From:  Geoff Howell - [log in to unmask]
 
Here is my pre-season Top 20, as I ranked the teams for The Hockey
Digest. I don't think any of the late defections (e.g. Parrish, Mrozik)
alter things much.
 
 
 
>>1) North Dakota
 
You should probably wonder about anyone who DOESN'T pick the Sioux #1.
Not that they are that much better than anyone else, but you have to
give them some credit for winning last year (especially since nobody
expected them to be a top 10 team, or, in my case, a top 20 team).
Pretty
solid at all positions and four potential All-Americas -- Hoogsteen,
Blake, Murphy and Schweitzer.
 
>>2) New Hampshire
 
BU fans are probably writing me nasty messages right now, but I mean no
disrespect for the Terriers. The Wildcats are more balanced up front,
even without Nickulas, and the defense should be quite a bit better than
it was at the start of last season (if only because Matile is healthy
and
around for a whole season).
 
>>3) Colorado College
 
Jason Cugnet just about had the starting goaltending job last year when
he hurt his knee, so the Tigers won't be hurt by the loss of Judd
Lambert.
The Tigers probably lost more man-games to injury than any other
Division
I team last year and still had a strong season. Brian Swanson is
probably
the leading western candidate for the Hobey now that Crowley is gone.
 
>>4) Boston University
 
The defense and goaltending is solid, and Chris Drury will put up
another
35-40 goals. Developing some offensive balance is a must if the Terriers
want to play for it all in front of the home fans at the Fleet Center.
Mike Sylvia, Albie O'Connor and Tommi Degerman are the three guys I see
who are capable of putting up 18-25 goals each in support of Drury.
 
>>5) Miami
 
I guess we will find out how valuable Randy Robitaille was -- he wound
up being the last player cut from the Bruins, in favor of Shawn Bates
(who scored in his first NHL game last night). The Redskins are solid
everywhere, but may lack the go-to guy on offense. Can a defenseman be
the offensive leader for a top 5 team? If Crowley could do it, why not
Dan Boyle?
 
6) Minnesota
 
I had the Gophers at #2 until Rasmussen and Crowley left town. There is
still plenty of firepower up front, but it will be interesting to see
how
the breakout and power play look without Crowley around. Ben Clymer is
outstanding, but is he ready for this kind of responsibility?
 
>>7) Rennselaer
 
The Engineers probably aren't at the level of the top 6, but have
everyone back from a pretty good club. Whether the power play and
defense
is up to the task remains to be seen. I would be pleasantly surprised to
see the Engineers make a strong NCAA playoff showing.
 
8) Michigan State
 
Ron Mason has three helicopter lines -- no wings. The defense and
goaltending is good enough to win 2/3 of their games, regardless. Best
set of defensemen in the country, without a doubt.
 
9) Maine
 
Some good frontline talent and plenty of bodies around to fill the
character roles. I am not convinced that Alfie Michaud can carry the
whole load in goal, but I guess we will find out. Steve Kariya should
have the kind of year that ends the "Paul's brother" references (maybe
he
should talk to Chris Drury).
 
10) Michigan
 
All of the CCHA coaches that I spoke to thought
hird in the league, and possibly better. Certainly an
opportunity for the freshmen and sophomores to get some ice time -- if
guys like Sean Ritchlin and Greg Crozier respond to the challenge,
Michigan should be very strong.
 
11) Clarkson
 
Not a lot of stars here (Dan Murphy and Chris Clark), but the Golden
Knights always seem to stay near the top of the ECAC. The defense,
which was very good already, may actually have improved with
experience and a good recruiting class. The freshmen forwards will need
to contribute right away.
 
12) Lake Superior
 
The Lakers need to get back to a more disciplined defensive style,
especially with an untested goalie after John Grahame departed. Jason
Sessa and Joe Blaznek should have huge years.
 
13) Western Michigan
 
Not many teams can match Western's top three defensemen: Joe Corvo,
Daryl Andrews and Steve Duke. The offense is a bit more of a question
mark, although Mike Melas is a pretty good starting point.
 
 
14) Boston College
 
A disappointment last year, but I will write that off to youth. Way
too much talent up front to struggle again. I really like Bobby Allen
and have heard enough about Marty Hughes to think that the defense
will get better.
 
15) Minnesota-Duluth
 
No big stars (I suppose Mike Peluso could make that step this year),
but a solid group of experienced players and a good young goalie in
Brant Nicklin. Unfortunately, in the wrong conference for getting much
media attention.
 
16) St. Cloud State
 
I put the Huskies here before Mark Parrish bailed out. I will miss
watching Matt Cullen more, but, either way, those are big skates to
fill.
Sacha Molin will see a lot of tight checking, I'll wager.
 
17) Cornell
 
Finding replacements for Steve and Chad Wilson on defense won't be easy,
but still a good mix of character and skill players. Having Vinnie
Auger's leadership and character back (medical redshirt year) is a nice
bonus. Kyle Knopp and Jason Elliott are leading candidates for ECAC
honors.
 
18) Harvard
 
Too much talent to leave out of the top 20. Apparently, not enough
maturity the last two years to stay in it. The Crimson might benefit in
the long run from Craig MacDonald's absence -- if he comes back as a
better player. He wasn't developing as expected in Cambridge.
 
19) Princeton
 
With Dominique Auger, the Tigers could have crept towards the top 10.
Without him, it will be tough -- especially on the power play. Maybe
the team will make assistant coach Mark Dennehy a prophet and work a
little harder in the face of a challenge. Benoit Morin steps in for his
first year of eligibility and is expected to take some offensive
pressure
off the Bertoli-Halpern-Masters line.
 
20) Lowell
 
The race for 5-8 in Hockey East is pretty much up in the air. The
River Hawks faded late last season, but have rookie of the year Greg
Koehler and plenty of experience coming back. A pretty good recruiting
class could make the difference.
 
Others I considered: Merrimack, Providence, Notre Dame, Wisconsin,
St. Lawrence (the Saints being the strongest of the group).
 
-Geoff Howell
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.
 
Comments: Gated by [log in to unmask]
Path: sol.caps.maine.edu!maine.maine.edu!listserv_gateway
Newsgroups: maine.hockey-l
X-VMS-To: IN%"[log in to unmask]"
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Approved-By: [log in to unmask]
Message-ID: <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 1997 10:49:57 -0400
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: The College Hockey Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
From: Geoff Howell <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Preseason top 20
Lines: 162
Xref: sol.caps.maine.edu maine.hockey-l:32100
 
--
Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]
University of Maine