. Few if any ever seriously considered Ohio State before selecting UW. Yes Oz was surely a PART of why some commits picked UW, but lets try to keep things in perspective for just a little bit. Eaves is not exactly chopped liver when it comes to Dmen on his resume. Suter was a pretty nice player before Oz ever set foot on campus and I remember how odd it was for Matt Carle to thank Eaves (USDT coach) at the Hobby Baker presentations right after his mother and BEFORE his own coach Gwoz. Oz is certainly a big draw for Dmen to UW, but there are dozens of other reasons high end dmen pick UW almost all of which will still be here. Now could a committed recruit that liked Oz enough that he was the tipping point on picking UW reopen their recruitment and look at some of his other finalist...I suppose there is a chance.

On what Oz will be able to do at Ohio State, I would not discount Red so quickly, or the advantages that MSU & Michigan have in some very good tradition and fan support, or be too quick to think Blasi has not built something pretty good in Miami, or to underestimate what Jackson can do at ND with ground broken on what looks to be an outstanding new facility (he has had some pretty good success playing in a facility most high end kids would have played better in for high school games). I think the short term goal for Oz will be to concistantly be a top half of the conference team and down the road work themselves into a top 3 team in conference that can average a tourney appearance every other or third year.

[Gandalf the Red]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

Just looking at Ohio State's roster, I don't see a lot of kids w/ "west of Lake Michigan" ties on there. A lot of kids from PA, NY, OH and MI, a few MN kids (the third tier kids have to go somewhere...), and then a smattering of Canadians from all over the place.

I guess my point, I don't see a lot of top end western US or MN kids looking at OSU over Wisconsin or any other WCHA school. Oz could snag a few top end kids, but I think he'd have a long way to go to battle the big boys for the majority of the recruits UW's name shows up on w/ minnesota, North Dakota, Denver, Michigan, etc.

Wojo makes a good point, kids seem to like to play for Eaves and he is still steering the ship. I doubt OSU's facilities for hockey match most of the WCHA, especially UW's.

I'm more interested if this pushes say Jake Gardiner to decide to jump to the pros if Anaheim calls, when w/ Oz on board he would have stayed. Or Goloubef doing something similar, will this be what puts him over the edge to sign w/ Columbus? No idea, interesting summer coming up.

[markwojo]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

I would suspect that UW will have at least one guy hired pretty quickly if not both assistants. The process of searching for Patrick's spot has been well underway for some time now. Granted the top spot at UW likely has a deeper pool of people interested (some that might consider the top spot might not have been interested in the #2 spot).

[cross cheque]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you

Sorry FueledByRamen I was assuming it would be a beer drinking contest not paint thinner drinking contest, we concede the contest to sconnies.

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: What are you going to do, when NHL-U, comes calling for you?

I doubt OSU's facilities for hockey match most of the WCHA, especially UW's.

They play in an NHL sized arena that opened in '98.

It's probably a pretty good arena, but way overkill.

And Lord knows OSU has great general athletic facilities (unless the weight rooms, etc. are for football players only... which wouldn't shock me)