Ertel to OHL

[scoop85]

I don't know anything about Ertel but it also may be that he realized that college was not right for him while trying to prepare for a career playing hockey.  Had he transferred elsewhere in the NCAA you might be able to argue it was because of dissatisfaction with the Cornell program.  The OHL suggests a different motivation.

Maybe.  He certainly did not seem to endear himself to the coaching staff while he was here.

I don't know if this is how it is at most other NCAA hockey teams, but i do think that Mike Schafer gets tough on youngsters early on and forces them to buy into the culture of putting the team ahead of everything else. I am not against it or am even remotely qualified enough to say anything bad about it. I just feel like this sort of coaching approach often results in players like Ertel (someone with supposedly high offensive upside and probably used to the team catering to their creative needs) being put off.

Again, maybe.  But (1) we have had plenty of creative/offensive players stay and flourish, and (2) the sine qua non of Schafer teams will always be name on the front > name on the back, so TBH I'd rather they fail fast than linger and cause morale problems.

I would argue that we havent had an early/mid round draft pick going on to match the expectations at the time of the draft in recent years though. Of course, we have had plenty of non drafted guys and late round picks that went onto have respectable/amazing careers.

Stienberg was a 3rd round pick like Ertel and Stienberg had an excellent year in 21-22

I hope he goes onto have an amazing pro career but I meant among those that went onto play professionally.  Also, I thought Stienberg was somewhat of a surprise 3rd round pick whereas Ertel being a 3rd round pick was more or less in line with the prospect rankings.

I belief both of them were drafted higher than projected.

[blackwidow]

I don't know anything about Ertel but it also may be that he realized that college was not right for him while trying to prepare for a career playing hockey.  Had he transferred elsewhere in the NCAA you might be able to argue it was because of dissatisfaction with the Cornell program.  The OHL suggests a different motivation.

Maybe.  He certainly did not seem to endear himself to the coaching staff while he was here.

I don't know if this is how it is at most other NCAA hockey teams, but i do think that Mike Schafer gets tough on youngsters early on and forces them to buy into the culture of putting the team ahead of everything else. I am not against it or am even remotely qualified enough to say anything bad about it. I just feel like this sort of coaching approach often results in players like Ertel (someone with supposedly high offensive upside and probably used to the team catering to their creative needs) being put off.

Again, maybe.  But (1) we have had plenty of creative/offensive players stay and flourish, and (2) the sine qua non of Schafer teams will always be name on the front > name on the back, so TBH I'd rather they fail fast than linger and cause morale problems.

I would argue that we havent had an early/mid round draft pick going on to match the expectations at the time of the draft in recent years though. Of course, we have had plenty of non drafted guys and late round picks that went onto have respectable/amazing careers.

Stienberg was a 3rd round pick like Ertel and Stienberg had an excellent year in 21-22

I hope he goes onto have an amazing pro career but I meant among those that went onto play professionally.  Also, I thought Stienberg was somewhat of a surprise 3rd round pick whereas Ertel being a 3rd round pick was more or less in line with the prospect rankings.

I belief both of them were drafted higher than projected.

I accept we are unlikely to be like umich but it would be nice to have some guys playing prominent roles in the NHL

[Swampy]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

[BearLover]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

Ertel could be serving cups of coffee at Starbucks in a few years.

[Weder]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

Ertel could be serving cups of coffee at Starbucks in a few years.

I looked up Sasha Pokulok (#14 overall pick in 2005) and it looks like he's still at it and played one game in the ECHL last season. He's been playing in some Quebec league for about a decade since a couple of years in Europe. Last played in the AHL in 2010.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=84851

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

Ertel could be serving cups of coffee at Starbucks in a few years.

More likely Tim Horton's.

[Dafatone]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

Nobody tried to skate through four defenders, got warded off toward the corner, and turned over the puck quite like Tony Romano.

