2024-25 Players Graduating

[Trotsky]

Concern about next season: absolutely. We are going to struggle replacing so much talent, and though we knew that was coming Bancroft and Robertson now add another two key slots.  We may be looking at a couple seasons in 8th.

Concern about immediate recruiting: maybe.  It is an enormous coaching change and you know Rand et al. are out there pouring poison into the ears of every parent that Cornell has lost its main asset.

Concern about the tarnishing of the Ivies: pfft.  Yes, a bunch of asshats hate the Ivies because of political dementia, but their kids were never getting in anyway.  Admission standards taketh but they also giveth.  God bless gatekeeping.

Concern about the professionalization of college athletics finally being overt after 100 years of it being hidden hurting Cornell: zero.  We have tons of rich infantile NYC and LI dipshit alumni who will pony up millions to win the (limp) dick swinging contest at the yacht club.  Even if Day Hall never gets the memo the "student"-athlete con is finally dead, we'll be better than fine.  Plutocracy works for us.

[BearLover]

this is a major inflection point for the long term prospects of the team and it hurts to see important pieces bailing.

Robertson was THE most important piece. Cornell will likely have Walsh and Castagna for only one more season (though now even having them for one more season is in doubt). Robertson was going to be one of the best two players on the team next year and the best player the following year. This is a nuke to our chances the next two seasons. I'm still shocked it happened, Robertson was getting the most playing time on the team, he was on the first PP unit, the team won two league championships and was one goal from the frozen four in his two seasons. And that's to say nothing of the relationships he made at Cornell or the academic aspect. Honestly just stunning. It's amazing how much things have shifted since the Mack goal against MSU.

[BearLover]

Concern about the professionalization of college athletics finally being overt after 100 years of it being hidden hurting Cornell: zero.  We have tons of rich infantile NYC and LI dipshit alumni who will pony up millions to win the (limp) dick swinging contest at the yacht club.  Even if Day Hall never gets the memo the "student"-athlete con is finally dead, we'll be better than fine.  Plutocracy works for us.

Huh? What are you even saying here? Where's the NIL collective if the rich LI dipshits are down to spend so much money on the program?

[ER]

this is a major inflection point for the long term prospects of the team and it hurts to see important pieces bailing.

Robertson was THE most important piece. Cornell will likely have Walsh and Castagna for only one more season (though now even having them for one more season is in doubt). Robertson was going to be one of the best two players on the team next year and the best player the following year. This is a nuke to our chances the next two seasons. I'm still shocked it happened, Robertson was getting the most playing time on the team, he was on the first PP unit, the team won two league championships and was one goal from the frozen four in his two seasons. And that's to say nothing of the relationships he made at Cornell or the academic aspect. Honestly just stunning. It's amazing how much things have shifted since the Mack goal against MSU.

Yeah what is he looking for? Where does he think he's going to have it better than at Cornell?

[Dafatone]

this is a major inflection point for the long term prospects of the team and it hurts to see important pieces bailing.

Robertson was THE most important piece. Cornell will likely have Walsh and Castagna for only one more season (though now even having them for one more season is in doubt). Robertson was going to be one of the best two players on the team next year and the best player the following year. This is a nuke to our chances the next two seasons. I'm still shocked it happened, Robertson was getting the most playing time on the team, he was on the first PP unit, the team won two league championships and was one goal from the frozen four in his two seasons. And that's to say nothing of the relationships he made at Cornell or the academic aspect. Honestly just stunning. It's amazing how much things have shifted since the Mack goal against MSU.

Yeah what is he looking for? Where does he think he's going to have it better than at Cornell?

It could be all sorts of things. Maybe he needs more sunlight or wants to be closer to home or who knows what else.

It might not be a purely hockey decision.

[pjd8]

I know the exodus is depressing right now. Transitions suck, and this year is a big transition for the program.

But there's also reason for hope. Here's how Clarkson and Cornell finished in the ECAC standings during the 13 years Casey was head coach at Clarkson:

Year   Clkson   Cornell Cornell +/-
2024   5   2   3
2023   6   3   3
2022   2   4   -2
2021   2      
2020   2   1   1
2019   3   1   2
2018   3   1   2
2017   6   3   3
2016   5   7   -2
2015   8   7   1
2014   5   4   1
2013   9   10   -1
2012   7   2   5
      Total:   16
      Per Year:1.33

So, if Casey gets the same performance out of Cornell that he did out of Clarkson, we'll be, on average, one or two places below where Schafer would have had us.

Do we really think that Casey can do no better in Ithaca than he did in Potsdam, with all the resources, traditions, and support that he'll have at his disposal at Cornell?

Casey's got a bigger hill to climb than Schafe did with all the changes college sports are going through. Maybe the program declines because of outside forces, rather than internal effort. Maybe the current exodus puts us in a hole that we can't climb out of.

Or maybe the exodus means that we have fewer players lamenting the end of the "glory days" of the Schafer program and more players who come in, excited that, even as freshmen, they are going to have lots of opportunity to contribute, and all get so much ice time together, that by the time they become seniors, they are going to be such a well-oiled machine that the exceed all expectations.

And maybe not. But with no expectations, every win is going to be awesome. I'm looking forward to that.

[BearLover]

Concern about the professionalization of college athletics finally being overt after 100 years of it being hidden hurting Cornell: zero.  We have tons of rich infantile NYC and LI dipshit alumni who will pony up millions to win the (limp) dick swinging contest at the yacht club.  Even if Day Hall never gets the memo the "student"-athlete con is finally dead, we'll be better than fine.  Plutocracy works for us.

Huh? What are you even saying here? Where's the NIL collective if the rich LI dipshits are down to spend so much money on the program?

Still wondering about this. Is Trotsky starting an NIL collective?

[VIEWfromK]

Joe Miller of Harvard was drafted by the Leafs and has been Harvard's best player several years in a row, but is returning for his senior year and was just named captain of the team. I'm sure he had a deal on the table to go pro, but he decided he'd rather finish the job. The fact Bancroft took the money instead is just the reality, it doesn't make him a bad person or worse than the many other players who did the same thing. But he could have stayed and it's a shame he didn't.

I think Bancroft had a better chance of sticking around for his senior year if he had previously been drafted.  There have been many guys who return for their senior year at Harvard so that their NHL rights lapse and they become free agents.

[Weder]

Kyler Kovich landed at Minnesota-Duluth. https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/04/09/bulldogs-mens-hockey-team-loses-goalie-adds-three-forwards-through-transfer-portal/

[stereax]

Kyler Kovich landed at Minnesota-Duluth. https://www.northernnewsnow.com/2025/04/09/bulldogs-mens-hockey-team-loses-goalie-adds-three-forwards-through-transfer-portal/

Best of luck to him!

[stereax]

Still no news on Rayhill, Penney, Psenicka?

[stereax]

Bancroft released from ATO; sounds like he's going to finish the school year at Cornell and then head out to play pro.

[VIEWfromK]

I'm guessing the Bruins sent a bunch of guys down and he wasn't going to play in the postseason?  That's a unique path to take

[stereax]

As per Jane McNally, sounds like Psenicka's going back to Czechia. That leaves only Penney and Rayhill as indeterminate.

In unrelated news, anyone know how to find Czech Extraliga streams online?

[ugarte]

As per Jane McNally, sounds like Psenicka's going back to Czechia. That leaves only Penney and Rayhill as indeterminate.

In unrelated news, anyone know how to find Czech Extraliga streams online?

i searched for this as a joke but got a real answer https://www.reddit.com/r/czech/comments/1jqmuc3/sledov%C3%A1n%C3%AD_extraligy/?tl=en