30 replies to this topic

[DucksFan39]

http://host.madison.com/sports/college/hoc...1cc4c03286.html

Could there be another? Eaves acknowledged Tuesday that sophomore defenseman Jake Gardiner, a first-round NHL draft pick of Anaheim who was paired last season with McDonagh, has been quietly weighing the option of turning pro. Eaves said his latest vibe is that Gardiner will return to UW for his junior season.

Interesting development.

He could go back and be Wisconsins no.1 dman
or he could go to the AHL and play 20 mins a game

[Sojourn]

Well, the AHL is the higher skill league, and it's a natural evolution for his development. It also means he could be ready for the NHL sooner, since he'll already have experience in pro hockey that he would lack coming out of the NCAA as a Junior.

Then again, being the #1 guy on a team like Wisconsin is pretty big.

I imagine the Ducks might have a few ideas on this. I'd be curious to know what they want.

[ladiesandgentlemen]

While I envy him, I don't on this decision. It's a tough one.

But it seems he comes from a pretty good family and solid support system. And I trust the Ducks organization will give him good advice. I'm sure McNab will have a conversation or three about it with him, and he'll get good perspective there.

[JUStheDUCKS]

I wouldn't mind him coming to Syracuse to play with Fowler next season!

[Scoringlegend08]

I wouldn't mind him coming to Syracuse to play with Fowler next season!

Fowler isn't AHL eligible, he'll be in Anaheim or back in Windsor.

As for Gardiner, I think it would be better for him to go back to UW and be the "man" on defense, while taking on a more offensive role.

[ducksfan95]

As for Gardiner, I think it would be better for him to go back to UW and be the "man" on defense, while taking on a more offensive role.

I agree, play out his junior year, then go to SYR next year with fowler

[DucksFan39]

Our defense in syracuse is shaping up this way..

Mitera
Clark
Newton

we'll probably sign a couple vets for them.... it's possible a spot is there for him but the ducks probably want to get looks at Bickell amongst others. if he stays in school he'll probably have alot more freedom this year offensively but perhaps the ducks feel he's close to being able to see some NHL time.

i have sbisa and mikkelson on the pro team, outside chance for fowler and mitera

[DuckNewbie]

I predicted that Gardiner signing a pro contract was possible....(Ok, I'm not going to go looking for the post, and honestly anybody could have predicted it was "possible". )

But if Fowler making the team isn't out of the question.....Well, at least entertained by Murray as being possible....What are the chances that Gardiner could play with the big club? Are the chances better or worse than Fowler's?

Seems more like a mid-season call up would be more likely. And I agree that returning to Wisconsin is probably more likely than anything else....

[DuckNewbie]

Our defense in syracuse is shaping up this way..

Mitera
Clark
Newton

we'll probably sign a couple vets for them.... it's possible a spot is there for him but the ducks probably want to get looks at Bickell amongst others. if he stays in school he'll probably have alot more freedom this year offensively but perhaps the ducks feel he's close to being able to see some NHL time.

i have sbisa and mikkelson on the pro team, outside chance for fowler and mitera

The full list of contracted 2-way contract D-men looks more like this:

Bickel
Clark
Degray
Festerling
Mitera
Newton
Regan
Sbisa

Mikkelson probably wants a 1-way contract, but I suppose they could strong arm him into a 2-way.

[Sojourn]

I predicted that Gardiner signing a pro contract was possible....(Ok, I'm not going to go looking for the post, and honestly anybody could have predicted it was "possible". )

But if Fowler making the team isn't out of the question.....Well, at least entertained by Murray as being possible....What are the chances that Gardiner could play with the big club? Are the chances better or worse than Fowler's?

Seems more like a mid-season call up would be more likely. And I agree that returning to Wisconsin is probably more likely than anything else....

Kind of a tough question, because you're talking about an AHL eligible player vs. an 18-year old. If Anaheim keeps Fowler up, he's staying up. The team can't just send him up and down. It's one or the other. With Gardiner it would be different. He can be sent down to the AHL at any point, and be brought up the same way. If he plays with Anaheim, it's likely a small number of games, and most likely a result of injuries on our blue line. The Ducks aren't going to want him playing 3rd pairing minutes if he can be playing 20 minutes a night for the Crunch.

[DuckNewbie]

The late-night phone call Tuesday from the West Coast brought good news for followers of the UW men's hockey team.

Defenseman Jake Gardiner said he will return for his junior season and not become the fifth underclassman to leave the Badgers for the NHL since April.

"I'm coming back to Wisconsin,'' he said.

Gardiner, a first-round NHL draft pick of Anaheim in 2008, is currently attending an evaluation camp for Ducks prospects in California. He said he entertained thoughts of joining four teammates -- sophomore center Derek Stepan and junior defensemen Cody Goloubef, Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith -- in leaving school early this summer.

