Matt Nickerson

[vicb]

Thread on USCHO says the rumor has it that Matt is leaving for the Quebec Major Junior League. Anyone heard anything???

[Goldie Knight]

Wednesday, December 24, 2003 9:50 AM

Vic,

We have been down here in Florida for a while, so I have heard nothing about Matt. I pray that this is just a rumor because he is a vital component to the Golden Knights hockey program.

It would seem logical that if Matt made such a decision, then he would not even be playing this coming weekend in Providence. I do check the Watertown Daily Times each morning via our email subscription, and no word has been mentioned about Matt's leaving Clarkson.

How credible is the source that wrote about Matt?

I know Matt has struggled with penalties, some of which have been outrageous calls against him, but he is honestly attempting to reduce those infractions. The ECAC refefees have been mericiless in their calls against Matt.

I am just curious about the number of games the teams in the Quebec Major Juniors play during their season. Does anyone know?

We will just keep hoping for the best--and that means that Matt will just keep playing for the Golden Knights. The team returns to the University on Christmas day to prepare for their trip to Providence.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL....GOOD LUCK IN PROVIDENCE, CLARKSON GOLDEN KNIGHTS

[petal]

I hope this rumour about Matt leaving isn't true. I look forward to seeing good news about Clarkson in the paper in the coming days. Merry Christmas to all you Techers out there, and may Santa bring us lots of W's, continued D1 hockey at Tech, great recruits, and lots of good cheer !! ps-feel free to add to this list if you feel the need hehehe....Take care everyone.

[CUKnight]

I noticed Nickerson WAS NOT in the lineup yesterday. Anyone know whats up?

[Chaz]

Bob Ahfeld said that Matt was a healthy scratch.

[berbs91]

in the game vs. providence he was the one in the scuffle vs. a couple friars....

[MikeR]

Matt responded in an article to the WDT, and the rumors can end...


"It didn't come from me, and I'd like to know who it's coming from,"
"It starts to get under my skin, but you can't let it bother you. I hear about it every day and some guys on the team have asked me. I made a commitment here, and I'm going to stick with it and stick to my word."

Straight forward and to the point.....I wouldn't want to be the person (or team?) who started the rumor.

[Goldie Knight]

Thursday, January 8, 2004 10:15 AM

Mike,

I had also read that thread about Matt Nickerson on USCHO. It was started by a person named Doug Doull, who is a Canadian. The Victoriaville Tigers of the Canadian major junior hockey league apparently may have some rights to Matt Nickerson, due to their affiliation with the Dallas Stars. I am not sure quite what that relationship is. But I am positive that some of the men from Victoriaville were at Cheel on Friday, January 2, for the Clarkson - Mercyhurst game.

My best assumption is that someone from Victoriaville was wishfully thinking that Matt would leave Clarkson and play for that team instead. Having paid a hefty sum for our daughter's Clarkson education, it made us wonder who would give up a Clarkson education and depart from the University, leaving a full scholarship behind.

For those who are interested, Matt was slashed in the throat by the Mercyhurst player, Dave Borelli, before he retaliated against him. There is absolutely no question in my mind that Matt is a target, and the sometimes unjust recipient of penalties. I don't believe Matt will get another DQ this season.

It is a relief to put those unfounded rumors to rest, once and for all. Matt has indicated that he liked the closeness of the Golden Knights team and how nice the people were in the area.

LET'S HAVE ANOTHER FOUR-POINT WEEKEND, GUYS.

[JR]

The Victoriaville Tigers of the Canadian major junior hockey league apparently may have some rights to Matt Nickerson, due to their affiliation with the Dallas Stars.

Here is how it works:

Certain states are tied into one of the three CHL leagues (OHL, QMJHL, and WHL).

Where a player grows up determines what league he will play in.

Since Matt is from CT, then he falls under the QMJHL territory.

Matt was Victoriaville's pick in the 11th round of the 2003 QMJHL midget draft.

[Goldie Knight]

Thursday, January 8, 2004 2:30 PM

JR,

Many thanks for that explanation. I do have a lot of learn about such matters.

Do you, or anyone else, know if the Victoriaville Tigers have any connection to the Dallas Stars? I think that Matt is a draft choice of the Dallas Stars.

BEAT THE BULL DOGS.

[JR]

Matt was selected in the 3rd round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by Dallas. However, I've never heard of any strong ties between the two organizations.

