Recruits 2023 and beyond

[arugula]

We are beyond fortunate to have Coach.   The best.  The two recruits that stuck in my craw are Dustin Brown-from Ithaca, but didn't go the college route so can't be too bothered by that and Matty Beniers a double legacy who chooses Harvard and ends up at Michigan due to COVID.  That just killed me. Otoh he is from Massachusetts.

[ithacat]

Hard to be too upset with Coach's recruiting, though we do seem to be one or two elite players away for getting past that hump. I'm bummed Cornell hasn't been able to get at least one of the last 2 Ithaca kids who've passed through the NTDP, but maybe the next one.

[Pghas]

posted in the other thread that I am getting a sense Gio Degiulian might come next year. It's either that or one year of juniors.

I think BU, Michigan, BC and now Harvard have set themselves up as development grounds for NHL bound or NHL hopefuls.  Those schools get all the USNTDP kids and most of them stay for 1-2 years and then are off to sign NHL contracts.  Cornell not really looking for that.  Looking for more success at the NCAA level year in and year out, looking for kids whose goal is to play great college hockey.  The superstar NHL bound kids aren't really looking for that and honestly I dont think Cornell is looking for them.  On the one hand there's a hump that is tough for us to get over, on the other, we are always near the top of the ECAC, always in the discussion for the tournament and make it a heckuva lot.  Cornell is a choice. Its always a lot more involved than just the hockey program.

[Pghas]

I agree with you 100%.  I would love to see what Coach could do with some absolute stud recruits, but, as you said, it apparently isn't going to happen.  Thankfully Coach Schafer is dedicated to his alma mater and didn't seek out other opportunities where he could have competed for championships on equal footing with the hockey factories.  It will be a sad day when he retires.

kinda like what I said above, I would submit not that Schaefer could do better if Cornell drew better players.  I think if Cornell jumped the shark and started acting like Ted Donato they would get those players but it's not that kind of program.  I think that's really the way it should be.

[scoop85]

posted in the other thread that I am getting a sense Gio Degiulian might come next year. It's either that or one year of juniors.

I think BU, Michigan, BC and now Harvard have set themselves up as development grounds for NHL bound or NHL hopefuls.  Those schools get all the USNTDP kids and most of them stay for 1-2 years and then are off to sign NHL contracts.  Cornell not really looking for that.  Looking for more success at the NCAA level year in and year out, looking for kids whose goal is to play great college hockey.  The superstar NHL bound kids aren't really looking for that and honestly I dont think Cornell is looking for them.  On the one hand there's a hump that is tough for us to get over, on the other, we are always near the top of the ECAC, always in the discussion for the tournament and make it a heckuva lot.  Cornell is a choice. Its always a lot more involved than just the hockey program.

What Denver does so well is hit big with the 2nd-5th round type kids who turn out to be better than their draft slots. Whether that's good coaching, good luck, or a little of both, I don't know. That being said, this past year they did have both Buium brothers, with the younger Zeev likely a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft, so they do get a blue chipper every year or two.

[Trotsky]

Disappointing to say the least.  I really thought there was a decent chance that CU would get at least one of the three with their connections to either Ithaca or St. Andrew's College.
The good news is that Cornell continues to do an incredible job of identifying players that fit their style and culture.  This past years freshmen class is a prime example.  As Herb Brooks said, "we're not looking for the best players, we're looking for the right ones."  Cornell does exactly that knowing that the blue chippers aren't likely to come to CU.  Cornell is very fortunate to have Coach Schafer - a devoted alum that has stuck around all these years.  In my opinion he's the best coach in the country.  Can't imagine what he would have accomplished at Michigan, Denver, BU, BC, Minnesota, UND, etc.

I can't disagree with any of this. But that doesn't make it any less incredible that we NEVER get any of these recruits. Very few programs have had more success than Cornell over the past decade, but we don't seem to be remotely competitive for these blue chippers. A recruit could have been born in Ithaca and his entire family could have gone to Cornell, and he'd STILL pick BC or Michigan. With respect to any given player, this is not surprising. But I would have thought that once in a blue moon ONE of these kids would come to Cornell. It doesn't seem THAT far-fetched, in theory. Harvard gets these kids all the time. There are examples of blue chippers ending up at random schools. Cale Makar went to UMass, who was hockey nobody at the time. And here we had the stars aligning, with amazing recent program success, blue chip kids who grew up in the area/whose families went to Cornell, and they still chose to play somewhere else. Oh well—guess it's never gonna happen.

We did get one.  Riley Nash was one of those heavily recruited blue chip players.

[BearLover]

Disappointing to say the least.  I really thought there was a decent chance that CU would get at least one of the three with their connections to either Ithaca or St. Andrew's College.
The good news is that Cornell continues to do an incredible job of identifying players that fit their style and culture.  This past years freshmen class is a prime example.  As Herb Brooks said, "we're not looking for the best players, we're looking for the right ones."  Cornell does exactly that knowing that the blue chippers aren't likely to come to CU.  Cornell is very fortunate to have Coach Schafer - a devoted alum that has stuck around all these years.  In my opinion he's the best coach in the country.  Can't imagine what he would have accomplished at Michigan, Denver, BU, BC, Minnesota, UND, etc.

