TIME FOR NESS AND ISLANDERS TO STRIKE A DEAL
Struggling 2008 2nd round pick needs to turn pro
Chris Botta on Twitter
Aaron Ness knows he has to leave the University of Minnesota. The Islanders want their skilled second round pick from 2008 to begin his professional development as a defenseman. Now it’s just a matter of the team and the player agreeing on the next step, and a contract.
Multiple sources tell Point Blank that Ness, who just concluded his sophomore season with the Gophers, is ready to turn pro - if the Islanders want him. A league source said the Islanders have not given up on Ness and hope to strike a low-risk Entry Level contract agreement so the 5-10 defenseman can play in the minor leagues.
A former powerhouse, the Minnesota hockey program has been a shambles the last few years under the direction of coach Don Lucia (yes, Garth Snow was very much publicly ahead of the curve on this one). The Gophers finished this season at 18-19-2.
Ness has regressed under the tutelage of assistant coach John Hill. At one time thought to be a lock for Team USA at the World Junior Championships, the strong-skating Ness did not even make it to the final round of cuts. Islanders prospect Matt Donovan, a fourth round draft pick now with the University of Denver, made the team. In 29 games this season, the offense-minded Ness had just two goals and ten assists.
According to a source close to the Minnesota team, Lucia is known for telling young players of the “horrors” of the minor leagues in an attempt to keep them with the Gophers. Ness’s development has fallen off to the point where the pro ranks are his only option if he wants to give himself the chance of achieving his dream of playing in the NHL. His closest friend, Jordan Schroeder, has just left the school after signing a contract with the Vancouver Canucks.
Bridgeport of the American Hockey League is the likely destination, and the choice of Ness, but some time in the East Coast Hockey League is not out of the question for the struggling defenseman.
In a very rare college case, Kyle Okposo left Minnesota in 2008 in the middle of his sophomore season. Ness, for his own good, will likely leave now that his second year is over. The Islanders should be able to make arrangements.
Comments on Aaron Ness and this post.
77 Responses to “TIME FOR NESS AND ISLANDERS TO STRIKE A DEAL
Struggling 2008 2nd round pick needs to turn pro”
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He’s wise to sign now, a few good games down in the AHL and he could even get a taste up in the NHL this season the way the D’s been getting banged up lately.
The more signed prospects, the better. Bridgeport isn’t exactly a powerhouse of prospects. There’s no reason to not give a second rounder a chance at the pro game. I hope he can turn his game around!
I doubt he gets in an NHL game this year but it’s time to leave Minnesota.
MacDonald and Kohn have been serviceable so hopefully Ness gets his chance.
Is transferring colleges out of the question? Do you forfeit a year of NCAA eligibility? Just curious…
James (4), I was thinking the same thing. Is he able to transfer or are his only options to sign a pro contract or re-enter the draft?
On the isles website Ness is listed as 5′10″ 157lbs. Is that serious? Sounds like the size of a 16year old. He is going to get absolutely manhandled in the NHL one day if he doesn’t put on a good 35-40 pounds.
It’d be nice for him to sign now so he can finish up the season practicing and maybe playing with Bridgeport then step into the lineup full time next year with Hamonic and maybe de Haan.
Doesn’t seem like it can hurt, for anyone or team.
Not an easy call for Ness because if the undersized d-man ends up just not being cut out for the NHL then he is dropping out of college for no reason.
CB-how close are the Islanders to the 50 players under contract?
He is still very young and although he did not have the success that he was looking for at Minnesota it was a decision that he personally made and just sign him and let him develop. Just reading your article about Hillen the other day he too did not have much success in the early part of his college carrer but look at him now.
The Sound Tigers could use the depth…
Look at Hillen, use that as motivation. It can be achieved.
The U of Minnesota website has him at 5′10″ 170. Still small, and yes, they need to get him under contract
McDonald, Kohn, deHaan, Hamonic and Fowler are the future core defenseman of the Isles. I’m not too worried about Ness getting a contract at this point.
