NHL Central Scouting released its list of players likely to get drafted by teams this summer. On the list of North American Skaters DU recruits Quentin Shore was listed at #80 and Dakota Mermis was listed at #84.
If past experience is any guide, Shore and Mermis will likely go in the later rounds of the draft.
The good news for DU fans is that the incoming class will likely remain together for three if not all four years. That's something that hasn't happened since the championship runs in the middle of the last decade. As we saw with Ferris State this season a senior laden team can do some damage in the NCAA Tournament.
2012 Recruiting Class
F Tyler Pham (Indiana Ice, USHL)
D Dakota Mermis (Green Bay, USHL)
D Matt Van Voorhis (Sioux Falls, USHL)
F Garrett Allen (Des Moines, USHL)
D Nolan Zajac (Omaha, USHL)
F Quentin Shore (U.S. Under-18)
F Grant Arnold (Green Bay, USHL)
F Gabe Levin (Fairbanks, NAHL)
2013 Recruiting Class
F Brad Hawkinson (Lincoln Stars, USHL)
F Landon Smith (Cedar Rapids, USHL)
F Connor Chatham (U.S. Under-17)
F Ray Pigozzi (Chicago, USHL)
D Will Butcher (U.S. Under-17)
F Cody DePourcq (Penticton, BCHL)
F Trevor Moore (Tri-Cities, USHL)
2014 Recruiting Class
F Jared Fiegl (Colorado Rampage, U-16)
D Gage Ausmus (U.S. Under-17)
F Dylan Gambrell (Colorado Thunderbirds, AAA)
20 comments:
I'm frankly getting a bit tired of our two year and then "see ya" players. I remember my favorit 04 team --all four year grinders (except for Carl). Ulanski,Bull, etc; plus my all time favorite slovakian- "buzz around" Lucas Dora. You knew they were here for the duration and not already talking to their NFL contact after every game during their second year. Nothing against the Zuckers, I sure rooted for them but it's just a matter of degrees .I guess I root harder for our four year grinders as we watch them develop throughout the four years.
2004 & 2005 was a different era. The NHL signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement in July, 2005 and that opened the floodgates for early departures. The key provision that affected college hockey was allowing players to become free agents at a younger age.
No way would Matt Carle ever stay three years these days.
Likely Adam Berkhoel, Ryan Caldwell, Gabe Gauthier and Connor James would have left DU after two or three seasons.
The NHL is set to negotiate a new agreement in September of this year. If they push back the free agency age, that might help stem the tide, but I doubt it.
This 2012 recruiting class isn't going to be very high on anyone's rankings. Most of the forwards have been busts at the junior level in terms of production, which does not bode well, even if they stay all four years. Junior busts rarely become impact players at the college level.
However, the 2013 class looks much better.
Next year is a rebuilding year to be sure.
But I'd caution anyone against panning the 2012 class too early. In this day and age with the early departures there are several roster moves that could be made over the summer.
Nolan Zajac [11g, 28a] is a top three scoring defensman in the USHL. The last couple of DU defensemen that put up similar numbers were David Makowski, Matt Donovan & Chris Butler.
Dakota Mermis [5g,19a] could have been a first round pick if he was 6'5 vs. 5'11.
Gabe Levin's [18g.70a] numbers are healthy in the NAHL where DU has mined the occasional gold nugget.
Garrett Allen [5g, 19a] looks like he made a nice jump in performance after an off-year.
Pham, Allen & Levin look to be small speed demons that have served Boston College so well in recent seasons.
@12:32
Chill out dude. Give the recruits a chance to lace them up and get on the ice. Sure, this class might not have some of the big time, impact scorers (at forward) of recent classes. Yet, sometimes players get recruited because they can impact a game in other areas besides just pocketing goals. Besides, look at someone like Chris Knowlton...he wasn't heavily recruited and didn't put up whopping numbers in juniors even at an older age but he has turned into a good little player who will likely put home 15 maybe even 20 goals next year.
This fall's class might lack the flash and star power of recent classes, but let's not forget that all of talent in recent years hasn't translated into consistent and deep postseason runs. If this group comes in, works hard, and plays with maximum effort, everything will take care of itself. It'll be up to coaches to make adjustments, based on the personnel out there.
My guess is next year's team will have to commit to playing a more grinding, physical style, create turnovers, and crash the net more often. That said, the cupboard isn't exactly bare in terms of returning players. If we get Bennett back, he and Nick Shore should be the top point producers. An improving Ty Loney could make an impact. With strong goaltending and solid play from the blueliners, who knows----this team could be special.
I hear talks are underway again for a pre-2014 Olympics womens hockey multi-city warm up tour, to include Magness and World Arena. They're finalizing corporate sponsorship. Wonder if Mark Johnson will be behind the bench again?
More than players, I think we need to change our approach. The teams that are advancing are skating the puck over the blue line, not dumping and chasing. I think a lot of our injuries are coming from our current style which exposes our boys in the corners. While dump and chase works most of the time when there are skill gaps, most college teams today have solid defenders who will get control of the puck 90% of the time.
