RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

I suspect that fact that our OOC schedule is now weaker than it was under SA is likely due to a different coaching philosophy. The fact that the ECAC may be weaker this year outside of Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard is also a factor.

I agree. I don't have a problem with the current scheduling, but Seth deserves credit for pulling those schedules together as it stoked interest when high ranked marquee teams came into town. I would guess Seth's scheduling was partly a recruiting tool (giving players looking at bigger teams the option to still play big teams at RPI) and partly an NCAA playoff strategy (the theory being that stealing a win against a top ranked team can be huge in the pairwise, while the downside of losing is lower). Look at the 2010-11 season. Beating #7 BU and #1 Yale got RPI into the NCAA playoffs despite mixed results in the ECAC schedule and a collapse at home in the playoffs. That didn't quite work out a few years later when RPI just missed out in '16 after beating #1 BC, despite being just 1 game over .500 in the ECAC.

But I think the real challenge is that RPI has been a middling to poor ECAC team for almost 10 years now, which is very hard to overcome regardless of who they play out of the conference. The flip side of that for this year is that there have been some decent ECAC performances so far, and plenty of opportunities for more in the coming weeks. Better defensive focus is crucial, and the power play needs a strategic re-think.

[troyboy]

If we are indeed a battleship, we should be able to eventually turn it around. My concern is if we are actually the Titanic or a garbage scow.

16 wins in 2 1/2 years our 2 most talented players E.Ohrvil and Hayhurst left the program our 2 best recruits Cameron and Fontaine decommited and arguably our best players with a couple exceptions (maybe) are leftovers from the last regime. So that is certainly a conversation that can be had Ralph.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

16 wins in 2 1/2 years our 2 most talented players E.Ohrvil and Hayhurst left the program our 2 best recruits Cameron and Fontaine decommited and arguably our best players with a couple exceptions (maybe) are leftovers from the last regime. So that is certainly a conversation that can be had Ralph.

Ohrvall and Hayhurst aren't exactly helping Michigan much this year.

I also would replace Cameron by Sarlo in that sentence. See https://www.ushl.com/view#/player-stats (currently #6 and #8). I should add that Beaton and Brown could turn out to better fit in the ECAC. I hope we don't lose them too. There is also incoming talent on D, but hard to compare to forwards.

[sezenack]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

16 wins in 2 1/2 years our 2 most talented players E.Ohrvil and Hayhurst left the program our 2 best recruits Cameron and Fontaine decommited and arguably our best players with a couple exceptions (maybe) are leftovers from the last regime. So that is certainly a conversation that can be had Ralph.

Cameron is not a big loss whatsoever. Fontaine is small and doesn't back check or play defense as well as you would want a forward to. He's very talented, but that is not the end-all be-all. Sarlo is a much more well-rounded player and is a big loss. However, I think Beaton is a much better fit than both of them. He is talented, big and can do it all. He has been playing top line minutes, is on the PP and is on the PK. While he had a slow start as he adjusted to much higher competition than he had last year, he has 10 points in his last 8 games, which is similar production to Sarlo and Fontaine. Brown looks like a great player even though it is a weaker league. He is a very different player than the others but is still a great recruit.

As Ralph said, Hayhurst and Ohrvall have not done much with Michigan. (Also, Ohrvall was not one of our 2 most talented players, nowhere close to that). I actually wonder if Hayhurst regrets transferring seeing that Michigan has done no better than us, and he would without a doubt be producing more offense with us.