He wont be a true Islander until he injures a knee, a shoulder or a groin…
Yeah…because nothing can possibly go wrong with those 5(one isn’t even islander property yet)…sometimes I feel like prospects are like darts…throw a handfull at the wall and eventually a few will stick, some might even just hit the mark…the more the merrier, bring on the prospects
Makes me wonder if the Isles have scouted Ness the last two seasons. He was an absolute disaster arriving in the WCHA as a undersized freshmen. He had played in only a handful of games where there were other skaters who could keep up with him.
He has steadily improved his strength and is starting to show the first step that we haven’t seen since his high school days. His points are down due to the Gophers having no forwards capable of creating or finishing chances.
The best thing for him would be to stick it out in college and re-develop the things he was good at vs. the larger college players. If he signs with the Isles he will bounce around between the ECHL and the AHL and get beaten up for another couple seasons.
Sign him and set him up with nutritionist Freddie Meyer.
its pretty clear this kid needs out of Minn. plenty of Minn for him to play in AHL and get some quality coaching.
Kyle whom wanted to finish college career changed his mind rather quickly.
This kid has amazing wheels and talent. NYI will develop him like Andrew Mac!
Sign Ness. Sign Rakishani. Sign Hamonic. Sign DeHaan. Get them all in Bridgeport and let Jack and his staff work their magic. MacDonald and Kohn are good examples. Sign some other undrafted college talent out there before the Maple Leafs do. Bring in more talent.
We need the forward version of Hillen from the college ranks.
If Garth isn’t going to sign veteran NHL free agents, he better sign college free agents!
I am very wary of bringing this kid into professional hockey right now. If he is undersized and physically overmatched at the college level, then he will get absolutely manhandled in the AHL. It could kill his confidence even further or lead to injury. Most undersized dmen (with the exception of hall of famers like Phil Housley) typically take YEARS to mature (see Rafalski, Hillen, Ian White, etc.)
Then again, the Minny program is not great for him either. The kid is really in a pickle. Here is my question - If Garth hates the Gophers program then why did he spend a mid second round pick on this kid knowing that he was going to play there?
give props to garth. He got Kyle out of there and we were all killing him. Looking back he knew what was going on. Maybe we should give let him work his plan.
Honestly, I have a feeling that Ness won’t develop into much. The Minnesota Mr. Hockey award might be his greatest achievement in his career.
Botta, is Ness not eligable for Can Major Juniors, like the WHL, Q, or OHL? I think that would be best for him.
I’ve read various reports on him that say he’s added 20-30lbs since being drafted. Still he’s undersized and better find a top guy to work with this summer to bulk up.
Guy has a ton of skill and can skate. Happy he’s signing.
Ness, Hamonic, Neimi, Poulin, Rhashanski, Ullstrom and maybe De Haan all signed this summer?
Snow wasn’t happy with KO’s development at Minnesota and look how quickly and nicely he has developed. I think Ness deserves the same chance to prove himself as KO did. Up to this point Snowy/Jankowski have made very good decisions on draft choices. If he was drafted in the 2nd round their is something special Snowy/Jan/scouts saw in him.
i believe guys like Francis Boullion of the Preds, Toby Enstrom of the Thrashers are good examples of what Ness can be. A small yet effective d-man in a few years with the right guidance.
I was surprised when Garth went to an incoming U of M for a pick after the Okposo situation…..never thought Isles would take him.
Islanders should sign him…McDonald spent ECHL time, 40 games there would be fine….BUT Ness is a Minnesota kid…who likely dreamed of playing for U of M-it will be tough to leave…..
Maybe Isles should wait to see if Minny fires Lucia….The Hockey News hinted that it could happen.-Maybe a better coach could fix the problem, and slow down the start of the prospect time clock.
I’ve seen him play several times. He’s very, very good. He can make the League. Don’t be deceived by his numbers. He’s one of the best skaters for a college guy that I’ve ever seen, bar none. His hockey sense is great. He can shoot, he can pass, he can rush up ice.
