ELynah Forum

Great one to be at last night.  Really enjoyed sitting over in section B for a change.

One thing that has to be said that nobody has mentioned is that Gio DeGulian had a huge impact last night.  After ringing one off the post in the second, just a wicked snipe to tie it at 4 on the PP.  Then assisted on the  winner off a turnover he created on a great forecheck.  It's two plays but it's a kid whose speed and skill stood out all night and those were not 2 plays that just anyone could have made.  We have long needed players with speed and skill who can make plays like that and win us games. The UNO goalie played well but we failed to finish on 3 breakaways and numerous golden opportunities. Digiulian scored when we desperately needed one.

So a bit off topic but of definite interest here.  My son is a prep school player and we recently attended this big D1 showcase in Florida - they time it to be held just after the NCAA coaches annual conference and so literally there are either head coaches or assistant coaches from every hockey east and ECAC school there.  Competition is pretty amazing.  Anyway they have a conference portion of it and during that, one of the coaches pointed out that since it was determined  that Canadian juniors players were now NCAA eligible, in those 6 months of 135 players committed 125 of them were from those Canadian juniors leagues.  Now maybe there was a huge backlog of players that were wanted.  But it changes a lot - I think kids will still get signed out of NE prep schools but then they can choose to play in the OHL or the Q instead of just the USHL or NAHL  or BCHL.  And also, I would think, if you're thinking, after graduating from prep school, that you're just going to go and play juniors and get signed out of there, probably the already low odds of that leading to D1 hockey got a ton lower.  I just think it might be real interesting considering Cornell seems to have an edge on recruiting north of the border anyway.

Quote from: CASWishart is currently a freshman at Middlebury College.

I had heard this as well but he plays for the St Cloud Norsemen in the NAHL.  Since 1/24 he's got 12g/14a/26 pts in 24 games.  Don't think he's coming to Cornell but would hope he gets to play somewhere.

Dalton Bancroft leaving to sign with the Bs, I think foregoing a year of eligibility.  Hope a lot of these younger incoming freshmen like Pirtle and DeGiulian are ready they are going to have to contribute!

Quote from: scoop85

Quote from: Pghasgetting a sense based on what's out there in the metaverse that Gio DeGiulian may be coming next year and not playing juniors at all.  We could probably use the scoring if he's ready.

That would surprise me given that Seger is our only known loss up front and we already have a few forwards scheduled to arrive in the fall.

you could be right, I had from a very good source he was playing juniors but there's just stuff out there to the contrary.  who is already coming?

Quote from: Redpucks1!I agree with you 100%.  I would love to see what Coach could do with some absolute stud recruits, but, as you said, it apparently isn't going to happen.  Thankfully Coach Schafer is dedicated to his alma mater and didn't seek out other opportunities where he could have competed for championships on equal footing with the hockey factories.  It will be a sad day when he retires.

kinda like what I said above, I would submit not that Schaefer could do better if Cornell drew better players.  I think if Cornell jumped the shark and started acting like Ted Donato they would get those players but it's not that kind of program.  I think that's really the way it should be.

posted in the other thread that I am getting a sense Gio Degiulian might come next year. It's either that or one year of juniors.

I think BU, Michigan, BC and now Harvard have set themselves up as development grounds for NHL bound or NHL hopefuls.  Those schools get all the USNTDP kids and most of them stay for 1-2 years and then are off to sign NHL contracts.  Cornell not really looking for that.  Looking for more success at the NCAA level year in and year out, looking for kids whose goal is to play great college hockey.  The superstar NHL bound kids aren't really looking for that and honestly I dont think Cornell is looking for them.  On the one hand there's a hump that is tough for us to get over, on the other, we are always near the top of the ECAC, always in the discussion for the tournament and make it a heckuva lot.  Cornell is a choice. Its always a lot more involved than just the hockey program.

getting a sense based on what's out there in the metaverse that Gio DeGiulian may be coming next year and not playing juniors at all.  We could probably use the scoring if he's ready.

Quote from: marty

Quote from: BearLover

Quote from: PghasMy understanding is that Wishart is headed to play at  Middlebury.

Such a difficult thing to predict who will develop and how.  Guys who lit it up in juniors sometimes get to college and are a little fried and maybe don't push as much as they once did.  Or maybe they hit a ceiling while other kids really do not.  I have a son who is a good player and what they tell you is that as you move up you have to improve and dominate at every level that you reach.  That's hard to do! I think its safe to say that the USHL is largely D1 commits and that provides the highest level of competition for players to develop so that's probably the best place to play if you're a D1 commit.  So expect a kid like Charlie Major to come in and contribute immediately a la Ryan Walsh.  Sean Donaldson dominated the BCHL which is different.  Jacob Kraft didnt dominate but put up great numbers for Cedar Rapids in the USHL.  DeGiulian was drafted by the Lincoln Stars and my understanding is he will play juniors for a least a year.

As my son's coach put it this year, you're not playing college hockey until you're on the ice playing college hockey!

Well said. I am not involved with junior hockey, but from following recruiting, college success is certainly difficult to predict. We've even seen players be drafted by NHL teams and struggle to make Cornell's lineup (eg. Cairns, Tschantz, Song) or barely produce. I agree with you that putting up a lot of points in the USHL is the surest sign of college success. But still far from guaranteed. Dwyer Tschantz put up really good numbers in the USHL, for example. In his case I think he suffered some injuries, but I'm pretty sure he was a healthy scratch a lot too.

