IMHO, if you are going to compete at Div I levels you need to be bringing in 
the players with skills equal to those teams you are competing against at 
the national level.  These days with alums and high rollers looking for 
results, you can't wait to develop players over 4 years.  One or two down 
seasons begins a downward spiral especially in terms of getting top recruits 
to come to Maine.

Today, Div I sports are adapting to the fact that marquee players may only 
stay for a year or two before turning pro.  You must look at players in 
terms of one or two years and be lucky if they stay 3 or 4.  The pro's have 
changed the coaching and recruiting philosophies for everyone.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "james acheson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:57 AM
Subject: Re: An interesting statistic


>I was not saying that the original post was off base,
> I was sort of saying that having super freshmen is not
> THE answer either.
>
> Kessel or WIght??? Honestly, I would take Wight.
>
> Oshie and Toewes did nothing for getting UND a
> championship.
>
> and Deron, THIS is not the year to compare Maine to
> Minnesota and say that Minnesota is head and shoulders
> ahead of Maine in any way.  Both are in 9th place in
> their leagues.  And lucky for Minny, the get to go to
> their tournament, no matter what.
> I have given the blue chip recruiting thing alot of
> thought and I honestly would prefer NOT to take
> Freshmen  that are leaving after one season.
> Anecdotally, look at what it did to Maine, Kariya left
> and Maine was pretty bad (sure there were extenuating
> circumstances, like suspensions and forfeits).
> Purcell left and Maine's record is terrible... Maybe
> there are extenuating circumstances here too, but
> aren't these the only 2 freshemen NOT to play their
> entire sophomore seasons at Maine, who left for the
> pros?  (I guess Shawn ANderson might be the other, but
> he was way before my time).
>
> also, for what its worth, look at the super freshmen
> that BU keeps bringing in.  Are they drunks?  Is
> parker a moron? Is mars just always transitting
> Jupiter wrong???  BU cannot win anything besides the
> beanpot with all their blue chippers, and while they
> got to the NHL more frequently than Maine players do,
> tehy cannot win college hockey championships.  Perhaps
> it is chemistry.  Maybe Grant and Tim are looking for
> chemistry.... I dunno.
> SUPER freshmen are not the answer, I don't think.  I
> want the freshmen to be  just skilled enough to
> contribute for 4 years, but not too skilled.  (Like
> Leveille, Moore and Bellamy... yes Bellamy, he will be
> quite a good pro player)
> --- Deron Treadwell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> How about Teddy Purcell?  Recruited by Maine, left
>> after one year and played his sophomore year in the
>> pros.  But then again, you did that on purpose.
>>
>> I agree with the subsequent post that Maine
>> traditionally does develop talent.  Our juniors will
>> be needed next year, but I for one am hoping for a
>> few more Teddy Purcell's for next year because we
>> are going to need them.
>>
>> Michigan has 9 National Championships.
>>
>> Minnesota has 5 National Championships (including a
>> couple years we all might remember 2002 and 2003).
>>
>> I don't think we are in any position to start taking
>> shots at Michigan and Minnesota when we have 8 wins
>> to our credit.  Find me the last time Michigan and
>> Minnesota failed to win 10 games and won ONE (count
>> them) league game at home.
>>
>> I don't think the original post was offbase at all.
>>
>> -Deron
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: james acheson <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 8:52:21 PM
>> Subject: Re: An interesting statistic
>>
>>
>> Michigan has for quite a while landed much better
>> freshmen than maine.  And just like the freshmen at
>> Minnesota, they play their sophomore years in the
>> NHL.
>> Maine has had very few freshmen turn pro, even Paul
>> Kariya did not turn pro after just one year.
>> That said, I think that Travis Wight was a better
>> team mate and player his senior year than Phil
>> Kessel was his freshman year.  From the standpoint
>> of what he brought to the ice each and every game.
>> If I recall correctly, their plus minuses were polar
>> opposites.
>>
>> Bill Dewkett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> An interesting note about "young team". Watching
>> Michigan play Lake
>> Superior after listening to the heartbreaking
>> losses, an interesting
>> statistic was mentioned...Michigan's freshman group
>> has scored 123 points so
>> far this season. Our freshman group has garnered 33
>> points. Are we falling
>> down in the recruiting aspects?.
