Quinnipiac Bobcats 2024 Off-season: Rebuild and re-try

[QU/UM]

I view "rebuilding" to mean sacrificing current success in favor of developing younger players. Quinnipiac does (and will continue to do) the opposite. Quinnipiac will (by my count, at least) have at least four fifth-year players next season, including two incoming transfers, and at least four incoming transfers overall. (I have seen rumors of other players transferring to Quinnipiac as well, though nothing further has been announced yet, to my knowledge.) Rebuilding teams are not usually bringing in older players to take spots in the lineup. Talent-wise, Quinnipiac should easily be top four in the ECAC, and they still have an older team, so they'll clearly be a favorite for a top-4 ECAC seed with a good shot at the national tournament.

It is not a rebuild, but it can be considered a re-set; replacing a large part of the team, in some cases with younger players. Not likely to be in contention for a national championship, but very likely a tournament team.

Transfers are just part of college sports now. It's not going back the other way.

 

[CornellFan13]

It is not a rebuild, but it can be considered a re-set; replacing a large part of the team, in some cases with younger players. Not likely to be in contention for a national championship, but very likely a tournament team.

Transfers are just part of college sports now. It's not going back the other way.

Luckily, no more fifth years after next season. That will significantly reduce the number of transfers.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I view "rebuilding" to mean sacrificing current success in favor of developing younger players. Quinnipiac does (and will continue to do) the opposite. Quinnipiac will (by my count, at least) have at least four fifth-year players next season, including two incoming transfers, and at least four incoming transfers overall. (I have seen rumors of other players transferring to Quinnipiac as well, though nothing further has been announced yet, to my knowledge.) Rebuilding teams are not usually bringing in older players to take spots in the lineup. Talent-wise, Quinnipiac should easily be top four in the ECAC, and they still have an older team, so they'll clearly be a favorite for a top-4 ECAC seed with a good shot at the national tournament.

I'm confused by the complaint here. Should Quinnipiac not be trying to do everything possible to win? The goal is to win -- just because we're in a league where incoming transfers are frowned upon by half the teams doesn't mean we have to abide by the Ivy League's policies. I'm glad the team does whatever it can to be successful -- not just in our league, but nationally.

There have been plenty of freshmen who have come in, made an immediate impact, and played all four years for us. If the argument is that we lie to freshmen about their playing time or don't give freshmen enough playing time, that would seem to be hard for me to fathom and believe.

Whether or not you like it, the transfer portal is real and it's not going anywhere. You can either choose to embrace it or you'll be left behind. I'm glad my team isn't getting left behind.

 

[QU_Paul]

On social media it's always the Cornell fans complaining about this. I see others like Minnesota and North Dakota, but they can get the high end talent we can't. Plus NoDak has been very active recently with the portal to supplement their roster. I get the Ivy schools are frustrated with their self imposed rules but we do what we need to compete. 50 plus teams are doing the same.

 

[ZYanksRule]

I view "rebuilding" to mean sacrificing current success in favor of developing younger players. Quinnipiac does (and will continue to do) the opposite.

This is patently and provably false. Just completely wrong. All Quinnipiac does is develop players! They turn undrafted players into professional players. Yaniv Perets? Undrafted and made his NHL debut. Zach Metsa? Undrafted and playing in the AHL. Devon Toews? A mid-fourth round pick who developed into one of the best defensemen in the NHL. Countless stories like that.

Quinnipiac doesn't develop players. LOL. Where do people get this from?

 

[CornellFan13]

I'm confused by the complaint here. Should Quinnipiac not be trying to do everything possible to win? The goal is to win -- just because we're in a league where incoming transfers are frowned upon by half the teams doesn't mean we have to abide by the Ivy League's policies. I'm glad the team does whatever it can to be successful -- not just in our league, but nationally.

There have been plenty of freshmen who have come in, made an immediate impact, and played all four years for us. If the argument is that we lie to freshmen about their playing time or don't give freshmen enough playing time, that would seem to be hard for me to fathom and believe.

Whether or not you like it, the transfer portal is real and it's not going anywhere. You can either choose to embrace it or you'll be left behind. I'm glad my team isn't getting left behind.

