ELynah Forum

DeSantis signs with Greensboro Gargoyles of the ECHL

McCrady looks like Cat, I think it's him but not 100 sure
No clue on the other one

Hoyt Stanley is wearing #5 for Belleville Senators tonight -
I was able to find the link for the radio broadcast on the AHL scores link for the game

Spittinchiclets on instagram with a take on regionals-can't link it so if anyone can...

Interesting convo about regionals

Quote from: Pghas on April 01, 2026, 02:07:45 PM

Quote from: fastforward on March 31, 2026, 09:42:04 PMIf I was a hockey player hoping to make it to the show, and I had a chance to play at a college that was known for having players make it AND get an Ivy degree, I'd seriously want to come to Cornell.

To me, I'd take a great player for 3 good years over none at all.

Just my opinion

Of course.  But I think college hockey is fundamentally very different right now than it was even 5 years ago.

Five years ago:  You're an American or Canadian Kid growing up playing hockey.  You're a great player.  You want to go as far as hockey can take you. And let's be clear:  Hockey is the priority.  Getting an education is nice, but this isn't 1987 where you are using your hockey skills to get yourself into Cornell.  Your goal is to play as much hockey for as long as you can.  Your choices are: 1. Go play junior hockey as a teenager in Canada and hope to be drafted into the NHL, BUT you then are not allowed to play college hockey.  All or nothing. 2. Go play at a prep school in the Northeast (or live in Minnesota and play public HS there) and then, while you are less likely to be drafted into the NHL, you can be recruited and committed to play in college (with a stop at junior hockey along the way). From there, you might hope to go to the NHL.  As you might expect, you are much more likely to have been drafted if you cut your teeth in the major Canadian junior leagues.  Many of those kids get drafted but it doesn't pan out and they just forget hockey and go on with their lives. And many of them are probably much better players than the kids who went to prep school and then college. If you choose the prep school>USHL>college path, you are much less likely to wind up in the NHL. College really was generally NOT seen as a path to the NHL. So kids valued the education much more and understood.  And like you said, if you had a Moulson on the team you did significantly better.

The biggest change - more than the transfer portal and the NIL stuff - is the change last fall to allow all of those major Canadian junior players to go to college.  I will tell you because I know this for a fact -since that change, 95%+ of all college commitments are coming from junior hockey.  So many coaches are actually waiting to see how kids develop and what they develop into before committing them.  It minimizes the chances of them signing a prep school kid who doesn't work out in juniors. That is the new pathway.  All the best college recruits now skip prep school and go straight to the OHL or the Q or the WHL.  So they are ready by the time they finish high school, AND the next logical step for them between juniors and the NHL is now college hockey for a year or two. And the college teams that can grab onto the Celebrinis and McKennas are going to have the best chances of winning THAT YEAR.  Once those guys are developed enough, they go to the NHL. Presumably by that time, they are significantly better players than the fourth year seniors they beat on their way to the dance.  And developing players at the NCAA level for four years does not provide them with the kind of development they generally need to jump to the NHL.  Like Castagna - he's as developed as he can be playing ECAC hockey, he needs the next step.  Walsh may or may not be in a similar position.

Totally agree on your points!
My main point, which I probably didn't convey properly, is that people are griping about these guys leaving after junior year and basically "bailing" on the team. I can't begrudge them the opportunity and would be happy having them for 3 years before they go.

Quote from: stereax on April 01, 2026, 03:42:17 PMhey anyone want some half finished poetry i wrote in my head caught in a thunderstorm in cortland waiting for the bus, or are we just gonna talk in circles about debate 101 all day?

OMG I was just about to post something to deflect-as usual you beat me to it

If I was a hockey player hoping to make it to the show, and I had a chance to play at a college that was known for having players make it AND get an Ivy degree, I'd seriously want to come to Cornell.

To me, I'd take a great player for 3 good years over none at all.

Just my opinion

Quote from: Roy 82 on March 31, 2026, 03:49:41 PM

Quote from: VIEWfromK on March 31, 2026, 10:27:44 AM....

Quote from: VIEWfromK on March 31, 2026, 10:27:44 AMShucks.  That was a disappointing finish to a very fun season.  I would so much rather endure the agony of a close NCAA game that is a toss up than to lose a lopsided game like that.  I waited a full calendar year to hopefully get back the feeling I had during that magical run from last spring.  I can't say that I truly expected to feel like that this spring after the way they sputtered down the stretch but I was hoping for a competitive game and maybe a first round surprise.