But Gardiner said he's looking forward to teaming with sophomores and fellow returning starters Justin Schultz and John Ramage in forming a proven defensive nucleus for UW next season.

Link

Probably for the best....but as a Ducks fan, I can't help but be a LITTLE disappointed....

[Reb]

I think he should stay in school!

On Wisconsin! On Wisconsin!
Fight, fight for her fame!

[ADHB]

After the way he was used last year at UW, it will be valuable for him to play there again, where this year he'll get lots more PP time and a chance to be *the* guy on the back end.

[5MinuteMajor]

With Gardiner, Fowler, Sbisa, and Sami Vatanen in the prospect camp, we will have some defense in a few years!

[Rooch20]

With Gardiner, Fowler, Sbisa, and Sami Vatanen in the prospect camp, we will have some defense in a few years!

That defense is gonna contribute a lot on the score sheet but their defensive capabilities is what I'm worried about right now. Outside of Sbisa who would you rely on to clear the crease or is willing to sacrifice the body?

[Always Mighty]

That defense is gonna contribute a lot on the score sheet but their defensive capabilities is what I'm worried about right now. Outside of Sbisa who would you rely on to clear the crease or is willing to sacrifice the body?

That's what Mitera and Clark are for.

[Duckscrazy]

That defense is gonna contribute a lot on the score sheet but their defensive capabilities is what I'm worried about right now. Outside of Sbisa who would you rely on to clear the crease or is willing to sacrifice the body?

Isn't that Mitera and Clark's job? I thought they were the big, crease clearing Defensemen. Mitera and Clark are both 6'3'' and 200+ lbs.

That's what Mitera and Clark are for.

haha, didn't see your post!

[Rooch20]

That's what Mitera and Clark are for.

I'm looking at this from a depth standpoint and it's clearly not enough. The whole point of drafting players is to develop them and hope that they turn out the way you want them to. With that said, we have the offensive-minded defencemen rack stacked to the limits with Sbisa, Gardiner, Fowler, Vatanen, and Schultz but defensive-minded defensemen depth is an issue here both depth-wise and developmental wise. Mitera was doing good until that knee injury and John de Gray has pretty much slipped out of everyone's mind. Clark is the only one in our depth chart left who has a legitimate shot at making the NHL and he's at least 2 years away. Come 2 years from now, you have Sbisa, Gardiner, and maybe Fowler. Mitera's NHL career will depend on how he recovers from his injury mentally but until then, nothing's certain. He could very likely turn out to be a 1st round bust and it's looking like he's heading in that direction. So in a 2 year time span, who's gonna play that big body and clear the crease for our goalie? It certainly wouldn't be Clark since defensive-minded d-men usually take longer to develop anyways, Mitera's a coin-flip, and so is de Gray. Who else is coming up and showing progress in his development? If I had my knee blown out and a shot's coming my way, I'd be thinking twice about going down to block that shot. Who knows, it could end up in the back of our net.

[Duckscrazy]

Well, there is always UFA's and trades when you need a little help.

[Rooch20]

That's true but what are the chances of there being an ace of a UFA defenseman out there these days? I mean, the best Offensive d-man out there this year was Sergei Gonchar and Paul Martin. The best defensive-minded guys were Zbynek Michalek and Anton Volchenkov. My point is that NHL teams almost always build from either the goal out or the D out. Yes, this applies to our team as well but looking at it more in-depth, I'm also looking as an abundance of offensive defensemen and an other very slim defensive defensemen depth. I'm looking at LA, 20 minutes up the freeway(on a good day) and they have Doughty(arguably the best young d-man right now), Hickey, and now Derek Forbort and 2 of 3 are 6'2+ and 205+, they can play both offense as well as defense and they can clear the crease. Our forwards are gonna have a tough time dealing with a defense like that, they're not only set but they're also very well-rounded roles-wise. My point is that our defensive prospects are not well-rounded enough compare to Nashville, Phoenix, and LA.

[mrmathews]

That defense is gonna contribute a lot on the score sheet but their defensive capabilities is what I'm worried about right now. Outside of Sbisa who would you rely on to clear the crease or is willing to sacrifice the body?

Clark


** saw that i was beaten to the punch.

[Rooch20]

Clark


** saw that i was beaten to the punch.

Please see post #20.

[TroyLoney]

Jake Gardiner through 10 games for the University of Wisconsin this season:

2 goals
7 assists
30 shots(!)
+11

[DucksFan39]

Hattrick for Gardiner tonight, he's got a great wrist/slap shot

5 goals
10 assists
15 points

He may be our best all around young defensemen, kid is also good defensively don't know who I'd compare him to but his skill set does not come around everyday

[Captain Quack]

Only ended up with 2 goals and 1 assist actually. BUT Schultz went and had a hat trick tonight, and Gardiner added 3 assists. They're really tearing it up on the badgers backend.