Thursday Draft Notebook: Moore Leaves Major Junior Door Open

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June 25, 2009

There’s no doubt that the pressure that is placed on 18-year-old kids at the NHL Entry Draft is unmatched, maybe even unfair. These kids trade skateboards and roller blades for business suits, sit through difficult job interviews with countless NHL general managers and have a media spotlight shone on them for three straight days.

For college kids, that pressure is even stronger as they are questioned on their future. Every college expects when they accept a student that he or she will matriculate after four (sometimes five) years.

But once the pressure (and not to mention the multi-million dollar contracts) of the NHL weigh on a kid, there’s often a difficult decision to make whether to go to or return to college or head straight to the pros.

During Thursday’s media luncheon with the top prospects, Colorado College freshman-to-be John Moore was put on the spot by event host and TSN and NBC analyst Pierre Maguire.

Asked Maguire, “We don’t want you to go to college, we want you to play major junior. Would you do that?”

On the spot, Moore answered with little hesitation something that CC coach Scott Owens likely would cringe to hear.

“Sure,” said Moore. “My dream is to play in the NHL and whatever that takes, I’ll explore all avenues, talk it out with my family and determine what’s best for me.”

The difficult question scenario that Maguire posed could be realistic as teams often prefer players to play a full, 80-game major junior schedule as opposed to the shorter 30-plus-game college season.

But, according to Moore, college provides an advantage that is often overlooked but made his decision to head to Colorado College in the first place easier.

“You get the strength and conditioning piece with college,” said Moore. “You’re practicing five days a week, so you can make tremendous strides both on and off the ice.”

When asked if he’s broached the subject of almost inevitably abbreviating his college career with CC’s Owens, Moore said the subject has been discussed.

“[Owens] has said all along, ‘If we can get you for even a year, we’d feel really lucky,'” said Moore. “From my standpoint, that’s all I can ask for.”

Draft’s Opening as Easy as 1-2-3

When talking with E.J. Maguire, head of the NHL’s Central Scouting, he’s pretty sure that the top three players to be selected in Friday’s opening round are pretty much locks.

Most have predicted that forward John Tavares and defenseman Victor Hedman will be the top two players selected. The question of which will go first and which will go second is answered in a needs-based fashion. The New York Islanders, who hold the top pick in this year’s Draft, could certainly use help both offensively and defensively. So the answer to whether it will be Tavares or Hedman walking to the stage first lies in whether GM Garth Snow chooses to address his goal scoring or his blue line needs (and all of that assumes that the Islanders hold the first-round pick and do not trade it away).

But in recent days, it has become clear that the third overall pick, which belongs to the Colorado Avalanche, will almost certainly be center Matt Duchene.

When asked how close Duchene was to being the No. 1 overall, Maguire’s response was “close.

“He’s in the [Steve] Stamkos (last year’s top Draft pick) ilk,” said Maguire. “The way he plays is very similar. He’ll be a wonderful all-around player. He’ll dazzle you with top-end skill.

“He’s close and in the hunt [for the No. 1] but it will be one-two [for Tavares and Hedman] and three [for Duchene.

High School Versus Junior

With future Boston College freshman Chris Kreider ranked among the top North American skaters, the debate raged on Thursday whether or not playing high school as opposed to junior hockey impacts a player’s draft value.

Kreider, who plays at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., was ranked 14th among North American skaters in the final ranking put out by the CSB.

According to E.J. Maguire, though, the fact that Kreider is a high school player certainly made it a challenge to rank.

“The toughest part of scouting is projecting,” said Maguire. “Being at a high school game in, say, Minnesota, you’re saying, ‘Where would he fit on the Brandon Wheat Kings [of the Western Hockey League]?’

But for Maguire and his staff, they are very comfortable making decisions based on the present. Rarely, he said, are they looking towards the player’s future. Their rankings are based on the present value of the player.

As for collegians, though, he said the upside of player development lends credence to justifying higher rankings.

