Recruits 2023 and beyond

[BearLover]

Pretty quiet around these parts. The NHL draft begins June 28 and Cornell has six players who could realistically be drafted. The only one who is highly likely to be taken is Hoyt Stanley. Jonathan Castagna is the next-most likely. After him, there's Chase Pirtle, Ben Robertson, Nicholas Wolfenberg, and Ryan Walsh who could conceivably be drafted, probably in that order of likelihood. Stanley, Robertson, Walsh, and probably Wolfenberg will be here next fall. Pirtle and Castagna have not played junior hockey yet. However, if Cornell is short forwards (and it looks like they are), then they'll need to bring someone in early. Cornell could pick Castagna or Pirtle, or a recruit with junior hockey experience who isn't considered as big of a prospect.

[Trotsky]

Thank you for that wrap-up, Bear.

[scoop85]

Today Scott Wheeler posted his top ranked NHL draft prospects just outside his top 100 list. Jonathan Castagna was the second player listed. Here's Wheeler's analysis:

St. Andrew's College, or SAC, has become a bit of a non-traditional factory, now regularly producing one to two prospects who garner NHL interest without playing major junior or even Jr. A. I actually prefer Castagna, who was ranked one spot back of his teammate Francesco Dell'Elce by NHL Central Scouting (they were 90th and 91st among North American skaters, though the expectation is that the lower-ranked will actually be picked higher per those I've talked to). Castagna is a tremendous athlete, the kind of player who excels in on-and-off-ice testing and does it in a pro frame. His game is defined by his skating (acceleration and top gear), his versatility, and his drive. I saw him consistently play to the middle of the ice in my viewings. And while he's not a natural finisher, there's a belief that he's very early in his development on the ice even if he's ahead of the curve off of it. There are some who believe he's a mid-round guy but I'd be more comfortable with a late-round play. He's committed to Cornell for the fall and will bypass playing a year of junior like most prep school products do before going to college. By all accounts, he was a special kid at SAC, where he excelled in the classroom, on the lacrosse field and also in theatre per coach.

Of particular interest is Wheeler reporting that Castagna will be coming to Cornell this fall straight from SAC, and foregoing juniors. Another guy who did that who turned out to be pretty good was Morgan Barron (well in truth Barron did play 5 games in the USHL in the 2016-17 season, going pointless in those games, but you get the gist).

EDIT: Elite Prospects shows Castagna playing next season for Pecticton of the BCHL. But if we're in fact thin at forward next year perhaps its been decided that Castagna is going to come in the fall. We may have to wait until the incoming recruit announcement is posted by Cornell Athletics before we know for sure.

[BearLover]

Of particular interest is Wheeler reporting that Castagna will be coming to Cornell this fall straight from SAC, and foregoing juniors. Another guy who did that who turned out to be pretty good was Morgan Barron (well in truth Barron did play 5 games in the USHL in the 2016-17 season, going pointless in those games, but you get the gist).

Another guy who did that was Justin Ertel...

[scoop85]

The Athletic's Corey Pronman released his mock 7 round NHL draft. He has Hoyt Stanley and Jonathan Castagna going in the 3rd round, and Chase Pirtle in the 7th round. Stanley and Castagna have both really risen up the draft boards of late, and it will be interesting to see where they actually are drafted.

While we aren't getting the blue chippers necessarily, we're still recruiting at a pretty solid level. This year's class appears to be on paper at least the equal of any other team in the ECAC. And while Ryan Walsh likely won't be drafted, based on his stellar season in the USHL he may well turn out to be the most impactful recruit in the class.

 Harvard has a solid class as always, but doesn't look like any Coronato level recruits this year.

