Saturday 30 May 2009

Offseason / Recruiting Post

Continuing in the spirit of our "Hot Button Issues" post, once again we offer a place for you to comment, cry, complain, encourage or otherwise emote on the state of the Tommies. The text link at the top of the page, below the logo, will remain until opening night for easy access back to this post.

Reflections on 2008-2009? Comments on recruiting? Predictions for 2009-2010? It all goes here.

29 comments:

  1. FINALLY:
    I see by today's Gleaner that St.Thomas has landed 2 european recruits,Daniel Bartek of the Czech Republic and a Gabriel Lundin from Stockholm for their mens hockey........surprising in that it's soooooooo early.;NO NO, I misspoke it was the Dalhousie Tigers.......don't they know it's way too early??those stupid recruiters at Dal,shame on them.

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  2. "RECRUITMENT INTERUPTUS":

    The above is one of a number of conditions whose characteristics include ,"starting to late and finishing too early" .

    I was disturbed to read this AM in the Gleaner that Pete Belliveau is guilty of some form of "pre-mature recruitmentitus" and should an investigation be launched by AUS & CIS as it is clearly too early to be engaged in such activities but WHAT would Pete Belliveau know about this matter as he is just working on bringing a successfull program to a 4th CIS school .

    For those contributers to this blog and just for the record,STU was ranked 32nd out of 33 in goals against(5.2 g / game).
    the defensive side of the game and was somewhat better in offensive statistics in being 21st out of 33 (3 g / game).

    Now an objective read regarding the above should explain my numerous rants on this subject......STU needs to do better and very quickly,there can no longer be justification for not getting the job done.HAS COACH EAGLES REACHED HIS LEVEL OF INCOMPETANCE? LETS GET THE JOB DONE.

    STU FAN (AGAIN)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So, STU doesn't recruit a player a day and it's an issue?

    Hard to recruit an entire new roster in a calendar year like you want them to.

    An 8-16-4 program isn't exactly the flashiest of records.

    Be thankful we got two good forwards already.

    Let the pieces fall first.

    The glass isn't half empty and hitting you over the head.

    ReplyDelete
  4. STU Fan makes valid points in regard to the record of the team last year and the level of talent. I feel like it is a sin against my team to bad mouth, so I won't but we do have to upgrade NOW, not later, if we want to be more than a "compete for a playoff spot" team. You wouldn't see a surge in Squirrel supporters if they were competing for a playoff spot.

    I have many UNB friends and they are always the first to point out that our attendance is down. Its true. Rum row has never been so bare in all my years. We need our core fans back first, then the casual fan back second, and then get the next generation. How are we going to do this? We need a team that will compete for championships.

    UNB had 2 Jr A guys on their roster. SMU had a couple as well but they hardly saw the ice, at least at UNB MacIntosh played all the time and Campbell was a big cog at Nationals. We have to match them recruit for recruit or else we will be left behind.

    Yes it is early. I'm not pushing the panick button but I want to see a high level Tommies team. I'm sure Mike S, STU Fan, and Video guy (Green & Gold Cop) would agree.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You don't get to rebuild slowly in this league. As SquirrelH8TR said, do you want to be a team that's continually on the bubble, hovering around .500, happy to make the playoffs or do you want to compete for a championship?

    The new guys so far this year are fine additions. But we still need 2 more top 6 forwards, a defenseman and a goalie. That's if you want to make the playoffs and make some noise. Then guess what, next year you've got to recruit again so that you can be in the hunt for a berth in nationals. If that's not why you're in it, then pack it up and forget about it.

    And time IS of the essence. All the good players are making their decisions NOW. They're either going pro, or picking their best offer for school. They're no longer available in July. So keep at it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hire Former Tommie Dan Fergusson as a coach to show the boys the light.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The manner in which Dan Ferguson would show the boys the light would result in a team of visually impaired players( as in black eyes shut)......Dan's presence on the AUS ice often resulted in opposition players leaving a trail of diareah behind them..........STU doesen't need a new coach but does need a new recruiter.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The most improtant job of CIS coach at a small liberal arts schoool is the ability to RECRUIT! period! end quote. McAdam and Smith figured this out, Eagles has not. In the time since Smith's recruiting classes graduated, the Tommies winning percentage has dropped below acceptable levels.It is not like this is news to anyone Eagles has been on the job 6-7 years of bottom feeding.

