RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Wouldn't that require the school to break this year's contract? And have we heard anything different from them about their upholding of the contract? Once the new coach is instated, we'll see if he convinces the AD to change their mind about Conger.

You have said this many times but these contracts are often broken.

Do we want a hockey player who doesn't want us?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Greg Carvel was announced as the UMass coach on 3/29/16 and BC didn't commit to us until October. It could take just as long this time if he elects to sit our another year. I don't know why he should waste another year, but ...

Wouldn't that require the school to break this year's contract? And have we heard anything different from them about their upholding of the contract? Once the new coach is instated, we'll see if he convinces the AD to change their mind about Conger.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Ralph, you got this one right. His first test will be keeping the recruits. Since I haven't seen anything new on Conger, I guess we still have a shot to keep him.
But the real test will be how he coaches the team on the ice. I hope he can get these guys ready when the game starts and calms them down when we have "big" games. We always seem to play nervous hockey in games like the Freakout and early ECAC playoff rounds. SA never seemed to get the players on the right level going into those games.
There is a lot of talk about money and support for the hockey team, but we seem to have talented players, now we need a talented coach.

Greg Carvel was announced as the UMass coach on 3/29/16 and BC didn't commit to us until October. It could take just as long this time if he elects to sit our another year. I don't know why he should waste another year, but ...

[engineerhockeyfan]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

My opinion of Smith being hired will greatly improve if he convinces Bailey Conger to play for RPI and loses no one else.

Ralph, you got this one right. His first test will be keeping the recruits. Since I haven't seen anything new on Conger, I guess we still have a shot to keep him.
But the real test will be how he coaches the team on the ice. I hope he can get these guys ready when the game starts and calms them down when we have "big" games. We always seem to play nervous hockey in games like the Freakout and early ECAC playoff rounds. SA never seemed to get the players on the right level going into those games.
There is a lot of talk about money and support for the hockey team, but we seem to have talented players, now we need a talented coach.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Today is 4 April 2017. There are 180 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 1 October 2017 for the start of next season.

[turk181]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Head strength coach was not hired till late in the year.

Just how much time WAS spent on the analytics? Enough? Maybe not.

So if the team HAD all these things, and great recruits as some stated, they weren't winning, because?

I think he just won ......continuuuuuuuuue.

[Northbynorthwest]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

.
You are correct re: strength coaching. I confirmed what I knew to be accurate with a former athlete in another sport. The hockey team has daily interaction with strength and fitness staff... the team also had an outside performance consultant that SA brought in ..whose name escapes me.
RPI uses video analytics...not sure why folks are operating on the assumption that they don't. Even on road trips, Video review is done with each player on plays from the Friday game as well as scouting review of the Sat evening opponents.

Head strength coach was not hired till late in the year.

Just how much time WAS spent on the analytics? Enough? Maybe not.

So if the team HAD all these things, and great recruits as some stated, they weren't winning, because?

[Wicked Slappaahs]

Again people are putting on this thread that this team and program are under funded today its about the lack of a full time Secretary and a full time Strength Coach. Really is that the issue with this team the past 4+ years. The players work out with a Strength Coach every day. The same strength coach every day, what more full time then that do they need. A secretary, how does that help the players on the ice? The coaches were on the ice every day with the players unless they were out recruiting. How about the coaches doing more coaching during practices. How about the coaches spending more time doing video and analytics with the players. How about using their Director of Hockey Operations to do more with respect to video and analytics. I don't think a strength coach or a secretary find this duties as part of their responsibilities. Coaches are supposed to coach and work on skill development on and off the ice. Ask this crop of players and those that went through the doors the past 4+ years if that happened.

This team would and will improve by leaps and bounds if the coaches utilize better time management skills and utilize video and analytics with the players. It doesn't cost anymore money to do that. Those resources are already in place, just not utilized.

.
You are correct re: strength coaching. I confirmed what I knew to be accurate with a former athlete in another sport. The hockey team has daily interaction with strength and fitness staff... the team also had an outside performance consultant that SA brought in ..whose name escapes me.

RPI uses video analytics...not sure why folks are operating on the assumption that they don't. Even on road trips, Video review is done with each player on plays from the Friday game as well as scouting review of the Sat evening opponents.

[Waite21]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Addesa was not a sitting D-I coach because HC did not play D-I when he arrived. Jim Salfi was the coach for Penn before RPI. Penn dropped its program.

Salfi did coach for Penn before he came to RPI and Penn did ultimately drop its program, but that didn't happen until several years after Salfi opted to come to Troy. Bob Crocker and Bob Finke served as Penn head coaches before the program was dropped after the 1977-78 season.

