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RPI Recruit Thread 2025-2026

rpi82 said:
I've seen teams do that in OT because possession is so critical and it's relatively easy to maintain in open ice. For instance, the Bruins would start Mark Kastelic to win the face off and as soon as they gained control the defenseman, usually McAvoy, would do a little figure skating around his own end while Kastelic would charge to the bench.

There's also no law that says the center has to take the draw. They could put Lodewyk on the wing but have him take face-offs, particularly those on his strong side. Lang said in one of the podcasts that he particularly likes to recruit centers and move them to the wing if necessary as they've had to develop a more robust (my word, not his) offensive and defensive skill set.
Click to expand...
Good points - and no law that you cannot have 2 very good face off fellows on the ice at the same time just in case one gets tossed from the circle. There have been times when we have been on the ice with some fairly strict linesmen who do not hesitate to take one of our boys off for some infringement (real or perceived).
 
rpi2004 said:
Rullers and Sitar are definitely 1 and 2 C, and going to be leaned upon heavily to get all these young wingers up to speed
Click to expand...
Sitar is the same age as most of the new guys coming in as well as the to be announced ‘05 recruit out of the WHL. Rullers only one year older. There will definitely be an adjustment period but I think some of these guys will make an immediate impact. It’ll be great for Lang to have options for lines this season and I’m sure they’ll change often until chemistry is found.
 
Code: 
 # Name                 Ps Team (League)                       Gm- G- A-  P- PM  Next Gm
14 Grayson Burzynski    LD Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           59-11-47- 58- 58
                           playoffs                             4- 2- 1-  3-  2
                           total                               63-13-48- 61- 60 season over
24 Kamyl Chemrouk       RW Brooks Bandits (BCHL)               24- 8- 9- 17- 11
24                         Coquitlam Express (BCHL)             8- 2- 3-  5-  2
93                         Powell River Kings (BCHL)           16- 4- 4-  8-  2
                           total                               48-14-16- 30- 15 season over 
23 Tafari Chingwaru     RD Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)       10- 0- 1-  1-  7
44                         Vancouver Giants (WHL)               2- 0- 0-  0-  0
22                         Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)         20- 1- 5-  6-  8
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               36  1- 6-  7- 17 season over
40 Ryan Dwyer            C Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)         15- 0- 2-  2-  8
40                       C Newfoundland Regiment (QMJHL)       30- 5- 2-  7- 41
                           playoffs                            12- 2- 2-  4- 10
                           total                               57- 7- 6- 13- 59 season over
23 Josh Evaschesen      LW Kamloops Blazers (WHL)              67-33-40- 73- 35
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 1-  1-  0
                           total                               71-33-41- 74- 35 season over
13 Jordan Gavin         LW Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           68-16-42- 58-  6
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 1-  1-  0
                           total                               72-16-43- 59-  6 season over
22 Léo-Gabriel Gosselin RC Sémin. St-François Blizzard(QM18AAA)37-21-30- 51- 30
                           SSFB (Challenge CCM)                 4- 1- 1-  2-  0
                           playoffs                            17- 6- 8- 14-  8
26                         Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)        1- 0- 2-  2-  0
 9                         Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)          6- 0- 0-  0-  0
                           total                               65-28-41- 69- 38 season over
73 James Guo            RD Saginaw Spirit (OHL)                63- 8-31- 39- 34
                           playoffs                             4- 1- 2-  3-  8
                           total                               67- 9-33- 42- 42 season over
10 Caleb Hadland        LW Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           56-15-29- 44- 55
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               60-15-29- 44- 57 season over
11 Ryan Hecker          RD Northern CT Nor'Easters 18U         20- 2-10- 12-  x
11                         Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers       28- 2- 6-  8-  x
                           total                               48- 4-16- 20-  x season over
 3 Logan Heroux         RD Ferris State Bulldogs (CCHA)        32- 0- 4-  4- 24 season over
29 Harrison Lodewyk      C Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)          4- 1- 3-  4-  6 traded
 9                         Calgary Hitmen (WHL)                51-17-19- 36- 67
                           playoffs                             7- 1- 2-  3-  6
                           total                               62-19-24- 43- 79 season over
33 Ethan McCallum        G Saskatoon Blades (WHL)          13- 4- 6-0-3.49-.866
30                         Penticton Vees (WHL)            21-14- 4-1-2.21-.918
                           playoffs                         2- 0- 1-0-3.67-.824
                           total                           36-18-11-1-2.68-.903 season over
24 Carter Matthews      LD Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL)           30- 1- 8-  9- 33
 8                         Portland Winterhawks (WHL)          18- 0- 2-  2-  4
                           playoffs                             2- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               50- 1-10- 11- 39 season over
12 Ryan Michael         LD Kamloops Blazers (WHL)              67- 3-30- 33- 31
                           playoffs                             4- 1- 0-  1-  2
                           total                               71- 4-30- 34- 33 season over
18 Simon Motew          RD U. of Maine Black Bears (HEA)       10- 0- 2-  2-  4 season over
18 Brendan Ross         RW Providence College Friars (HEA)      3- 0- 0-  0-  0 season over
27 Benjamin Yurchuk     LC Merrimack College Warriors (HEA)    13- 2- 0-  2-  0 season over
 