Defensively, he’s also got a great head on his shoulders. He has the potential to be a Jack Hillen type player, but better than Hillen is now. He is more creative offensively.
Ness has a ton of potential, he is a great skater and passer but has very weak shot. I could see him being one of those guys who hone their game in europe as they develop physically.
If he left Minnesota he could transfer to another college but he would have to sit out one year first. He would not reenter the draft and the Islanders would retain his rights.
Lucia is a proven coach with a great record and two national championships for Minnesota. In another era that would have been more than enough, perhaps it still is but in this day of wanting quick fixes and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately attitudes, he may well lose his job.
To put it succinctly, I have to think that Garth Snow rescued Kyle Okposo from this program. Hopefully he can do the same for Aaron Ness. Get the boy in the AHL asap.
I really want him out of UoM but not with the biggs. A transfer is out of the question. Hopefully Lucia gets canned.
I would welcome Ness with open arms. Maybe he’ll even see some time up on Long Island this year.
isnt this the guy that made trading down for baily so worth while..this was our extra pick…swing and a miss…who did we pass on…oh thats right filatov..tik…and schenn..go snow go
As I said earlier, he needs to get out of that program. Someone said it, I wonder if its possible to transfer him into the CHL. That would be a good scenario for him. Also Calvin DeHaan is NOT eligible too play in BPT next year whether he’s signed or not!
We are allowed 50 guys under contract. If 37 of them are ‘undersized d-men’ we are in big trouble. Tough decisions need to be made. Sounds to me that Ness is not an NHLer.
Looks like Minnesota needs some new coaches. It’d be nice to get Ness in the system. If anyone can max out his talent its Jack Capuano. I love the job he does with Bridgeport and think he’ll be a fine NHL coach someday.
I’m all for our prospects developing the right way. But my only question for Garth is how many 5-10 defenseman are we going to have? We already have Mac, Jack, Meyer, Bruno, and Martinek. We traded away our size for a 2nd round pick. If I’m Garth, I’m looking at this years free agency for 2 big strong defenseman to not only clear the net but pair up with our smaller D.
Amazing how a college coach tries to stunt a players devolp. by saying the AHL is not an option. Wouldnt all colleges want to see their players in the NHL one day, raising the colleges programs worth?
This guy is lited 5′10 its more like 5′9, he will fit into our iceworks program no problem. Now how about some NHL D-Men for our NHL team? Garth think BIGGER!!!! I cant wait for someone like Chara to hit this guy so everyone can scream Chara went for his head but his head is where Charas thigh is??? Can someone as Big as Chara check this guy without hitting his head? Think about it and how the size difference plays into hits to the head.
Sign Ness now…let him play in the bridge…you never know, if another Defenseman gets injured he could play his 1st NHL game this year, it would not surprise me since the Isles have no Depth on D right now.
tons of other fish in the sea with more potential…ness is a non story
the real story is how poorly a great collegiate hockey program is becoming
Garth right again…guess the guy has some hockey sense…. I’m being fecetious, of course. Garth doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves for having a hockey mind. Hopefully Ness can be rescued and given the time necessary to mature….which is typically longer than for a forward. Remember to be patient folks…
First, MN with Lucia at the helm has produced Jordon Leopold, Paul Martin and Keith Ballard, among others playing in the NHL (forwards Phil Kessel, Thomas Vanek, Blake Wheeler …)so saying Okposo is proof that Lucia can’t develop players is a little self-serving. 2nd, while the program at MN has had a couple poor years, Lucia’s record at MN (2 national Champs) and at other schools is one of the better records in the country. Thirdly, many of you are probably not aware that Ness accelerated his studies so he could graduate HS a year early, so he is the same age now as most freshman entering college straight out of high school, meaning he is noticeably younger than most NCAA players and has time to grow. (Many college freshman have played a year or two of Juniors before going to college.) Given his age and size, and the difficulty playing the position, I am not that surprised he has not progressed further yet. He seems to lack the confidence to step into the offensive play a lot of times, and from what I understand, Lucia has tried to encourage more of that sort of play, and is not holding him back. So I don’t see how putting him in an AHL uniform will better prepare him than leaving him in school another year.
