Union College: 2017-2018

[Dutchman]

This thread starts the 2017-2018 hockey season for the Union College Dutchmen.

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

An Early Look at the 2017-18 ECAC Hockey Season
A new year means new faces and what could make for a loaded ECAC conference in 2017-18
by Nick Beaudoin Aug 25, 2017, 9:35am PDT
SBN College Hockey

The Union Dutchmen are coming off huge losses to graduation and the NHL. With Spencer Foo signing with Calgary a year early and Mike Vecchione graduating and heading to the Flyers, Union is going to be in need of both top line and secondary scoring to make an impact in the ECAC this year. Rick Bennett will bring in some firepower up front and also have some gritty, under the radar players eager to make that big leap on the depth chart this upcoming fall. Union isn’t as re-tooled as other teams nationally and in conference, so a finish outside the top 20 could be more likely for them this season.

https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/eca...iac-yale-union

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

34 days until the puck drops at Agganis

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

President Stephen Ainlay is leaving after the 2017-2018 academic year. Huge loss. Was a gigantic supporter of the hockey program.

[Goaliefan]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

34 days until the puck drops at Agganis

Seems like it's been forever!

[joecct]

President Stephen Ainlay is leaving after the 2017-2018 academic year. Huge loss. Was a gigantic supporter of the hockey program.

You're not getting Tony Collins!

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

Upper Classmen
Forwards
Vidmar - Maier - Supinski
Brown - Walker - Rinaldi
Burton - Taylor - Dufour
Hynes - Scarfo - Zach
D
Kolias - Newhouse
Bassard - Campbell
Light -
G
Kupsky
Young
------------------------------
Freshmen
F = Adams - Morgan - Kosack - Foo
D = Brierley - Campolieto - Estes
G = Hanson

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

I am not going to whine about losing 50+ percent of our scoring, two of the nations top scorers, our best two defensemen, and in a league with lots of great goalies, the third best goalie in the ECAC. No, not me

Here are the positives:
Experience - Bennett was wise to give out lots of playing time last year.
Leadership - I really like Maier (C) and Scarfo (A) and Supinski and Vidmar. Unselfish team players.
Hunger - The National Championship team is now gone. My sense is that this team will want to make its own mark. Players will step up. The question is how many and whom.
Speed -
League - Perhaps not as strong as last year.

Unknowns
Goalie? Will Kupsky step up?
Defense? Will Light catch fire?
Size? Can Dufour step up?
Freshmen? We have some big holes on D to fill. Will they do it?
Injuries? We have been lucky the past few years.

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

Here are my ECAC predictions, not in any order:

Top 6 Teams
Q - lots A+ recruits
Harvard - still lots of talent + Donato
Cornell - always in the top 6
Princeton - everyone is returning
RPI - new coach
Clarkson

Bottom 6 Teams
St. Lawrence - losing too much
Colgate -
Brown
Union - losing too much
Yale - losing too much
Dartmouth

[Pokey]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

Here are my ECAC predictions, not in any order:

Top 6 Teams
Q - lots A+ recruits
Harvard - still lots of talent + Donato
Cornell - always in the top 6
Princeton - everyone is returning
RPI - new coach
Clarkson

Bottom 6 Teams
St. Lawrence - losing too much
Colgate -
Brown
Union - losing too much
Yale - losing too much
Dartmouth

Your post on the team positives is spot on..but I wonder about picking them for the bottom 6.
especially behind a team with a new coach.
Yes they are a very young team but that is where that very experienced leadership comes in.
They must mesh quickly as that early schedule is not easy. I think they will pleasantly surprise us all
and although maybe not top 3 this year they will be competitive and surpass current expectations...

[ADK11]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

I am not going to whine about losing 50+ percent of our scoring, two of the nations top scorers, our best two defensemen, and in a league with lots of great goalies, the third best goalie in the ECAC. No, not me

Here are the positives:
Experience - Bennett was wise to give out lots of playing time last year.
Leadership - I really like Maier (C) and Scarfo (A) and Supinski and Vidmar. Unselfish team players.
Hunger - The National Championship team is now gone. My sense is that this team will want to make its own mark. Players will step up. The question is how many and whom.
Speed -
League - Perhaps not as strong as last year.

Unknowns
Goalie? Will Kupsky step up?
Defense? Will Light catch fire?
Size? Can Dufour step up?
Freshmen? We have some big holes on D to fill. Will they do it?
Injuries? We have been lucky the past few years.

