Recruits 2023 and beyond

[ursusminor]

Alex Pelletier
Avon Old Farms and Yale Jr. Bulldogs

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/723501/alex-pelletier

[scoop85]

Alex Pelletier
Avon Old Farms and Yale Jr. Bulldogs

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/723501/alex-pelletier

I don't recall us ever having a recruit from AOF, which is a long-time prep power (see, e.g., Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, Trevor Zegras, etc.)

[Beeeej]

Alex Pelletier
Avon Old Farms and Yale Jr. Bulldogs

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/723501/alex-pelletier

I don't recall us ever having a recruit from AOF, which is a long-time prep power (see, e.g., Brian Leetch, Jonathan Quick, Trevor Zegras, etc.)

EDIT: dss28 reminded me recently that Todd Marr was AOF.

[Trotsky]

CHN ranks Cornell the best freshman class in the ECAC and #10 nationally.

The Big Red has a class that rivals Denver in terms of its top-to-bottom depth, which is impressive with a class of 11 new players.

Jonathan Castagna is one of the top scorers in the class. He had 72 points in 50 games for St. Andrew's College last season and was selected in the third round by Arizona. College hockey is a big jump from Canadian prep hockey, though, so it could take him time to acclimate, and some of the less-heralded forwards could emerge earlier. For example, Boston Bruins pick Ryan Walsh had 79 points for Cedar Rapids (USHL) last season.

Ottawa pick Hoyt Stanley leads the group of new defensemen along with Dallas pick George Fegaras.

[Pghas]

Tyler Wishart was traded from Nanaimo to the Merritt Centennials.  Currently on IR but expected to debut for them next month.

[scoop85]

Justin Katz doesn't appear to be on any roster right now. I wonder what's up with him.

Never mind. He is on the West Kelowna roster now.

[Trotsky]

Justin Katz doesn't appear to be on any roster right now. I wonder what's up with him.

Never mind. He is on the West Kelowna roster now.

He's a Fall '24 entry now.

[BearLover]

Tomorrow is a big day on the college hockey recruiting calendar - 8/1 is the first day that '07 birth years can commit.  (First day they could be contacted by schools was 1/1/23).  I have no inside connection to Cornell Hockey, just a fan, but I'm really hoping they are in on these 3 players.  In no particular order they are:

1.  Cooper Dennis - Ithaca, NY!!  On the small side but, who cares, the guy can score.  Plays for the Bishop Kearney Selects and has lit it up at each level.  Some are saying he has the best shot in his age group and have heard that he should have made the USNTDP U17's but did not.

2.  William Moore - NTDP U17 team for the 2023-'24 season.  Elite Prospects lists him as hailing from Mississauga, Ontario but the USA Hockey U17 roster lists him as being from Ithaca.  (Not certain but think his father may be a Cornell professor so that may be the reason behind listing Ithaca as his hometown).

3.  Aidan Lane - Will be playing for St. Andrew's College this season and obviously Cornell has had tremendous success recruiting there.

These players are all extremely high end and therefore it may be a long shot getting any of them since they will all be heavily recruited by the typical college hockey powers.  Really tough when you have the built-in recruiting disadvantages that Cornell has; fewer games, lack of scholarships, stringent admissions standards and extremely challenging academics.  CU does however seem to have a connection with these players through Ithaca or St. Andrew's College so who knows?  Let's Go Red!!!

https://x.com/puckpreps/status/1718675828928635194?s=46

Sad. Cornell never gets the blue-chippers, even when they're literally from Ithaca.

[CAS]

BearLover, have you watched Cornell's frosh this year? (which includes two 3rd-round picks among 5 NHL selections).

[BearLover]

BearLover, have you watched Cornell's frosh this year? (which includes two 3rd-round picks among 5 NHL selections).

Yes, they look great so far—been praising them in other threads. But they are not blue-chippers and they were not receiving anywhere near the hype of the three players Redpucks mentioned. Cornell evidently cannot, or chooses not to, compete for the USNTDP kids or similar.

[Trotsky]

I can understand the desire to get outta dodge and not go to college in your hometown.

[Trotsky]

BearLover, have you watched Cornell's frosh this year? (which includes two 3rd-round picks among 5 NHL selections).

Yes, they look great so far—been praising them in other threads. But they are not blue-chippers and they were not receiving anywhere near the hype of the three players Redpucks mentioned. Cornell evidently cannot, or chooses not to, compete for the USNTDP kids or similar.

The majority -- likely the vast majority -- of blue chippers have neither the ability nor desire to deal with Cornell's academic rigor, even when it is "Cornell."  

Harvard is the only Ivy that regularly lands round 1 or 2 draft picks, and Harvard has advantages we lack (Boston, a 24/7 sloppy BJ by sports media, a casually non-judgmental attitude towards cheating).

Given that Cornell has never gotten blue chippahs, even in the days when Ned Harkness was recruiting like Peter Brand with speeddial, it may not be fruitful to imagine we could somehow start doing so.

[Trotsky]

Also, we have attracted USNTDP players:

Iles, Gartman, Bardreau, Fiegl, Bliss, and the mercurial Clint Lewis.

[dag14]

Iles, the Ithaca native....

[BearLover]

Also, we have attracted USNTDP players:

Iles, Gartman, Bardreau, Fiegl, Bliss, and the mercurial Clint Lewis.

Yes. The last USNTDP player matriculated almost ten years ago.

To be clear, the only reason I would have hoped we'd be competitive for this player is the fact he grew up in Ithaca and surely attended Cornell hockey games as a kid. The fact we couldn't get him despite being one of the top 5-10 programs in the country past few years suggests we aren't remotely competitive for these kinds of players. I think the academic rigor thing is kind of BS, BTW—getting a 3.0 in AEM isn't that hard when half the team is taking the same class.