I have to think that Burke would absolutely trade Schenn for Bailey and Ness if it was offered to him today. Aaron may turn out to be a Rafalski type player in a few years. The ability is there. He has a lot of growing and maturing, and may never see the NHL, but the potential is still there.
Another dwarf d-man. No way the Isles let this guy go. Think of his future–skating up ice and not being able to clear guys out of the crease.
Ever think that the reason Minnesota is doing so poorly now is that many players are leaving early for the pros…rather than the coach being a problem. Most other schools that don’t get the same kind of talent don’t have this issue, so they will have a lot of seniors playing.
If he signs now … he gets into the system ahead of training camp and has a good head start to make up for lost time. I’m very very very disappointed in Ness’ development … He’s one of our key prospects … Can it really be Coach Lucia?? Gophers under .500?? Wow!!
I think if he can finish up in Bridgeport it might be the boost Aaron needs to get his career back on track … the kid deserves it … and the raw talent is there.
Looks like Snow’s going to have to have another reclaimation project to work on … this time with our own prospect.
No reason not to sign him. Some of you can complain about another dwarf out there but I’d rather him under contract right now than half of Bridgeport and a few Islanders.
He doesn’t have to make the Isles but at least having him under contract gives more options.
He’s still young and can put on weight.
#5 He would have to forfeit a year of eligability if he moved to another school. At this point in his career transfering would not make sense for him.
#37 makes a key point…..With the 50 person signing cap, GM’s strategy is to draft College bound Freshman and European players and let the develop “free” and without taking up a spot. (after the first round) Ness has the same size issues today as he has when The Islanders drafted him. Ideally with less games in College he could hit the Weight Room and be a 180 pound player when he finishes college.
U of M had 20 drafted players this year…Lucia has a great history, but it seems easy to say they have underacheived the last 2 years.
Lets hope its poor coaching and not a misread of his talent that has caused his fall from the ranks of elite prospects.
KHS, #45 best post. #48, well said as well. Too bad more have no clue about the other side of things. Like how college hockey in general has been ravaged by players forgoing their 4 year degrees to turn pro too early leaving some programs scrambling.
Great info-
Go get’em Garth! No need to rush him to the big-stage.
So if the Isles win tonite-get a point tomorrow-can beat the Rangers twice…they might have a shot at the 8th seed. Thats if Roli keeps playing.
Where is the 6′4″ 240 pound defensmen with a cannon for a shot and skates like the wind? Come out come out wherever you are!
The problem at the University of Minnesota is the assistant coaches. While they turned out all those great players one of the assistants was Bob Motzko or Mike Guentzel. Now it appears without either of those around player development [at least defensemen] has been stunted.
tux tax, closest we have to that is niemi, 6′2″, clocked at over 97 mph
donovan also has a decent bomb of a shot, not sure how it measures up though…
i’ve watched ness a few games, his talent and potential are quite visable, but he was trying to do waaaay to much with the puck, at the cost of some D responsibility sometimes, but he’s fast and if he reigns it in a little could hold up just fine in Bport
Obviously those who think Aaron Ness is the next coming of Brian Rafalski or even Jack Hillen haven’t seen him play the last two years (like I have). He has been very disappointing to watch. Forget his size, he is indecisive with the puck, has a weak shot and is a defensive liability. He has a long way to go to get to the NHL. What other 2nd rounder with “so much talent” would they consider starting in the ECHL.
it looks like he’s matured physically in the first picture .5′10 , 170 is small but theres no reason why he couldnt add 20 pounds of muscle and play at 5′10 , 190
I want the isles to take their time and develop the guys like Ness/Katic/Niemi in b’port , even if it’s 3 seasons worth down there .
When this kid came into the draft that year he was considered to be a first round talent. It is unfortunate that Minnesota hockey is having trouble developing these prospects. Sign him and bring him over to the Bridge.