“A tall, skinny kid who has a lot of development [left], the OHL, the CHL might not be best suited for him,” said Maguire. “A team that drafts an NCAA-bound player has his rights for the whole time he’s in that NCAA institution. You pick a kid in the CHL, you have to make a decision in two years. So if you pick that tall, skinny kid who is going to an NCAA program, you can watch him develop, you can pull him out at any time, but they have great strength trainers, they have a higher emphasis on practices than the CHL.

“It’s really about finding the right fit at the right time.”

Rising to the Top

By Melissa Parrelli

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June 24, 2009

What do the Chicago Blackhawks, President Barack Obama and the Chicago Cubs have in common? Well, the obvious answer is the city, but the more important relation here is John Moore. This 18-year-old is undoubtedly going to be snatched up in the first round of the NHL entry draft, as he’s Central Scouting’s top-ranked defensemen and the sixth North American skater overall.

Moore was not only born and raised a true Chicagonian, but he has never had to leave his home state to play hockey (that’ll end this fall when he’ll embark upon his freshman year at Colorado College). While most players his age move across the continent to play in competitive junior leagues, Moore got to advance his career on his own stomping grounds playing for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League from 2007 to 2009.

Moore entered the team a slight 5-foot-9, but over the course of two seasons catapulted to a 6-2, 189-pound USHL defenseman of the year.

“He’s someone that came in and we knew he had good skills and skating ability,” Steel coach Steve Poapst said. “But he wasn’t very big; maybe 5-9, 5-10, 165 pounds. Then he grew 4 1/2, 5 inches and put on 25, 30 pounds, but didn’t lose any of the skill or skating ability and didn’t have any awkwardness. He just got better and better as he went along.”

“Yeah, it was nice to grow because coming in I was one of the smaller, younger kids,” Moore said. “It was something to get used to because you’re playing against big guys with beards, so it was a little intimidating at first. I didn’t even notice I was growing. It was like I’d show up to the rink one day and be a little bit taller and my equipment wouldn’t fit quite as well. That summer I tried to fill out a little bit and the confidence came along with it because I was bigger and stronger.”

Colorado College recruit John Moore is the top-ranked defenseman in this year’s NHL entry draft (file photo: Robert J. Meyer, USHL Images).

Moore not only grew physically, but mentally as well. Poapst, a former NHL defenseman, explained how Moore developed skills like a pro and acted like one:

“He’s a kid that’s truly special; he’s got abilities that separate himself from the rest of the players in his age group,” he said. “You can see the difference when he played this year; he did some things that were on the level of pros that other kids didn’t even comprehend or were expecting it. He’s a tremendously gifted skater — that’s his biggest strength — and he has puck-handling ability to go along with it. He passes the puck like a pro. He would make passes that would hit people’s sticks before they were even ready for it, they’d explode off him, they weren’t ready for it.”

Over the course of Moore’s career with the Steel, Poapst recognized an emotional maturity within his player. John was appointed captain when the original captain was injured and he quickly adjusted to the leadership role, but not without putting added pressure on himself. Being one of the top performers in the league, Moore was getting attention from college and pro scouts on top of his starring role on the team, so learning how to balance everything has been a key part in his development.

“John played 30-35 minutes a game for us and players that play those amounts of minutes are going to make mistakes, but it’s how you handle those mistakes and make adjustments to it,” Poapst explained. “He’d make a mistake, get mad, and then go out and try to make up for it on the next shift. Then he’d come back just rattled and didn’t know how to deal with that.

“We told him, ‘You need to be a player we can count on. We can’t have you get so mad that we can’t put you out there for the next five minutes of the game, so you’ve got to learn that the mistake has been made and that’s no big deal.’ So he listened and was quickly able to balance his emotions and mature that way. He was a leader by going back out and not allowing it to affect him. He’s grown and matured significantly as a player. He’s going to be fine [stepping in at CC]; He’s going to be counted on.”

Since he didn’t live away from home with a billet family like other junior players, Moore is more than ready for the Windy City to blow him west to Colorado to start an independent life at a new school, with a new team.

“No, I’m not too nervous,” Moore said. “I guess you could say I’m lucky that I’ve been able to play my junior hockey here, but I think I’m definitely ready to move out of the house and be on my own.”

