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