Mike Cavanaugh: UCONN Hockey Coach? | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Mike Cavanaugh: UCONN Hockey Coach?

Status
Not open for further replies.
ManthonyCourant 1:13pm via Web
Mike Cavanaugh on UConn hockey job: "My mission here -- I'll simplify it for you -- is to graduate players and win championships."

Watched presser... extremely impressed with Cav's demeanor and passion for the game. He's excited (as he should be).
 
huskymedic said:
Mike Anthony (@ManthonyCourant)
5/8/13, 11:00 PM
New UConn men's hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh has signed a 5-year contract that pays him $200,000 the first year.

I think WM is serious about UConn hockey..
Expand ...

Is that a lot for a hockey coach? What was he getting paid at BC?
 
jostar1 said:
Is that a lot for a hockey coach? What was he getting paid at BC?
Expand ...

Well... UConn's previous coach Bruce Marshall who was @ UConn for what 25 years was paid $90k.

My sense is this is inline w/ the lower end of Hockey East coaches. Cav's boss @ BC made $450k but he has 4 national championships under his belt and they have a $5m coach endowment in place. It's more than Maine's new coach and UMass's new coach is about the same $$.
 
jostar1 said:
Is that a lot for a hockey coach? What was he getting paid at BC?
Expand ...
No idea what he got as assistant at BC but $200,000 is probably about what a first year head coach would get in Hockey East. I think the UMass guy got about that. the average salary in the Big Ten for Hockey is around $365,000 but that includes a number of long time head coaches who push the average up. the new Ohio State head coach is getting about$200,000 I believe.
 
Standard for a first year HE coach. Gwoz would've gotten more, but he also has a long list of credentials as a top flight head coach. As for B1G, only two coaches there, OSU and PSU, are really new in any way, and with only six schools, that average is skewed by the top earners from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and State.
 
.-.
One big advantage that struck me was the mention of personal relationships with many of the officials in our new league. We don't enter HE as outsiders much as if we got a hot-shot coach from another league. Coach Cavanaugh is familiar with the players, coaches and recruits in this area. It's a big plus.

My question goes to the timing of the new recruiting standards and how soon we can bring guys on scholarship given the fact we are still in Atlantic for I guess 1 more year.
 
Jimdish255 said:
My question goes to the timing of the new recruiting standards and how soon we can bring guys on scholarship given the fact we are still in Atlantic for I guess 1 more year.
Expand ...

From what I read in a Mike Anthony story - UConn awarded 5 hockey scholarships for next season and is expected to award 5 more for 2014-15. The Huskies then would add 4 in 2015-16 and 4 in 2016-17 to reach the Hockey East maximum of 18.
 
huskymedic said:
From what I read in a Mike Anthony story - UConn awarded 5 hockey scholarships for next season and is expected to award 5 more for 2014-15. The Huskies then would add 4 in 2015-16 and 4 in 2016-17 to reach the Hockey East maximum of 18.
Expand ...

At that pace the impact won't be felt right away. I assume existing players will take up some of those scholly's. Not just new recruits. But the reputation of the program is elevated immediately. Time for a recruiting thread.
 
With regard to scholarships, not even the big programs award full scholarships to their entire roster. A good number of BU players are on half scholarships, and a few are recruited walk-ons. It's not at all unusual for a hockey player to pay some or all of his own way. Of course, no scholarships, or below 10 is indeed unusual. But of those 18, they're likely spread out over more than 18 players.
 
.-.
brasssbonanzaa said:
With regard to scholarships, not even the big programs award full scholarships to their entire roster. A good number of BU players are on half scholarships, and a few are recruited walk-ons. It's not at all unusual for a hockey player to pay some or all of his own way. Of course, no scholarships, or below 10 is indeed unusual. But of those 18, they're likely spread out over more than 18 players.
Expand ...
Seems like they would parcel the schollies out much like men's baseball.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
Seems like they would parcel the schollies out much like men's baseball.
Expand ...
there is actually an NCAA rule about how scholarships can be awarded. For some sports, football, basketball especially, you have to give a full scholarship or nothing. For others, hockey, baseball, track & field, I think most others are considered "equivalency" sports. In those you can give partial scholarships just as long as the total doesn't exceed the number permitted for that sport. So in hockey you could give 36 players 50% scholarships (though there might be other roster limitations too). But in basketball you can't give 26 players 1/2 scholarships or 170 football players 1/2 scholarships. In those sports you have X number and you can only have that same number of scholarship players.
 
