After Alaska-Fairbanks got a commitment from Brandon Knelsen last month, I speculated it was only a matter of time until his younger brother Dion committed, and today, Dion Knelsen, the 13th ranked uncommitted forward for 2007, did just that by committing to Alaska-Fairbanks for the 2007 season. Knelsen will become the 2nd ranked committed forward on the 2007 Recruiting Board.
Also committing was U17 team goalie Brad Phillips. After his teammated Josh Unice committed to Bowling Green earlier this week, Phillips decided to join him by picking another CCHA school in Notre Dame.
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That's the fourth quality Michigan kid N.D. had gotten in 6+ months.
NTDP U17-Phillips(G)and Cole(D) USHL-Blatchford (D)TX and Ryan(F)DesMoines.
It must say something about Jackson. Michigan doesn't seem to build from within like Gopher's. Maybe because of these losses has forced Michigan to not assume what's in their back pocket. Hence, chasing HoneyBake 90's. Letting Cole get away was a big mistake. Considering Michgan isn't getting even their 2nd and 3rd choices on D now for 2007. Losing Phillips could be another. If his scouting reports come true.
In hindsight, yes, not offering Cole was probably a mistake. But at the time, I think it was the right decision for the coaching staff. They still had a great chance at landing Kevin Shattenkirk, and Cole hadn't really developed enough for Michigan to offer him a scholarship.
The point is, it was too early for Michigan to gamble on offering Cole, especially considering the other options they had out there. It certainly looks like Jeff Jackson's gamble is going to pay off though.
I think the same is true with Brad Phillips. I've seen a pretty wide range of opinions on him, and with the way Michigan likes to stick with one goalie, it was probably too much of a gamble for them to take a chance on.
Also, Billy Sauer will probably be in Ann Arbor for three seasons at a minimum, so it's not essential that they get a goalie for that class. I'm sure another good, young prospect will come along.
The offers to the Honeybaked 90's had more to do with concerns about the OHL than about any other collegiate program. If they didn't offer A.J. Jenks and Jenks ended up going top 5 in the OHL draft next summer, there's no way he'd play college hockey.
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