But if Moore does feel homesick, all he has to do is think about the wonderful memories he’s had over the years playing in Chicago and being with his family. One of the funniest hockey moments was during his first year with the Steel when the older guys pulled a fast one on the young lads.

“We were in Sioux Falls, S.D., for a game and there was a blizzard, so we were going to stay the night in a hotel and then leave when the snow stopped the next day,” Moore said. “Me and two other guys shared a room and at 4:30 a.m. we get a call from one of the older kids, Andy Miele, who plays at Miami right now. He says, ‘Yeah, the roads are looking better so we’re going to leave here now.’ So we were like, ‘OK.’ But then five minutes later he called again pretending to be coach Poapst, so we said, ‘Andy, we know it’s you’ and hung up the phone again.

“Then at 5 a.m. our goalie knocked on our door with his jacket on and all his bags and was like, ‘Come on you guys, you’re going to miss the bus.’ So we freaked out and threw all our stuff together and then we sprinted through the lobby. As we’re running we hear laughter and there were a couple of guys on the team standing around laughing at us. The older guys pranked us younger kids. I was salty at the moment, but looking back on it, it’s pretty funny.”

Being the “new guy” is something Moore will have to face again this fall as a rookie in college hockey, and of course when he makes the jump to the pros.

Speaking of pros, Moore unquestionably grew up as a Blackhawks fan, so it would be normal to assume that’s where he would like to be drafted. However, with his indebted attitude, he claims he’d be equally enthusiastic to belong to any NHL organization.

“My favorite team is the Blackhawks because I’ve grown up in Chicago and played hockey here my whole life,” Moore said. “It sounds so cliche, but I’d enjoy being drafted by anyone, then they’d automatically become my favorite team. I mean, to hear your name called from any team in June [on draft day] would be unbelievable.”

At the 2009 Scouting Combine in Toronto last month, Moore met with 29 of the 30 NHL teams, and unavoidably was subjected to intense scrutiny through challenging physical tests, psychological examinations, and one-on-one team interviews.

“It was a little intimidating at first, walking into the room and seeing the scouts and the media and all the various people watching you work out,” Moore said. “That was definitely not something I was used to, but it was a great experience just being there with all the NHL teams and some of the top players in the world. It was pretty tiring, and when I was done with it I think I slept for like for two days straight.”

But before he was done, Moore even met with sports psychologists, a Dallas Stars one in particular for 3 1/2 hours. Then the interview portion allowed team talent evaluators to gain insight into the players’ character; something that is not always clear from watching them skate. Teams ask a wide range of questions, as Moore surely knows.

“Toronto really gave me the craziest question,” he said. “They gave me a card with pictures of Anna Kournikova, Barack Obama and Sean Avery and told me to rank one to three who I’d like to have dinner with. So I did Obama one, Kournikova two, and Avery three. I don’t know why I chose that, I guess you don’t want to be the guy that picks the girl and wanted to make it seem like I was somewhat interested in politics. So I said I’d pick Obama because I’d want to pick his brain. They sort of just sat there, trying to stay the enemy, so you don’t get any telltale signs of what they thought of your answers.”

Whether or not that was the answer the evaluators were looking for, Moore’s talent speaks for itself, and his humility and genuine personality are just added bonuses. But this self-proclaimed shy, hard-working guy wanted to make one thing clear: When asked if he had the chance to make one wish and have it come true, Moore responded with the following:

“Well, that’s a tough one because you don’t want to be selfish and do something just for you, but at the same time it’s only one wish … so I guess I’d probably like to see my Cubs win the World Series.”

So the wish wouldn’t be for a successful career, a Stanley Cup or Norris Trophy?

Moore added, “Well no, I mean an NHL career you can’t count on a wish, if you put in hard work it’s going to happen.”

Now that’s an answer any team would like to hear.

2009 NHL Entry Draft Preview: Finding College’s Place

By Jim Connelly

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June 24, 2009

The debate has raged on and on in recent years between which is better: Junior A hockey or U.S. college hockey.