Code: 
 # Name                 Ps commitm. Team (League)                    Year  DOB      Ht    Wt  Hometown         NZ*s
14 Grayson Burzynski    LD 12/08/25 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  06/04/05 6'04" 211 Winnipeg, MB      4.25 x
93 Kamyl Chemrouk       RW 01/30/25 Powell River Kings (BCHL)        2027  01/02/07 6'00" 152 Montreal, QU      3.75 x
22 Tafari Chingwaru     RD 10/09/24 Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)      2028  09/26/08 6'00" 195 Edmonton, AB      3.75 x
40 Ryan Dwyer            C 01/30/25 Newfoundland Regiment (QMJHL)    2027  03/27/07 5'11" 175 Oreboro, Sweden   3.75 x
23 Josh Evaschesen      LW 12/06/25 Kamloops Blazers (WHL)           2026  08/11/06 6'02" 195 Medicine Hat, AB  3.75 SH Vi
13 Jordan Gavin         LW 02/04/26 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  11/13/06 5'11" 180 Surrey, BC        4.00 SH Aw Ch Sk GS
22 Léo-Gabriel Gosselin RC 08/07/25 Sém. St-François Blizz.(QM18AAA) 2027  05/19/09 6'02" 170 Québec, QC        4.00 x
73 James Guo            RD 11/17/25 Saginaw Spirit (OHL)             2026  04/02/05 6'01" 190 Woodbridge, ON    4.00 x
10 Caleb Hadland        LW 02/04/26 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  03/06/06 5'10" 190 Sylvan Lake, AB   4.00 SH Vi Sk
11 Ryan Hecker          RD 10/16/25 Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers    2028  06/27/08 6'00" 173 Evanston, IL      3.50 x
 3 Logan Heroux         RD 04/27/26 Ferris State Bulldogs (CCHA)     2026  05/30/03 6'02" 205 Middletown, NJ    3.50 x
29 Harrison Lodewyk      C 12/08/25 Calgary Hitmen (WHL)             2026  03/01/05 5'11" 207 Red Deer, AB      3.75 St Ch Sk               
30 Ethan McCallum        G 03/24/26 Penticton Vees (WHL)             2026  04/11/06 6'04" 202 Brandon, MB       3.75 Aw Sk
 8 Carter Matthews      LD 12/04/23 Portland Winterhawks (WHL)       2027  04/20/06 6'01" 185 Calgary, AB       3.50 x
12 Ryan Michael         LD 01/08/26 Kamloops Blazers (WHL)           2026  02/05/05 6'02" 197 Langley, BC       4.00 Ch
18 Simon Motew          RD 04/15/26 U. of Maine Black Bears (HEA)    2026  03/31/03 6'01" 190 Highland Park, IL 3.75 x
18 Brendan Ross         RW 04/13/26 Providence College Friars (HEA)  2026  07/08/03 6'04" 190 Calgary, AB       3.75 Sp Aw Vi Sk
27 Benjamin Yurchuk     LC 04/17/26 Merrimack College Warriors (HEA) 2026  02/02/05 5'09" 169 Montreal, QC      3.75 Sp SH Aw Sk GS
Women
10 Olivia Aquino         F 12/31/24 Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes (OWHL)2026  03/21/07 5'06" 145 Oakville, ON      3.75 x
 6 Alexine Beaulieu      D 08/01/25 Loomis Chaffee School            2027  03/xx/08 5'07" 130 Hudson, NH        4.00 x
33 Sadie Bellissimo      G 11/07/24 Cushing Academy Penguins         2026  10/xx/06 5'07" xxx Littleton, CO     x.xx x
14 Kate Elbrecht         F 03/21/25 Northwood HS (NAPHA)             2026  12/14/07 5'08" xxx New Hartford, NY  x.xx x
94 Kaylynn Fisher       RD 10/26/24 Kingston Jr Ice Wolves (OWHL)    2026  09/22/08 x'xx" xxx Peterborough, ON  3.75 x
26 Claire Jelinek       RD 03/27/25 Minnetonka HS (MN-HS)            2026  03/19/08 5'07" 145 Centennial, CO    x.xx x
22 Keira Johnson         D 03/27/25 Central York Jr. Panthers (OWHL) 2026  03/11/07 5'09" 130 Scarborough, ON   x.xx x
29 Corinne Leibowitz     F 10/13/25 Bishop Kearney Selects 19U       2027  01/xx/08 5'02" 155 Whitehouse Sta.,NJx.xx x
11 Linn Mattsson        RW 01/15/26 Djurgårdens IF (SDHL) Sweden     2026  03/29/07 5'06" 132 Stockholm, Sweden x.xx x
 8 Ellie Mehling        LD 12/18/24 NAHA Major Jr. (White Team 19U)  2026  06/xx/08 5'04" 130 Burnt Hills, NY   3.25 x
 9 Megan Meola          LW 12/09/24 Bishop Kearney Selects 19U       2026  07/24/07 5'02" 118 Long Valley, NJ   3.75 x
 4 Barbora Proskova     DF 03/16/25 Brynäs IF U19 Sweden             2026  05/07/07 5'04" 140 ? Czechia         x.xx x
47 Miriam Toet-Uddveg    F 03/27/25 MODO Hockey 2 (NDHL) Sweden      2026  04/25/07 5'09" 176 Lorenskog, Norway x.xx x

