NCAA stuff

Matty, I've been to Finland. I think the connection is those Finns are boisterous (don't let the calm demeanor fool ya). They love anything associated with screaming.

Go Screaming Eagles! (Unless theyre playing Cornell, in which case, chow dung!)

 

whatever the connection is, hope it bears fruit.

Euro kids now more regularly playing NCAA hockey and realizing that the CHL isnt the only N. American way to acclimate before the NHL.

 

can you pick out North Dakota's new logo?

 

Guys, get ready, we are only a couple of months away from:

College Football Pick'ems!

I look forward to getting as many people as possible in the contest. We had a blast last year.

 

Jimmy Vesey will be on his way to Buffalo next week to sit down with TM and the Pegulas.

Part of TM's standard approach to prospective hires is to assess their opinion of the city and of the organization. It's a fact that players that spend any time there usually fall in love with the city. (Many still live there after moving to another team or after retiring.)

It is, however, a matter that usually needs to be sold on players that have not spent time there before.

With all this in mind, there was a very interesting tidbit from TM's presser today regarding Jimmy Vesey. He spoke with Vesey recently and started his standard line about the city. Jimmy cut him off by stating that he did not need to be sold on Buffalo; he has relatives there and knows & likes the city.

Selling Vesey on the organization should not be very challenging. I think the odds that he's a Sabre well before Aug. 15 is now very high.

 

this august 15th thing is funny with vesey. he doesn't wan't to associate in kidz camp. he reminds me of some russian kidz.

 

Be sure and join the College Pickems contest. Don't miss out.

 

BOOYAH NCAA INFO PIKCHUR OF EPIC AWSUMNESS

 

If I had to guess how many NCAA players were from Minnesota, I think I would have picked a bigger number. I really thought it was closer to 300 because of the strength and quantity of good HS programs in the state.

 

Bob, you can just keep feeding us good stuff like that graphic above!

Hockey is less than one month away!

 

I'm a sucker for a good graphic.
One of the few times the content offsets the BooYahism of the display.

I'm geeking up on jr programs, NCAA conferences, FAs to watch for, etc. as I type. I'll be ready with a reinforced foil chinstrap.

 

I really liked the ghetto art. NCAA players drafted have taken a big uptick in the past ten years. More players are going to school (at least for two years). I think this makes a kid more well rounded and it distances his parents (woot woot!) Good job, Mister Roberto!

 

NCAA is really good at these graphics. I can just see this up on the posters and smartboards at the presentations they hold all over Canada. what they should focus more on is the number of NHL suits that are NCAA alums, staggering numbers there.

 

That's a good point, Matty. I think that a good part of it is that it requires intelligence and the motivation to do something with it that leads some to choose the NCAA path. Intelligence and motivation are traits generally sought after for FO personnel.

On a separate matter, I'd like some stats on players that choose Canadian colleges.

 

Hockey in canadian schools doesn't compare to NCAA, if you're a teenager with high potential talent, you're playing in the O or equivalent for other provinces , anything else is not to be taken serious unless you go down south.

 

Cornell always played a game or two against a Canadian school, so I followed them on that basis. But, in general, we hear ZERO about Canadian colleges. Are they really below D-III or club-level US college programs? Are there any grads. that have gone on to play in the NHL?

 

I highly doubt they've gone on to play in the NHL in the last while, I know it used to happen in the 60's and 70's, ken dryden was from mcgill university. The elite prospects get drafted by the O at 15, and basically the rest would play in university and are good but not good enough. Some would try to go play in the NCAA if they can.

 

from what Ive seen its fair to compare Canadian Universities w/ DIII NCAA teams. the Canadian teams typically have much older players, many ex-CHL guys, a lot of CHL washouts.

 

It's so hard to make the nhl even if you get drafted in the 3rd round. I remember a player named angelo esposito, he was drafted by the pens in the first round. He was suppose to be the best player in canada, he was from montreal and had 98 pts in 54 games in the Q. Went on to play for the wolves and flopped, he's playing in the italian league right now. The forgotten ones make up over 90% of the players.