Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 29

On episode 29 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, we're back...with a new home.

Nate Wells, Drew Cove, Tom Schreier and Declan Goff get together in early June after some offseason time away to discuss what's going on with the Gophers. Topics include the men's hockey schedule release, games to watch, some breaking news (at the time), Garrett Raboin joining Bob Motzko's staff, former St. Cloud State recruits joining Motzko at Minnesota down the line and much more.

In addition, this offseason episode is the first on our new feed. You'll have to (re-re) subscribe to get updates as the old feed(s) will no longer update with college hockey content. Here it is on iTunes.

Those who can derail the show for five minutes can directly download here.


Since the feed is new, it'd help us out to leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Plugs and stuff

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and is the sports editor for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page.

-Declan covers hockey for Minnesota Hockey Magazine and other outlets in addition to producing. He can be followed on Twitter @dexstweets.

-Tom can be found on Twitter @tschreier3. He is the Founder and President of Zone Coverage.

BLOG: On Oliver Wahlstrom being a good poster child for college hockey recruiting craziness

Smack in the middle of recruiting craziness, this week saw a rare occurrence in the college hockey world. One of the top 17 year-old hockey players in the country chose his school months before he'll suit up for them.

Not years. Months.

Oliver Wahlstrom, a potential 2018 top-10 NHL Draft pick, will be playing for Boston College. It's a big get for the Eagles, who pick up a player whose USNTDP goal-scoring total is sixth all-time and has been in the public eye since he was a nine year-old viral star.

In most college sports, a five-star recruit deciding at the deadline would be business as usual. Maybe there'd even be a ceremony with hats. College hockey? Five-star recruits commit before they can drive. Look at a U-17 or U-18 roster for the USNTDP. The names without college logos jump out because there are so few.

Most of the time when elite players are undecided at 18 it's a precursor to planning on heading to the CHL or Europe.

When it comes to elite players deciding to go the college route as seniors over the past 10-15 years, Phil Kessel and Brock Boeser stand out as the exception rather than the rule.

BLOG: What is a verbal commit from a 13/14 year-old worth?

By the time yesterday's two young verbal commits play for the Gophers, if all goes to plan, none of the current players on the roster will be playing at the University of Minnesota.

And that's if all goes to plan. A half decade can be a lifetime when teenagers choose their college choice before choosing a high school. If history tells us anything, it's far easier for players taking the path that Chaz and Cruz Lucius did - committing at 13 and 14 - to go on another rather than stick with their original.

Without delving into the good, bad and ugly of recruiting itself (a subject for another day), or recruiting getting younger, I wanted to look at whether past early commitments by 13 and 14 year-olds panned out for players and teams. What is a verbal commitment worth? Do star players remain stars? How much do plans change?

The answer is complicated.