* Probably no longer an RPI recruit
# Known to have signed National Letter of Intent
[b]The years the recruits are listed as arriving at RPI are not necessarily accurate.[/b]
The dates on which some of the women are listed as committing on may be considerably after the actual dates.
"Hometown" is sometimes where the player was born and sometimes where he or she currently lives.
I am assuming that Neutral Zone regards their Star ratings as public because they often tweet them with committals.

STRENGTHS according to Neutral Zone (NZ rarely includes them for women):
Aw=Awareness/IQ, Ch=Character/Leadership, GS=Goal Scoring Ability, Sk=Skating, Sp=Speed, SH=Stick Handling Skill, 
St-Strength, To=Toughness, Vi=Vision/Passing
 
Engineers said:
Finally some news! Picked up Shane Smith forward on Kelowna
Click to expand...
I don't know if this was the player folks were expecting ?? 6'1 204 lbs 33-35-68 in 61 games

Shane Smith (b.2005) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Shane Smith, a hockey player from Chiliwack, BC born Jan 14 2005 who was active from 2020 to 2026.
www.hockeydb.com

Rockets forward Smith awarded Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as WHL Humanitarian of the Year for 2025-26 – Western Hockey League

chl.ca chl.ca
 
Last edited:
added Shane Smiith
Code: 
 # Name                 Ps commitm. Team (League)                    Year  DOB      Ht    Wt  Hometown         NZ*s
14 Grayson Burzynski    LD 12/08/25 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  06/04/05 6'04" 211 Winnipeg, MB      4.25 x
93 Kamyl Chemrouk       RW 01/30/25 Powell River Kings (BCHL)        2027  01/02/07 6'00" 152 Montreal, QU      3.75 x
22 Tafari Chingwaru     RD 10/09/24 Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)      2028  09/26/08 6'00" 195 Edmonton, AB      3.75 x
40 Ryan Dwyer            C 01/30/25 Newfoundland Regiment (QMJHL)    2027  03/27/07 5'11" 175 Oreboro, Sweden   3.75 x
23 Josh Evaschesen      LW 12/06/25 Kamloops Blazers (WHL)           2026  08/11/06 6'02" 195 Medicine Hat, AB  3.75 SH Vi
13 Jordan Gavin         LW 02/04/26 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  11/13/06 5'11" 180 Surrey, BC        4.00 SH Aw Ch Sk GS
22 Léo-Gabriel Gosselin RC 08/07/25 Sém. St-François Blizz.(QM18AAA) 2027  05/19/09 6'02" 170 Québec, QC        4.00 x
73 James Guo            RD 11/17/25 Saginaw Spirit (OHL)             2026  04/02/05 6'01" 190 Woodbridge, ON    4.00 x
10 Caleb Hadland        LW 02/04/26 Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)        2026  03/06/06 5'10" 190 Sylvan Lake, AB   4.00 SH Vi Sk
11 Ryan Hecker          RD 10/16/25 Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers    2028  06/27/08 6'00" 173 Evanston, IL      3.50 x
