Ohio State '25-'26 All or Nothing?

[Hockeybuckeye]

There are many things wrong with this team you are not wrong. The 23 seconds they scored those 3 goals were just awful play by all. I thought Eberly should have had the 3rd goal but man they cant let that happen right off the face off. Coach talked about that on the pregame show Saturday. You can blame all involved really the players and coaches. I dont expect much from the last month of this season but something has to change in the program.

Rohlok's tenure as head coach has now matched Markel's and neither has brought consistency or most important a National Championship. This program has had no National Championship in its entire 63 year history. Now much of that was due to the university never giving hockey any priority or give it the tools and means to advance but that is no longer the case given our women's teams two National Championships and that was because we hired the coach who could get it done. I have no bad words for Rohlik only he has had enough time to elevate this program. I will add he had one team that could have gone all the way but covid killed the season but there were no recruits coming in the next season with the level of talent that we lost. I'm sorry but I think we need a new coach to invigorate Ohio State men's hockey.

 

[klbaum1077]

Rohlok's tenure as head coach has now matched Markel's and neither has brought consistency or most important a National Championship. This program has had no National Championship in its entire 63 year history. Now much of that was due to the university never giving hockey any priority or give it the tools and means to advance but that is no longer the case given our women's teams two National Championships and that was because we hired the coach who could get it done. I have no bad words for Rohlik only he has had enough time to elevate this program. I will add he had one team that could have gone all the way but covid killed the season but there were no recruits coming in the next season with the level of talent that we lost. I'm sorry but I think we need a new coach to invigorate Ohio State men's hockey.

They let Markell stay 2 years to long but didnt fire him until his contract is up and i dont see them letting Rohls go either with years on his contract. The team that had the best chance to win it all lost to Denver in Fargo IMO at least that was the best chance they had to win it. This team is at a crossroads now they dont have to top end talent to compete in this league which i agree with you on the part that he isnt bringing in that talent. I also think its time to let Hilldabrant play over Eberly.

 

[klbaum1077]

The effort this past weekend was great just couldnt finish either game off. 3 of the 4 games against them were tied in the 3rd period. Problem is the same things that have cost them all year cost them on Friday night stupid penalties at the wrong time.

 

[klbaum1077]

What a weekend sweep of Minnesota. They have played really good hockey the last 2 weekends just couldnt finish a win against michigan.

 

[klbaum1077]

7th blown lead in the 3rd period this year and 3 of them have been 2 goal leads. They gave up 11 PPG's to Penn State in 4 games. They played 5 of 6 pretty good games after the ND weekend coming into this weekend. They went back to being lazy on defense in both of these games and taking dumb penalties which is nothing new for this team. On to Michigan st next weekend.

 

[cinnamoroll]

I've really liked a lot of the CHL commits Ohio State has picked up lately. The first set of them has been outstanding too- I guessed Karabela would do well in college, didn't predict Hillebrandt adapting so quickly, and Sam McGinley is a solid defensive presence that comes with experience playing at this age group.

Underrated win from this recruiting class is Dawson Labré, freshman 3rd string goalie, because he comes with a bonus add in younger brother Maddox. He's an 07 puck moving defenseman playing for Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL. He recently spoke on a French podcast about committing to Ohio State, confirmed that the plan is to enroll next year. With the 3 year age difference and Dawson deciding on the college route early on, Maddox never got to play with him so the opportunity to join him in a top league was a 'no-brainer'.

Another great pickup on defense is Jakub Fibigr, Kraken draft pick and a Czech junior team regular. He was one of the highly sought after trade pieces at the deadline- Windsor Spitfires won the bid. his skating is the standout, he was a 7th rounder in 2024 and has boosted his stock since. He got silver in Hlinka-Gretzky in 2023, World Juniors bronze in 2025, and World Juniors silver in 2026.

One player who had already been committed before heading to the CHL was 06 F Ben Wilmott, who signed with OHL London Knights in August. He had 33 points in 52 games in the USHL last season. With London, he put up 34 points in 37 games before being traded to a contender in the Barrie Colts where he's put up 23 points in 19 games. Definitely impressed and exceeded expectations in the OHL.

He won't be there for another year or two, but 07 G Tobias Tvrznik can and will steal games. With the Wenatchee Wild this season, he has a 15-17-4 record but a 0.914 save percentage. His first game in the WHL was a shootout loss to the best team in the league where he made 60 saves on 63 shots. He hasn't been tortured that badly since, but he regularly is called on to face 40+ shots a night. Like Fibigr, he is also from Czechia.