Cav sounds like he made a nice impression and made all the right moves, said all the right things, but I assume the nonsense about recruiting Connecticut is just for public consumption and not part of the real reason for the selection. If it was anymore than the 52nd reason, Warde should be told to clean out his desk today...in fact, don't bother cleaning it out. Just go and we'll send stuff to you. If that was anywhere near the top consideration, we're looking at Paul Pasqualoni, the Sequel.
 
freescooter said:
Cav sounds like he made a nice impression and made all the right moves, said all the right things, but I assume the nonsense about recruiting Connecticut is just for public consumption and not part of the real reason for the selection. If it was anymore than the 52nd reason, Warde should be told to clean out his desk today...in fact, don't bother cleaning it out. Just go and we'll send stuff to you. If that was anywhere near the top consideration, we're looking at Paul Pasqualoni, the Sequel.
Expand ...
Warde mentioned experience, success, knowledge of and recruitng both the northeast (including CT) and internationally very well.
 
freescooter said:
Cav sounds like he made a nice impression and made all the right moves, said all the right things, but I assume the nonsense about recruiting Connecticut is just for public consumption and not part of the real reason for the selection. If it was anymore than the 52nd reason, Warde should be told to clean out his desk today...in fact, don't bother cleaning it out. Just go and we'll send stuff to you. If that was anywhere near the top consideration, we're looking at Paul Pasqualoni, the Sequel.
Expand ...
Comparing HS football players from CT and New England over the past 20-30 years to HS hockey players from CT and New England over the past 20-30 years is a battle you won't win.

Recruiting the state and the northeast is and should be a strong thing to put on a resume when an ad is looking over the stack on his desk.

Don't think it's impossible that if there is a Brian Leetch part II in a few years, that he might stay at his home school due to Cavanaugh and his recruiting abilities, as well as with the improving standing of the school's talent/facilities/conference.
 
.-.
CT high school hockey talent is leaps and bounds beyond CT HS football talent. There are numerous players at top college programs as well as in the NHL from CT. BC has heavily recruited the CT area, including their captain from this past season, as well as BU.

But Cav is most certainly not stupid enough to limit his recruiting to CT. He has been the top assistant to, probably, the best college hockey coach ever for the past 18 years. This guy is not PP.
 
Except the world has changed dramatically since Leetch played college hockey. Virtually every program recruits most of its players from one of the junior leagues. The number of kids going to college programs from prep schools is far fewer than it was then. Just for example, Avon Old Farms has 3 kids who were recruited this year. Two went to AHA programs and 1 to an ECAC school. The New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL, a Tier III League, had 12, 4 of whom went to ECAC programs, 4 to Hockey East and 1 to the Big 10. You want to recruit the northeast for sure, but Connecticut talent ends up not really being Connecticut talent by the time its ready to be recruited to major college hockey. Those guys have played between 1 and 3-4 years in various junior leagues scattered around the country. The USHL largely in places like Waterloo Iowa, Dubuque, Fargo is the top Tier I league and by most estimates about 80% of the players coming through that league go on to play college hockey.
 
freescooter said:
Except the world has changed dramatically since Leetch played college hockey. Virtually every program recruits most of its players from one of the junior leagues. The number of kids going to college programs from prep schools is far fewer than it was then. Just for example, Avon Old Farms has 3 kids who were recruited this year. Two went to AHA programs and 1 to an ECAC school. The New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL, a Tier III League, had 12, 4 of whom went to ECAC programs, 4 to Hockey East and 1 to the Big 10. You want to recruit the northeast for sure, but Connecticut talent ends up not really being Connecticut talent by the time its ready to be recruited to major college hockey. Those guys have played between 1 and 3-4 years in various junior leagues scattered around the country. The USHL largely in places like Waterloo Iowa, Dubuque, Fargo is the top Tier I league and by most estimates about 80% of the players coming through that league go on to play college hockey.
Expand ...

I don't care whether or not the CT or NE kid who commits to BC or UConn comes from a prep school or from a junior hockey team. Considering the hockey talent in the region, I prefer that my coach has recruiting success in the area because the hockey talent in this region is stronger than football talent.

From what I've read, Cavanaugh has done well recruiting CT, New England and internationally. That's a big plus in my book.
 
freescooter said:
Except the world has changed dramatically since Leetch played college hockey. Virtually every program recruits most of its players from one of the junior leagues. The number of kids going to college programs from prep schools is far fewer than it was then. Just for example, Avon Old Farms has 3 kids who were recruited this year. Two went to AHA programs and 1 to an ECAC school. The New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL, a Tier III League, had 12, 4 of whom went to ECAC programs, 4 to Hockey East and 1 to the Big 10. You want to recruit the northeast for sure, but Connecticut talent ends up not really being Connecticut talent by the time its ready to be recruited to major college hockey. Those guys have played between 1 and 3-4 years in various junior leagues scattered around the country. The USHL largely in places like Waterloo Iowa, Dubuque, Fargo is the top Tier I league and by most estimates about 80% of the players coming through that league go on to play college hockey.
Expand ...