[Weder]

Today Scott Wheeler posted his top ranked NHL draft prospects just outside his top 100 list. Jonathan Castagna was the second player listed. Here's Wheeler's analysis:

St. Andrew's College, or SAC, has become a bit of a non-traditional factory, now regularly producing one to two prospects who garner NHL interest without playing major junior or even Jr. A. I actually prefer Castagna, who was ranked one spot back of his teammate Francesco Dell'Elce by NHL Central Scouting (they were 90th and 91st among North American skaters, though the expectation is that the lower-ranked will actually be picked higher per those I've talked to). Castagna is a tremendous athlete, the kind of player who excels in on-and-off-ice testing and does it in a pro frame. His game is defined by his skating (acceleration and top gear), his versatility, and his drive. I saw him consistently play to the middle of the ice in my viewings. And while he's not a natural finisher, there's a belief that he's very early in his development on the ice even if he's ahead of the curve off of it. There are some who believe he's a mid-round guy but I'd be more comfortable with a late-round play. He's committed to Cornell for the fall and will bypass playing a year of junior like most prep school products do before going to college. By all accounts, he was a special kid at SAC, where he excelled in the classroom, on the lacrosse field and also in theatre per coach.

Of particular interest is Wheeler reporting that Castagna will be coming to Cornell this fall straight from SAC, and foregoing juniors. Another guy who did that who turned out to be pretty good was Morgan Barron (well in truth Barron did play 5 games in the USHL in the 2016-17 season, going pointless in those games, but you get the gist).

EDIT: Elite Prospects shows Castagna playing next season for Pecticton of the BCHL. But if we're in fact thin at forward next year perhaps its been decided that Castagna is going to come in the fall. We may have to wait until the incoming recruit announcement is posted by Cornell Athletics before we know for sure.

The official announcement is here, and Castagna is on the list: https://cornellbigred.com/news/2023/6/28/mens-ice-hockey-incoming-class-of-2027-release.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1ktST88MdvgqOMB9GG4D_phQ_0ZX4fhxQ7AdYVucKoA4P_Xyh5blgQL88

[CU2007]

Looks like quite a class

[BearLover]

Looks like quite a class

Definitely talented. Fegaras and Devlin have already been drafted, with Stanley highly likely to be drafted tomorrow and Castagna also likely to be drafted. (Pirtle, Robertson, Wolfenberg, and Walsh also have a shot to be taken, with Pirtle the most likely, then Robertson, although I don't think any are likely.) So that makes likely four, and possibly more, drafted freshmen next year, which sounds more like Harvard than Cornell.  As scoop85 said, the best of them may not be a drafted player but rather Walsh, who was second in the USHL in scoring.

Still, this will be a rebuilding process. We might win a lot of games in the ECAC because there are so many bad teams in the league, but we are not going to be a great team overnight. Quinnipiac and many other programs are able to reload immediately with transfers and grad students, but we do not have that privilege. I think it will be a year or two before we're really good.

[Trotsky]

Five defensemen coming in typically would indicate lots of breakdowns, in the first half of the season at least.  Our D-men have been very aggressive lately.  It will be interesting to see if Mike continues that, despite the obvious risks.

Ages of the players on 11/1/23:

20: Kraft, Walsh
19: Catalano, Devlin, Fegaras, Mosko, Robertson, Steele
18: Castagna, Stanley

[scoop85]

Five defensemen coming in typically would indicate lots of breakdowns, in the first half of the season at least.  Our D-men have been very aggressive lately.  It will be interesting to see if Mike continues that, despite the obvious risks.

While our D corps will be young, this might be the most talented overall group of defensemen we've seen at Cornell in the Schafer Era. Yes, we'll probably have some struggles early on, but by the spring semester we could be really good on the blue line.

[chimpfood]

Castagna taken by the coyotes with the 6th pick of the 3rd round

[scoop85]

Castagna taken by the coyotes with the 6th pick of the 3rd round

Talk about a fast riser up the draft boards. A month ago he was being projected as a late round pick.

Hoyt Stanley is likely to be going in the 3rd or 4th round.

[chimpfood]

Stanley to Ottawa with the 12th pick in the 4th round

[BearLover]

With Castagna and Stanley off the board, now the question is whether any of the other Cornell recruits (Pirtle, Robertson, Wolfenberg, Walsh) get taken. Though each is individually unlikely to get picked, collectively there's a decent shot at least one does.

[chimpfood]

Ryan Walsh to Boston with the 28th pick of the 6th round