With the NHL Draft behind us, LetsGoDU takes our third look at the projected depth chart and lineup on opening night against Vermont.We've been high on William Wrenn this summer pairing him with Patrick Wiercioch. Doug Wilson, the General Manager of the San Jose Sharks obviously agreed, selecting Wrenn with the 43rd pick in the 2nd Round.
One of our regular posters wanted to tweak our defensive pairings last week, so we've mixed up the 2nd & 3rd combinations, bringing Paul Phillips off the bench. Phillips was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 7th Round on Saturday.
Forwards
Rakhshani (15g, 22a) - Ruegsegger (15g, 11a) - Maiani (11g, 30a)
K. Ostrow (14g, 14a) - Colborne (10g, 21a) - Salazar (15g, 10a)
S. Ostrow (Fr.) - Martin (10g, 13a) - Shore (Fr.)
Gifford (4g, 8a) - Glasser (4g, 3a) - Jackson (3g, 9a)
[Vossberg (4g, 2a), Dewhurst (0g, 1a), Knowlton (Fr.)]
Defensemen
Wiercioch (12g, 23a) - Wrenn (Fr.)
Brookwell (0g, 3a) - Donovan (Fr.)
Lee (0g, 5a) - Phillips (Fr.)
[Nutini (0g, 3a), Ryder (0g, 6a), Cook (0g, 0a), Brehm (0g, 0a)]
Goaltenders
Chevy (2.34 gaa, .921 sv%)
[Murray (Fr.), Paulgaard (1.61, .917 sv%)]
1st PP
Rakhshani, Colborne, Maiani
Wiercioch, Ruegsegger
2nd PP
K. Ostrow, Martin, Shore
Donovan, Wrenn
1st PK
Colborne, K. Ostrow
Wiercioch, Wrenn
2nd PK
Martin, S. Ostrow
Donovan, Lee
Rakhshani (15g, 22a) - Ruegsegger (15g, 11a) - Maiani (11g, 30a)
K. Ostrow (14g, 14a) - Colborne (10g, 21a) - Salazar (15g, 10a)
S. Ostrow (Fr.) - Martin (10g, 13a) - Shore (Fr.)
Gifford (4g, 8a) - Glasser (4g, 3a) - Jackson (3g, 9a)
[Vossberg (4g, 2a), Dewhurst (0g, 1a), Knowlton (Fr.)]
Defensemen
Wiercioch (12g, 23a) - Wrenn (Fr.)
Brookwell (0g, 3a) - Donovan (Fr.)
Lee (0g, 5a) - Phillips (Fr.)
[Nutini (0g, 3a), Ryder (0g, 6a), Cook (0g, 0a), Brehm (0g, 0a)]
Goaltenders
Chevy (2.34 gaa, .921 sv%)
[Murray (Fr.), Paulgaard (1.61, .917 sv%)]
1st PP
Rakhshani, Colborne, Maiani
Wiercioch, Ruegsegger
2nd PP
K. Ostrow, Martin, Shore
Donovan, Wrenn
1st PK
Colborne, K. Ostrow
Wiercioch, Wrenn
2nd PK
Martin, S. Ostrow
Donovan, Lee
12 comments:
The defensive pairings are courtesy of Pessimistic Fan. :-)
Wiercioch is the only returning d-man that scored a goal last year. DU will be relying on the 3 frosh d-men to contribute offensively this season. The three frosh have the credentials to do so.
Vossberg and Ryder were ranked 4th and 5th on the team in +/- at +10 and +8. I see the two of them seeing some major minutes this season. Ryder was third on the team in penalties with 24 behind Rock's 25 and Testwuide's 40. He provides a physical presence out there that will be needed. There are few opposing players who were dazed by some of Ryder's hits last season.
If DU goes with the "pair a veteran d-man with a freshman" strategy, perhaps the Wiercioch - Wrenn, Brookwell - Donovan and
Lee - Phillips pairings will work,
especially if these pairs can offset the defensive and offensive responsibilities. Weircioch, Philips and Donovan are more offensive-minded d-men and left-shooting, where Wrenn, Brookwell, Lee, Ryder and Nutini are more stay-at-home and right-shooting.
I think Weircioch, Wrenn, Brookwell, Lee and Donovan are likely the top 5 d-men, and I can see Ryder, Nutini and Phillips battling it out for that sixth slot. Ryder is the most physical d-man we have, so I think it will be hard for Nutini or Philips to dislodge him. But Philips likely brings more offense to the lineup, so it might happen. Nutini has experience, but is limited in his capabilities.
Should be a a great camp to see who scores a starting six job.
The only reason I slotted Phillips at 6 over Ryder, is due to the fact that he is a left defenseman, scholarship player, fairly highly rated as an incoming recruited, as well as a drafted prospect. Whereas Ryder is a solid player with experience, but is a "pay-to-play" player, shoots right, and is more likely to be a rotational 6 or 7th defenseman. My guess is that Gwoz goes 7 D quite a bit during the upcoming season and scratches a guy like Jackson on a rotational basis depending on the game. We'll have to wait and see though, as it is only June 30th.
Crazy offseason idea here.
I'd be looking to rotate ALL the defensemen with the goal of keeping EVERYBODY fresh for the NCAA playoffs.
DU should have almost 38 regular season and WCHA playoff games this season. That works out to around 29 games for each defenseman.
Don't forget that Wiercioch may have 6 or so games at the World Juniors as well. Rest him against teams like UAA, Tech, Mercyhurst, final CC game and perhaps the 2nd game of the WCHA playoffs. Plus he's going to miss both games of the Denver Cup.
dg,
That is a crazy idea, haha. But, I did forget that we lose Wiercioch and possibly Wrenn and Donavan for the World Juniors, this does give us a solid rotation for Ryder and Nutini mid-season.
I forgot about Wrenn & Donovan. We should have a better idea after the USA Summer Camp.
I would classify both guys as longshots this year and solid locks to make Team USA next year.
I think Ryder will end up being in the top 6 defensemen at least at the beginning of the season. There is still an adjustment for the Freshmen to the speed of the WCHA and there is no need to rush the frosh into the lineup. Nutini will most likely get a lot of ice time as well.
What is all this talk of Ryder being a right-handed shot??????
Do you people actually pay attention????
Maybe I have "visual dyslexia" when viewing Ryder and see him as a left-handed shot, when he is actually a right-handed shot?? Pretty sure not......
Could Another Wisconsin player be pushed out? Rumors are flying that Eaves pulled a NHL draft picks scholarship and pushing him to leave due to his continued over-recruitment.
Could Denver be the benefactor again of Eaves' over-recruitment?
i was extremely impressed with Ryder last year and would like to see him in the top six. I would take Phillips or Lee out. His physical presence was unmatched and is a great asset to the team. Especially with all of the smaller skilled players we have upfront (ostrow(s), maiani, salazar, etc.) Good to have a player out there that can return the favor if an opposing team were to start to get overly physical with one of them.
Besides getting the home crowd cheering (and sometimes oohing and aahing), I think Ryder's physical play makes the whole team work harder. DU was 21-7-4 in the games Ryder played in and 2-5-1 in the eight games he was not in the lineup due to coaching decisions.
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