New 2011 Recruit: Ben Thomson

ugarte · December 05, 2008, 04:51:58 PM

I'll bet the Minnesota message board is much more reasonable...

They'd probably already have his blood type online.

billhoward · December 05, 2008, 11:41:54 PM

[quote KeithK]I wonder what the kid would think if he happened to read this thread. Schafer can't exactly order 15 year old recruits to avoid the board.[/quote]

We could all go to FB and friend him.

jtwcornell91 · December 06, 2008, 01:07:42 AM

[quote billhoward][quote KeithK]I wonder what the kid would think if he happened to read this thread. Schafer can't exactly order 15 year old recruits to avoid the board.[/quote]

We could all go to FB and friend him.[/quote]

There's probably some NCAA recruiting rule against that.

billhoward · December 06, 2008, 09:34:14 AM

Well, not a good idea anyway to be friended by middle-age alumni with beer bellies. OK, then we follow him on Twitter, the friendly and benign form of stalking.

Still is amazing that someone can be recruited for, and in some way commit to, a college three years in advance. In his defense, maybe Schafer isn't the first guy doing this and only does it because everyone else is.

*I* would have liked to have known Cornell was probably taking me as of fall of my sophomore year in HS. I think I was starting for the JV soccer team at that point.

cbuckser · June 18, 2009, 05:58:15 PM

One problem with getting a commitment from a 15-year-old blue chipper is that he has plenty of time to change his mind and break the commitment.

Ben Thomson's older brother plays lacrosse at Cornell. Before this signing was rumored last week, I would not have expected this.

Several months ago, Cornell lost recruit Jordan Escott to the PEI Rocket. Cornell losing two recruits to major juniors does not seem like a coincidence. It appears to be part of a pattern of major-junior teams to poach top-flight players with college commitments.

nr53 · June 18, 2009, 06:09:28 PM

See, I always knew the there was some reason I hated the Rangers ::demented::

ugarte · June 19, 2009, 11:05:42 AM

Quote from: Kitchener GM Steve Spott"We are extremely pleased that despite Ben's ivy-league opportunity, he and his family have chosen to come to the Kitchener Rangers, where he can develop as an elite hockey player while achieving his academic goals"

Via the University of Phoenix?

cbuckser · June 19, 2009, 12:09:56 PM

This is the article from the Kitchener Rangers beat reporter, who has been on top of this situation.

It seems that Ben committed to Cornell in good faith, but changes his mind after the Kitchener Rangers drafted him and sold him on playing in the OHL.