Recruits 2024 and Beyond

[BearLover]

My understanding is that Wishart is headed to play at  Middlebury.

Such a difficult thing to predict who will develop and how.  Guys who lit it up in juniors sometimes get to college and are a little fried and maybe don't push as much as they once did.  Or maybe they hit a ceiling while other kids really do not.  I have a son who is a good player and what they tell you is that as you move up you have to improve and dominate at every level that you reach.  That's hard to do! I think its safe to say that the USHL is largely D1 commits and that provides the highest level of competition for players to develop so that's probably the best place to play if you're a D1 commit.  So expect a kid like Charlie Major to come in and contribute immediately a la Ryan Walsh.  Sean Donaldson dominated the BCHL which is different.  Jacob Kraft didnt dominate but put up great numbers for Cedar Rapids in the USHL.  DeGiulian was drafted by the Lincoln Stars and my understanding is he will play juniors for a least a year.

As my son's coach put it this year, you're not playing college hockey until you're on the ice playing college hockey!

Well said. I am not involved with junior hockey, but from following recruiting, college success is certainly difficult to predict. We've even seen players be drafted by NHL teams and struggle to make Cornell's lineup (eg. Cairns, Tschantz, Song) or barely produce. I agree with you that putting up a lot of points in the USHL is the surest sign of college success. But still far from guaranteed. Dwyer Tschantz put up really good numbers in the USHL, for example. In his case I think he suffered some injuries, but I'm pretty sure he was a healthy scratch a lot too.

The Donaldson situation seems particularly aberrational. Seventh in the BCHL in points/4th in goals, but can't crack the lineup as a sophomore. Did he plateau once he got to college? Is he unreliable on defense? Does Cornell have a glut of left shot forwards? Looking purely at the junior hockey numbers of the forwards in last year's freshman class, it would have been impossible to tell that Bancroft (insane numbers in the OJHL, which is weaker than the BCHL) would be the best performer, then DeSantis (very good numbers in the USHL), then Wallace (good numbers in the USHL), then Donaldson (fantastic numbers in the BCHL). Obviously, hockey (and especially Cornell Hockey) is way more than just offensive numbers—maybe that's the point.

One thing notable about all of this is that Donaldson and Keopple and the other guys not seeing the ice haven't entered the transfer portal. At other programs, players like them would have bolted  the minute the season ended (or sooner). It says a lot about how Schafer runs the team that these guys are sticking with it.

It says a lot about the players too.  Think of a second string wrestler who is essentially the practice partner for a first stringer.  John Irving, the author, talks about not being able to complete 4 years at Pitt (I think it was Pitt) as a practice partner.  And he thinks those that can do that have character that many do not.

I think there is a sense of accomplishment for a player at just getting to a certain level.  If you have put in the work and effort to make it to playing in prep school, or in college, or at Cornell, how much more is there?  That's not to say these kids dont want to play or care, but to many of them, academics may be the more important part of this picture (and should be).  They aren't going to the NHL, they play varsity hockey at Cornell, and maybe they dont get into as many games as they'd like.  Just being part of that team, at that level, where you all consider every guy just as important as the next, and going to a great school - who can blame a kid for not wanting to transfer to Union or Clarkson or even Yale or Brown?  At some point it is not just the single-minded purposeness of climbing the hockey ladder, it's also about your life experience and path.

I agree with all this stuff. Kudos to the coaching staff for recruiting this type of player, emphasizing the degree, and getting the players to buy in. The players themselves I'm certain are making a smart and rational decision about their future by sticking with Cornell even given a lack of ice time. But the vast majority of college hockey players would not make the same choice.

[Robb]

My understanding is that Wishart is headed to play at  Middlebury.

Such a difficult thing to predict who will develop and how.  Guys who lit it up in juniors sometimes get to college and are a little fried and maybe don't push as much as they once did.  Or maybe they hit a ceiling while other kids really do not.  I have a son who is a good player and what they tell you is that as you move up you have to improve and dominate at every level that you reach.  That's hard to do! I think its safe to say that the USHL is largely D1 commits and that provides the highest level of competition for players to develop so that's probably the best place to play if you're a D1 commit.  So expect a kid like Charlie Major to come in and contribute immediately a la Ryan Walsh.  Sean Donaldson dominated the BCHL which is different.  Jacob Kraft didnt dominate but put up great numbers for Cedar Rapids in the USHL.  DeGiulian was drafted by the Lincoln Stars and my understanding is he will play juniors for a least a year.

As my son's coach put it this year, you're not playing college hockey until you're on the ice playing college hockey!