 3 Logan Heroux         RD 04/27/26 Ferris State Bulldogs (CCHA)     2026  05/30/03 6'02" 205 Middletown, NJ    3.50 x
29 Harrison Lodewyk      C 12/08/25 Calgary Hitmen (WHL)             2026  03/01/05 5'11" 207 Red Deer, AB      3.75 St Ch Sk            
30 Ethan McCallum        G 03/24/26 Penticton Vees (WHL)             2026  04/11/06 6'04" 202 Brandon, MB       3.75 Aw Sk
 8 Carter Matthews      LD 12/04/23 Portland Winterhawks (WHL)       2027  04/20/06 6'01" 185 Calgary, AB       3.50 x
12 Ryan Michael         LD 01/08/26 Kamloops Blazers (WHL)           2026  02/05/05 6'02" 197 Langley, BC       4.00 Ch
18 Simon Motew          RD 04/15/26 U. of Maine Black Bears (HEA)    2026  03/31/03 6'01" 190 Highland Park, IL 3.75 x
18 Brendan Ross         RW 04/13/26 Providence College Friars (HEA)  2026  07/08/03 6'04" 190 Calgary, AB       3.75 Sp Aw Vi Sk
 9 Shane Smith           C 05/08/26 Kelowna Rockets (WHL)            2026  01/14/05 6'01" 204 Cessford, AB      4.00 Aw GS
27 Benjamin Yurchuk     LC 04/17/26 Merrimack College Warriors (HEA) 2026  02/02/05 5'09" 169 Montreal, QC      3.75 Sp SH Aw Sk GS
Women
10 Olivia Aquino         F 12/31/24 Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes (OWHL)2026  03/21/07 5'06" 145 Oakville, ON      3.75 x
 6 Alexine Beaulieu      D 08/01/25 Loomis Chaffee School            2027  03/xx/08 5'07" 130 Hudson, NH        4.00 x
33 Sadie Bellissimo      G 11/07/24 Cushing Academy Penguins         2026  10/xx/06 5'07" xxx Littleton, CO     x.xx x
14 Kate Elbrecht         F 03/21/25 Northwood HS (NAPHA)             2026  12/14/07 5'08" xxx New Hartford, NY  x.xx x
94 Kaylynn Fisher       RD 10/26/24 Kingston Jr Ice Wolves (OWHL)    2026  09/22/08 x'xx" xxx Peterborough, ON  3.75 x
26 Claire Jelinek       RD 03/27/25 Minnetonka HS (MN-HS)            2026  03/19/08 5'07" 145 Centennial, CO    x.xx x
22 Keira Johnson         D 03/27/25 Central York Jr. Panthers (OWHL) 2026  03/11/07 5'09" 130 Scarborough, ON   x.xx x
29 Corinne Leibowitz     F 10/13/25 Bishop Kearney Selects 19U       2027  01/xx/08 5'02" 155 Whitehouse Sta.,NJx.xx x
11 Linn Mattsson        RW 01/15/26 Djurgårdens IF (SDHL) Sweden     2026  03/29/07 5'06" 132 Stockholm, Sweden x.xx x
 8 Ellie Mehling        LD 12/18/24 NAHA Major Jr. (White Team 19U)  2026  06/xx/08 5'04" 130 Burnt Hills, NY   3.25 x
 9 Megan Meola          LW 12/09/24 Bishop Kearney Selects 19U       2026  07/24/07 5'02" 118 Long Valley, NJ   3.75 x
 4 Barbora Proskova     DF 03/16/25 Brynäs IF U19 Sweden             2026  05/07/07 5'04" 140 ? Czechia         x.xx x
47 Miriam Toet-Uddveg    F 03/27/25 MODO Hockey 2 (NDHL) Sweden      2026  04/25/07 5'09" 176 Lorenskog, Norway x.xx x