Look at Ferris and BC, they skated and passed the puck down the ice and only dumped the puck for line changes.
This is now the successful style in college ---reduces injuries and will take us further in the future. We have plenty of talent, great goal tending, solid players, and great coaching that needs to adapt -- we will be just fine.
I think the key to success is playing with 8 guys on the ice like BC does and somehow never gets caught.
Obviously I'm joking, but there's something to it. How many times against Ferris (and many other games), was DU "just thhhhhhhiiiis close to scoring" or after a puck goes through the crease with an open goal..."if only we had a guy there to bury it".
I don't know how you teach that, but whatever it is, York does teach it. Those guys are everywhere. I used to think it was " puck luck", but after their decade of amazing success, it's not just luck.
I don't think it's just a talent gap either. They've gone through lots of players over the years, some classes better than others, but the results stay the same.
Aluuum-Clearly Gwoz should stop recruiting blue-chippers right? Let's just recruit ham and eggers. It took a long time to be able get into the living rooms of some of hockey's best young talent.
WCHA games extremely physical, most games are decided by one goal, most teams trap or stack four guys on the blue line [especially with a lead] and a majority of the games are played on the PP or PK.
What separates the good programs season after season are recruiting, special teams, puck moving defensemen and goaltending.
And lets not forget the success DU has had in the past decade. Ten 20 win seasons, unprecedented success against the Gophers and Badgers, two Natties, three MacNaughtons, three Broadmoors, Top 10 recruiting classes almost every year.
Now for the first time in a decade DU faces a rebuilding season. But we also probably have the top recruiting class in the country arriving in 2013.
I got shot down here two months ago with my predictions about Zucker and Shore leaving....both became true.
My sources are now telling me that Bennett will leave DU and continue his development inside the Penguin's system.
More bad news for DU coaching staff.
This time I believe it.
I am hardly shocked that Bennett could be leaving as he said his original plan was to stay at DU 2 years. As a 1st round pick, Pittsburgh most likely wants to get him going in their system. The Penguins are not going to be an easy team to make for any of their young players. I would expect him to be calling Wilkes-Barrie/Scranton his home next year if he leaves.
It would be a shame if Bennett left, although not a shocker. I would love to see what he could do over a full season if healthy. He was definitely raw as a freshman, but you could see the potential. This year he sure seemed poised for a breakout year, before the injury bug. I always thought he was the wild card among the three (Zucker, Shore, Bennett), just because his college career has been so abbreviated.
Gwoz and Co. totally f##ed up the development and usage of another first-rounder.
Good luck with getting any future firsties anytime soon.
Looks like it won't take too long to prove you wrong.
Will Butcher is a sure-fire first rounder and will be at DU in 2013. I would classify Trevor Moore as an outside shot as a first rounder and Ray Pigozzi and Connor Chatham as longshot first round chances in 2013.
Penguins gambled big-time on the Bennett pick. When he arrived at DU he was not as polished a player as Bozak, Stastny, Carle, Colborne or Rakhshani. He was much better as a Sophomore, but he got injured in practice. Fluke injury.
Joe Colborne is the only other first rounder Gwozdecky has ever had. Hardly would call him a bust. Great season in the AHL and a potential impact player in the NHL. All that's holding Joe back at this point is his lack of weight.
Scout - you seem to be suffering from selective memory loss.
I don't recall ANYONE "shooting you down" regarding Zucker's departure. Everyone who's spent any time around this program over the last two years knew it was a foregone conclusion, particularly once the Wild GM started publicly stating that Zucker would be in the fold next season.
The opinion on Shore was pretty evenly split, with some convinced of his departure and others believing he might stay to play with his two brothers.
Personally, I thought Drew Shore was the most NHL-ready player on the team, so I wasn't going to be surprised if he did leave...however, I also believed that Florida's situation wasn't an ideal one for him to jump into; particularly with only one more year until he could become a rookie free agent, a la Bozak.
Obviously, Drew didn't see it that way and got an offer that was good enough for him to accept.
Good for him. He deserves it.
Oh...and take it for what it's worth, but MY sources are telling me that Beau Bennett will, in fact, be back next year.
(See? Anyone can anonymously make bold and ultimately meaningless, predictions on the internet...)
Even if Bennett leaves you guys will be fine. The best years are the ones where you have the kids come out of the blue.
It's pretty obvious that Gwoz and Co. are having a hard time getting through to the current generation of NHL caliber athletes.
This year was a prime example. He could never get his arms around a team with young elite talent combined with tons of upper classman experience. Anyone who thinks these kid's dream is to play college hockey in front of 2500 fans at Magness is kidding themselves.
Shore and Zucker had their bags packed by mid-season. Their jocks hadn't even dried and they were inking contracts.
Gwoz, adapt to the current times or continue with more post-season mediocrity.
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