Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Linkorama

Former MSU Maverick Ryan Carter is fighting for a spot on the Anaheim Ducks roster this year.

Somebody asked former SCSU Husky Dan Kronick why he didn't leave school early for the pros. I think this is the first Dan Kronick interview I've ever seen that didn't involve the question, "So what's it like to play against your former team?"

Elliot Olshansky kept an eye on Kyle Turris during The Super Series, which ended up being not all that super. This series has been getting blasted all over for being a boring, one-sided affair, but I still see some good coming out this. I think that Russia was so embarassed in this event that it will cause them to revamp their player development. Russian development has really fallen off in recent years, and this could be the wake-up call that they needed.

Elliot also talked about the USHL/QMJHL series a little bit. One thing that I feel has gotten lost in all of this, is that even if the Q teams were missing a couple top players, it doesn't say much for the depth of the league if those teams fell apart without a couple players.

The Traverse City Prospects Tournament is finishing up today. Eight NHL teams sent a team of rookies and free agent tryouts to Traverse City, Michigan to play in some games and help teams evaluate talent. The New York Rangers won all three of their games. Their only college connection was Michigan State's Corey Potter. They also had Sartell, Minnesota native Michael Sauer on their team. St. Louis' top defensive pairing featured two college players who left school early this summer in Erik Johnson and Steve Wagner, and they combined for 9 points. Also, if any Cornell fans are reading, you'll be happy to know that Matt Nickerson got into a fight in 2 out of the 3 games.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

lets say you remove hepp, ross, and thurber from Omaha's lineup or kemp, skodt, and bailen from indy, do you really believe they would be the same team? remove 3 or 4 of the best players from any jr. team and even you would admit that team would suffer. the point being, we just can't compare apples to apples without the more mature and better players present.

Anonymous said...

Only 2 fights for the Clarksonator? He must have only skated 2 shifts.

Anonymous said...

To anon 1:12....

Don't waste your breath(er fingers) becasue they don't get it. They want to live in their little fantasy land where the USHL thumped the mighty Q. Forget the fact that Rimouski was the worst team in the Q last year and will likely be one of the worst this year and that they were missing 3 out of their top five scorers and two of their top Dmen....all that doesn't matter on fantasy island.....so let the little tattoos scream "loook boooss ve von ve von!"

Imagine a top NAHL team playing the Chicago Steel,who would win. Now imagine the Steel missing their top three players and top Dman......gee that must make the NAHL at least equal to the might tier 1 USHL right?????

Yup, it sure does on fantasy island,,whoops I mean on the Western college hockey blog page, where facts never ever ever get in the way of a goooood wet dream!

Anonymous said...

Loving the excuses coming from the Q camp. Keep it up boys! If the USHL had lost all the games I'm sure we'd hear similar excuses. Doesn't make reading them any less entertaining.

I am more interested in the Kronick story. The first question I would have asked is: "Did you even have offers from the NHL or AHL even to go pro?" Seriously, Kronick has size and he did play well in the Motzko system, but is he really pro material? Maybe the UHL (now IHL) will take him. Certainly the CHL would (Central Hockey League, not Major Juniors). Maybe even the SPHL. I don't see Dan playing for an NHL team at all.

Ryan said...

There are some NAHL teams out there that are at the USHL level. What exactly is your point?

The mighty Q? That same league that is traditionally the weakest of the 3 CHL leagues?

What would happen if you just let it go? Oh yeah, no more pissing and moaning...now that's my fantasy island.

Anonymous said...

Ryan,

You are the USHL blog writer right? What's your opinion on the matter. Do you feel five players make that much of a difference, even though they may be your best players?

Are Omaha and Indiana considered the top teams heading into this year?

For you Q fans....where are Rimouski and Quebec ranked? Is Rimouski really one of the weakest teams in the league?

Is the Q really the weakest league in Canada?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just trying to form an honest opinion on the matter.

Ryan said...

I really don't think these games meant a whole lot. Q fans say the same, but continue trying to justify why they lost.

Omaha is probably a top team this year, but Indiana may not be with their goalie situation.

Would 5 players make a difference? Perhaps, but that's beside the point of these exhibition games that were for fun.

Is it great they won? Of course. There were only a few outside of the USHL/NCAA that thought the USHL could hang in. But again, it ultimately doesn't really mean squat.

Anonymous said...

Ryan,

Thanks for the honest response...

So in a nutshell the games really meant nothing in comparing the USHL to the CHL.

I for one am disappointed that the Q teams did not use all their players. So if they lost, there could be no excuses......but I do feel that not having your entire roster is a valid excuse....unfortunately!

I sure would love to see a midseason exhibition game that both sides took very seriously....just to settle this thing once and for all!

Anonymous said...

By and large I would say that the Q is the weakest of the three CHL leagues...you can look at draft picks and recent Memorial Cup tournaments to draw that conclusion.

Quebec will have a decent year, finishing around the .500 mark. Rimouski will fare slightly worse, though I don't think they will be at the bottom again.

Niether one will challenge for even a divisional title, let alone a league championship.

Using exhibition games to compare two teams is utter folly. Using 4 exhibition games to compare two leagues is asinine!

If the USHL wants repsect, they will have to somehow manage to get into a meaningful tournament against quality CHL opponents.

Are they ready for that though?

Anonymous said...

blah blah blah

I think Kronick can at least make an ECHL roster, he's got great size and good hands around the net.
He's at the Caps camp for a reason, they obviously see something in him that they might be able to use at some level.