    ReplyDelete
  9. STU has, at best, 7 forwards for the top 9

    Beljo
    Eagles
    Cassidy
    Welcher
    Dietrich
    Chamberland
    Banfield

    Still need 2 more players, preferably a strong center and a good scoring winger

    Leaving Gallant, Rinzler, Price, Turgeon, Foster, Murphy, Praught to fight for 4th line tome. Gallant and Rinzler were major disappointments last year. Given a fire underneath him, he could be a very valuable banger with the occasional offense, but he's gotta want to play more than it appeared last year. Praught had a good season, but was he the beneficiary of good linemates? Certainly is no "edge" to his game. Turgeon works hard and brings energy, how much more can you get out of him, though? All said, these guys could play 4th line.

    Defensively, Andricopoulos, Tremblay, Wynn, Main, Lehr, Crossman... Need at least one more defenseman with size and puck moving ability with a shot from the point on the power play

    In goal, MacFarlane looked good as the season went on, and could be an effective part of a goalie tandem with a new #1 goalie.

    If Tommies can recruit these 2 new forwards, 1 d-man (at least) and goalie, then I'd be willing to say - "team on the rise". Not until.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree totally with the 2 above comments,Eagle's 1st year when he went from worst to 1st was in some way the recruitment job done by both MacAdam and Smith,now credit where credit is due,Eagles DID maximize the potential of that collection of players but as noted above has made countless recruitng errors which has resulted in NOT making the play-offs and MIGHT be on track to repeat again next year..........I would hate to think if Matt Eagles was to get an AHL contract and Beljo make other plans,really the only sure bet is Dietrich and I don't know if he is ready or capable of leading STU to the promised land..........For God's sake let's get off this now annual disaster of NOT GETTING ENOUGH GOOD RECRUITS.
    I would say that there are plenty of candidates filling up the role of secondary scoring but we need a couple more BIG GUNS,a #1 Goalie and a couple more top 4 D-men and then build on that base.

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  11. RECRUITMENT,RECRUITMENT,RECRUITMENT

    like the 3 principles of realestate,the above applys in the CIS........it's not that EVERYBODY doesen/t know WHO to get and so the problem lies in" what ($) and how these offers are being presented.......the list of wrong "WHO's" is extensive and please tell me that we are at least in the game as to "quantum" of compensation???

    I have always had a sence that Coach Eagles "ego" is too involved in that he believes that HE CAN COACH ANYBODY TO BE BETTER and to a degree he can BUT he's been dead wrong on a number of recruits and HOW WILL THIS GET ANY BETTER?,now that he is his own Boss,it probably isn't , I hope that I am very wrong in this,I guess we'll see in about 90 days.

    CRAZY HORSE

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jeremy Turgeon"

    The question was raised as to how much more can a coach get out of him..........well,9 points(4+5) ,a game winner in those numbers and all done with NOT very many playing minutes........I THINK THAT HE DESERVES MORE ICETIME.

    Just a Fan

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree with most of the above posts.

    If Eagles could stick solely to coaching or solely to recruiting, this program would be a lot better. He wears too many hats; was wearing too many before he was named Athletic Director of the school. We need either a top coach or a top recruiter.

    We are several players away from being a contender. But look at UNB. Gardiner MacDougall gets in there, makes some recruits with some fresh blood, puts in a new system and an emphasis of winning and being the best you can, and they start winning and get the fans back.

    Gotta walk before you can run. Everyone hopes to recruit like Acadia did last year and like UPEI did with their goalies. Does STU have enough to sell right now to draw recruits that are that good? They need one or two before the dominoes fall. They need a really good player who is interested in the school first and the team second before they can get several.

    Would love a great recruiting season, doesn't everyone? Unfortunately, we may have to deal with this group (plus a couple more guys, tops) to get better, and then draw better recruits next summer.

    Hard to recruit the positives of a 8-16-4 team that gave up 4 goals a game.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you truly want to attain the status of contender, then you need to measure yourself against the contenders. What players in the current lineup could play on the top teams in the AUS? The only answer is to recruit more talented players, not to cross your fingers and hope that Jr A players can compete.

