Quinnipiac Bobcats 2026 Off-season

[MarkEagleUSA]

This is inspiring:

The Early 2027 Frozen Four Favorites

Elite recruiting classes, powerhouse blue lines, and returning champions collide as collegiate hockey’s heavyweights gear up for a high-stakes battle to claim the crown in Washington, D.C.

ca.sports.yahoo.com

 

[sezenack]

IMO as an RPI fan, Quinnipiac hasn't been getting enough hype nationally compared to the Big Ten teams loaded with draft picks. Returning the top 8 or 9 forwards along with Groenewold on the back end and upgrading in net with Applebee (who I'm quite high on, he was a rock behind leaky defenses at Lake State) and Kirsch who is a bit raw but has a lot of potential. Add in Stockfish and Strathmann from the portal, and Kostov, Edwards, Alcos and Golicic as key freshmen, and this team is pretty loaded

 

[DrewQU99]

I think we all knew this was going to happen, but this pretty much confirms it:

UConn's schedule on the Hockey East website notes that CT Ice will be played in Hartford.
https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/uconn/2026-27-schedule.php

Personally, I'll always prefer having this tournament on the campus sites. This season was our turn to host. If they want to make Hartford a "neutral site," fine. Just make sure it feels like a neutral site and not a UConn home game with the endless cheerleading through the PA and video boards.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I think we all knew this was going to happen, but this pretty much confirms it:

UConn's schedule on the Hockey East website notes that CT Ice will be played in Hartford.
https://hockeyeastonline.com/men/uconn/2026-27-schedule.php

Personally, I'll always prefer having this tournament on the campus sites. This season was our turn to host. If they want to make Hartford a "neutral site," fine. Just make sure it feels like a neutral site and not a UConn home game with the endless cheerleading through the PA and video boards.

The concern is that two of the teams don't really have a traveling fanbase. I think Quinnipiac fans will go to Hartford, and obviously UConn fans will be there too, but will anyone from Yale or Sacred Heart be there?

I know the CT Ice is trying to be like the Beanpot, but the Beanpot works because fans of all four teams (fine, three teams) are rabid and all four teams are based in Boston (or Chestnut Hill which is six miles away) and all four teams (fine, three teams) are usually good.

I know Hartford is only 40 miles away but this event isn't the Beanpot and we should stop trying to make it the Beanpot. It's a fun event and I'm glad we do it, but until Yale decides to try to win hockey games it's really just UConn and Quinnipiac with two also-rans.