In the end this young team just proved to not be tough enough to play against.  It was a second half of the season issue and not just evident in the Denver game.  I'm hopeful that the forward group of Hiscock, Long, Pirtle, Murray and Arsenault can figure out how to grind down the other team along the likes of a Jeff Malott.  I'm not necessarily expecting that to be how it plays out with some of their skill sets and Casey's coaching style vs Schafer's but it's a way to potentially create more offensive opportunities that start in the opponent's zone beyond winning a faceoff.

It will take time for the yearning for them to play a heavier game to leave my body after thirty years of that style.  I worry though that trying to play the same type of game as the usual Frozen Four teams is asking too much of our talent pool.  I'm willing to wait and see if they can make it happen though.  They certainly have a ton of balance from this year's freshman group.  I'm excited to see how the newcomers will fit in.  It's going to be interesting to see how Casey's role players differ from the ones Schafer used to target.

That's one pretty successful transition year in the books.  Can't wait to add to it.

I'm hopeful that the forward group of Hiscock, Long, Pirtle, Murray and Arsenault can figure out how to grind down the other team along the likes of a Jeff Malott.  I'm not necessarily expecting that to be how it plays out with some of their skill sets and Casey's coaching style vs Schafer's but it's a way to potentially create more offensive opportunities that start in the opponent's zone beyond winning a faceoff.

It will take time for the yearning for them to play a heavier game to leave my body after thirty years of that style.  I worry though that trying to play the same type of game as the usual Frozen Four teams is asking too much of our talent pool.  I'm willing to wait and see if they can make it happen though.  They certainly have a ton of balance from this year's freshman group.  I'm excited to see how the newcomers will fit in.  It's going to be interesting to see how Casey's role players differ from the ones Schafer used to target.

That's one pretty successful transition year in the books.  Can't wait to add to it.

The trouble is that these days the better teams have players that are too fast and too skilled to get ground down.

The good news is that maybe we will find one such player. Eric Pohlkamp was a 5th round draft pick and is expected to go straight into the NHL as soon as DU finishes their run. He was able to side step our D-men.

He's impressive 😬
Definitely one of the strongest players for Denver

Quote from: underskill on March 30, 2026, 05:14:15 PMHoyt signed with Ottawa.

Ugh I just heard

Quote from: andyw2100 on March 29, 2026, 02:19:48 PM

Quote from: fastforward on March 29, 2026, 01:49:38 PMSlightly off topic but any rumblings about the date for the annual banquet?

From the Hockey Association website:

--
Save the Dates
Men's Ice Hockey Awards Banquet | Friday, April 17th | RaNic Golf Club (formerly Ithaca CC) | reception and dinner time TBA ... stay tuned
--

Thank you!

Slightly off topic but any rumblings about the date for the annual banquet?

Quote from: stereax on March 29, 2026, 10:57:15 AM

Quote from: Pghas on March 29, 2026, 09:51:24 AM

Quote from: Bluelightning on March 29, 2026, 03:16:33 AMI never played hockey so I'm not an expert. When Bancroft left Cornell as a junior to go pro, I was kind of surprised. The kid was a sniper and had a hard shot, but was he well rounded enough to turn pro and have legit chance? He seems to be getting more playing time with his new team so maybe this is breakthrough he needed?
    To me, Walsh and Castagna bring much more. Both are better defensively, better on face offs, quicker, etc. I think with Walsh wearing the "C" it made him a little too unselfish at times this season. He's very talented and I think there were a few times he could have "taken over" more than he did.
    Anyway, in my head: "if Bancroft went pro, then surely Walsh and Castagna will go". Would be interested in hearing thoughts from people with more
Knowledge about this.

I won't say i have more knowledge - Bancroft either didn't play much for Providence or struggled this year.  I think Calgary presents an opportunity for Castagna, he will be one of a slew of young players trying to establish themselves and will have the opportunity to do that.  As we discussed Boston isn't even giving Hagens an nhl contract yet so it looks like Walsh's path with that team is more complicated.  For both of them it's not clear how much more growth they can experience as players through another year of ECAC hockey.  Would say that especially about Castagna.  Would think those factors are the biggest ones for these kids.

I definitely mentioned this before on the forums, but with Bancroft the main issue is he wasn't drafted. So when you have legit NHL attention like that it's pretty difficult to say no. Obviously, that doesn't mean being drafted changes everything, but generally when you're drafted, you have a couple of years of conversations with agents, with the team and stuff, and you have more of an idea of where you stand. When you're undrafted and a team comes knocking with an ELC, you really want to sign it because you don't know what's going to happen next year.