[blackwidow]

Ertel's story reminds me of Tony Romano's. He also was a hotshot scorer (but 178th in the draft) who left Cornell for the OHL. I don't think he even got a cup of coffee in the NHL. I hope Ertel does.

Ertel could be serving cups of coffee at Starbucks in a few years.

I looked up Sasha Pokulok (#14 overall pick in 2005) and it looks like he's still at it and played one game in the ECHL last season. He's been playing in some Quebec league for about a decade since a couple of years in Europe. Last played in the AHL in 2010.

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=84851

Wow, i guess cornell was getting some first rounders up until mid 2000s...

[Trotsky]

Nobody tried to skate through four defenders, got warded off toward the corner, and turned over the puck quite like Tony Romano.

You must not have seen Kent Manderville's freshman season.

Not every guy is emotionally ready.  Some get it eventually; some never do.

[BearLover]

I was not following the team during the year Romano was here, but Ertel was more a power forward than a skill guy. Though he put up unimpressive freshman numbers, Ertel was only 18, and the team as a whole struggled offensively. I think it's likely he would have developed into a very good player. This is a bad loss given we could have gotten up to three more years from him. It negatively impacts the trajectory of the team over the next three seasons.

[Scersk '97]

I was not following the team during the year Romano was here, but Ertel was more a power forward than a skill guy. Though he put up unimpressive freshman numbers, Ertel was only 18, and the team as a whole struggled offensively. I think it's likely he would have developed into a very good player. This is a bad loss given we could have gotten up to three more years from him. It negatively impacts the trajectory of the team over the next three seasons.

Ehhh... Might have developed; might have been a bust. Our last power forward, Angello, put up far, far better freshman numbers on a team that wasn't exactly given to barnburners. Others, including Lowry, Hynes, and even the ever frustrating John McCarron, also had far better freshman campaigns. I don't think age explains all of it.

If I'm ranking the former freshman now sophomore skaters, I'd say (A) Psenicka (obvs.); (B+) Kempf; (B) Kovich, Suda, Ertel; (B-) Mack; (I) others. With his size, Ertel had the potential to become an A student. That being said, I could also see Mack heading into A-/B+ land if he breaks out of the Jeff Oates mode, because he has the (perhaps also Oatesian) fire.

Now, if Psenicka had left, I'd be most, most unhappy. Like a quicker Baby with a scoring touch. Haven't had a player like him, well, ever.

[BearLover]

I was not following the team during the year Romano was here, but Ertel was more a power forward than a skill guy. Though he put up unimpressive freshman numbers, Ertel was only 18, and the team as a whole struggled offensively. I think it's likely he would have developed into a very good player. This is a bad loss given we could have gotten up to three more years from him. It negatively impacts the trajectory of the team over the next three seasons.

Ehhh... Might have developed; might have been a bust. Our last power forward, Angello, put up far, far better freshman numbers on a team that wasn't exactly given to barnburners. Others, including Lowry, Hynes, and even the ever frustrating John McCarron, also had far better freshman campaigns. I don't think age explains all of it.

If I'm ranking the former freshman now sophomore skaters, I'd say (A) Psenicka (obvs.); (B+) Kempf; (B) Kovich, Suda, Ertel; (B-) Mack; (I) others. With his size, Ertel had the potential to become an A student. That being said, I could also see Mack heading into A-/B+ land if he breaks out of the Jeff Oates mode, because he has the (perhaps also Oatesian) fire.

Now, if Psenicka had left, I'd be most, most unhappy. Like a quicker Baby with a scoring touch. Haven't had a player like him, well, ever.

I agree it's unlikely he would have turned out to be as good a college player as Angello. Though, Ertel is younger than the players you listed. Angello turned 20 March of his freshman year. Ertel turned 19 in May. Psenicka, Kempf, Kovich, Suda are all 20 or older. So I'd say it's too soon to tell on Ertel, but he has a higher ceiling than all of his classmates due to his age.