I understand how some of you are thinking, but can we please stop with the “Maybe we can get him into an NHL game this year.” The kid is regressing, lacks confidence & has no pro expierence whatsoever. He’ll get killed on an NHL rink at this point. Let him develop in the CHL if possible, or with Capuano in the AHL or even Kevin Colley in Utah.At that point we can determine whether or not he was a steal or a bust. But please stop this NHL stuff. There are plenty of serviceable Dmen in BPT if we need them to finish the season with. Outside of Witt, Mark Flood and a non NHL tendered Jon Gleed can all play defense and not embarrass themselves out there.
Of course he’ll need a no trade clause being an “Untouchable!”
(someone had to say it!)
As its obvious that this team’s route is development, rather than free agency, the more the merrier. If he bombs, no big deal, if he turns into a player you have another asset.
Tell Snow to trade Gervais to the g-gophers for Ness. Straight up.
Sounds like a disturbing trend with this guy. KO wanted to leave MN because he wasnt being challenged and the team sucked. I hope Ness will take something from KO’s situation. The only thing Im concerned about is hes another small dman.
I like no.64’s request.
True Ray @ 62. There is no way in he** I want to see Ness in the NHL this year; not even for 1 game.
I’ve only seen Ness play a few games, and I’m no expert, but I don’t see him playing effective NHL games any time soon. In the games I saw he was less than effective as a puck mover when time and space became less available. He didn’t win any of the one on ones in his own end, nor was he agressive in the offensive end.
I hope I only caught his bad games. I’d much rather see guys like Hamonic or Donovan higher on the depth charts until Ness is SUCCESSFUL in the ECHL and AHL.
I still don’t see how being in a pro league will be better for him than MN. College is a little less physical, there is more practice time and more time to bulk up. Put him in the AHL, and he might not ever get the confidence back if he gets bounced around too much. He is young. From where I sit, KO was looking for a mid-season out after he decided he should have left after one year instead of staying, so used the development card. In addition to the examples I posted above of players who developed well under Lucia (counter to the one main example of KO people are using here), there are several examples of guys who leave college and never develop, in the supposedly better development system under the NHL. (How many Islander prospects never see the NHL?) Even players like Ryan Potulny, who clearly progressed each year at MN to become one of the better college player in the country, after leaving early, needed several years to become somewhat regular in the NHL this year. I think Ness would benefit from one more year at MN before he is thrown to the dogs at the next level.
i am a die hard gopher fan first of all….
why does garth snow keep drafting gophers if he doesn’t like how they are developed? he drafted ness after the okposo debacle. lucia is a great coach and has been for a long time, however i think he needs to go. some new scenery for lucia and the gophers. someone made the point that ness accelerated his schooling to be a gopher a year earlier than he should be. so really this year would have been his freshman year. HE IS TINY TOO. how do you expect him to play against seasoned 21 years olds in the best conference in college hockey. HE NEEDS a couple more years to come into his own just like HILLEN. btw the islanders are terrible (i love their uniforms though)
69- you just can’t not draft a kid you like because you don’t like the school or team he plays for.
71-sure you can. you can say “i don’t like how that coach develops players….i’m not going to draft him”
I watched a U Minn game recently v. Wisconsin and I can tell you Ness was a big non factor. Not sure you can just blame the coach..Would not get your hopes up because he did not really make any significant plays or skate very well.
I’ve watched Ness play many games this season and 2nd half of the year, he was pretty much a no show-can’t blame the coach for that…last few games he was terrible–turn overs, no back checking, appeared dis-interested..he gets pushed around in College I can’t imagine what will happen in the pros. By the way, the Islanders are terrible!
Again another undersized d-man.What are the brass thinking?If this guy has many questions about his development signing him should not be that hard.If his demands get out of range then trade his rights on draft day to move up.Don’t really want to see another 5/10 d-man.Hillen is enough!
Ness isn’t going to sign get a clue! He would rather play for a great college program. Why would he sign with a crappy NHL team so he can play in the minors?
“He would rather play for a great college program.”
But he’d have to sit out a year to transfer and I can’t imagine he’ll do that.