It sounds good, but at some point you'd have to think someone gets traded for a forward here. With Schultz on board we'd be so heavily imbalanced in favor of defense it's ridiculous.
It sounds good, but at some point you'd have to think someone gets traded for a forward here. With Schultz on board we'd be so heavily imbalanced in favor of defense it's ridiculous.
I used to think like this, but seeing how bad our defense has been recently...I don't know.
Let's not forget Gilroy came out with 20 teams after him right after he won the hobey baker. Schultz however is being hyped up by major cdn media in a way Gilroy wasn't, so I'm guessing the scouts have had better things to say. Also Wisconsin has had a great history of producing defenseman.
Suter, Faulk, McBain, McDonough, Gardiner, and now Shultz. Something tells me that this kid is legit. I saw a couple of games with him at Wisconsin, he can skate, and he's got a pair of hands. He looks like he'd fit the same way McD is, don't know if he is as strong, but he is smooth with the puck.
The NCAA is fantastic and in my opinion the best developmental league...
But the point is Gilroy was 25... if you had a kid putting up good numbers as a 23 year old in the QMJHL it would be ringing some alarm bells.
I agree with you're first sentence. I know you have first hand knowledge of the NCAA having played there.
Its a great league. Huge league. I love the quality if the game. I love the fact they wear full facial protection. I love everything about NCAA hockey.
The only thing is I don't have an allegiance to any school because I didn't attend any school with a hockey team.
Gilroy had the potential. Its unfortunate he was such a late bloomer at that level. Had he been 20 at that point, he could have developed into a heck of an NHL player. Time was not on his side.
Schultz is a 21 year old that has been a top offensive defenseman for two of his three NCAA seasons. His only real weakness is physical strength. Which he can easily develop.
Im always 100% behind drafting players that are either in or committed to going to the NCAA.
And was upset, still sort of am, that the Rangers pushed Miller into the CHL.
UND has a legitimate shot to go to the Frozen Four and win it.
Plymouth has a shot to win the Memorial Cup.
But i prefer winning an NCAA Title while playing against young men in their 20's, rather than being on a dominant team beating mid-late teenagers.
There are pros and cons to each, its a debate that will never die. But ill always side with the NCAA and its feeder leagues USHL and BCHL.
I feel the options you have going the NCAA route are more beneficial to a young player. You aren't effected by the 20 year old rule regarding the AHL. You can chose to become a free agent. Yada yada.
I agree with you're first sentence. I know you have first hand knowledge of the NCAA having played there.
Its a great league. Huge league. I love the quality if the game. I love the fact they wear full facial protection. I love everything about NCAA hockey.
The only thing is I don't have an allegiance to any school because I didn't attend any school with a hockey team.
Gilroy had the potential. Its unfortunate he was such a late bloomer at that level. Had he been 20 at that point, he could have developed into a heck of an NHL player. Time was not on his side.
Schultz is a 21 year old that has been a top offensive defenseman for two of his three NCAA seasons. His only real weakness is physical strength. Which he can easily develop.
Im always 100% behind drafting players that are either in or committed to going to the NCAA.
And was upset, still sort of am, that the Rangers pushed Miller into the CHL.
UND has a legitimate shot to go to the Frozen Four and win it.
Plymouth has a shot to win the Memorial Cup.
But i prefer winning an NCAA Title while playing against young men in their 20's, rather than being on a dominant team beating mid-late teenagers.
There are pros and cons to each, its a debate that will never die. But ill always side with the NCAA and its feeder leagues USHL and BCHL.
I feel the options you have going the NCAA route are more beneficial to a young player. You aren't effected by the 20 year old rule regarding the AHL. You can chose to become a free agent. Yada yada.
I agree with everything you've said here, and the bolded part I COMPLETELY agree with.
As a UND/BC fan, I was SO HAPPY to hear that Miller had committed to the Sioux, but I knew that there was some sort of politics behind him leaving for the OHL. I think with some of the players that have been not signing with teams or giving their teams trouble because they wanted to stay (Jack Johnson, Blake Wheeler, etc.) they wanted him to go to the OHL, but Plymouth is a very good team, and UND is still a very good team as well.
I can't complain. Sure, I have my college favorites, but overall, it's about the prospect development, and to me, Wisconsin is a GREAT program that has furnished some quality NHL players, including Stepan, McDonagh, Heatley, Tom Gilbert, and Reinprecht most notably recently.
I'll take Schultz on board here. It's a no brainer.
I agree with everything you've said here, and the bolded part I COMPLETELY agree with.
As a UND/BC fan, I was SO HAPPY to hear that Miller had committed to the Sioux, but I knew that there was some sort of politics behind him leaving for the OHL. I think with some of the players that have been not signing with teams or giving their teams trouble because they wanted to stay (Jack Johnson, Blake Wheeler, etc.) they wanted him to go to the OHL, but Plymouth is a very good team, and UND is still a very good team as well.
I can't complain. Sure, I have my college favorites, but overall, it's about the prospect development, and to me, Wisconsin is a GREAT program that has furnished some quality NHL players, including Stepan, McDonagh, Heatley, Tom Gilbert, and Reinprecht most notably recently.
I'll take Schultz on board here. It's a no brainer.
Isn't one of the benefits of him going to the CHL is that he might be able to crack the AHL faster?