In fact, I just checked their website and they've never had a player from their team get drafted by Dallas.

http://tigres.ivic.qc.ca/

Check out Draft and then The NHL

[MikeR]

from the USHL page..... now I'm confused:confused:
Transactions (http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/transactions.html?leagueid=49&seasonid=258).


01/11/85 birthday... (http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/playerpage.html?playerid=188999&seasonid=258)


Edit: Could the Lincoln Stars be taking a "flyer" on the hopes of signing Matt? I see they also released a defenseman. They drafted Matt in 2002.

[chuck]

WHAT?!?!?!?!

That says it happened 1/6/04.

When was the WDT article??

This is weird!

[MikeR]

Originally posted by chuck


That says it happened 1/6/04.

When was the WDT article??



WDT article 1/8/04 (http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/editorial/20040108/18470.asp)


Edit: Hoping that he made those comments after changing his mind on the Lincoln offer (if there was an offer in the first place)

[Razor04]

Originally posted by MikeR
from the USHL page..... now I'm confused :confused:

Transactions (http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/transactions.html?leagueid=49&seasonid=258).

01/11/85 birthday... (http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/playerpage.html?playerid=188999&seasonid=258)

Edit: Could the Lincoln Stars be taking a "flyer" on the hopes of signing Matt? I see they also released a defenseman. They drafted Matt in 2002. Ok...really really confused now... :confused:

[placid]

the roster on www.lincolnstars.com doesn't show Nickerson, and the newspaper in Lincoln has no article about Nickerson in its section on the Stars. think other thing is case of someone jumping the gun and assuming he was showing up when he wasnt.

[joecct]

I tend to believe the USHL <gulp!>

Simonson was dropped according to the USHL site, but it still listed on Lincoln's roster.

I guess we'll all know about 6:30 tonight on the pre game show.

[MikeR]

Well, from Joe's original post on USA junior hockey (http://www.usacollegehockey.com/cgi-bin/UBBCGI/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=000480). I tracked down the Lincoln Star article (http://www.journalstar.com/sports.php?story_id=112939).

Basically, Simonson isn't playing due to concussions, and the Stars managment took a chance on Nickerson, based on rumors that he was unhappy.


Right now that spot belongs to Matt Nickerson, a third-round draft pick by the Dallas Stars last season who is in the middle of his freshman year at Clarkson.

Nickerson was rumored to be unhappy at Clarkson, which is why Johnson took a chance and added the rugged defenseman to the Stars' protected list. The chances of Nickerson ever playing in Lincoln, Johnson said, are slim.

Probably another reason why Matt decided to speak up in the WDT article.

End of subject...part II.

[chuck]

Originally posted by MikeR

Edit: Could the Lincoln Stars be taking a "flyer" on the hopes of signing Matt? I see they also released a defenseman. They drafted Matt in 2002.

OK well now that that's cleared up... I hope Matt doesn't pummel me toknight when I see him after the game for posting here... he seems pretty pi$$ed about the whole thing :D

Can you explain to me what is meant by a "flyer" ...besides a poor sport from Philadelphia?

[MikeR]

Originally posted by chuck
OK well now that that's cleared up... I hope Matt doesn't pummel me toknight when I see him after the game for posting here... he seems pretty pi$$ed about the whole thing :D

Can you explain to me what is meant by a "flyer" ...besides a poor sport from Philadelphia?

Please don't tell Matt I posted on this subject either. ;) Yes, he seemed perturbed about the whole thing, with reason.

Well, I am a Flyers fan, but "flyer" means "take a chance"...not sure which part of the states I picked it up.

[joecct]

http://www.journalstar.com/sports.php?story_id=112939

BTW, Kyle Laughlin (son of Craig '80) is playing in Lincoln.

Joe

PS I guess this was one of those "Never let the facts get in the way of a good story."

[Goldie Knight]

Friday, January 9, 2004 7:45 PM

If any of you actually get to meet Matt, you will be absolutely astonished. His personality is quiet, reserved and a bit reticent, until you get to know him; then you will see he is a most pleasant young man. One would never believe that his personality on the ice is so different. Several of our Golden Knights are that way.

I have a theory that perhaps one of our Clarkson researchers can check out. If the Victoriaville Tigers were told that Matt would NOT play for them, could those Tigers have traded Matt's rights to the team from Lincoln, Nebraska?

I do not worry about Matt leaving Clarkson, at least this season. And, of course, I would love him to stay all four years.

BEAT THE BULLDOGS.

[joecct]

Goldie

There are no trading of rights between Junior Leagues and expecially between USA and Canada.