* Probably no longer an RPI recruit
# Known to have signed National Letter of Intent
[b]The years the recruits are listed as arriving at RPI are not necessarily accurate.[/b]
The dates on which some of the women are listed as committing on may be considerably after the actual dates.
"Hometown" is sometimes where the player was born and sometimes where he or she currently lives.
I am assuming that Neutral Zone regards their Star ratings as public because they often tweet them with committals.

STRENGTHS according to Neutral Zone (NZ rarely includes them for women):
Aw=Awareness/IQ, Ch=Character/Leadership, GS=Goal Scoring Ability, Sk=Skating, Sp=Speed, SH=Stick Handling Skill,
St-Strength, To=Toughness, Vi=Vision/Passing
 
added Shane Smith
Code: 
 # Name                 Ps Team (League)                       Gm- G- A-  P- PM  Next Gm
14 Grayson Burzynski    LD Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           59-11-47- 58- 58
                           playoffs                             4- 2- 1-  3-  2
                           total                               63-13-48- 61- 60 season over
24 Kamyl Chemrouk       RW Brooks Bandits (BCHL)               24- 8- 9- 17- 11
24                         Coquitlam Express (BCHL)             8- 2- 3-  5-  2
93                         Powell River Kings (BCHL)           16- 4- 4-  8-  2
                           total                               48-14-16- 30- 15 season over
23 Tafari Chingwaru     RD Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)       10- 0- 1-  1-  7
44                         Vancouver Giants (WHL)               2- 0- 0-  0-  0
22                         Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)         20- 1- 5-  6-  8
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               36  1- 6-  7- 17 season over
40 Ryan Dwyer            C Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)         15- 0- 2-  2-  8
40                       C Newfoundland Regiment (QMJHL)       30- 5- 2-  7- 41
                           playoffs                            12- 2- 2-  4- 10
                           total                               57- 7- 6- 13- 59 season over
23 Josh Evaschesen      LW Kamloops Blazers (WHL)              67-33-40- 73- 35
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 1-  1-  0
                           total                               71-33-41- 74- 35 season over
13 Jordan Gavin         LW Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           68-16-42- 58-  6
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 1-  1-  0
                           total                               72-16-43- 59-  6 season over
22 Léo-Gabriel Gosselin RC Sémin. St-François Blizzard(QM18AAA)37-21-30- 51- 30
                           SSFB (Challenge CCM)                 4- 1- 1-  2-  0
                           playoffs                            17- 6- 8- 14-  8
26                         Chicoutimi Saguenéens (QMJHL)        1- 0- 2-  2-  0
 9                         Baie-Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL)          6- 0- 0-  0-  0
                           total                               65-28-41- 69- 38 season over
73 James Guo            RD Saginaw Spirit (OHL)                63- 8-31- 39- 34
                           playoffs                             4- 1- 2-  3-  8