    Mike Eagles can get more out of a player than any other coach in the AUS, I have no doubt. But you can't turn Semenko into Gretzky.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Coach Eagles is for sure wearing too many hats but that of "a competant recruiter" is NOT ONE OF THEM..............he has been guilty of recruitng some 18-20 candidate who stayed as short as 2 games to a full season and the were no longer part of the program,many others have stayed around longer continuing to demomstrate their inability to compete at the AUS level........just a litany of recruitment judgements with no better end in sight.........people who do not learn from their mistakes are fools BUT PLEASe DON"T TRY SELLING THE IDEA THAT EAGLES IS A GOOG RECRUITER<"HE IS NOT"........he is a good coach BUT he is way over his head as A/D and that appointment will prove an ill advised one.........his personal ambition has gottem in the way and he has overrated his NHL background and others have gone for it..........this is a continuing bad situation.........WILL IT END?

    CRAZY HORSE

    ReplyDelete
  16. i find this discussion laughable. Except for Mike Sanderson, Oil Slick and Squirrel H8er....none of you have a clue in what your talking about. You probably dont know the first clue in running a hockey team and recruiting. You probably just assume if we get after it right away that everyone will be wearing green and gold. Know something about hockey first, then discuss how to run an AUS team

    ReplyDelete
  17. 56 W's - 67 L's - 15 OTL's in last 5 years...That is a woeful record that NO-ONE can defend...don't get me started with the goals for and against ratio which is an absolute joke...no look at the records of the 5 years of the Smith era and the last 5 years of McAdam era and compare....tough to defend....bottom line is this program is in jeopardy of becomming the next MTA if we are not careful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I don't know about where the men's team is headed! But I do beleive the lady tommies are headed in the right direction - they just might be next years AUS champs!

    ReplyDelete
  19. These contributions are getting to sound like a broken record;it's time to get on to the question of WHAT's NEXT and leave behind the WHAT HAS HAPPENED question;any reasonable person looks at this exisisting problem and asks WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM? and now that Coach Eagles works for ATHELETIC DIRECTOR EAGLES,the problem and the solutions may continue to be unrecognized and unaddressed.a statistic NOT mentioned in the above is the number (21) recruits that have left the program after anywhere from 2 games to a season or 2 WITHOUT GETTING WHAT THEY CANE FOR ie a degree.......FAILURE INDEED.

    Eagles can coach,he can't recruit and the problem is evident and needs to be addressed ASAP as in yesterday, let's stop shooting the messanger because of the message.

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  20. P.S. from STU FAN

    The suggestion of allowing Eagles to maintain the A/D's job and give up the coaching job will result in at least 2 problems:
    1)we lose a very good coach and
    2) Eagles continues in a position where his interference could continue to affect the recruiting.

    The idea that a background that Eagles DOSENT have is in a position to be selling higher education when he doesn't possess it himself is just unrealistic expectations.

    I personally believe that,as in the past,there are plenty of potential recruits that can be made to realize the advantages of an exceptional Arts program and education.........there is still time to improve next year/s team,LETS GO TOMMIES.

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  21. Finally a post worth commenting on. School first, hockey second. You have failed these young men and women if they don't graduate.

    STU has so much to offer to anyone interested in coming to Fredericton. It is an amazing University and that can't be stressed enough.

    If the young hockey players want a great enviroment to play, learn, and love - STU is the place.

    Go Tommies!

    ReplyDelete
  22. When discussing any of this stuff, you have to take two different approaches to it. There's the fan approach and there's the realistic approach.

    The fan approach in me, and most others on this site, is that we want the best players available. Always. No matter what. And it's a good thing to see, because clearly we are all Tommies fans and want the best for the team. Our passion is nice to see.

    The other approach is a realistic one. You can't just expect the top recruits to flock to STU every year. The money isn't here, the programs aren't entirely here, the culture isn't entirely here. These are things that can be developed over time, but right now these are realities we have to face, no matter who is leading recruiting and who is behind the bench.

    ReplyDelete
  23. There should be no difference. Mediocrity should not be an option. A year here, a year there, sure it happens. You get 2 years to rebuild. That's it.

