Prospect Performances at the Frozen Four
Now that the players, pep bands and faithful fans have returned from whence
they came, it is time to take a look back at the performances of some of the
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NHL prospects that took part in this past weekend’s Frozen Four Tournament.
All told, there were 33 NHL draftees on the rosters of the four entrants, with
the back-to-back champion University of Minnesota Golden Gophers sporting a
tournament-high 11 prospects. In retrospect, it may not have been that great
a surprise that Minnesota and the University of New Hampshire were the two teams
that squared off in the championship game, considering the fact that they were
the two teams with the most NHL prospects on their rosters (UNH had a total
of 9).
So, which prospects fared well and which ones disappointed? The following,
team-by-team rundown should answer some of those questions, and perhaps give
a clue as to the individual players who may be rising or falling on prospect
lists around the NHL.
Cornell University
The favorite going into the tournament dropped a disappointing 3-2 decision
to New Hampshire, the team that ousted Cornell in the 2002 post-season.
While the size advantage Cornell had over UNH rarely came into play, one of
the Big Red's behemoths, defenseman Doug
Murray (San
Jose, 8th round - 1999 Draft), was generally an effective player when
on the ice. Murray used his size and strength to work over some of the more
undersized UNH players in the defensive zone, with the big defenseman displaying
some good passing skills during Cornell power play situations.
On the minus side for Cornell would be David
LeNeveu’s loss in the goaltending duel between he and New Hampshire’s
Mike Ayers. LeNeveu (Phoenix,
2nd round - 2002 Draft) was the top goaltender in the NCAA this past season,
but Ayers put on a better show in last Thursday’s semi-final showdown.
While the Wildcats’ goaltender was busy dazzling the crowd with several
game-saving stops, LeNeveau let in at least one goal that he would probably
like to have back, which proved to be the difference in the one-goal game. In
fairness to the Cornell goaltender, however, his strong showing during the 2002-03
season should more than outweigh a sub-par performance in one game.
University of Michigan
Michigan dominated Minnesota in the first period of their semi-final contest,
but the Gophers went on to defeat the Wolverines in overtime, 3-2.
While it is difficult to pick out one individual NHL draftee from the Michigan
roster that stood out in that team’s one Frozen Four game, Eric
Nystrom (Calgary,
1st round - 2002 Draft) acquitted himself well over the course of the post-season.
Nystrom notched two goals and two assists in three post-season contests, putting
12 shots on goal in those three games.
Nystrom’s linemate, sophomore Dwight
Helminen (Edmonton,
8th round - 2002 Draft), struggled offensively during the NCAA tournament. Helminen,
who finished third in scoring for Michigan this season, picked up just one assist
in three games while registering just six shots on goal, including no shots
in the semi-final game vs. Minnesota.
University of New Hampshire
The Wildcats won their semi-final game vs. Cornell, but went on to lose to Minnesota
in the Frozen Four final, 5-1.
Unquestionably, New Hampshire’s best player in the NCAA tournament was
goaltender Mike
Ayers (Chicago,
6th round - 2000 Draft). Ayers kept Cornell at bay early in the semi-final,
until his teammates were able to open up a 3-0 lead, with Mike making a head
save late in the game to preserve a 3-2 victory. The junior backstop then went
on to stop 40 of 45 shots in the loss to Minnesota, with many of those saves
being of the difficult variety.
For UNH right wing Colin
Hemingway (St.
Louis, 8th round - 1999 Draft), on the other hand, it was a tale of
two tournaments. Hemingway had a strong enough showing at the NCAA Northeast
Regional to be named to the All-Tournament Team, then proceeded to struggle
offensively at the Frozen Four. Colin was second in scoring for the Wildcats
this season, so his lack of production certainly was a contributing factor to
New Hampshire’s ultimate demise.
University of Minnesota
Minnesota won their semi-final match in overtime vs. Michigan, then went on
to repeat as national champions with an impressive victory over New Hampshire.
There is no question that the Minnesota player that grabbed the most attention
over the course of the NCAA Tournament was star-in-waiting Thomas
Vanek. Vanek is certainly an impressive package of skills, but the left
winger also benefited from playing on a line with center Matt
Koalska (Nashville,
5th round - 2000 Draft). Koalska turned in his second consecutive strong performance
in the Frozen Four, with he and wingers Vanek and Troy Riddle at times dominating
games. Matt is not as heralded as his linemates, but he has a knack for playing
well in big games, and enough skill to be considered a legitimate NHL prospect.
Picking a struggling prospect from a team that has just won a second consecutive
national championship may seem a bit foolish, but the Gophers didn’t dominate
all their games the way they did the championship game. Defenseman Keith
Ballard (Buffalo,
1st round - 2002 Draft) has a reputation for being an offensive defenseman with
a bit of a mean streak, but those qualities were rarely on display at the Frozen
Four. On top of that, Ballard struggled defensively in the game vs. Michigan,
with Wolverine forwards having some success getting around the outside of the
sophomore rearguard.