This weekend in Montreal we may find out the answer, at least in the eyes of those most important to the game — NHL executives.

As this weekend’s NHL Entry Draft kicks off, beyond the foregone conclusion of the first two selections in the draft, the remainder of the first-round picks, most experts feel, is wide open. The top prospects to fill the spots, according to the rankings developed by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau (CSB), are comprised of both collegiate and collegiate-to-be players and others from the top ranks of junior hockey.

Therein is our debate.

The absence of any stellar European products makes this a North American battle. Will the full-season major junior ranks typically played in Canada prevail over shorter-season U.S. college hockey? Pure numbers alone suggest yes.

Get past the first two draft picks — there’s little doubt that Canada’s John Tavares and Sweden’s Victor Hedman will be taken as the first two picks (though the order remains unclear). After that, it’s likely it’s all North Americans through the top 10.

So filling those final eight spots will be either major junior or college players. College, though, is at a disadvantage, with only two players ranked in the top 10 among North American skaters.

How, then, will the battle of college vs. junior be settled? In this writer’s opinion, the two highly-ranked collegians — Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder and Colorado College freshman-to-be John Moore — can make a statement for the U.S. college game if both are selected top 10.

Schroeder was ranked fifth in the final CSB rankings. Moore was sixth.

But CSB is not the be all, end all.

In recent years, the International Scouting Service (ISS) emerged as a trusted source for NHL scouts. Similar to the CSB, the ISS ranks each player individually through data and opinions they gather. Their opinions of Schroeder and Moore aren’t nearly as high. ISS ranks Schroeder 12th and Moore 17th.

Now the question becomes, which ranking has more credibility? ISS certainly is a better system as it ranks all eligible players together whereas as CSB breaks down the prospects into four lists — North American skaters, North American goaltenders, European skaters and European defensemen. Thus, a player ranked fifth, as is Schroeder, by CSB could slip to a lower draft position if say, four European players and a couple of goalies slipped ahead of him.

The problem this year, though, is that the crop of goalies is awful and the European contingent (besides Hedman) of players isn’t expected to overtake many of the top 10 spots.

So the difference between the CSB and ISS rankings for Schroeder and Moore certainly sends a statement: ISS prefers major junior players.

Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder is the top collegian in the NHL Entry Draft rankings (file photo: Jason Waldowski).

This is hardly a blanket statement year after year. For 2009, though, it is true.

Now the question is how will the NHL GMs react? Will they overthrow ISS and make Schroeder and Moore top 10 picks? Or will the ISS influence knock one (or both!) out of the top 10?

The gut says likely somewhere in between. A win for college would be both players drafted in the top eight. A draw might be one player in the top eight and another in the top 12. A minor loss would be one player in the top 10 and another just below, say top 15. A complete loss is if both players’ stock knocks them below the 10th overall position. The last time the top 10 was absent a player with U.S. college ties was 1999 (considered by many to be the worst draft crop in history). That year, Michigan’s Jeff Jillson was the highest selection at 14th and only two other college players (Wisconsin’s David Tanabe, 16th, and Maine’s Barrett Heisten, 20th) were first-round selections.

This year, though, hardly should paint as cloudy a picture for college hockey as a decade ago. There are more than a handful of talented players who have a chance to make a statement in this year’s draft and when the opening round is over, it’s likely that five or six (or more) players with collegiate ties will have heard their names called.

Louis Leblanc (Harvard, incoming) and Chris Kreider (Boston College) are both ranked highly by CSB. Leblanc was a point-a-game player last season for Omaha in the USHL.

“Louis established himself as one of the better and most tenacious players in the league,” said Leblanc’s coach in Omaha, Bliss Littler. “He has an outstanding stick and a nose for the net. His work ethic is unmatched and he truly understands the meaning of the word ‘team.'”

Kreider, somewhat unproven as a high school senior-to-be at Phillips Academy-Andover (Mass.), will get a lot of attention because of his size. Standing at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds as an 18-year-old freshman, he might see a team take a chance on him early in the first round.