In the USA, my son's rights could be owned by a team in each of the USA Hockey Junior sanctioned leagues. Because we're from MD, if any Canadian team wanted my son it would be the OHL. Matt, being from CT, would have to play major junior in the Quebec League.

To trade between leagues in the USA requires a live body. Thus Harvey Schmidlapp can be traded from Cleveland (NAHL) to Danville (USHL) for either player(s) or cash, or some other consideration.

To go from the USA to Canada or vice versa requires a transfer and the payment of up to $5,000 (Cdn) transfer fee.

If you really want the full skinny, find Gavin Regan. He's a USA Hockey Director and probably has CCT season tickets.

Less than 9 hrs to go.....

Joe

[Goldie Knight]

Monday, January 12, 2004 10:45 AM

Joe,

I appreciate your detailed information about the junior leagues. Having only had an interest in Clarkson hockey for the past thirteen years, and the Boston Bruins for decades, I never followed hockey at any level other than that.

I hope your son does well with his hockey career, Joe. After a hockey player graduates from high school, do they have several choices as to where they will play? As I said, I am most unaware of the options these players have.

BEAT LITTLE GREEN FRIDAY KNIGHT.

[JR]

http://www.uscollegehockey.com/m/ec/?data=preview

Should I Stay or Should I Go?
The rumors about rookie Matt Nickerson leaving Clarkson have been intense for some time now. He's struggled to rein in his aggressive style of play and its cost him numerous trips to the penalty box. On the flip side, however, he's shown significant flashes of why the Dallas Stars selected him in the NHL Entry Draft.

Everything came to a head a few weeks ago, though, when Nickerson's name was added to the roster of the Lincoln Stars, members of the United States Hockey League. The move caught everyone off guard, but no one more so than Nickerson himself.

"It didn't come from me," he said to Watertown Daily Times writer Cap Carey about the rumors, "and I'd like to know who it's coming from. It starts to get under my skin, but you can't let it bother you. I hear about it every day and some guys on the team have asked me."

We did some snooping around and discovered that the Stars had heard some of the same things we had.

Mark Derowitsch of the Lincoln Journal Star reported that when the Stars defenseman Morgan Simonson was sent home to recover from his second concussion, the club made its move on Nickerson.

"Nickerson was rumored to be unhappy at Clarkson," Derowitsch wrote, "which is why [Lincoln] took a chance and added the rugged defenseman to the Stars' protected list. The chances of Nickerson ever playing in Lincoln ... are slim."

Nickerson went on to tell Carey, "I made a commitment here, and I'm going to stick with it and stick to my word."

Chances are, however, we may be down this road again.


We need to have a blanket party for whomever is spreading these rumors.;)

[joecct]

Goldie

Opportunities after HS

(1) Do a grade 13 at a prep school. In my day, Charlie Sharlow and Kevin Zappia both went from Massena HS to Northwood and did a "Grade 13" to be even with their Canadian contemporaries.

(2) Go play Junior. And you have 3 choices in the USA
(a) USHL -- the best, but they want you through 20 years old
(b) NAHL - Not bad, but not as good as the USHL
(c) EJHL - Where my son is. Not a formal Junior A league like the USHL and the NAHL, the EJHL sends a lot of kids to college, including Shawn Weller to CCT via the Capital District Selects.

In Canada, as long an you're NOT playing Major Junior (OHL, QMJHL, WHL), you're in petty good shape. From what I gather the Central Ontario League (CJHL) is better than the Ontario Provincial League (OPJHL). The Western Leagues are also pretty darn good (right, Willie Mitchell?)

(3) Go to JuCo (Canton ATC for example). However, very few Div I teams now grab JuCo grads. Most seem to go SUNYAC.

(4) Take the BIG jump and play college. You'll be young, very young, compared to some of your fellow freshman. Recommended only for the top flight player.

OK, now that we've settled all that, what's the best route? Depends on each kid.

You know what is the toughest thing to measure? Heart. You can have a ton of talent that when the going gets tough, goes. Or you can have a less talented group of players that work their butts off each night and never, ever give up. They might lose some nights, but for 60-65 minutes a night they put on a show and you want to come back for more.

[Goldie Knight]

Friday, January 16, 2004 8:45 PM

Joe,

What an amazing amount of information you have procurred. I have printed it out so I will be able to refer to it whenever I have a question about this.

Thank you, sincerely, for taking the time the write about these hockey opportunities. Once again, best wishes to your son in his hockey career.