This team has many backbones for years to come. Johnson, Hallbauer, Ferner, Kjellberg, Babichuk and Klee are all going to be backbones of the defense for many years. They're all talented and fit the system Smith wants (and are only sophomores and freshmen). At forward, Leppanen, Dubinsky, Ashbrook, Mahshie and Linden are all great young building blocks. We will see what they accomplish this year and in the next couple, but writing off Dave Smith and the team now is foolish.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Cameron is not a big loss whatsoever. Fontaine is small and doesn't back check or play defense as well as you would want a forward to. He's very talented, but that is not the end-all be-all. Sarlo is a much more well-rounded player and is a big loss. However, I think Beaton is a much better fit than both of them. He is talented, big and can do it all. He has been playing top line minutes, is on the PP and is on the PK. While he had a slow start as he adjusted to much higher competition than he had last year, he has 10 points in his last 8 games, which is similar production to Sarlo and Fontaine. Brown looks like a great player even though it is a weaker league. He is a very different player than the others but is still a great recruit.

As Ralph said, Hayhurst and Ohrvall have not done much with Michigan. (Also, Ohrvall was not one of our 2 most talented players, nowhere close to that). I actually wonder if Hayhurst regrets transferring seeing that Michigan has done no better than us, and he would without a doubt be producing more offense with us.

This team has many backbones for years to come. Johnson, Hallbauer, Ferner, Kjellberg, Babichuk and Klee are all going to be backbones of the defense for many years. They're all talented and fit the system Smith wants (and are only sophomores and freshmen). At forward, Leppanen, Dubinsky, Ashbrook, Mahshie and Linden are all great young building blocks. We will see what they accomplish this year and in the next couple, but writing off Dave Smith and the team now is foolish.

I should add that it is doubtful that Cameron decommited. I think that Smith didn't want him.

As to Fontaine, Neutral Zone NHL evaluated him in October and thinks that he has a good chance of being drafted by the NHL. They also like his penalty killing. I also think that he would have attracted fans to the HFH via his charisma. I'll just post the link https://twitter.com/ChicagoSteel/sta...69346526392320, but who wouldn't like his OT goal last weekend. Granted, we don't play 3x3, but IMO that was a great little pass to start the turn around at the other end and a great goal.

[troyboy]

Cameron is not a big loss whatsoever. Fontaine is small and doesn't back check or play defense as well as you would want a forward to. He's very talented, but that is not the end-all be-all. Sarlo is a much more well-rounded player and is a big loss. However, I think Beaton is a much better fit than both of them. He is talented, big and can do it all. He has been playing top line minutes, is on the PP and is on the PK. While he had a slow start as he adjusted to much higher competition than he had last year, he has 10 points in his last 8 games, which is similar production to Sarlo and Fontaine. Brown looks like a great player even though it is a weaker league. He is a very different player than the others but is still a great recruit.

As Ralph said, Hayhurst and Ohrvall have not done much with Michigan. (Also, Ohrvall was not one of our 2 most talented players, nowhere close to that). I actually wonder if Hayhurst regrets transferring seeing that Michigan has done no better than us, and he would without a doubt be producing more offense with us.

This team has many backbones for years to come. Johnson, Hallbauer, Ferner, Kjellberg, Babichuk and Klee are all going to be backbones of the defense for many years. They're all talented and fit the system Smith wants (and are only sophomores and freshmen). At forward, Leppanen, Dubinsky, Ashbrook, Mahshie and Linden are all great young building blocks. We will see what they accomplish this year and in the next couple, but writing off Dave Smith and the team now is foolish.

You must have info that UMass, Northeastern, Michigan and the Toronto Maple Leafs for that matter don't but who knows. Neutral Zone ranks the top 40(out of 60) NCAA D1 Hockey recruiting classes 2016 thru 2019 the average ranking for those 3 years we don't appear in that 40 so we're somewhere south of 40 for whatever its it's worth I'm not writing anybody off just a fan looking at the numbers as fans will do.

[RPI67]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Ohrvall and Hayhurst aren't exactly helping Michigan much this year.

I also would replace Cameron by Sarlo in that sentence. See https://www.ushl.com/view#/player-stats (currently #6 and #8). I should add that Beaton and Brown could turn out to better fit in the ECAC. I hope we don't lose them too. There is also incoming talent on D, but hard to compare to forwards.

