New Recruit for 2011 - Stevie Miller

[pfibiger]

Looks like we've landed another Massachusetts native. 6'2", 195lb '93 Stevie Miller of the Boston Jr. Bruins:

http://www.bostonjuniorbruins.com/

Some spelling errors there, but the gist is sound

Don't know much about him, but he joins a pretty amazing forward class for '11.

[RichH]

Looks like we've landed another Massachusetts native. 6'2", 195lb '93 Stevie Miller of the Boston Jr. Bruins:

http://www.bostonjuniorbruins.com/

Some spelling errors there, but the gist is sound

Don't know much about him, but he joins a pretty amazing forward class for '11.

Good.  Another Miller.  I was worried that we were getting close to not having 2 players with the same last names on the team.  Still searching for a pair of brothers...

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Let's hope he can fly like an eagle and isn't just another joker.

[Trotsky]

I hope he doesn't jump early, take the money and run.

[jtwcornell91]

I'll bet the pep band is tying itself in knots trying to decide which song to play for him.

[oceanst41]

Well they do already have Jungle Love in the playlist.

[upperdeck]

just wondering since I probably missed the discussion before. why do so many hockey kids commit so far in advance?  two years out just seems like a long time to commit ahead of actually getting there.

[tretiak]

Because if someone offers you a sure deal, you take it. If he pans out and is a great talent, he can make the jump to the NHL from Cornell. Going to Cornell won't affect his draft position or the money his first contract. If he gets injured or is not an NHL level talent, he's already into Cornell and will get an Ivy league education. Look at it this way, if Cornell offered you admission while you were a sophomore/junior in high school would you turn them down?

The real question is why are coaches willing to commit this early to recruits. That answer is the age-old response: because every other college coach is doing it.

[pfibiger]

just wondering since I probably missed the discussion before. why do so many hockey kids commit so far in advance?  two years out just seems like a long time to commit ahead of actually getting there.

So it all comes back to the CHL. the OHL, WHL, QMJHL get kids to commit at 14 or 15. That's been happening for along time. Once a kid signs a contract to play major junior, they forfeit NCAA eligibility. A bunch of schools started recruiting kids earlier and earlier. Michigan in particular is/was recruiting kids incredibly early, Jon Merrill committed to Michigan at age 14. I think he's scheduled to make it to campus next year. Wisconsin, BU, lots of other schools have been doing it too. It seems like the Ivies are finally catching up, though clearly it's a lot harder work to determine whether a kid will have the grades/scores to get into Cornell or Harvard when they're 15. The earliest we've seen, I think, have been 16 year olds about 2 years out. The youngest might have been Ben Thomson (who subsequently left to the OHL), but he was the younger brother of a CU lacrosse player and I guess Schafer knew enough about the family and his brother's academics to be confident that he'd get in.

[Robb]

Look at it this way, if Cornell offered you admission while you were a sophomore/junior in high school would you turn them down?

The verbal commitment on the part of the recruits has nothing to do with admissions.  Because Ivies don't use the National Letters of Intent, the verbal commitment isn't even binding - but coaches of opposing schools honor the commitment and don't recruit them out of professional courtesy.

If a guy commits at age 14 but then bombs his SATs, he still won't get into Cornell.

[Swampy]

just wondering since I probably missed the discussion before. why do so many hockey kids commit so far in advance?  two years out just seems like a long time to commit ahead of actually getting there.

So it all comes back to the CHL. the OHL, WHL, QMJHL get kids to commit at 14 or 15. That's been happening for along time. Once a kid signs a contract to play major junior, they forfeit NCAA eligibility. A bunch of schools started recruiting kids earlier and earlier. Michigan in particular is/was recruiting kids incredibly early, Jon Merrill committed to Michigan at age 14. I think he's scheduled to make it to campus next year. Wisconsin, BU, lots of other schools have been doing it too. It seems like the Ivies are finally catching up, though clearly it's a lot harder work to determine whether a kid will have the grades/scores to get into Cornell or Harvard when they're 15. The earliest we've seen, I think, have been 16 year olds about 2 years out. The youngest might have been Ben Thomson (who subsequently left to the OHL), but he was the younger brother of a CU lacrosse player and I guess Schafer knew enough about the family and his brother's academics to be confident that he'd get in.

Actually, I think recruiting early increases the likelihood that a kid makes it into an Ivy. On one hand, the kid now knows what's at stake and may even spend more time hitting the books than playing pond hockey with friends. On the other, the coach can shepherd the player through juniors and prep school in a way that looks after both their athletic and intellectual development (i.e., SAT scores, grades, and teacher recommendations). The Devin brothers didn't go from Catholic Memorial to Nanaimo, where they had tutors and so on, by accident.

On yet the other hand, what does an Ivy coach have to lose? If the kid develops as hoped, it's a win. If not, he may sit on pine for a while or not even dress for most games. From the coach's standpoint, so what? It's not as if there's a limited number of athletic scholarships to dole out.

[Roy 82]

I heard that he can shoot the short left but that he doesn't shoot the deep righty.

Game, Set , Match. :-D