“The scouts who see him know what type of tremendous skills he has and he obviously has great physical strength, but he’s an absolutely great character kid,” said Phillips Andover coach Dean Boylan. “He’s a great kid off the ice, a presence in the locker room and a young man who is forever looking to get better. Character is important to me and Chris is at the top.”

You can also expect players like Drew Shore (Denver, incoming), Nick Leddy (Minnesota, incoming) and Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame, incoming) to be first-round potentials. Zach Budish (Minnesota, incoming) was a lock first-rounder earlier in the year, but injured his knee just nine games in for Edina (Minn.) High School. Because of that, his stock may fall, but he also may be a late first-round pick for a team that feels he is a steal.

The first round of the NHL Entry Draft kicks off from Montreal’s Bell Centre at 7 p.m. Eastern on Friday (TV: Versus, TSN). Rounds two through six take place Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern (TV: NHL Network, TSN).

USCHO.com will have complete coverage from Montreal.

Parker, York Share Boston Sports Honor (Updated)

By Brian Sullivan

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June 24, 2009

Arguably the decade’s most successful sports town recognized two of college hockey’s most successful coaches Wednesday night. Boston College’s Jerry York and Boston University’s Jack Parker were honored with the Special Achievement Award at this year’s Tradition, a fundraising who’s-who of Boston sports that benefits the New England Sports Museum.

“We were up at Clarkson in the early 70’s, Jack was an assistant at BU and I was an assistant at Clarkson,” reminisced York. “We were talking, and saying geez, [former BC coach] Len Ceglarski and [BU counterpart] Jack Kelley have been doing this thing for a long time. We never thought at that point, Jack, [that we’d be here].”

“I know when I got the job at BU, Jack Kelley — who was my former coach — called me up and said congratulations. And I said, ‘I’ll tell you one thing, I’ll never be in this job as long as you were.’ He was at BU for ten years,” concurred Parker to a laugh from the audience.

York and Parker, the only two active college hockey coaches with more than 800 wins, joined the Tradition’s eighth annual class of honorees that included former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and former New England Patriots player Troy Brown (Lifetime Achievement Awards), local Olympic medalist Nancy Kerrigan (Figure Skating Legacy Award), former Boston Celtic Sam Jones (Basketball Legacy Award) and former Boston Bruins legend Ken Hodge Sr. (Hockey Achievement Award).

“Being inducted with Jerry is quite a tribute for us, and to kinda elevate college hockey in this town, it’s nice,” reflected Parker, “but to be on the same stage with the other people who were here tonight — not just the other recipients, but the other presenters — Milt Shmidt, Bill Russell, Bill Belichick, is quite a thrill for me. I’m a fan. I’m a season ticket-holder for the Red Sox, but as a kid I was really a Celtics fan more than anything else. Bill Russell is, to this day, my favorite athlete of all time.”

So closely connected on a professional level, the local coaching legends also spoke of a personal relationship beyond the microphones and cameras.

“We’ll see each other occasionally,” said York. “He gets involved in all sorts of sailing, and I’m into golf, so we’ll occasionally have lunch together. We’re good friends, who just happen to be great rivals.”

Parker assessed the comparisons as equally inevitable and complimentary.

“I think it’s probably the only reason they [induct us] now, because we won back-to-back [national titles] and we’ve both had long careers, and very similar types of careers. It would’ve been hard to have one of us without the other. They probably wouldn’t have had one of us without the other,” he grinned.

Assistant Coach Hastings Leaves Minnesota for UNO

USCHO Staff Report

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June 24, 2009

Mike Hastings is moving from his position as assistant coach at Minnesota to the associate head coach position at Nebraska-Omaha.

Hastings will join new Mavericks coach Dean Blais and Nick Fohr, who as an assistant coach for former UNO coach Mike Kemp, in the new staff.

“Mike Hastings has a proven track record of developing players for Division I college hockey, and he will be a great asset as we work to take UNO to the next level,” Blais said in a news release. “In addition, Nick Fohr has done a fine job during his two years as an assistant coach at UNO, and he will provide continuity to our program both on the ice and in recruiting.”