                           total                               67- 9-33- 42- 42 season over
10 Caleb Hadland        LW Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)           56-15-29- 44- 55
                           playoffs                             4- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               60-15-29- 44- 57 season over
11 Ryan Hecker          RD Northern CT Nor'Easters 18U         20- 2-10- 12-  x
11                         Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers       28- 2- 6-  8-  x
                           total                               48- 4-16- 20-  x season over
 3 Logan Heroux         RD Ferris State Bulldogs (CCHA)        32- 0- 4-  4- 24 season over
29 Harrison Lodewyk      C Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)          4- 1- 3-  4-  6 traded
 9                         Calgary Hitmen (WHL)                51-17-19- 36- 67
                           playoffs                             7- 1- 2-  3-  6
                           total                               62-19-24- 43- 79 season over
33 Ethan McCallum        G Saskatoon Blades (WHL)          13- 4- 6-0-3.49-.866
30                         Penticton Vees (WHL)            21-14- 4-1-2.21-.918
                           playoffs                         2- 0- 1-0-3.67-.824
                           total                           36-18-11-1-2.68-.903 season over
24 Carter Matthews      LD Trail Smoke Eaters (BCHL)           30- 1- 8-  9- 33
 8                         Portland Winterhawks (WHL)          18- 0- 2-  2-  4
                           playoffs                             2- 0- 0-  0-  2
                           total                               50- 1-10- 11- 39 season over
12 Ryan Michael         LD Kamloops Blazers (WHL)              67- 3-30- 33- 31
                           playoffs                             4- 1- 0-  1-  2
                           total                               71- 4-30- 34- 33 season over
18 Simon Motew          RD U. of Maine Black Bears (HEA)       10- 0- 2-  2-  4 season over
18 Brendan Ross         RW Providence College Friars (HEA)      3- 0- 0-  0-  0 season over
33 Shane Smith           C Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)         20-12-11- 23- 33 traded
 9                         Kelowna Rockets (WHL)               41-21-24- 45- 44 reg season over
                           playoffs                             9- 2- 2-  4-  4 eliminated
                           Memorial Cup                         0- 0- 0-  0-  0 05/22/26
                           total                               70-35-37- 72- 81
27 Benjamin Yurchuk     LC Merrimack College Warriors (HEA)    13- 2- 0-  2-  0 season over
 
Last edited:
Wicked Slappaahs said:
I don't know if this was the player folks were expecting ?? 6'1 204 lbs 33-35-68 in 61 games

Shane Smith (b.2005) Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Shane Smith, a hockey player from Chiliwack, BC born Jan 14 2005 who was active from 2020 to 2026.
www.hockeydb.com

Rockets forward Smith awarded Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy as WHL Humanitarian of the Year for 2025-26 – Western Hockey League

chl.ca chl.ca
Click to expand...
I think I saw 50 or more articles, instagrams, etc. of the Humanitarian award win.
 
