Scott Ayen (who is probably being flamed at this very minute by
many less diplomatic than I) writes:
 
>    Seems to be a connection that Defenseman have to be good at scoring
>    or lucky enough not to have a team where complete defensive focus is
>    needed.  For Defenseman of the Year in the ECAC - a candidate
>    COMPLETELY over-looked was Jeff Kungle from SLU.  He was over-looked
>    because he does his job, play defense, and not try to be the hero
>    and be a wanna-be forward (Brian Muller of Clarkson) who always seem
>    to stand out as the "best".  Maybe that impulse is correct but I
>    still would take a Kungle over a Muller anyday. Offense is for
>    scoring and defense is to prevent scoring. None does that better
>    Jeff kungle from SLU. (Granted I am biased but I do speak the truth)
 
It would seem that the ECAC has already vitiated this argument by creating
a separate award for the Best Defensive Defenseman. By Scott's logic,
Bobby Orr was not the NHL's best defenseman, nor is Brian Leetch. Need
I also mention former SLU standout Dan LaPerriere, one of the best two-way
defenseman to come out of the ECAC in recent years? There are offensive
defenseman whose statistics hide defensive liabilities, but Mueller isn't
one of them - and, generally, a player who creates as much offense as
Mueller, or a LaPerriere, or a Mike Brewer (Brown alumnus) does so because
he skates well enough not to put himself in a position where he can't
get back and cover his own end.
 
>While I am on the subject: Rookie of the Year
 
>Hmm,  seems to me like 3 canadates  { Reason }
>  1) Trevor Konte, Union  GOALIE  { Impressive last 3-4 weeks }
>  2) Clint Owen, SLU  GOALIE    {Rookie of the Week(ROW) FOUR times}
>  3) Paul DeFrancesco, SLU  CENTER  {35 PTS as a freshman  ROW 2 times}
 
>Of the 3 the most talented would seem to be SLU Center DeFrancesco
>   Once again a biased opinion but from all of the other freshman I
>    have seen- It doesn't get much better than DeFran
 
Aside from the fact that it's Trevor Koenig, not Konte, I wouldn't
argue with the notion that DiFrancesco is a solid candidate.
Owen will get votes because of his ECAC recognition - but that is hardly
indicative of being a qualified candidate, since his statistics are brutal
(particularly in league play - 5.44, .849 late in the season). SLU
allowed 110 goals in 22 league games, so we can point at Owen or
the defense - or both - and, consequently, it's tough to win the
Kungle and the Owen arguments.
 
Geoff Howell
The Trenton Times
Drop the Puck