Hastings joined Minnesota’s staff last season after a successful 14-year run with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.

His move back to Omaha could signal a line of succession in the Mavericks’ head coaching position.

“Dean told Mike that whoever takes this position will have a great chance to replace him down the line,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said in a news release. “I enjoyed my year with Mike and wish him the best.”

Minnesota will elevate former captain Grant Potulny, who recently joined the staff as a volunteer assistant, to a full-time position on an interim basis until a search can be conducted.

Quinn Leaves BU For AHL Job

USCHO Staff Report

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June 22, 2009

David Quinn is leaving his position as associate head coach of national champion Boston University to become the head coach of the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters.

David Quinn spent five seasons as an assistant to Jack Parker at Boston University (file photo: Melissa Wade).

Quinn, 42, spent five seasons at his alma mater after leading the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-17 team for two seasons. He also was an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha and Northeastern.

“David is a proven winner who has successfully coached young players throughout their careers,” said Greg Sherman, general manager of the Colorado Avalanche, the Monsters’ parent team. “He played a significant role in the success of Boston University’s program, and has the necessary experience to lead our young prospects in Cleveland.”

Quinn played three seasons at BU, from 1984 to 1987, before being diagnosed with a blood disorder called Christmas Disease that cut short his collegiate career. He was a first-round NHL draft pick by the Minnesota North Stars in 1984.

Back to School: Blais Headed to UNO (Updated)

By Todd D. Milewski

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June 12, 2009

Dean Blais is back in college hockey.

Will his next move be back to the WCHA?

That much is uncertain, but what’s known is that Blais is the new coach at Nebraska-Omaha, a move that was announced at a news conference Friday in Omaha, Neb.

Blais, a two-time national champion in 10 seasons at North Dakota, resigned as head coach of the USHL’s Fargo Force to make the move. He’ll be just the second coach in UNO’s program history, following Mike Kemp, who moved into the school’s athletics administration and helped pick his successor.

“From the beginning of the search process, we identified Dean as someone who could take UNO hockey to the next level,” Nebraska-Omaha athletic director Trev Alberts said in a news release. “We are excited to have someone with his talent and experience leading our hockey program into a new era.”

The next discussion in an active summer for the Mavericks program involves its conference affiliation, and the hiring of Blais could be an indicator.

UNO has been courted by the WCHA as an addition that could allow the league to bring Bemidji State into the fold and round out a 12-team arrangement.

Blais has a long history in the WCHA, starting as a player at Minnesota, then as an assistant and head coach at North Dakota.

But for now, the Mavericks are in the CCHA, and they hope landing a coach as experienced as Blais will help the team rank consistently among the top there.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of returning to Division I college hockey, particularly in a conference as competitive as the CCHA,” Blais said in the news release. “I’m also looking forward to working with Trev Alberts and Mike Kemp to build on what Mike and his staff have accomplished and make UNO hockey one of the elite programs in the nation.”

An International Falls, Minn., native, Blais won the 1997 and 2000 national championships with North Dakota and saw the Sioux fall to Boston College in overtime in the 2001 final.

He left the Sioux in 2004 to join the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. He later became the first coach and general manager in Fargo, where he led the Force to the USHL finals in their first season.

Kemp, who had a 191-226-54 record in 12 seasons at UNO, will be one of Blais’ supervisors.

“I had the great honor to start Maverick hockey with Don Leahy back in 1996, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to shepherd the program forward with someone who has Dean’s stature in college hockey,” Kemp said in the news release. “He will have a positive impact on the progress that has already been made, and I’m looking forward to a strong and fruitful relationship with Dean and his future staff.”

BU Co-Captain Strait Goes Pro

By Scott Weighart

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June 11, 2009

Boston University defenseman Brian Strait’s stint as co-captain proved to be a short one.

Less than two months after the Terriers won the national championship in dramatic fashion over Miami, the rising senior opted to forgo his senior season in favor of signing a pro contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted him in the third round of the 2006 NHL entry draft.