Looks like coach Lang will have some work to do getting so many new faces to play well together. Suspect they will get well acquainted on the ice much faster than last season which took almost 2/3 of the season
 
We are sure going to be a bigger team. I think the talent level is also going way up. We will have to wait and see how it compares to the overall talent upgrades for our league opponents. I am hopeful that last season will quickly be forgotten. I have been wondering if the "style" if you can call it that of last years team was one of making the best of what we had personnel wise or was truly what lang was trying to coach.I hope the former.
 
jstadts said:
We are sure going to be a bigger team. I think the talent level is also going way up. We will have to wait and see how it compares to the overall talent upgrades for our league opponents. I am hopeful that last season will quickly be forgotten. I have been wondering if the "style" if you can call it that of last years team was one of making the best of what we had personnel wise or was truly what lang was trying to coach.I hope the former.
Click to expand...
I think we started to see pieces of his defensive system as the season wore on and I expect to see even more this season. As for the offensive end, we didn't really exhibit much of the puck control style that Lang said he espouses. That was probably due to the amount of turnover and talent limitations. Puck control can wear out the other team and generate great scoring opportunities, but it can also result in odd-man rushes the other way if a player tries and fails to make a move or pass to maintain offensive control instead of just putting the puck in safe areas. It requires levels of stick work, skating and situational awareness that were probably a bit beyond us last year. I'm hopeful more of it takes root this season.

I must admit I'm getting irrationally exuberant about our direction. My senior year was one of the worst we ever had. However, Mike Addesa had already begun selling the proverbial ice to eskimos by bringing in guys like Hammond, Friday, Langevin and Sadeghpour, who would be important pieces 3 years later. They were just names to us because junior and prep hockey didn't have as much coverage as they do today, but Oates, Servinis, Carter (the only one I knew of because of his exploits in the Boston high school ranks), Jooris, etc. were on the way. I think the college game has changed too much to expect that sort of success ever again, but I am confident our days of holding up the rest of the ECAC standings on a pretty regular basis are over. If Coach Lang can sell ice in the small cities along the major junior trail of Canada that's good enough for me.
 
rpi82 said:
I think we started to see pieces of his defensive system as the season wore on and I expect to see even more this season. As for the offensive end, we didn't really exhibit much of the puck control style that Lang said he espouses. That was probably due to the amount of turnover and talent limitations. Puck control can wear out the other team and generate great scoring opportunities, but it can also result in odd-man rushes the other way if a player tries and fails to make a move or pass to maintain offensive control instead of just putting the puck in safe areas. It requires levels of stick work, skating and situational awareness that were probably a bit beyond us last year. I'm hopeful more of it takes root this season.

I must admit I'm getting irrationally exuberant about our direction. My senior year was one of the worst we ever had. However, Mike Addesa had already begun selling the proverbial ice to eskimos by bringing in guys like Hammond, Friday, Langevin and Sadeghpour, who would be important pieces 3 years later. They were just names to us because junior and prep hockey didn't have as much coverage as they do today, but Oates, Servinis, Carter (the only one I knew of because of his exploits in the Boston high school ranks), Jooris, etc. were on the way. I think the college game has changed too much to expect that sort of success ever again, but I am confident our days of holding up the rest of the ECAC standings on a pretty regular basis are over. If Coach Lang can sell ice in the small cities along the major junior trail of Canada that's good enough for me.
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Nice post. It seemed like last year RPI played a style which boiled down to being in the game in the 3rd and hoping for a bounce or a big individual play from someone. I did like the decline in penalties although late in the year they seemed to reappear. I would like to see improvement in conditioning as it seemed to me on may occasions the boys had dead legs in the third.
 
jstadts said:
We are sure going to be a bigger team. I think the talent level is also going way up. We will have to wait and see how it compares to the overall talent upgrades for our league opponents. I am hopeful that last season will quickly be forgotten. I have been wondering if the "style" if you can call it that of last years team was one of making the best of what we had personnel wise or was truly what lang was trying to coach.I hope the former.
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Bigger and the talent has gone up significantly.
 
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