I will be back at the XCel Center this weekend for the West Regional..Most of my writing will go towards CH247, but I'll certainly link to it here. This week got off to a slow start. I think I literally caught the Badger flu and was sick on Monday. Tuesday, I learned the difference between a "dinner" and a "dinner event," which was fantastic for eating great authentic Thai food and meeting 120 of the douchiest people in the Twin Cities, and their 137 iPhones, but not so much for getting stuff done. I should, at some point, get some kind of previews and predictions up for this weekend.
In the interest of cross-promotion, I'll point CollegeHockey247 has some really great stuff up this week with kids that are going to this weekend's NTDP Final 40 Evaluation Camp. They've got exclusive coverage to cover the camp, so they should have more great stuff next week as well.
The odds of a first round draft pick goalie making it in the NHL are not great. I wonder if that bit of information applies to anyone in this year's draft?
Michigan State's Jeff Petry is pretty guaranteed to sign with Edmonton eventually, and will immediately be the team's top defenseman according to some fans in Edmonton. A starving man will eat anything, I guess. Corey Tropp and Andrew Rowe are also flight risks for MSU. I think it would be a mistake for Tropp to pass up an opportunity to leave now. He had a solid year, and there is always the potential MSU ends up in the toilet like they did last year and his stock drops significantly. Rowe has never blown me away, but he improved a lot this year, and plays with a ton of heart. I can't see him fielding a ton of serious offers because I don't see him as much of a pro prospect, but if he gets an NHL contract offer, it would be tough not to take it.
Also from Tim Staudt in that report, good luck trying to figure out the logic behind this:
Comley says MSU was the last team out of the NCAA tournament and if Michigan had not beaten Miami, then MSU would have replaced the Wolverines in the 16-team field. He is not for expanding the current 16-team format, although I am in favor of expanding it to 24 because a couple of teams with automatic bids, like Alabama Huntsville, are in the field with a losing record
A 24-team NCAA field is 40% of the teams in college hockey. That will never happen.
The Bruins are interested in signing Joe Colborne as soon as Denver is done in the NCAA tournament. Colborned proved he was ready for pro hockey in the second half of this season. He's at another level. The Bruins will also reportedly offer a contract to Michigan's Steve Kampfer, which makes sense, given they gave up a draft pick for Kampfer's rights at the trading deadline this year.
MGoBlog tries to select a better NCAA tournament field. He ends up with Duluth in the field, mainly because unlike the PWR, he doesn't bother comparing UMD against BU and UMass-Lowell, since BU and Lowell don't factor in at all, even with a generously-sized bubble. He also takes Ferris State over Alaska and Vermont.
INCH did their annual tournament Wish List draft.