The minute the off-season begins the same damn thing happens every year, its just like clock workand you could set your watch by it. Makes you wonder if these professional teams are faxing the players contract offers as they are showering after the game. It’s no secret that the NCAA Division one hockey is stuffed full of future NHL talent and seems the minute these kid’s college season ends the professional team that owns their rights swarm down on these kids like vultures. Personally, I wish these professional teams would back off a bit and give the kids some air. Every time Chicago’s general Manager Dale Tallon is on XM-204 NHL center ice the hosts are asking Tallon when he is going to sign Jonathon Toews. I am actually sick and tired of hearing about it every day of the week. Incidental, most of us have already accepted that fact that Toews is gone when the season is over, if your a Sioux fan and you haven't your delusional. So take a picture of the 2006-2007 because you can bet next years team is going to look a whole lot different.
As I think back to all of the players that have left UND early in the last few years one could assemble a pretty good team that would go deep into the NCAA tourney. Actually, I still have gotten over the day that Zach Parise went pro. What made it even worse was the fact he went to the New Jersey Devils. To top it all off Zajac also play for the evil empire the hated New Jersey Devils. In case you haven't noticed I am recovering Bruins fan and detest the Devils, that ok I still watch them play anyways.
You really can't blame these young stars for taking the money which isn't bad and all you can do is wish them well. I know most of us wish they would stay all four years but it isn't realistic anymore. What can you do, hold them at gun point. Look at it this way; if you were sitting at your desk or cubical at work and someone came up to you and said, we will pay you 850,000.00 to work 6 months at the most, we would all be gone and we would take the money in a heart beat. There would be a vapor trail behind me if I was given that opportunity.
In Minneapolis, I like how tDon is dealing with the possibility of having another slough of early departures. I kind of admire this approach. This off season Luica is telling his players let me know what your plans are with in next 60 days. You really can't blame Lucia one bit. I pretty sure he probably doesn’t want to be scrambling during the summer to fill the holes departing players have left. Last summer super frosh Phil Kessel signed late in the summer causing Jay Bariball to come early. The move worked out well for Lucia but it would have been a disaster rushing a kid in to college that could have benefited from another year of junior hockey.
I also can't blame him the three mentioned players are stud hockey players and with them the Gophers are strong without them, well they are still good but more beatable.
The Gophers are on hold as three of their best players -- defensemen Alex Goligoski and Erik Johnson and forward Kyle Okposo -- decide whether to sign professional contracts or return for another season.
Lucia has vowed to make the decision of all three known sooner rather than later. He said he has made calls to some advisors to get a sense of where things stand.
"I'm going to sit down with the players and find out where they are at," Lucia said. "I'm not going to wait until July to find out like we have in the past. I would like things to be settled in the next 60 days."
Lucia said he believes all three players would be best served by returning for another season. Johnson and Okposo are freshmen. Goligoski is a junior, but Lucia said he believes Goligoski needs to get stronger before he's ready for the NHL.
Father knows best
I think these young men should take former Sioux player Mark Chourney's advice stay in school.
The excitement of pro hockey wears off quickly when you know it's a business," Marc Chorney said. "Once you turn pro, you can't go back to your college days. It's hard to tell that to a young person when the opportunity is right there in front of him and it's his dream to play in the NHL.
"Among those I know who played college and pro hockey, it's unanimous that the longer you can stay in school, grow up and mature, the better player you'll be when you turn pro," Marc said. "I tell that to everybody, not just my son."
After four years at UND, Marc graduated with a business degree. Today, he owns a company that manufactures hardwood flooring for semi trailers and operates three plants in the U.S. and one in Canada. He and his wife Lynn know what they'd like their son to do, although they haven't discussed it with him yet.
"As parents, our preference is for him to go back to school," Marc said. "The big reason for him to go to Shattuck and to North Dakota was to get a good education. It's ultimately his decision, but I'm hopeful that he feels the same way I do."
While Taylor Chorney concentrates on preparing for UND's upcoming game with Michigan, he makes it clear that when the season is done, he'll give serious consideration to his father's advice.
Mike Santorelli Turns the Money down
Here is an interesting story Mike Santorelli decides to stay in school for now. Kind of like last summer when Brian Elliot could have went pro after last season, what was there to prove he had already won a title, but he decided to return for his senior year. If Mike returns you can bet that NMU will prove to be a strong team in the CCHA. I would love to see them finish at the top of the CCHA.
Northern Michigan junior forward Mike Santorelli finished tied for second in the nation in goals scored with North Dakota's Ryan Duncan. Ted Cook of Niagara was the goal scoring champion at 32 goals and the trio were the only to surpass the 30 goal mark this season.
Santorelli has yet to sign with the Nashville Predators or its AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. A source who will remain nameless reported that Santorelli turned down the first offer from the organization.
Santorelli was unable to comment on the situation last week when I spoke with him concerning his future as a pro but he would talk about the possibility of returning and the advantage of staying in college.
“The season just finished on Saturday night so I don’t know where things are going yet. I can’t really comment on that,” Santorelli said about going pro. “College is a great place and it is another year to mature as a player to get bigger, stronger and quicker.”
Yay for insight! NMU head coach Walt Kyle had a little more to say and while during the season, he has been pretty open about Santorelli leaving, he did say last week that he believes Santorelli could return.
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