My take on the freshmen:

Forwards: Adams and Foo are both dynamic players that could contribute right away. Adams is huge (6-5, 205), a surprisingly good skater, good hands, and seems to be improving every year. He was one of the leading scorers in the USHL for most of the past season and is tough along the boards & in front of the net. Little Foo, looks a lot like his brother though IMO may not be as progressed as Spencer was as a frosh. He is a dynamic skater with a lot of potential. Kosack is another forward to watch, as he put up big numbers in the OJHL two years ago and steadily improved this past season in the USHL. He probably will be a depth player to start out, but could develop into a top 6 forward in another year or two. Morgan is a very smooth player that also will likely take some time to develop. He has a bit of an edge to his game and reminds me a bit of Matt Wilkins. Harrison is fast and potential energy player/4th liner.

Defense: Campolieto is the one to keep an eye on. He is a dynamic skater and not afraid to join the offense. He started in the NAHL last season and got traded early on to the USHL where he put up very respectable offensive numbers. He also got bigger last season (6-0, 185) and has potential to be a strong all around d-man. Brierly is not big but is a very responsible d-man that moves the puck well and can skate. He was a captain on his USHL team. Estes brings a little size (at least for Union..) but otherwise looks like will take time to develop.

Goalie: Hanson is is coming off a fantastic season in the BCHL, where he won Top Goaltender honors for having the lowest GAA. As impressively, he had a 94% save percent in regular season and over 93% in post-season. Below is a link that includes some video highlights. He is big in the Stevens/Kinkaid mold and looks to be very athletic, moves well laterally, and controls rebounds well. Nothing against Sak or Kupsky, but this kid has a lot of tools that Union fans haven't seen in the past couple years. He looks like he gets a little out of control at time and will likely have to tighten up his positioning & angles, but working with Tapper should help with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHUOGwq7t4U

Overall, this is a very good class, with potential to be an excellent one if certain players develop and others stick around long enough. I think at lest a couple of the forward will vie for top 6 roles and likely at least 2 d-men will see regular ice time. In goal, I'm expecting Hanson & Kupsky to duke it out for playing time.

[UFan]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

My take on the freshmen:

Forwards: Adams and Foo are both dynamic players that could contribute right away. Adams is huge (6-5, 205), a surprisingly good skater, good hands, and seems to be improving every year. He was one of the leading scorers in the USHL for most of the past season and is tough along the boards & in front of the net. Little Foo, looks a lot like his brother though IMO may not be as progressed as Spencer was as a frosh. He is a dynamic skater with a lot of potential. Kosack is another forward to watch, as he put up big numbers in the OJHL two years ago and steadily improved this past season in the USHL. He probably will be a depth player to start out, but could develop into a top 6 forward in another year or two. Morgan is a very smooth player that also will likely take some time to develop. He has a bit of an edge to his game and reminds me a bit of Matt Wilkins. Harrison is fast and potential energy player/4th liner.

Defense: Campolieto is the one to keep an eye on. He is a dynamic skater and not afraid to join the offense. He started in the NAHL last season and got traded early on to the USHL where he put up very respectable offensive numbers. He also got bigger last season (6-0, 185) and has potential to be a strong all around d-man. Brierly is not big but is a very responsible d-man that moves the puck well and can skate. He was a captain on his USHL team. Estes brings a little size (at least for Union..) but otherwise looks like will take time to develop.

Goalie: Hanson is is coming off a fantastic season in the BCHL, where he won Top Goaltender honors for having the lowest GAA. As impressively, he had a 94% save percent in regular season and over 93% in post-season. Below is a link that includes some video highlights. He is big in the Stevens/Kinkaid mold and looks to be very athletic, moves well laterally, and controls rebounds well. Nothing against Sak or Kupsky, but this kid has a lot of tools that Union fans haven't seen in the past couple years. He looks like he gets a little out of control at time and will likely have to tighten up his positioning & angles, but working with Tapper should help with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHUOGwq7t4U

Overall, this is a very good class, with potential to be an excellent one if certain players develop and others stick around long enough. I think at lest a couple of the forward will vie for top 6 roles and likely at least 2 d-men will see regular ice time. In goal, I'm expecting Hanson & Kupsky to duke it out for playing time.

I agree with most of the above. I hope we don't end up with some of the disappointments we've seen in the past few years (Eli and Pontarelli come to mind). If everyone can contribute, I think they have the potential to be a good but young team, kind of like the 2010-2011 team.

[CollegeHockeyRinkReport]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

Sebastian Vidmar listed:

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/ne...ss-of-NCAA.php

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

President Stephen Ainlay is leaving after the 2017-2018 academic year. Huge loss. Was a gigantic supporter of the hockey program.

You can have Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson for tree fitty...

[Dutchman]

Re: Union College: 2017-2018

Nice article from the Albany Times:
"Union hockey looks to restock the trophy case"
Freshmen may have big roles as Dutchmen look to replace eight players
By Pete Dougherty Updated 11:04 pm, Thursday, September 7, 2017
http://www.timesunion.com/sports/art...photo-14069728