This needs more detail for sure, but maybe a good concept. If it seems worth following up on, please let me know. - Kevin Wickersham
PROSPECT PIPELINE – University of Minnesota
As serious dynasty fantasy hockey players we all want to find the next big thing before someone else in our league snaps them up. The roster space is usually there for young, perhaps lesser-known collegiate or minor league prospects, and they don’t strain our salary cap much if at all, so we dig, look at stats, and attempt to project a few years into the future.
An often-ignored aspect of the prospect hunt is college program background. While a majority of up-and-coming players forgo college, with recent figures hovering around 30% of NHL players having played in college and 112 of them populating the rosters of the 16 clubs in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs (the champs in Pittsburgh led the pack with 15, with the Wild next at 14), it may pay dividends to investigate various programs to see how some of the more prominent ones stack up in producing quality professional talent. Of those playoff participants, the Golden Gophers of Minnesota led the pack with 11 former players (a total of 19 saw NHL ice-time over the course of the season), with North Dakota and Wisconsin tied for second at nine players each.
Here’s a look at last year’s playoff participants from the University of Minnesota.
Alex Goligoski Minnesota Dallas Stars Nick Bjugstad Minnesota Florida Panthers Thomas Vanek Minnesota Minnesota Wild Jordan Schroeder Minnesota Minnesota Wild Erik Haula Minnesota Minnesota Wild Nick Leddy Minnesota N.Y. Islanders Kyle Okposo Minnesota N.Y. Islanders Brady Skjei Minnesota N.Y. Rangers Phil Kessel Minnesota Pittsburgh Penguins Paul Martin Minnesota San Jose Sharks Nate Schmidt Minnesota Washington Capitals
Minnesota has a long track record of success. With an all-time record of 1,729-975-182 (.631) and five national championships to boast about entering the 2016-17 campaign, the Golden Gophers are an attractive spot for young hockey recruits, not to mention in close proximity to one of the true hotbeds of hockey talent in the US.
Currently, Minnesota is ranked 9th in the USA Today poll, 12th by PairWise and the Division I Ratings Percentage Index, and 11th in the USCHO.com poll prior to Bog Ten Conference play starting December 2 when they meet Ohio State. Their roster includes several notable forward prospects, including current top-scorer Tyler Sheehy (12 GP, five goals and ten assists) and Rem Pitlick (10 GP, one goal and seven assists), cousin of Edmonton’s Tyler, and third-round pick of Nashville in the 2016 entry draft. A freshman, Pitlick is coming off one of the best USHA seasons in the league’s history, having scored 46 goals and dished out 43 assists in 56 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
Sheehy stats
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Pitlick stats
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Minnesota is coached by Don Lucia, who recently became the 8th coach in NCAA history to earn his 700th win, a school record 421 of those during his 18-year tenure at the helm of the Golden Gophers. Lucia has coached 18 First Team All-Americans, 11 Hobey Baker Award finalists, 69 all-conference team members, and 189 all-conference academic team members.