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Deron Treadwell"
>> To:
>> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 5:17 PM
>> Subject: College Hockey News
>>
>>
>> > Deron Treadwell has sent you an article from
>> College Hockey News
>> > (www.collegehockeynews.com)
>> > It can be found online here:
>> >
>>
> http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2008/02/18_notamaine.php
>> >
>> > --------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > Deron Treadwell: "Recent CHN article, with
>> interesting Whitehead quotes."
>> >
>> > --------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > 2008-02-18
>> >
>> > NOT A MAINE YEAR
>> >
>> >
>> > by Adam Wodon
>> >
>> > This has not been the kind of season Maine is used
>> to.
>> >
>> > After losing a pair of overtime games to Boston
>> University last weekend,
>> > the Black Bears have lost seven in a row,
>> worsening an already trying
>> > season to the point where Maine (8-17-3) is in
>> serious danger of not even
>> > qualifying for the Hockey East tournament.
>> >
>> > Not counting the official 1993-94 record, when
>> Maine was forced to forfeit
>> > numerous games due to multiple NCAA violations,
>> the last time the Black
>> > Bears finished so much as under .500 was 1985-86,
>> in Shawn Walsh's second
>> > year. Finishing under .500 is virtually guaranteed
>> at this point.
>> >
>> > "We are in ninth place and I think that says it
>> all," said Maine coach Tim
>> > Whitehead, who has had Maine in the Frozen Four in
>> four of six seasons
>> > since taking over for Walsh, including last year.
>> "We have to climb up
>> > here and get into the playoffs, and put ourselves
>> in a position where we
>> > can look to win the Hockey East tournament if we
>> are going to get into the
>> > NCAAs. We have a long way to go as we are not even
>> in the playoffs if the
>> > season ended today."
>> >
>> > The challenge became more difficult after this
>> past weekend, when a
>> > resurgent Boston University and its
>> suddenly-improved netminder Brett
>> > Bennett, outplayed Maine and its star goalie Ben
>> Bishop. Maine scored 1:55
>> > into Friday's game, then never again the whole
>> weekend.
>> >
>> > Maine did what it wanted to do defensively, but
>> wasn't able to score any
>> > goals.
>> >
>> > "For a young team, we have been very disciplined,"
>> Whitehead said. "We had
>> > a couple of exceptions to that, down at UMass two
>> weeks ago, we took too
>> > many penalties, but other than that, we have done
>> pretty well with that."
>> >
>> > Maine had to deal with a number of players that
>> graduated, but so did a
>> > lot of teams. The injuries hit this year too,
>> including the Keenan Hopson
>> > and Chris Hahn, who recently returned, and Billy
>> Ryan, who still has not.
>> > Ryan, who is out with a hip injury, was expected
>> to carry a big load, but
>> > the senior only has four goals in 19 games.
>> >
>> > "We would love to get Billy back, but I don't
>> know. He has been out for a
>> > while, and has a serious injury so we are not
>> going to push the envelope
>> > there and risk a future injury," Whitehead said.
>> "The good news is that he
>> > did skate non-contact (last) Monday for the first
>> time, so that was good."
>> >
>> > Whitehead knows what he's up against this season,
>> and that there is no
>> > magic potion to turn things around. His job is to
>> keep the psyches
>> > together so the team doesn't totally crumble, and
>> if necessary, start
>> > building for next year.
>> >
>> > "There is no glaring deficiency in our game, but a
>> lot of little areas
>> > that need to be elevated," Whitehead said. "We are
>> simply not generating
>> > enough quality scoring chances and not scoring
>> enough goals when we do get
>> > them. We have to continue to work on that. A lot
>> of the areas that we have
>> > to improve on are not over-night fixes,
>> unfortunately. In the end, we have
>> > to stay determined that we can find a way to win
>> some games down the
>> > stretch whether we score a lot of goals or not.
>> >
>> > "We have played a lot better and we have improved
>> in a lot of areas,
>> > especially special teams, but unfortunately, it
>> really has not shown up on
>> > the score sheet on a consistent basis. It is tough
>> for our players to
>> > believe that we are improving, and have a chance
>> to make the playoffs, but
>> > that is exactly what they have to do."
>> >
>> > One bright spot all year has been the play of
>> senior defenseman Bret
>> > Tyler, who was named a finalist for the Walter
>> Brown Award, as New
>> > England's best American-born college hockey
>> player.
>> >
>> > "Bret Tyler is a heck of a hockey player. He is
>> one
> === message truncated ===
>
>
>
> 
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