Recruiting wars

I think it's noteworthy that the chances of smaller, skilled forwards leaving early are far less than the bigger forwards Cornell has been bringing in the last couple years.

I read a bit about him on a message board where someone was asking about him being recruited by the QMJHL, and the person who knew his family said he'd had his heart set on playing D1 hockey for a long time. I'd hope that that, combined with his size, would keep him at school for a while. I also saw this about him when discussing Nova Scotia players. Looks like in addition to being a goal scorer, he's good on faceoffs and isn't afraid to bang.


*"Blake Gallagher* - This guy was amazing, won every draw he took, skates well, has super offensive awearness and is not afraid to get his nose dirty. Why on earth he was never drafted into the QMJHL beats me, he diffently has the talent and abilty to be a good player at that level by far my favorite player in the whole game."

Hard to be certain of anything in a post by Chris Heisenberg.

Well, at least the verbal seems legit.

[www.notredame.sk.ca]

[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:

Hard to be certain of anything in a post by Chris Heisenberg. [/q]

Since Chris lists each player's position, he can't know their momentum (basically how fast they skate).


(In case anyone doesn't know, Chris is Werner's grandson.)

[Q]ithacat Wrote:
Looking forward to seeing Topher, Justin, & Blake...but is the Big going small? [/q]

Nah, just the cloning of Vesce. "A Vesce on Every Line!" So, now we can see the progression:

1) 1996-97: Schafer "reminds" McCutcheon's recruits how to play defense, lights a fire under Chartrand, brings in the oft-forgotten Tymchyschyn, institutes some discipline, inherits a couple good goaltenders, and wins two championships.

2) 1998-99: Schafer, starting to build his own team, gets caught between defensive-minded recruits and a couple of scanty senior classes, loses the offense and has a couple of losing seasons. The inexorable decline in GAA begins. Ian Burt does a servicable job backing up Elliott and helping Underhill through his growing pains. (Also into 2000.)

3) 2000: The great class of '03 arrives, immediately making themselves felt on the scoring sheet.

4) 2001: Vesce arrives and Paolini, well, appears. Vesce turns into the offensive glue that, I think, Moynihan and Rutter never exactly turned out to be. I can't help but think there is some significance to Moynihan being the only Schafer recruit to wear his #3.

5) 2002-03: The Big Red ride Paolini, Vesce, and Bâby, two great goalies, and the ever-shrinking GAA to national recognition. We get great years out of two great goalies. Matt Moulson arrives, arguably the first goal-scorer we've had since Chartrand. Thrown onto a line with Vesce and Bâby, he creates a prototype that Schafer has sought to recreate ever since: "gifted" LW, buzzing center set-up, and a bruising RW.

6) 2004: "Where'd my scoring go!" Vesce gets injured, Moulson lacks a set-up man (but still scores), and the defense lets up... just a bit. We get upset by Clarkson. Urgh.

7) 2005: The scoring returns! Scott proves to be a Vesce-type set-up man, the defense somehow is better than in 2003. We get oh-so-close to returning to the Frozen Four.

To me, it looks like our recent nationally-recognized performance has opened up access to true goal-scorers--what we have always desperately needed. Barlow looks to be a scorer, Kindret as well. Connors has done some scoring, though he may be expected to play more of a Hynes/Bâby roll at Cornell. Gallagher, Greening, Milo, and Romano have all put up some numbers. Scoring, scoring, scoring, scoring: we're starting to talk about it.

So, why the shortness, or seeming lack of concern regarding height of these kids? I think a lot of the credit goes to Vesce, who, on a team of trees proved to be very easy to integrate. That prototypical line, with our left-wing lock, is, well, prototypical. I can't help but think that a bit goes back, however, to one notable performance during our dominant wins over BU at Lynah in 2003. As Jack Parker said:

"Our freshmen played real well. You'd think they'd be intimidated, [but] all our freshmen played real well. The upperclassmen are the ones that let us down, especially the forwards. I don't think we got decent play out of three forwards all weekend other than the freshmen — [David] VanderGulik and [Brad] Zancanaro."

Zancanaro was the only guy that we couldn't control all weekend, and he was an absolute mite. He was also a winger, and Scott's play on the wing this season is reminiscent. It seems that Schafer has decided that he need not have trees at every position, and that a few short, speedy guys are worth it, especially since there seems to be little defensive downside. Defense first, after all.

One final note, with Hynes's departure one name immediately came to mind: McCutcheon. No, I wasn't reminiscing about Manderville's departure, I was thinking of the current McCutcheon. Making it to Milwaukee may depend on him finally reaching his potential. He needs to pull a Cooney.

(to pull a Cooney: v., to show heretofore buried or unknown offensive skills in one's junior year when pared, finally, with a competent linemate)

Not to be too picky, but Chartrand was hardly the pure goal scorer. He only had 10, 4 and 9 goals his first three seasons. He was a talented two way player who put it together offensively with a surging team in '96. Saying that Moulson is probably our first goal scorer since Derraugh or Andison woul be more accurate (basing that on stats, since I never saw either of them play).

Could also be that the critical absence of scoring was exposed in the NCAA runs, and Schafer has shifted a bit. Stonewall D and G will get you the ECAC bid, but it will take scoring to get an NCAA title.

Scoring has always been the one flaw that has prevented them from really having a chance at winning a championship (it would be interesting to have seen them play Minn a few years ago, but their offense was far superior). I believe Schafer is confident enough in his system to finally attempt integrating more offense (and hopefully more speed) and the recent success has allowed him to start winning some recruiting wars for offensive talent, even if they are smaller players.

I will add one point I've never heard mentioned--I think the new Cornell undergraduate Business program is a major selling point to recruits (it has always essentially been there, but not accredited)---see comments from the most recent recruit. About half the team is in that major, and that may help mitigate fears over balancing academics and athletics at an Ivy league school. This program is also a major selling point in comparison to some other ECAC schools.

Take a kid with natural scoring talent, broaden his defensive play, and get the best of both worlds.

I wonder whether McCutcheon is gritty enough for this level of play. I'm hoping he is, because he has the skills.