[ithacat]

I was not following the team during the year Romano was here, but Ertel was more a power forward than a skill guy. Though he put up unimpressive freshman numbers, Ertel was only 18, and the team as a whole struggled offensively. I think it's likely he would have developed into a very good player. This is a bad loss given we could have gotten up to three more years from him. It negatively impacts the trajectory of the team over the next three seasons.

Ehhh... Might have developed; might have been a bust. Our last power forward, Angello, put up far, far better freshman numbers on a team that wasn't exactly given to barnburners. Others, including Lowry, Hynes, and even the ever frustrating John McCarron, also had far better freshman campaigns. I don't think age explains all of it.

If I'm ranking the former freshman now sophomore skaters, I'd say (A) Psenicka (obvs.); (B+) Kempf; (B) Kovich, Suda, Ertel; (B-) Mack; (I) others. With his size, Ertel had the potential to become an A student. That being said, I could also see Mack heading into A-/B+ land if he breaks out of the Jeff Oates mode, because he has the (perhaps also Oatesian) fire.

Now, if Psenicka had left, I'd be most, most unhappy. Like a quicker Baby with a scoring touch. Haven't had a player like him, well, ever.

I agree it's unlikely he would have turned out to be as good a college player as Angello. Though, Ertel is younger than the players you listed. Angello turned 20 March of his freshman year. Ertel turned 19 in May. Psenicka, Kempf, Kovich, Suda are all 20 or older. So I'd say it's too soon to tell on Ertel, but he has a higher ceiling than all of his classmates due to his age.

Anthony also had 2 years in the USHL before Cornell. Maybe we've been a little spoiled by the recent transitions made by SAC students, though I think Matt and Morgan were each a year older than Justin during their first year. It's a pretty big jump from prep to D1. Regardless, I wish he was staying and I hope he has a great OHL and pro career.

[blackwidow]

I was not following the team during the year Romano was here, but Ertel was more a power forward than a skill guy. Though he put up unimpressive freshman numbers, Ertel was only 18, and the team as a whole struggled offensively. I think it's likely he would have developed into a very good player. This is a bad loss given we could have gotten up to three more years from him. It negatively impacts the trajectory of the team over the next three seasons.

Ehhh... Might have developed; might have been a bust. Our last power forward, Angello, put up far, far better freshman numbers on a team that wasn't exactly given to barnburners. Others, including Lowry, Hynes, and even the ever frustrating John McCarron, also had far better freshman campaigns. I don't think age explains all of it.

If I'm ranking the former freshman now sophomore skaters, I'd say (A) Psenicka (obvs.); (B+) Kempf; (B) Kovich, Suda, Ertel; (B-) Mack; (I) others. With his size, Ertel had the potential to become an A student. That being said, I could also see Mack heading into A-/B+ land if he breaks out of the Jeff Oates mode, because he has the (perhaps also Oatesian) fire.

Now, if Psenicka had left, I'd be most, most unhappy. Like a quicker Baby with a scoring touch. Haven't had a player like him, well, ever.

I agree it's unlikely he would have turned out to be as good a college player as Angello. Though, Ertel is younger than the players you listed. Angello turned 20 March of his freshman year. Ertel turned 19 in May. Psenicka, Kempf, Kovich, Suda are all 20 or older. So I'd say it's too soon to tell on Ertel, but he has a higher ceiling than all of his classmates due to his age.

Anthony also had 2 years in the USHL before Cornell. Maybe we've been a little spoiled by the recent transitions made by SAC students, though I think Matt and Morgan were each a year older than Justin during their first year. It's a pretty big jump from prep to D1. Regardless, I wish he was staying and I hope he has a great OHL and pro career.

Wow, you guys are way too kind. I hope he doesnt have a great career. It would somewhat justify his decision to leave and make Cornell player development look bad.

[Trotsky]

Wow, you guys are way too kind. I hope he doesnt have a great career. It would somewhat justify his decision to leave and make Cornell player development look bad.

No.  They're just not bad sports.