May 20, 2008
10 for '09: Burning Questions - Part II

We're only a few weeks removed from the 2008 national championship game, but here at Inside College Hockey we can't resist casting our gaze toward the future. A lot can change between now and the drop of the puck in October, but that doesn't stop our 10 For '09 feature.

We already took an early look at the top 10 teams and the top 10 Hobey candidates headed into next season, plus the first part of our 10 Burning Questions. Now we take a look at the second half of our 10 burning questions for the 2008-09 season.

• Despite Nathan Gerbe's departure from Boston College for next season, do you still think the Eagles are the team to beat in 2008-09?

Yes, and here's why. They're still going to be the most talented team in the nation, have a lot of experience in winning big games, and strong, reliable goaltending.

Ben Smith had 50 points as a sophomore, after scoring just 18 points in his freshman campaign. He's one of many talented Eagles that can fill the void left by Nathan Gerbe.

Gerbe's immediate impact was always at the offensive end of the rink. He was a point-producer that made his linemates better and was a scoring threat every time he was on the ice. The Eagles will still return four players that scored 35 points or more last season (Joe Whitney, Ben Smith, Benn Ferriero, Brian Gibbons) and will also receive a boost up front from the return of Brock Bradford who missed most of the 2007-08 season due to injury.

That depth at forward and skill on the power play makes Boston College dangerous. When opponents didn't concentrate on Gerbe, he was an offensive force. When they paid attention to Gerbe individually, BC's other lines and other scoring options came through.

Goaltender John Muse proved that he was a workhorse and was capable of winning the big games, even when a defense corps was still finding its way amid injuries and suspensions.

• Is Blake Wheeler opting to turn pro before signing a contract with the team that drafted him significant for college hockey? This isn't Van Ryn II, is it?

Not at all. That said, Wheeler's case, an unintended by-product of the most recent NHL collective bargaining agreement, is extremely interesting.

Wheeler, you'll recall, was selected by Phoenix with the fifth overall selection in the 2004 draft. According to INCH's CBA wizard, since he spent one season with the United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers prior to suiting up for Minnesota, it accelerated the Coyotes' window of opportunity to sign him.

So what's the difference? Well, a team that drafts a player prior to his freshman season in college holds the rights to sign him until Aug. 15 of the year his class graduates. For example, Philadelphia used its first-round pick in 2007 on James van Riemsdyk, who was a rookie at New Hampshire last year. The Flyers – or a club that acquired JVR's rights in trade – would have an exclusive negotiating window with him until Aug. 15, 2011. If he's not signed by then, he'd become a free agent.

But since Wheeler went to the USHL the season after he was drafted, then decided to leave Minnesota early without a deal with Phoenix in place, a different set of rules apply. First, since he was drafted prior to the expiration of the old CBA, Wheeler is subject to those rules pertaining to the rookie salary cap, which were far more lucrative than the standards in place now. Second, by announcing his decision to leave school, the Coyotes have 30 days to come to a contract agreement with Wheeler. If the 30 days expires and no contract is in place, Wheeler becomes a free agent and Phoenix gets a second-round draft pick in this year's draft (it would be the 35th overall, corresponding with slot the Coyotes selected Wheeler in the first round in '04.)

The kicker in this case – and it's unique to this particular situation alone – is that Phoenix could allow the 30-day window to close and get the second-round pick as compensation, then sign Wheeler to a free agent deal. That may cost Wheeler, however, since he no longer would fall under the old CBA's entry-level salary standards.

This shouldn't open a Van Ryn-like can of worms, but does provide an interesting option for those prospects who spent an extra year in juniors after they were drafted. College players who could face a similar decision in the near future include Michigan State defenseman Jeff Petry, Minnesota goalie Alex Kangas, and Notre Dame rearguard Kyle Lawson.

• College hockey's conferences are exploring different ways to determine winners in tied games including implementing a shootout, extending overtime periods, or changing the overtime format. What are the ramifications if new rules are put in place?

The biggest concern that we have is that it appears that each individual league may adopt different overtime and tie-breaking policies. That could cloud the comparisons that are used by the assorted computer ranking systems that determine NCAA tournament at-large selections.

For example, if the NHL format was used in one conference, where a five-minute 4-on-4 overtime is followed by a shootout, a win is assured in every game. The losing team would receive a point

Another league may adopt a 10-minute overtime period that is used in some international competitions, and then declare the game as a tied contest if no winner is determined in the extra session. Some might opt for a five-minute 5-on-5 overtime followed by a five-minute 4-on-4 period if no winner has been determined.

So what happens in non-league games? Preseason and holiday tournaments? We respect that each league may have a bit of a different look as they implement plans for regular-season conference games, but there needs to be an agreed-upon format for other games, and for how results are interpreted by the NCAA selection committee and procedure.

• It's now a foregone conclusion that at least one of the Hobey Baker Award finalists from here on out will be from a team that plays in what we lovingly refer to as a mid-major conference. No complaint here; the four established leagues certainly don't have a monopoly on talent. So who are the players to keep on eye on during the upcoming season?

In Atlantic Hockey, it's Sacred Heart forward Bear Trapp. In addition to having a name tailor-made for a memorable Hobey PR blitz, he's got attention-grabbing statistics, too. As a junior, the Regina, Saskatchewan, native scored 40 points in 34 games. In 104 games over three seasons, Trapp has tallied 46 goals and 77 assists for 123 points.

In the CHA, we like Robert Morris forward Chris Margott. Playing alongside Ryan Cruthers, the league's leading scorer, last season, Margott registered 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points. Cruthers, who scored 49 points, had a Hobey-worthy campaign in his final season but wasn't among the 10 finalists. Maybe Margott can help the Colonials celebrate their fifth season of varsity hockey by being part of that group.

• OK, smart guy, even though we're 11 months from the 2009 Frozen Four, who are your picks to advance to Washington D.C. next April?

If history tells us anything, there will be at least one team from this year's Frozen at the Verizon Center – it's happened in all but one year (2004 was the exception) since 1992. We'll extend invitations to two 2008 participants, however – Boston College and Michigan, teams that suffered a couple key losses, yet return with virtually every key piece of the equation in place.

Each year, there seems to be at least one darkhorse in the field. Notre Dame played the role in 2008. Next year, how about Minnesota? With Wheeler's departure, the Gophers lose five of their top six scorers from a year ago. But with Alex Kangas solidly entrenched in goal and a talented group of newcomers to mix in with the returning cast, Minnesota should be able to steer clear of the pitfalls that befell it last season.

There are compelling reasons to put Notre Dame in this group, but since we're playing with house money, we'll take a flier on Boston University (much to the chagrin of our many Boston College e-mailers) provided the Terriers find a capable goalie. We say capable because BU should have the ability to score a ton of goals next season, and its defensive corps should be one of the team's strengths.