The Donaldson situation seems particularly aberrational. Seventh in the BCHL in points/4th in goals, but can't crack the lineup as a sophomore. Did he plateau once he got to college? Is he unreliable on defense? Does Cornell have a glut of left shot forwards? Looking purely at the junior hockey numbers of the forwards in last year's freshman class, it would have been impossible to tell that Bancroft (insane numbers in the OJHL, which is weaker than the BCHL) would be the best performer, then DeSantis (very good numbers in the USHL), then Wallace (good numbers in the USHL), then Donaldson (fantastic numbers in the BCHL). Obviously, hockey (and especially Cornell Hockey) is way more than just offensive numbers—maybe that's the point.

One thing notable about all of this is that Donaldson and Keopple and the other guys not seeing the ice haven't entered the transfer portal. At other programs, players like them would have bolted  the minute the season ended (or sooner). It says a lot about how Schafer runs the team that these guys are sticking with it.

It says a lot about the players too.  Think of a second string wrestler who is essentially the practice partner for a first stringer.  John Irving, the author, talks about not being able to complete 4 years at Pitt (I think it was Pitt) as a practice partner.  And he thinks those that can do that have character that many do not.

I think there is a sense of accomplishment for a player at just getting to a certain level.  If you have put in the work and effort to make it to playing in prep school, or in college, or at Cornell, how much more is there?  That's not to say these kids dont want to play or care, but to many of them, academics may be the more important part of this picture (and should be).  They aren't going to the NHL, they play varsity hockey at Cornell, and maybe they dont get into as many games as they'd like.  Just being part of that team, at that level, where you all consider every guy just as important as the next, and going to a great school - who can blame a kid for not wanting to transfer to Union or Clarkson or even Yale or Brown?  At some point it is not just the single-minded purposeness of climbing the hockey ladder, its also about your life experience and path.

My understanding is that Wishart is headed to play at  Middlebury.

Such a difficult thing to predict who will develop and how.  Guys who lit it up in juniors sometimes get to college and are a little fried and maybe don't push as much as they once did.  Or maybe they hit a ceiling while other kids really do not.  I have a son who is a good player and what they tell you is that as you move up you have to improve and dominate at every level that you reach.  That's hard to do! I think its safe to say that the USHL is largely D1 commits and that provides the highest level of competition for players to develop so that's probably the best place to play if you're a D1 commit.  So expect a kid like Charlie Major to come in and contribute immediately a la Ryan Walsh.  Sean Donaldson dominated the BCHL which is different.  Jacob Kraft didnt dominate but put up great numbers for Cedar Rapids in the USHL.  DeGiulian was drafted by the Lincoln Stars and my understanding is he will play juniors for a least a year.

As my son's coach put it this year, you're not playing college hockey until you're on the ice playing college hockey!

Was a helluva run.  Castagna and Walsh are going to be huge for us for the next 3 years and give us some of the offensive punch and skill that we so desperately need ( and have needed for years) in games like this.  10 freshmen and this is just the beginning.

I mean that is nuts.  That should never be a call at this point in this game.  Whistles in your pockets.  Just terrible.

Not a great 60 seconds there.  All bad.

Did you guys know that Jack O'Leary is a fan favorite at Lynah? So much so that they even refer to him as fan favorite Jack O'Leary?

Phenomenal shutdown game last night.  I went to the last 4 games at Lynah and have watched these last 3 and really since the third period against Dartmouth they are playing as well as I've seen them.  Let's see how long it continues but that's the most important thing.

Quote from: pjd8

Quote from: BearLover

Quote from: RichH

Quote from: BearLoverI'll get yelled at for saying this, but...turns out having five draft picks in your freshman class (maybe six, if Robertson gets picked this year) is a good thing. And, in another one of BearLover's Classic Takes, the conference being weak this year helped us too...to win a championship, the teams we had to beat were ranked 50th, 29th, and 43rd in the PWR...

Ah, but the fact that the conference was so weak was the very reason why we *HAD* to win the championship. We basically had to run the table, even WITH an unbeaten OOC record in order to grab an at-large bid. We didn't, but came close. Meanwhile, UMass got one because they were in a strong league, despite having a poor record vs. top 15. That we avoided playing the top team in our league was pretty fortunate.

No. The pairwise accounts for strength of schedule. If our conference were better, our SOS would be higher but our win percentage would be worse. You can't assume a world where our conference is better but we win just as many games.

The difference between being in the two conferences is the "bad night" effect. If UMass plays Maine and they have a bad night they lose, and if they have a good night, they probably still lose, but they gain by having a higher SOS. If Cornell plays Colgate and they have a bad night and they lose to a team they would normally beat, they take a hit with the loss and a hit with SOS.

The win percentage/SOS balance only works when there's consistency in play throughout the season. The guys are still maturing. They will, individually and as a team, have bad nights. It's better to have bad nights in Hockey East than in the ECAC.

This is pretty spot on.  When the league is weak you have to win every game which is tough when your team is so young.  Tougher league is more forgiving of a few extra losses as long as you're not getting blown out.