I would argue (and I think most would agree) that there are limits on the lengths teams should go to try to win. For example, a coach should have an obligation to develop each player who commits to his program and puts in the effort to improve. Moreover, a coach has an obligation to be upfront and honest with his recruits. I see a recurring pattern at Quinnipiac every season now: a huge number of committed recruits, but most of those recruits end up held back in juniors or never see the ice once they ultimately matriculate. Instead, playing time goes to transfers and fifth years. Next season, the top freshmen like Pelosi and Schwartz will play; many of the others will (almost) never play. The result of which is a number of these recruits decommitting or transferring out of Quinnipiac after their freshman season. At the moment, Heisenberg lists Quinnipiac as having 26 committed players, including a significant number of '03s and '04s. Yet Quinnipiac will be bringing at least two players back for their fifth year and is also bringing in at least four transfers. [There is a huge back-log of recruits in large part because Quinnipiac has brought in so many transfers and retained so many fifth years the past few seasons.] Quinnipiac COULD fill its lineup with recruits, but they instead choose to bring back fifth years and bring in players from the portal. First of all, this is not what a "rebuild" looks like. Second, it's clear the program is willing to accept a high degree of player turnover in exchange for winning immediately. Now, is Quinnipiac the only team doing this? Surely not. But it's in stark contrast to the way other ECAC programs operate.

Clearly, taking a leading scorer from Omaha rather than playing a marginal freshman recruit is going to lead to more success, especially in the short-term. But this practice is going to lead to a high degree of player turnover, and probably some unhappy recruits/underclassmen. Yes, North Dakota and some other schools seem to operate similarly. I'm not really looking to argue about what is and isn't ethical; my main point is that Quinnipiac won't be rebuilding much next season. That's not how the program operates.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

I would argue (and I think most would agree) that there are limits on the lengths teams should go to try to win. For example, a coach should have an obligation to develop each player who commits to his program and puts in the effort to improve. Moreover, a coach has an obligation to be upfront and honest with his recruits. I see a recurring pattern at Quinnipiac every season now: a huge number of committed recruits, but most of those recruits end up held back in juniors or never see the ice once they ultimately matriculate. Instead, playing time goes to transfers and fifth years. Next season, the top freshmen like Pelosi and Schwartz will play; many of the others will (almost) never play. The result of which is a number of these recruits decommitting or transferring out of Quinnipiac after their freshman season. At the moment, Heisenberg lists Quinnipiac as having 26 committed players, including a significant number of '03s and '04s. Yet Quinnipiac will be bringing at least two players back for their fifth year and is also bringing in at least four transfers. [There is a huge back-log of recruits in large part because Quinnipiac has brought in so many transfers and retained so many fifth years the past few seasons.] Quinnipiac COULD fill its lineup with recruits, but they instead choose to bring back fifth years and bring in players from the portal. First of all, this is not what a "rebuild" looks like. Second, it's clear the program is willing to accept a high degree of player turnover in exchange for winning immediately. Now, is Quinnipiac the only team doing this? Surely not. But it's in stark contrast to the way other ECAC programs operate.

Clearly, taking a leading scorer from Omaha rather than playing a marginal freshman recruit is going to lead to more success, especially in the short-term. But this practice is going to lead to a high degree of player turnover, and probably some unhappy recruits/underclassmen. Yes, North Dakota and some other schools seem to operate similarly. I'm not really looking to argue about what is and isn't ethical; my main point is that Quinnipiac won't be rebuilding much next season. That's not how the program operates.

Let's be honest here... if Schafer could do the same, he would. The Ivy's are crippled by their antiquated rules or every Ivy coach would be trying the same. There's also the fact that there's probably only 4 or 5 ECAC programs that are attractive to potential transfers. When (if?) those other programs get competitive again that may change. At this point I'm not sure where NIL fits into all this but it has to be a factor as well.

If you want to berate Pecknold for working within the rules then so be it. He's doing what's in the best interest of his team.

 

[ICECAT1811]

I view "rebuilding" to mean sacrificing current success in favor of developing younger players. Quinnipiac does (and will continue to do) the opposite. Quinnipiac will (by my count, at least) have at least four fifth-year players next season, including two incoming transfers, and at least four incoming transfers overall. (I have seen rumors of other players transferring to Quinnipiac as well, though nothing further has been announced yet, to my knowledge.) Rebuilding teams are not usually bringing in older players to take spots in the lineup. Talent-wise, Quinnipiac should easily be top four in the ECAC, and they still have an older team, so they'll clearly be a favorite for a top-4 ECAC seed with a good shot at the national tournament.