While this is true, a lot of those goes from the USHL, the US National Program, or other junior leagues are originally from other places, like CT, and so while they're not physically playing in CT, their roots and family are still in CT. For example, BU recruits heavily from the US development program, namely the U-18s. We've gotten many guys who are originally from MA but went to high school out in Michigan, where the program is based, but came back to play for BU because they've always wanted to play here, since it's the team they grew up following. While there are certainly more quality players coming out of MA than CT, there's still a good number from CT, and if Cav can start keeping the Nick Bonino's and Cam Atkinson's from going up to BU and BC, that'll be a big win for UConn.
 
The Viking said:
From what I've read, Cavanaugh has done well recruiting CT, New England and internationally. That's a big plus in my book.
Expand ...
The incoming BC recruiting class for this fall is #1 in the country by a mile, so yes, he's done something right in the recruiting world.
 
All valid points and Cavanaugh may turn out to be Jerry York II. I was merely criticizing this foolishness about recruiting based on zip code rather than talent. We've heard it in basketball, though not so much of late. Seems winning national championships with guys from outside Connecticut tends to tamp it down there, we've been hearing in in football forever, or at least since we went D1. Now we're saying the same for hockey. OY! Give me a coach with an eye for talent and the ability to get that talent into my school and he can get it from any zip code, or international mail code, he wants.
 
.-.
Saw this on the women's board:

On CPTV Sports channel
Tuesday 5/14 at 7pm - Beyond The Beat -Mike Cavanaugh, UConn's new hockey coach will be our special guest
 
freescooter said:
Give me a coach with an eye for talent and the ability to get that talent into my school and he can get it from any zip code, or international mail code, he wants.
Expand ...

Like Kevin Ollie.
 
zls44 said:
Like Kevin Ollie.
Expand ...
Well played Zach...
Just so you'll know, I'm not in love with this choice. Too trite. Top assistant to the best coach doesn't always work out (See Weis, Charlie or just about every UConn assistant basketball coach). It is impossible to know how much is the head coach and how much is the assistant, but I'd say most of the time its the head coach. Head coaches are head coaches for a reason and assistants, especially long time assistants, are assistants for a reason. The two jobs require different skill sets. And recruiting Connecticut, or anywhere else, to play for the best coach in the game is different than recruiting to play for his long time assistant. having said that, hockey is a little different animal where there isn't a lot of turnover, but still you have to wonder about a guy who spent 18 years as an assistant at the same place. Not that he doesn't know the game, but does he have the skill set for the top job.
 
freescooter said:
Except the world has changed dramatically since Leetch played college hockey. Virtually every program recruits most of its players from one of the junior leagues. The number of kids going to college programs from prep schools is far fewer than it was then. Just for example, Avon Old Farms has 3 kids who were recruited this year. Two went to AHA programs and 1 to an ECAC school. The New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL, a Tier III League, had 12, 4 of whom went to ECAC programs, 4 to Hockey East and 1 to the Big 10. You want to recruit the northeast for sure, but Connecticut talent ends up not really being Connecticut talent by the time its ready to be recruited to major college hockey. Those guys have played between 1 and 3-4 years in various junior leagues scattered around the country. The USHL largely in places like Waterloo Iowa, Dubuque, Fargo is the top Tier I league and by most estimates about 80% of the players coming through that league go on to play college hockey.
Expand ...

The fact that kids are committing earlier these days may actually help UConn in this regard. If they can get a commitment while they are here in prep school and then ship them off to the USHL for seasoning, it can be the best of both worlds. My alma mater got very promising commits a year or two ago from three prep schools - Gunnery (CT), Salisbury (CT) and Delbarton (NJ). All three recruits played in the USHL this year and will enroll in the fall far more experienced than if they'd taken the jump directly from prep (as they probably would have 10-20 years ago). UConn has already started to do this with some of its '14 and '15 commitments. We'll have to give Cavanaugh some slack because the long recruiting lead time in modern college hockey means it may be '16-'17 or even '17-'18 before he has a roster that is primarily composed of his recruits. Hopefully it will be a good one with a well established pipeline from CT and the better junior leagues such as the USHL.
 
freescooter said:
All valid points and Cavanaugh may turn out to be Jerry York II. I was merely criticizing this foolishness about recruiting based on zip code rather than talent. We've heard it in basketball, though not so much of late. Seems winning national championships with guys from outside Connecticut tends to tamp it down there, we've been hearing in in football forever, or at least since we went D1. Now we're saying the same for hockey. OY! Give me a coach with an eye for talent and the ability to get that talent into my school and he can get it from any zip code, or international mail code, he wants.
Expand ...
Just like the Florida schools have an advantage because of Florida high school football talent. The Huskies will gain an advantage because of the hockey talent in the state and region. Coach C won't need to head to the airport to begin recruiting, he can just drive to Avon. So, yes, zip code is important. It gives him an instant advantage.
 
.-.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Forum statistics

Threads
168,193
Messages
4,556,285
Members
10,442
Latest member
Virginiafan


Top Bottom