I can't disagree with any of this. But that doesn't make it any less incredible that we NEVER get any of these recruits. Very few programs have had more success than Cornell over the past decade, but we don't seem to be remotely competitive for these blue chippers. A recruit could have been born in Ithaca and his entire family could have gone to Cornell, and he'd STILL pick BC or Michigan. With respect to any given player, this is not surprising. But I would have thought that once in a blue moon ONE of these kids would come to Cornell. It doesn't seem THAT far-fetched, in theory. Harvard gets these kids all the time. There are examples of blue chippers ending up at random schools. Cale Makar went to UMass, who was hockey nobody at the time. And here we had the stars aligning, with amazing recent program success, blue chip kids who grew up in the area/whose families went to Cornell, and they still chose to play somewhere else. Oh well—guess it's never gonna happen.

We did get one.  Riley Nash was one of those heavily recruited blue chip players.

Riley committed because his brother was already committed.

[ugarte]

Disappointing to say the least.  I really thought there was a decent chance that CU would get at least one of the three with their connections to either Ithaca or St. Andrew's College.
The good news is that Cornell continues to do an incredible job of identifying players that fit their style and culture.  This past years freshmen class is a prime example.  As Herb Brooks said, "we're not looking for the best players, we're looking for the right ones."  Cornell does exactly that knowing that the blue chippers aren't likely to come to CU.  Cornell is very fortunate to have Coach Schafer - a devoted alum that has stuck around all these years.  In my opinion he's the best coach in the country.  Can't imagine what he would have accomplished at Michigan, Denver, BU, BC, Minnesota, UND, etc.

I can't disagree with any of this. But that doesn't make it any less incredible that we NEVER get any of these recruits. Very few programs have had more success than Cornell over the past decade, but we don't seem to be remotely competitive for these blue chippers. A recruit could have been born in Ithaca and his entire family could have gone to Cornell, and he'd STILL pick BC or Michigan. With respect to any given player, this is not surprising. But I would have thought that once in a blue moon ONE of these kids would come to Cornell. It doesn't seem THAT far-fetched, in theory. Harvard gets these kids all the time. There are examples of blue chippers ending up at random schools. Cale Makar went to UMass, who was hockey nobody at the time. And here we had the stars aligning, with amazing recent program success, blue chip kids who grew up in the area/whose families went to Cornell, and they still chose to play somewhere else. Oh well—guess it's never gonna happen.

We did get one.  Riley Nash was one of those heavily recruited blue chip players.

Riley committed because his brother was already committed.

you should start rooting for a school that gives out scholarships. i think you'd genuinely be a lot happier.

[BearLover]

Disappointing to say the least.  I really thought there was a decent chance that CU would get at least one of the three with their connections to either Ithaca or St. Andrew's College.
The good news is that Cornell continues to do an incredible job of identifying players that fit their style and culture.  This past years freshmen class is a prime example.  As Herb Brooks said, "we're not looking for the best players, we're looking for the right ones."  Cornell does exactly that knowing that the blue chippers aren't likely to come to CU.  Cornell is very fortunate to have Coach Schafer - a devoted alum that has stuck around all these years.  In my opinion he's the best coach in the country.  Can't imagine what he would have accomplished at Michigan, Denver, BU, BC, Minnesota, UND, etc.

I can't disagree with any of this. But that doesn't make it any less incredible that we NEVER get any of these recruits. Very few programs have had more success than Cornell over the past decade, but we don't seem to be remotely competitive for these blue chippers. A recruit could have been born in Ithaca and his entire family could have gone to Cornell, and he'd STILL pick BC or Michigan. With respect to any given player, this is not surprising. But I would have thought that once in a blue moon ONE of these kids would come to Cornell. It doesn't seem THAT far-fetched, in theory. Harvard gets these kids all the time. There are examples of blue chippers ending up at random schools. Cale Makar went to UMass, who was hockey nobody at the time. And here we had the stars aligning, with amazing recent program success, blue chip kids who grew up in the area/whose families went to Cornell, and they still chose to play somewhere else. Oh well—guess it's never gonna happen.

We did get one.  Riley Nash was one of those heavily recruited blue chip players.

Riley committed because his brother was already committed.

you should start rooting for a school that gives out scholarships. i think you'd genuinely be a lot happier.

I'd rather root for the school I actually attended and love

[The Rancor]

Ol' Joey Nieuwendyk comes to mind as well. Blue chip, but alas... he only won it all as a pro.

[Trotsky]

Ol' Joey Nieuwendyk comes to mind as well. Blue chip, but alas... he only won it all as a pro.

Different world back then, too.  It wasn't as "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."

[Swampy]

Ol' Joey Nieuwendyk comes to mind as well. Blue chip, but alas... he only won it all as a pro.

Ken Dryden too. But he was planning to go to Princeton, and Ned convinced him to go to Cornell instead. And IIRC, his brother was already playing for the Chicago Black Hawks.

[marty]

Ol' Joey Nieuwendyk comes to mind as well. Blue chip, but alas... he only won it all as a pro.

Ken Dryden too. But he was planning to go to Princeton, and Ned convinced him to go to Cornell instead. And IIRC, his brother was already playing for the Chicago Black Hawks.

At Princeton I'm told we'll win the ECAC's with me in net.

At Cornell we'll win the NCAA's.

[Swampy]

Ol' Joey Nieuwendyk comes to mind as well. Blue chip, but alas... he only won it all as a pro.

Ken Dryden too. But he was planning to go to Princeton, and Ned convinced him to go to Cornell instead. And IIRC, his brother was already playing for the Chicago Black Hawks.

At Princeton I'm told we'll win the ECAC's with me in net.

At Cornell we'll win the NCAA's with me resting my folded arms on my stick ::snore::.