Especially with Castagna, I really don't know what a 4th year of NCAA hockey could give him at this point - 65% on the dot, over PPG, etcetera. Doesn't feel like he has much to prove (besides trying to win a national championship, but 63/64 teams a year don't do that). You also kind of have to factor in that if, for example, Casty drops off a cliff next year, it changes the discussions with the team as well.

I also discussed this a couple of weeks ago, but the center depth on the Flames is really, really bad. Like - they probably have the worst centers in the NHL. I think it's Backlund, Frost, Strome, Gross right now? Which is disgusting and not in a good way - Backy is probably a 2C at best, ditto Frost, Strome fell off a cliff, and Gross just signed like a week ago. So there's a ton of opportunity for Castagna to step right into a 3C or 2C role, at least until the end of the year, and then they'll reevaluate.

Notably, since Castagna is a Canadian citizen and the Flames are a Canadian team, he doesn't have to have an entire visa process the way Sacha Boisvert did. That being said, since he would be under contract and thus no longer be a student (he can still take classes of course and finish his current schedule - and I would be surprised if he wasn't back in Ithaca in May to finish his finals), he would still definitely need to have his visa changed to accommodate that. So it might take a couple of days for that to go through - so we might not see him on Monday vs Colorado, but they'll probably fold him into the Flames team at that time.

On Walsh - again, they don't even want to sign Hagens to a professional contract yet, and they're trying to make him a winger for whatever reason? So if the choice is AHL to end the year or finishing up school with the guys in Ithaca, Walsh is probably going to choose the latter because that gives him flexibility for next year. At that point, in the summer, he can just say "I'm going to do next year with the Big Red if you don't give me an ELC" and see where that leads him with the Bruins organization. He seems to be very fond of the Bruins and I do think he's probably going to sign there eventually (especially if they keep him at center, which is a position of weakness right now within the org), but he can always leverage that senior year and play hardball with the org. Because again, once you graduate, you have those 30 days and you can then sign with any team you want. So if the prospects within the Bruins organization don't look too good, Walsh can always do what it sounded like Casty might have done had he not been traded, which is, ultimately, draft dodge and sign with someone else as a college free agent. (Think Jimmy Vesey here.) I mean very notably, since last year, you have Minten and Hagens who have joined the organization - one is currently the top line center and the other probably should be the second line center. Plus, Elias Lindholm is with the organization until 2031, barring a trade. If you look at 27-28, which realistically is probably when you'd expect Walsh to be a full-timer if he signs today, that's three centers already locked in, plus that high Leafs draft pick that might net the Bruins a fourth high-upside center.

I'll also mention that part of the reason Hagens signed now, as opposed to waiting it out until the summer - as I suspect Walsh will - is because both sides wanted him to get professional games in, with the possibility/likelihood of still signing that ELC in a week or two to burn the year. The thing is that if you sign the ELC now, you can't actually be sent down to the AHL. So if they sign Walsh to an ELC now, they have to keep him on the NHL roster until the end of the year. For a guy like Castagna, who the Flames already want in the NHL, that's not a problem. For a guy like Walsh, who the Bruins almost certainly don't want in the NHL this year, that's a problem. You saw guys last year, like Quinn Hutson, sign the ELC and only play a couple of games, being healthy scratched for the rest of them - in those cases, however, the benefit of having the player signed to the ELC (namely, team control for the next few years) was critical. (This Hutson was undrafted and likely could have window shopped for another team that would give him the ELC, given the amount of interest in him.)

My thing is, I'm always a little bit of the opinion that more years in college will help you improve. Not just because I want to see our guys go for 4 years, but college is a distinctly different experience than NHL/AHL professional hockey. When you're in the professional leagues, you have a lot less time to learn the game, train, hit the weight room, etcetera - you're constantly on the move and don't have very much free time to yourself. There are definitely reasons someone may prefer the college experience - even emotionally, not wanting to leave the team after that kind of loss to Denver.

In any case, we'll see what happens. I think I've convinced myself that if Walsh signs (and I can't say for sure that he will), it's going to be over the summer, due to everything I've outlined above.

Great take on things, as usual!
Thanks for laying things out!

Quote from: stereax on March 28, 2026, 08:45:32 PMIs CHN correct? Is Q getting assblasted by NoDak?

That score as of now looks evilly familiar

So who's gonna be waiting for the guys to return to see if Casty is with them when they get back???

I guess that's good news/bad news
Good for him
Bad for us

Regardless, it's well deserved and I wish him all the best