Melanson? He could have helped DS 1st year. Scheduling UMass and Uconn seemed to make sense. Less travel early in the season. Maybe help attendance with RPI alums in CT / MA plus UMass / UConn alums in tri city. CT and MA recruits?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

MH| Saturday night; 7PM. Men’s Hockey taking on the Brown Bears. May be the only game you see all year where a Brown Bear gets tossed ... onto the ice. Join us for a great cause Teddy Bear Toss at intermission on @rpigreeklife @RPI_Hockey @RPIAthletics

— Houston Field House (@RPI_HFH) December 5, 2019

[rpi82]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

I should add that it is doubtful that Cameron decommited. I think that Smith didn't want him.

As to Fontaine, Neutral Zone NHL evaluated him in October and thinks that he has a good chance of being drafted by the NHL. They also like his penalty killing. I also think that he would have attracted fans to the HFH via his charisma. I'll just post the link https://twitter.com/ChicagoSteel/sta...69346526392320, but who wouldn't like his OT goal last weekend. Granted, we don't play 3x3, but IMO that was a great little pass to start the turn around at the other end and a great goal.

Which Cameron? Didn't the younger Cameron commit and decommit? We'll see how he develops but at the time he switched to UMass wasn't he considered to be a high level prospect?

[FLHockeyMom]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Which Cameron? Didn't the younger Cameron commit and decommit? We'll see how he develops but at the time he switched to UMass wasn't he considered to be a high level prospect?

Matt Cameron who's now committed to Niagara:

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...3/matt-cameron

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Which Cameron? Didn't the younger Cameron commit and decommit? We'll see how he develops but at the time he switched to UMass wasn't he considered to be a high level prospect?

Yes, Mike was considered a top prospect. He has done very little in the USHL this season as Sezenack wrote. OTOH, he did make the USHL which one can't say about several of our recruits.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Matt Cameron who's now committed to Niagara:

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...3/matt-cameron

He committed in the spring.

[troyboy]

He committed in the spring.

I believe you may be mixing Cameron with Bendorf Cameron definitely decommited.

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

Cameron is not a big loss whatsoever. Fontaine is small and doesn't back check or play defense as well as you would want a forward to. He's very talented, but that is not the end-all be-all. Sarlo is a much more well-rounded player and is a big loss. However, I think Beaton is a much better fit than both of them. He is talented, big and can do it all. He has been playing top line minutes, is on the PP and is on the PK. While he had a slow start as he adjusted to much higher competition than he had last year, he has 10 points in his last 8 games, which is similar production to Sarlo and Fontaine. Brown looks like a great player even though it is a weaker league. He is a very different player than the others but is still a great recruit.

As Ralph said, Hayhurst and Ohrvall have not done much with Michigan. (Also, Ohrvall was not one of our 2 most talented players, nowhere close to that). I actually wonder if Hayhurst regrets transferring seeing that Michigan has done no better than us, and he would without a doubt be producing more offense with us.

This team has many backbones for years to come. Johnson, Hallbauer, Ferner, Kjellberg, Babichuk and Klee are all going to be backbones of the defense for many years. They're all talented and fit the system Smith wants (and are only sophomores and freshmen). At forward, Leppanen, Dubinsky, Ashbrook, Mahshie and Linden are all great young building blocks. We will see what they accomplish this year and in the next couple, but writing off Dave Smith and the team now is foolish.

I see where you're defending a coach; been there done that. This program is in absolute freefall. The losses that we suffered from players that left are devastating. Are you trying to tell me the loss of Hayhurst is nothing? The kid plays on the 2nd line for Michigan. Correct me if I'm wrong but he was the leading scorer for RPI last year? Emil is better than anything we have on our second, third and fourth lines. The loss of recruits is beyond words; it proves there is a problem. For sure, let's see what Dave does but beating Cansius twice, SLU (new coach and in the midst of a major rebuild), a bad Union team and UCONN does not knock my socks off. In fact 3 out of the 5 wins are against last place teams in their respective leagues.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020: Nordic Combined

postgame from Yale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0Dhllbnnw8