Isn't it also more beneficial, in terms of conditioning, to play in CHL because they play a full season? NCAA plays like 30 something games no?
UND, Wisconsin, Michigan, BC, BU, Maine, Minnesota, Notre Dame...how can you go wrong at any of these schools.
Want a shot to win your conference and a National Title every year? Go to a school like BC and Michigan.
Want to develop into an NHL player? Go to a school with a that track record like UND and Wisconsin.
Yes the majority of NHL players come through the CHL ranks, but I think its more indicative of a few cultural and regional reasons rather than the CHL being superior in any way, because it isn't.
Kids in Canada grow up wanting to play hockey. And many kids have a CHL team in their area. Why would they dream or aspire to go to American colleges? When they can be paid to go play CHL hockey?
Most American kids don't grow up wanting to play hockey. Only in regions. In hot spots. Like the north east and north central. Boston, Minnesota, Michigan...
NCAA will develop a stronger, more physically developed, more rounded player than the CHL will more often than not.
The CHL has the numbers. Canada can pump kids into the CHL like water under a bridge. There's no shortage of Canadian kids aspiring to play hockey close to home.
NCAA REALLY has to recruit. And get dedicated student athletes.
The talent level is NOT inferior. In any way, shape, or form.
The only thing is amount of games played in a season.
But again the NCAA supplements that with more on ice practice and dry land and weight room training.
Probably won't happen, but this would be awesome. This guy is putting up better numbers as a d-man in college than 95% of the forwards.
Like someone mentioned though, is there any reason he's not going to sign with Anaheim. This reminds me of the rumor that Hagelin wasn't going to sign with us. Well, that turned out to be a bunch of BS
For those of you who don't know much about this kid: He is a 6-2, 185 pounder with BIG offensive upside. He has more points in fewer games than Chris Kreider has at BC (Schultz: 37 games, 16 goals, 44 points). He likes to shoot, and shoot a LOT. He led the Badgers in shots (110), having 12 more than the next player on his team, and 52 more (yes, almost double) than the second highest D total on the team. Not overly physical, and not renowned for his defensive play, where he is adequate. Can carry the puck and quarterback a powerplay, while filling a premier need for a ton of NHL teams (top-4, right-handed, offensive-defenseman). Back-to-back WCHA defensive player of the year awards and first-team All-Star selection, as well as a back-to-back Hobey Baker finalist. Was also voted "best defenseman" in both of his full BCHL seasons.
Thin for a defenseman, which raises questions about his NHL game, but has NHL-ready offensive instincts. Although Michael Del Zotto isn't much heavier (6-0, 193), so I doubt the Rangers would be overly concerned about his size, and his work-ethic and conditioning make up for it at this level.
If the Ducks don't get him signed, whomever does is getting a gem. Mike Green/Erik Karlsson-like upside in his game; capable of 60+ points in the right system (probably 50's on the current Rangers).
Let's not forget Gilroy came out with 20 teams after him right after he won the hobey baker. Schultz however is being hyped up by major cdn media in a way Gilroy wasn't, so I'm guessing the scouts have had better things to say. Also Wisconsin has had a great history of producing defenseman.
Suter, Faulk, McBain, McDonough, Gardiner, and now Shultz. Something tells me that this kid is legit. I saw a couple of games with him at Wisconsin, he can skate, and he's got a pair of hands. He looks like he'd fit the same way McD is, don't know if he is as strong, but he is smooth with the puck.
Just to note, Faulk was a Minn-Duluth product. Kid is gonna be one hell of a player though.
Still, Wisconsin has been churning out high end D like it's nothing. Don't forget to put Brendan Smith on that list as well. Goloubef is a good player as well, but hasn't quite made as smooth of a transition to the pro's as the others have.
Just to note, Faulk was a Minn-Duluth product. Kid is gonna be one hell of a player though.
Still, Wisconsin has been churning out high end D like it's nothing. Don't forget to put Brendan Smith on that list as well. Goloubef is a good player as well, but hasn't quite made as smooth of a transition to the pro's as the others have.
Thanks for the the clarification, Smith was outstanding during his time there. Goloubef is in the CLB system, so its probably that more than anything else haha. Still though Mike Eaves knows how to churn out defensemen.
The Rangers have scouted defensemen DeKeyser and Tennyson from Western Michigan. They're still looking to add on D. You can never have enough D. Staal went out with the concussion symptoms and Rangers brass spent 2 months trying to add a D. They came up with Woywitka on the waiver wire and Stralman as a free agent. Its impossible to find good D. They survived with Staal out and then when Sauer had his concussion.
JT Brown from Minnesota-Duluth will be a highly coveted free agent. Depending upon what Duluth does in the NE bracket,Brown could play in the NHL this season and become a group II FA faster. His advisor/agent could demand his client plays this season if Duluth doesn't reach the Frozen 4. Mike Russo wrote about Brown yesterday. He mentioned some of the teams interested in him. Not the Rangers. Not the Wild. Pittsburgh is one of the teams. The Wild are interested in Schultz.
Minnesota Duluth is a squirt team, like Yale. A lot of small, fast players playing up tempo.
Tortorella seems to value size so it doesn't surprise me that their crop of high scoring forwards are not on our list. We have JAM (Not yet signed), Thomas, Zuccarello.
