Gopher Hockey Recruiting

I know it's hard to fathom, but I promise you your life will actually improve if you detach a bit and prioritize some other things in your life.
Most boards have an opponent recruiting thread. We don't so I just put stuff in here. Any objective person can see which teams are doing best in recruiting over the last year or two.
 


Most boards have an opponent recruiting thread. We don't so I just put stuff in here. Any objective person can see which teams are doing best in recruiting over the last year or two.
They do? What boards? I don't frequent other college hockey boards, but I do look at a lot of football ones. I don't think I have ever seen am "opponents recruiting" thread.
 

Most boards have an opponent recruiting thread. We don't so I just put stuff in here. Any objective person can see which teams are doing best in recruiting over the last year or two.
Nobody is disputing that those programs have dominated recruiting, they just think it’s weird how you obsess over other programs and their recruiting.
 




Alright I mentioned this last year and it's highly unlikely but... Lakeville native Henry Welsch (currently at U-mass Lowell) will most likely be a grad transfer next year and I would love Motzko to pick him up. He's 4th in save percentage and 10th in GAA. Last two years he's been very unfortunate to have two different Hobey Baker finalists in front of him but now this year he gets his chance. Can imagine after this year he'll want to come back home.
 


Nice. That means he's probably doing both 10th and 11th grade this year.
 



Any relation to former gopher baseball star Michael Kvansicka?
 


Goaltending is not looking promising for next season and Motzko will likely need to hit the transfer portal for once.

Should have tried to steal Slukynsky from Potulny or Gajan from UMD.

Kam Hendrickson is a year out but might be a better option, too at this point.
 

Goaltending is not looking promising for next season and Motzko will likely need to hit the transfer portal for once.

Should have tried to steal Slukynsky from Potulny or Gajan from UMD.

Kam Hendrickson is a year out but might be a better option, too at this point.
I hate to judge kids by their parents, but from what I have seen/read/heard, Kam's parents are a handful. I'm sure Bob has dealt with those types before, so maybe it's not that big of deal for him. I do think Airey will be fine, although I would have preferred he get more games in this year if he had not been injured.
 



Gopher hockey should have a 1A and 1B. Not an unknown and an unknown.
 

Probability Motzko and staff even contacted him?
 


If you're wondering why I call out that as a major recruiting miss it's because the goalie the Gophers have lined up for next year has been brutal and just got sent down to the NA, while the other goalie they have has played 60 minutes of college hockey.

If Motzko doesn't hit the portal this spring for a goalie, he is not recruiting hard enough.
 

If you're wondering why I call out that as a major recruiting miss it's because the goalie the Gophers have lined up for next year has been brutal and just got sent down to the NA, while the other goalie they have has played 60 minutes of college hockey.

If Motzko doesn't hit the portal this spring for a goalie, he is not recruiting hard enough.
Yeah... I am sure Motzko is sitting on his a$$, cocktail in hand, thinking... "hey we are good to go for next year. That includes goalie and all positions. No need to keep recruiting vey hard."
 

Yeah... I am sure Motzko is sitting on his a$$, cocktail in hand, thinking... "hey we are good to go for next year. That includes goalie and all positions. No need to keep recruiting vey hard."
That has been his attitude toward the portal.

Meanwhile, UND replaced their entire D in one summer and will be a 1 seed.
 

That has been his attitude toward the portal.

Meanwhile, UND replaced their entire D in one summer and will be a 1 seed.
UND is not going to be a #1 seed because of their D corps. We have 4 D who are NHL draft choices, UND has 2, both of them freshmen. Would you trade our D men for UND's? I would not.
 

UND is not going to be a #1 seed because of their D corps. We have 4 D who are NHL draft choices, UND has 2, both of them freshmen. Would you trade our D men for UND's? I would not.
You earn a one seed as a team... My point is they used the portal to scramble together a solid unit back there. If Bob would have even found one solid D in the portal instead of rolling Fish/Begley/Rud as 5/6/7, this team could be on another level, too. (Edit: 6/7/8)

He needs to use the portal more. Period. Call it for at least two players each offseason. This offseason? A goalie and a forward.
 
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You earn a one seed as a team... My point is they used the portal to scramble together a solid unit back there. If Bob would have even found one solid D in the portal instead of rolling Fish/Begley/Rud as 5/6/7, this team could be on another level, too.

He needs to use the portal more. Period. Call it for at least two players each offseason. This offseason? A goalie and a forward.
You should tell him this. Maybe he is unaware of the portal.

Or maybe, just maybe.... he didn't think he could get an upgrade to those Dmen you mention.

Or maybe, just maybe... he has a philosophy of "I am only going to take players from the portal if they are head and shoulders better than what I have on the roster." And maybe he didn't think that existed.

I agree, in retrospect he should have found another DMan last year. And I agree... supplementing the roster with one or two each year feels about right. But I am not willing to blame last year's relative inactivity on an indifference to the portal or to lazy recruiting.
 

he didn't think he could get an upgrade to those Dmen you mention.
Begley and Rud are absolutely brutal. I think Rud got the spot on the roster based on his dad's relationship with Motzko.
 

You earn a one seed as a team... My point is they used the portal to scramble together a solid unit back there. If Bob would have even found one solid D in the portal instead of rolling Fish/Begley/Rud as 5/6/7, this team could be on another level, too.

He needs to use the portal more. Period. Call it for at least two players each offseason. This offseason? A goalie and a forward.
Because the circumstances are how at all the same? UND unloaded a whole class and had much more to offer in the offseason and wasn't running off players to do it. Pyke comes from Alaska and is playing PP time, which is nothing certain he would get here when you're expecting Rinzel to step into that role. Ditto for Britt. Zmolek was out all last year with injury. Pehrson has been average his whole career. Pyke and Britt would've probably been better, but I don't think they're coming in without a possibility they're playing significant minutes (and to do that you're pushing Rinzel, Koster, Mittlestadt, Thomas down) and hard to say the guy who was hurt all last year or Pehrson are going to be substantially better than what you've got.

Rud and Begley shouldn't play and it looks like Bob has figured that out. None of those guys are coming in to be the 7th defenseman.
 

Phillips a healthy scratch for the U17s today

Best forward on the team Will Moore still uncommitted
 

Add Tynan Lawrence from Shattuck to the top 10 recruit list for the August cycle
 

Bad look for the old staff with Boeser saying they blew him off when he was in the parking lot waiting for his visit his sophomore year. Sounds like he hates the Gophers so probably would have been unlikely to change that, but that was the nail in the coffin.
 

Heading to Braemar tonight to watch Chan vs. Shakopee. Hendrickson vs. Huson

If Motzko doesn't have someone in the arena tonight watching these two goalies, I will lose even more faith in this program's goalie recruiting and weird avoidance of MN goalies.
 

Heading to Braemar tonight to watch Chan vs. Shakopee. Hendrickson vs. Huson

If Motzko doesn't have someone in the arena tonight watching these two goalies, I will lose even more faith in this program's goalie recruiting and weird avoidance of MN goalies.
So... did the coaching staff pass your test last night?
 

Couldn't tell ya. I was watching the game not scanning the crowd.

Hendrickson will be key if Chan has any chance Thursday
 




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