This is just wrong. Thornton was touted as a the best draftee since Lindros when he was drafted. During his pre-draft year everyone was saying that he's already able to play in the NHL at the age of 17. He actually had underperformed in his career from what the expectations were.
I think he is referring to Thorntons first camp with Boston.
He was definitely out of place, and ended up getting 7 pts in 55 games that season despite getting alot of "free" shots at good ice time because he was the 1st overall pick. He was tall but did not nearly skate well enough and he was definitely very weak on the puck. It actually took him 4 years after getting drafted before he really started to have a impact at the NHL level.
Thornton in his first year in the NHL stood out alot because, while he could skate, his big body couldn't keep up with the tempo of the NHL, he was waiving his arms all over the place to keep balance and he tried big plays at the absolute wrong time and vet D's just stood there and lifted his stick and took the puck away from him etc.
There is no "direct" comparision what-so-ever between Nieves and Thornton (Thornton was dominant among his peers). But my interpretation of that quote is that Nieves, like Thornton, is a kid who makes high caliber plays and can skate well etc -- but due to not having filled out and being, I don't know exactly how to put it, like uncoordinated in a sense, could improve alot over the coming 3-4 years if you get what I mean. With the "could improve alot over the coming 3-4 years" being the reason for the comparision -- not how good they are or necessary the style they play at the age of 18 y/o.
Just like Miller, Fogarty and, to a lesser extent, Skjei, I just want to see this kid incubate for a few years. I'm not concerned about timetables. There's no pressing need to go penciling these kids into imaginary lineups. just let these kids take their time and develop properly. It's an approach that's starting to produce big time results.
yep no need to rush anyone...they can be the next wave of youngsters in a few years
Missed day two of the draft, but happy to get home to see Nieves. Very early in the draft threads I remember someone here bringing his name up. Sounds like a pretty good pick.
I don't know what the need is for a Big 10 Conference in hockey. NCAA hockey was fine.
That Conference is going to be traveling A LOT.
So Skjei and Nieves will get used to a lot of air travel.
As will Fogarty. Because Notre Dame is freaking nowhere near most of the teams in Hockey East.
Then again...Alaska plays in the CCHA...which is retarded. They should at least be in WCHA.
there isnt a need but the big 10 is a conference for all sports and the member school share a lot of common bonds and similarities. the big 10 network prob also had something to do with it from a financial standpoint.
That would make a 17 team conference. WAY bigger than any of Atlantic, HE, ECAC, and B10.
I don't believe that's happening.
just wiki'd it. wcha is taking some members from ccha and the ccha is dispanding and forming ncha, which will be 6 former wcha schools and 2 ccha schools.
just wiki'd it. wcha is taking some members from ccha and the ccha is dispanding and forming ncha, which will be 6 former wcha schools and 2 ccha schools.
Its not breaking up i don't believe, but a few members are leaving for the Big 10 Conference.
As well as Minnesota and Wisconsin from the WCHA to the Big 10.
Big 10 will be Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Penn State, Ohio State
Six team Conference.
I don't know why Notre Dame is leaving the CCHA.
But the CCHA will then be seven teams.
If i have this right.
WCHA will shrink to 10.
But Hockey East will grow to 11.
Then theres still ECAC and Atlantic Hockey.
Atlantic Hockey
ECAC
Hockey East
Big 10
CCHA
WCHA
HE will go to 12 teams. adding notre dame in 2013 and uconn in 2014
and according to wikipedia the CCHA will be disbanded after this season...
Big Ten (new Conference): Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan St, Ohio SAt
NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) will also be formed with Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St Cloud and Western Michigan
And the WCHA will add Alaska-Fairbanks, Northern Michigan, Bowling Green, Ferris State and Lake Superior state to replace the teams they lost to NCHC
lots of changes in college hockey the next few years
One thing - I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't concerned about Boo's stats. Only scoring 7 goals as a high school senior (down from the previous year!) is a bit frightening. He was 7-32-39 in 26 games. By contrast, Kreider was 33-23-56 in 26 games his senior year - and Mac^2 was 42-48-90 in 29 games this past year (albeit in a significantly inferior league)! I understand that points aren't everything when trying to project a kid, but you would expect his raw skills alone to translate to more finishing than that.
Now, again, I LOVE the scouting report - and I am comforted by the fact that he went 2-8-10 in 13 games in the USHL as well as the fact that he's going to play for Berensen. Furthermore, that YouTube goal against the Russian team is a thing of absolute beauty, which hopefully points to untapped finishing potential. Here's hoping he builds upon those results against superior competition as he enters the NCAA. I am very much going to enjoy tracking his progress...
Having said that, in a way we should perhaps be thankful for his lower goal totals - if he had Kreider's stats, he probably wouldn't have made it to our first pick, much less our second!
(And hopefully we can still get Mac^2 in the same deal from STL where we pick up the winger we need for the big squad. )
Erm, it is pretty obvious why there will be a Big 10 conference in hockey. I don't see why this is a mystery to anyone.
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