Strait’s departure leaves former co-captain Kevin Shattenkirk as the sole captain. He is the first Terrier since Jack O’Callahan to be a captain as a junior, and, according to Terrier historian Sean Pickett, he is first BU junior to be the only captain since Bob Smith in the 1961-62 season. Senior Eric Gryba and junior Nick Bonino will serve as assistant captains.

On a team dominated by more flashy offensive defensemen, Strait and Grbya were the true defensive defensemen for the BU team, which won seven championships over the course of last season.

Defenseman Brian Strait will forgo his senior season at Boston University to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins (file photo: Melissa Wade).

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Terriers coach Jack Parker told USCHO. “We’re losing a very, very good player at a key position and a senior who gives us experience but also a senior who was co-captain of the team. All of that is a big loss.”

Defenseman Max Nicastro — a 6-foot-3 blueliner who played for Chicago in the USHL last season — already was in the mix to replace graduating senior Matt Gilroy for this fall. However, Strait’s departure means that BU will accelerate the arrival of Sean Escobedo, another USHL product who originally was slated to arrive in 2010.

“We thought it was a possibility that [Strait] might sign, therefore we had backup in place in case he did sign,” Parker said. “So we’re not so worried about numbers at defense, and we certainly are going to have some quality at defense back, but we’re going to miss his leadership and experience.

“Three of our four returning defensemen are more offensive players, and Strait is more of a defensive player. Escobedo is the same type of player. He’s not an offensive, get-up-the-ice type player like Shattenkirk or David Warsofksy, but he won’t have experience at this level.”

Time will tell whether Strait chose wisely by leaving early.

“It remains to be seen whether it’s the correct decision for him,” Parker said.

Asked if Strait may enjoy some financial advantage by leaving now, Parker replied, “I don’t see any at all.”

Parker pointed out that if Strait had stayed for his senior year and held off signing for a few months, he could have become a free agent and enjoyed a bidding war, just as Gilroy experienced recently.

The bottom line is whether Strait will play most of next season in the NHL.

“A lot of guys who are good players in this league have gotten to be NHL players, and there’s no reason to think he won’t,” Parker said. “But will he play next year? It all depends. They’re in the Stanley Cup finals right now; they’ve got a pretty good team. They’re telling him that they’re going to lose all these defensemen to free agency — that they’re not going to sign them. And they may lose some of them, but it doesn’t mean they won’t sign another free agent. They don’t know who they’re going to get in the draft or who they’re going to trade for. I think he thinks it’s best for him.

“I don’t think there’s any question in my mind that the only reason you should leave BU is to go play in the NHL — not to go play in the American Hockey League. What he’s going to give up next year and what he could have had here next year is something he’ll never get back, no matter if he plays 10 or 15 years in the NHL.”

Strait finishes his college career with a modest total of five goals and 18 assists in 111 games played, but he will be best remembered for his grit, leadership, and reliable defensive play, particularly as defensive partner to Hobey Baker Award winner Gilroy, who gave Strait considerable credit for his success.

Plymouth State Turns To Corson

USCHO Staff Report

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June 11, 2009

Plymouth State has named Darcy Corson the coach of its women’s program.

She replaces Heathey Hoffay, who posted a 1-54-1 record in the program’s first three seasons.

Corson, a 2001 graduate of Bowdoin, was the head coach at Milton Academy in Massachusetts for the last two years.

“She is experienced, knowledgeable and energetic and will be an outstanding addition to our women’s ice hockey program,” Plymouth State associate athletic director Kim Bownes said in a news release. “Darcy has shown she can help a program grow and we’re excited to have her help with the growth with our women’s ice hockey program.”

Corson has coached at the USA Hockey National Player Development Camp in Rochester, N.Y., and has coached at several other hockey camps, including the Brown University Elite camp.

“I am very excited about the opportunity at Plymouth State,” Corson said. “I met some of the members of the team during the interview process and was impressed with the enthusiasm and determination of the team. It will take a lot of hard work but we are determined to build a women’s ice hockey program that Plymouth State will be proud of. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

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