Well said. I am not involved with junior hockey, but from following recruiting, college success is certainly difficult to predict. We've even seen players be drafted by NHL teams and struggle to make Cornell's lineup (eg. Cairns, Tschantz, Song) or barely produce. I agree with you that putting up a lot of points in the USHL is the surest sign of college success. But still far from guaranteed. Dwyer Tschantz put up really good numbers in the USHL, for example. In his case I think he suffered some injuries, but I'm pretty sure he was a healthy scratch a lot too.

The Donaldson situation seems particularly aberrational. Seventh in the BCHL in points/4th in goals, but can't crack the lineup as a sophomore. Did he plateau once he got to college? Is he unreliable on defense? Does Cornell have a glut of left shot forwards? Looking purely at the junior hockey numbers of the forwards in last year's freshman class, it would have been impossible to tell that Bancroft (insane numbers in the OJHL, which is weaker than the BCHL) would be the best performer, then DeSantis (very good numbers in the USHL), then Wallace (good numbers in the USHL), then Donaldson (fantastic numbers in the BCHL). Obviously, hockey (and especially Cornell Hockey) is way more than just offensive numbers—maybe that's the point.

One thing notable about all of this is that Donaldson and Keopple and the other guys not seeing the ice haven't entered the transfer portal. At other programs, players like them would have bolted  the minute the season ended (or sooner). It says a lot about how Schafer runs the team that these guys are sticking with it.

It says a lot about the players too.  Think of a second string wrestler who is essentially the practice partner for a first stringer.  John Irving, the author, talks about not being able to complete 4 years at Pitt (I think it was Pitt) as a practice partner.  And he thinks those that can do that have character that many do not.

"it takes more skill than I can tell
To play the second fiddle well"
-Charles Spurgeon

I don't know about skill, but certainly your devotion, focus, and persistence have to be off the charts.

[Swampy]

I also think there's a great sense of accomplishment working one's way off the bench and onto the ice. I'd like to think everyone that Schafer recruits has this ethos that the journey is the destination.

[ugarte]

I also think there's a great sense of accomplishment working one's way off the bench and onto the ice. I'd like to think everyone that Schafer recruits has this ethos that the journey is the destination.

i also think there's some self-awareness that if you can't earn your way into the starting lineup in college you may not be the next jonathan quick and you adjust your expectations.

[CAS]

Chase Pirtle is one of the 3 finalists for BCHL rookie of the year.

[Robb]

It says a lot about the players too.  Think of a second string wrestler who is essentially the practice partner for a first stringer.  John Irving, the author, talks about not being able to complete 4 years at Pitt (I think it was Pitt) as a practice partner.  And he thinks those that can do that have character that many do not.

It takes more skill than I can tell
to play the second fiddle well.
-Charles Spurgeon

I'm not so sure about skill, but certainly your dedication and self-motivation have to be off the charts.

[scoop85]

The NHL's Central Scouting Service's final ranking was released yesterday. Gio Diguilian came in as the 124th ranked North American skater, up from 153 in the mid-term ranking. Unless I missed anyone he looks like the only Cornell recruit or player in the rankings.

[arugula]

Hard to believe there are 225 better players of his age than Robertson

[randyranger]

Robertson will be 20 this September.  To be eligible for the '24 draft you have to be under 20 on 12/31/24

[arugula]

Ah, ok.  Folks have been talking about him as if he still had a draft year.

[Trotsky]

Ah, ok.  Folks have been talking about him as if he still had a draft year.

I think he is typically mentioned as a blue chip free agent.

[ugarte]

Ah, ok.  Folks have been talking about him as if he still had a draft year.

I think he is typically mentioned as a blue chip free agent.

The conversation here has largely sprung from an unknown past comment that he had another year of draft eligibility. I, for one, had been assuming that he was draft eligible based on that comment, subsequent conversation and my own customary lack of interest in researching something that I was satisfied someone else had gotten right.

[BearLover]

Robertson will be 20 this September.  To be eligible for the '24 draft you have to be under 20 on 12/31/24

Says here
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_NHL_Entry_Draft#:~:text=Ice%20hockey%20players%20born%20between,the%202024%20NHL%20Entry%20Draft.
"Ice hockey players born between January 1, 2004, and September 15, 2006, are eligible for selection in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft."

Robertson was born September 18, 2004, so would be eligible. The 2023 draft is the only draft he has been eligible for so far (until this year's).

[arugula]

So I return to my prior comment: hard to believe there are 250 skaters better than Robertson.

[CAS]

Recruit Chase Pirtle was named BCHL rookie of the year.