(above) Patrick Wiercioch will return to DU this seasonPatrick Wiercioch has announced that he will return to DU for his Sophomore season in today's Denver Post. With this news, DU will almost certainly be the preseason favorite in the WCHA and should be ranked #1 or #2 in the preseason national polls. [read entire article]
12 comments:
Wow, Christmas in July!!!!!
Is it October yet?
This is the right decision and Ottawa knows it.
The kid is still 18 years old, and needs to get bigger and stronger, should play on the Canadian Junior team and get tons of ice time this year for the Pios.
Kind of off the subject, but any news on ANY new recruits for 2010-2011??? As of now with the amount of seniors we'll be losing at the end of the year (Ruegsegger, Rakhshani, Glasser, Gifford, Vossberg), plus most likely Colborne and only the addition of Zucker, we could be looking very thin. Sorry to put a damper on the great news from today. Just looking ahead, because normally our recruits verbal a year in advance and so far I havn't heard anything besides Zucker and Makowski.
Also, whats the latest on Chris Hickey? Has he decided his fate yet? I know he was choosing between us, Nebraska-Omaha, BGSU, and BU.
I think we're at 75 days until the first cold beer is sold at a DU hockey game. Good decision Patty - in 12 years you'll look back on this upcoming season and you'll be very proud to have been a part of this team.
I'm with pessimisticfan in terms of looking at next season. We'll lose 6 players the heart and soul of DU and then we are probably going to lose Colborn and Wiercioch as well. It will probably be a couple years till we get another team like this that is so stacked.
DU only has five scholarships to replace, since Vossberg almost certainly doesn't have one.
DU is waiting to hear from Nick Shore who is considering BU & DU. As mentioned Zucker & Makowski are already in the fold.
If Hickey's in the mix (I'm not 100% sure he is) then DU only has one graduating scholarship to replace.
Wiercioch almost certainly will be gone at the end of the season, but Colborne may still be another year away. A lot will depend on this season.
There are still plenty of top flight recruits left in BC, Alberta and the USHL so there's no need to panic yet. The longer DU can hold off and see the potential recruits play next season, the less chance of making a mistake.
DU may also owe scholarship money to Ryder and Nutini who are probably better than any random USHL defenseman they would bring in anyway.
I'm not sweating the D situation at all for the following season, even with the potential loss of Wiercioch and Brookwell. Because as DG said we have Ryder and Nutini, plus Wrenn, Donovan, Lee, Phillips, and Makowski coming in. It's just the offense I'm concerned about. Nick Shore would be a huge plus, but still we'd be very weak up front, very little depth from the 3rd line down if the 3rd/4th line had Knowlton, Dewhurst starting. Also, given past history most college first rounders leave after their freshman or sophomore years, hence Kyle Turris, Colin Wilson, Phil Kessel, Toews, Max Paccioretty. The only few I can think of that have stayed are Blake Wheeler, Ryan McDonagh (NYR), and Kevin Shattenkirk (still undecided).
We'll be very strong in 2010 if we can land at least one more elite forward [Nick Shore???]. Don't forget, DU will have one of its largest Senior classes ever with 10 players in 2010-11. [K. Ostrow, Maiani, Martin, Jackson, Nutini, Ryder, Cook, Brehm, Cheverie, Paulgaard]
If Colborne stays we'll be stacked. If he goes, Drew Shore will move up.
Maiani will probably be a Hobey Baker type talent by his Senior year.
2010 Forwards
K. Ostrow - Colborne - Maiani
S. Ostrow - Shore - Salazar
Zucker - Martin - ???
Dewhurst - Jackson - Knowlton
2010 Defensemen
Wrenn - Donovan
Lee - Phillips
Nutini - Ryder
[Makowski, Cook, Brehm]
2010 Goaltenders
Chevy
[Murray, Paulgaard]
I let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw this morning's paper. DU would still have had a good team without Wiercioch, but he brings so much to the table. There's no reason he shouldn't be a 1st team all-league player and potential all-American and Hobey candidate.
All the pieces are there for this to be a very special team: talent, senior leadership, goaltending, coaching....can't wait until the puck drops.
The biggest thing he brings to the table and it's huge is that he's the QB on the PP. Without him our PP sucks even with all the flippin talent we've got.
I agree with PS, it's the right move for him.
Paddy and Jumbo to return.
GRRRRRReat News.
The thought of ice almost makes our temps of 100+++ cool down.
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