    Part of the problem is this. Many people posting here know Mike Eagles. And like Mike Eagles. He's a good man, and a good coach. You feel a sense of guilt in criticizing. And Mike is working hard, I have no doubt. But that's not cutting it.

    There is NO reason not to expect top recruits. SELL the academics, SELL the city, and offer everything you're allowed to offer. Then they'll come.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I didn't say not to expect TOP recruits, I implyed ALL the top recruits. Of course we can recruit top players.

    And we had two years to rebuild. Last year and this year. Our core are second and third year players.

    I don't see your point. They're doing exactly what you say they are. The results aren't in yet. Give it time. We can critique in August when we know who's all committed, and we can critique in December when we know who's good and who isn't. We can't start criticize what we don't know yet. I don't feel a sense of guilt in criticizing, I just feel like waiting before I say anything. Give it time.

    ReplyDelete
  25. like i said before, no one except Sanderson knows what they are talking about when it comes to the tommies. We need to recriut the ones that work with the team, not the best ones. Look at the Yankees! All those superstars and when was their last championship?

    Look at Detroit now! They draft and pick the right guys, not the best guys.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Semenko into a Gretzky??

    I have been patiently waiting on some "new" recruitment announcements and the only definitive announcement has been the loss of Beljo ( a clusterf**k if I ever saw one),my earlier prediction of recruitment being over at STU is coming true faster than I care to contemplate.

    The problem is not that Eagles can't turn a Semenko into a Gretzky,it's that he does not recognize the difference.

    Last years results documented fully STU's deficits,and no amount of lectures to the kids about getting into better shape and hitting the weights will do much.

    Mike,your assessment of the abilities of a large number of current players is jsut wrong,wrong,wrong........you have erred BIG TIME and appear to be doing NOTHING about it.hoping that last years rookies who failed at the jump will miraculously find new levels to their game is just "hopefull naivitey".

    However you are approaching these kids and with what ever package you are selling,IT IS JUST NOT WORKING",wouldn't you say??

    I guess that your biggest failure is that you have learned absolutely nothing from your mistakes.

    A once proud,winning program is being orchestrated into the toilet and you,only you,are responsable for it.

    Get your head from out of whereever you have it stuck and GET WITH IT!

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  27. ok stu fan i've had enough of your garbage... the way you are attacking mike is totally unfair! if you've ever met mike personally you should be ashamed of what you are writing unless of course you are someone like darryl smith or brian whitehead who lost thier jobs for him. i can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that mike can tell the difference between a top end guy and a plug! stop and talk hockey with the man for five minutes... he's brilliant! your comments have no merit apart from the recruiting aspect! so maybe he's had a tough couple recruiting years? every other team in the league has more programs to offer and better facilities then stu so it cant be a walk in the park recruiting there! im sick of the way you attack him and leave nothing but stu fan as your name! if you've got the guts to attack as good of a person as mike is stop being a coward and tell us who you are cause tommies dont need fans like you!!!

    a real stu fan

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is a responce to the July 17th post by "A REAL STU FAN" : I at least know that STU has academic specialties in areas such Economics,Native Studies and Education ( this is not meant to be a difinitive list) and has Atheletic facilities such as "The Field house" and the comfortable barn we caal the Beav in which opposition DO NOT like playing but our players do.
    The "overly emotional" accusations and assertions do not add anything to the argument about "INCOMPETANT RECRUITING" and defie the facts. ie 3 announced recruits(1 changed his mind,so total 2) and 1 walk on; it is August 1 ,about 45 days 'til we take on the National Champs(UNB,in case you're not paying attention.

    As for characterizing Mike Eagles as "Brilliant",well all things are relative when talking such matters and the reality is "real STU fan" that keeping yourself misinformed is like the formulae for growing good mushrooms "keep them in the dark and sh*t on them; I am still hoping that appropriate recruite will be added to the few new arrivals and that once again the Tommies will reign,Go Tommie Go.

    STU FAN

    ReplyDelete
  29. now getting close to 1 month away from hitting the ice. Where are the new players? Surely Eagles, Dietrich and Labonte are not the end of the line? All spring and summer - "it's only May, it's only June, it's only July" - well, it's now mid August and still no goalie, no defense, and still need more forwards. Wake up recruiting department!

    ReplyDelete