Sorry for the lack of posting. I've been away from a computer the past couple days, and it might take me a few to catch up.
DU recruit Stepan Novotny will be signing with the Kelowna Rockets rather than attending Denver. Maybe it will help Novotny's draft status to put up big numbers playing younger competition next year, rather than being an ancillary player on a loaded DU team.
Also, Michigan recruit Jared Knight will be signing with the London Knights. I don't have a solid permalink, but there's a ton of discussion here. Apparently Dale Hunter made quite a pitch to Knight's father at the Select 16 Festival to convince him to sign.
People north of the border are trying to create panic about "all the future first round draft picks going to the CHL," but looking back at the '90 birthdates, the US lost these "future first round picks" to the CHL: Zach Bogosian(1st round), Phil McRae(2nd round), Mitch Wahl(2nd round), Adam Comrie(3rd round), A.J. Jenks(4th round), and Barry Sanderson(still waiting to be drafted), and at last check, there were still NCAA games scheduled for next year, so I guess the lesson is that there are far more "potential first round picks" than actual first round picks, and if these kids want to leave, it's not much of a deal.
It's kind of a shame for both Denver and Michigan. It's a tough blow for Denver because they probably don't have time to add someone for next year, and they've already lost one player in their class with David Carle. It's a little easier for Michigan to replace a 2010 recruit, though it's a shame that they passed on some other, more loyal, players that have made commitments elsewhere since to keep a spot for Knight.
DU recruit Stepan Novotny will be signing with the Kelowna Rockets rather than attending Denver. Maybe it will help Novotny's draft status to put up big numbers playing younger competition next year, rather than being an ancillary player on a loaded DU team.
Also, Michigan recruit Jared Knight will be signing with the London Knights. I don't have a solid permalink, but there's a ton of discussion here. Apparently Dale Hunter made quite a pitch to Knight's father at the Select 16 Festival to convince him to sign.
People north of the border are trying to create panic about "all the future first round draft picks going to the CHL," but looking back at the '90 birthdates, the US lost these "future first round picks" to the CHL: Zach Bogosian(1st round), Phil McRae(2nd round), Mitch Wahl(2nd round), Adam Comrie(3rd round), A.J. Jenks(4th round), and Barry Sanderson(still waiting to be drafted), and at last check, there were still NCAA games scheduled for next year, so I guess the lesson is that there are far more "potential first round picks" than actual first round picks, and if these kids want to leave, it's not much of a deal.
It's kind of a shame for both Denver and Michigan. It's a tough blow for Denver because they probably don't have time to add someone for next year, and they've already lost one player in their class with David Carle. It's a little easier for Michigan to replace a 2010 recruit, though it's a shame that they passed on some other, more loyal, players that have made commitments elsewhere since to keep a spot for Knight.