Crocker may be remembered for recruiting a guy near and dear to RPI fans' hearts to play for the Quakers during the mid-1970's - a young fellow named Paul Stewart.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

My opinion of Smith being hired will greatly improve if he convinces Bailey Conger to play for RPI and loses no one else.

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

And how many hours do the administrative tasks take? Players are in the class room M,T, TH & FR mornings until 1pm. They don't take classes on Wednesdays. The team skates in the morning on Wednesdays. So Friday's are game days, and there are 20 hours a week that the players aren't around, how many hours are needed for administrative tasks? Its a hypothetical question but honestly would a secretary working 37 hours a week vs 25 hours a week make that much of a difference? What's the excuse for not doing video or analytics with the players. That's what Hockey Ops and AC's are for. From what I hear from a parent of a Canisius player his son spent a lot of time on video and analytics and Canisius is substantially underfunded in comparison to RPI. They have a part time volunteer Hockey Ops position and no secretary for the hockey staff.

I'm not saying that the extra expense is warranted but its an excuse for these other developmental tools not to be used.

The Dir of Hockey Ops position was left open for about a year when Kevin Anderson left. Also, the Director of Hockey Ops is shared by both the men's and women's team; unheard of for top programs. I would say Canisius is to Atlantic Hockey to what RPI is to the ECAC. Coach Smith had 8 losing years out of 12 in his conference and one was a tie numerical. When Mike Sadghpour, Joe Juneau, Tony Henja etc. states its underfunded and understaffed they would know.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

For the record, if it's Smith, it looks like he'd be the first sitting D-I coach to come on board here since Addesa in 1979.

Addesa was not a sitting D-I coach because HC did not play D-I when he arrived. Jim Salfi was the coach for Penn before RPI. Penn dropped its program.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

And how many hours do the administrative tasks take? Players are in the class room M,T, TH & FR mornings until 1pm. They don't take classes on Wednesdays. The team skates in the morning on Wednesdays. So Friday's are game days, and there are 20 hours a week that the players aren't around, how many hours are needed for administrative tasks? Its a hypothetical question but honestly would a secretary working 37 hours a week vs 25 hours a week make that much of a difference? What's the excuse for not doing video or analytics with the players. That's what Hockey Ops and AC's are for. From what I hear from a parent of a Canisius player his son spent a lot of time on video and analytics and Canisius is substantially underfunded in comparison to RPI. They have a part time volunteer Hockey Ops position and no secretary for the hockey staff.

I'm not saying that the extra expense is warranted but its an excuse for these other developmental tools not to be used.

They take longer than you'd think, especially given the position. And who's to say that they didn't do video analytics?

[Northbynorthwest]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

Again people are putting on this thread that this team and program are under funded today its about the lack of a full time Secretary and a full time Strength Coach. Really is that the issue with this team the past 4+ years. The players work out with a Strength Coach every day. The same strength coach every day, what more full time then that do they need. A secretary, how does that help the players on the ice? The coaches were on the ice every day with the players unless they were out recruiting. How about the coaches doing more coaching during practices. How about the coaches spending more time doing video and analytics with the players. How about using their Director of Hockey Operations to do more with respect to video and analytics. I don't think a strength coach or a secretary find this duties as part of their responsibilities. Coaches are supposed to coach and work on skill development on and off the ice. Ask this crop of players and those that went through the doors the past 4+ years if that happened. This team would and will improve by leaps and bounds if the coaches utilize better time management skills and utilize video and analytics with the players. It doesn't cost anymore money to do that. Those resources are already in place, just not utilized.

Seems it's not just on the thread but the articles refer to that as well. Is it a coincidence that the better funded teams and better programs? How's that recruiting budget for example?

[RegalFan]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season: We March 4th into the Future

And how much of the coach's time is spent answering calls, e-mails, and other "administrative" tasks?

And how many hours do the administrative tasks take? Players are in the class room M,T, TH & FR mornings until 1pm. They don't take classes on Wednesdays. The team skates in the morning on Wednesdays. So Friday's are game days, and there are 20 hours a week that the players aren't around, how many hours are needed for administrative tasks? Its a hypothetical question but honestly would a secretary working 37 hours a week vs 25 hours a week make that much of a difference? What's the excuse for not doing video or analytics with the players. That's what Hockey Ops and AC's are for. From what I hear from a parent of a Canisius player his son spent a lot of time on video and analytics and Canisius is substantially underfunded in comparison to RPI. They have a part time volunteer Hockey Ops position and no secretary for the hockey staff.

I'm not saying that the extra expense is warranted but its an excuse for these other developmental tools not to be used.