Hey Andy Bernard! NO ONE GIVES A HOOT what you think! Go away....go on your own page and don't come back. You little wuss

 

[ICECAT1811]

I would argue (and I think most would agree) that there are limits on the lengths teams should go to try to win. For example, a coach should have an obligation to develop each player who commits to his program and puts in the effort to improve. Moreover, a coach has an obligation to be upfront and honest with his recruits. I see a recurring pattern at Quinnipiac every season now: a huge number of committed recruits, but most of those recruits end up held back in juniors or never see the ice once they ultimately matriculate. Instead, playing time goes to transfers and fifth years. Next season, the top freshmen like Pelosi and Schwartz will play; many of the others will (almost) never play. The result of which is a number of these recruits decommitting or transferring out of Quinnipiac after their freshman season. At the moment, Heisenberg lists Quinnipiac as having 26 committed players, including a significant number of '03s and '04s. Yet Quinnipiac will be bringing at least two players back for their fifth year and is also bringing in at least four transfers. [There is a huge back-log of recruits in large part because Quinnipiac has brought in so many transfers and retained so many fifth years the past few seasons.] Quinnipiac COULD fill its lineup with recruits, but they instead choose to bring back fifth years and bring in players from the portal. First of all, this is not what a "rebuild" looks like. Second, it's clear the program is willing to accept a high degree of player turnover in exchange for winning immediately. Now, is Quinnipiac the only team doing this? Surely not. But it's in stark contrast to the way other ECAC programs operate.

Clearly, taking a leading scorer from Omaha rather than playing a marginal freshman recruit is going to lead to more success, especially in the short-term. But this practice is going to lead to a high degree of player turnover, and probably some unhappy recruits/underclassmen. Yes, North Dakota and some other schools seem to operate similarly. I'm not really looking to argue about what is and isn't ethical; my main point is that Quinnipiac won't be rebuilding much next season. That's not how the program operates.

Hey NERD! when we go to Hockey East the ECAC will be EXACTLY like Atlantic Hockey. So sit down...shut up and be grateful we grant you our existence in the league. NO ONE cares what you think. Who do you think you are? You think we care what some cornell fan thinks of us? WE JUST WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! We are a top Program in the country, and will always try and win NOW. So again....sit down and shut up

 

[ICECAT1811]

This is patently and provably false. Just completely wrong. All Quinnipiac does is develop players! They turn undrafted players into professional players. Yaniv Perets? Undrafted and made his NHL debut. Zach Metsa? Undrafted and playing in the AHL. Devon Toews? A mid-fourth round pick who developed into one of the best defensemen in the NHL. Countless stories like that.

Quinnipiac doesn't develop players. LOL. Where do people get this from?

Just tell the nerd to shut up and go away!! You don't need to "justify" the program's strengths to some jealous nerd form cornynell who has to pay to get laid

 

[CornellFan13]

Let's be honest here... if Schafer could do the same, he would. The Ivy's are crippled by their antiquated rules or every Ivy coach would be trying the same. There's also the fact that there's probably only 4 or 5 ECAC programs that are attractive to potential transfers. When (if?) those other programs get competitive again that may change. At this point I'm not sure where NIL fits into all this but it has to be a factor as well.

If you want to berate Pecknold for working within the rules then so be it. He's doing what's in the best interest of his team.

Actually, we don’t know if Schafer would do the same. Your premise is flawed. “The Ivy’s are crippled…” and yet, Cornell has made the NCAAs 6 of the past 7 years. Cornell never sees players transfer out before graduating. Cornell has had plenty of success doing things the “antiquated” way. I think there is upside to roster continuity and being able to honestly tell players there will be a roster spot for them for four years. Do I wish the Ivy permitted grad students to play? Yes. But the importance of that is going to greatly diminish once the extra year of COVID eligibility goes away.

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Actually, we don’t know if Schafer would do the same. Your premise is flawed. “

No more than your premise about Pecknold.

You're complaining about someone using the current rules to their advantage while saying your coach never would. What exactly is it you want?

 

[Red Hockey]

Well, in relevant news to both teams, Ben Syer, who coached at both schools, is now the head coach at Princeton. Go figure

 

[CornellFan13]

No more than your premise about Pecknold.

You're complaining about someone using the current rules to their advantage while saying your coach never would. What exactly is it you want?

Here’s what I want: three hours with ICECAT1811. At the finest restaurant in Hamden, CT. My treat. We break bread. We talk hockey. We talk business. I pick his mind. He is the most interesting poster on the forum and I want to know what makes him tick. When it’s all over, he has totally changed his tune on the Big Red. He’s a Cornell hockey fan now.

 

[QUAlum2004]

Well, in relevant news to both teams, Ben Syer, who coached at both schools, is now the head coach at Princeton. Go figure

Both Rand and Schafer have pretty good coaching trees along with Casey Jones too.

Rand with Cashman (Dartmouth), Riga (Holy Cross), Syer (Princeton)
Schafer with Syer (Princeton), Casey Jones (Clarkson), Brekke (St. Lawrence)
Jones with Brekke (St. Lawrence), Josh Hauge (Union)

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Just home from the Hockey Banquet. As usual, a great time honoring the team.

Team awards:

Rookie of the Year: Mason Marcellus
MVP: Collin Graf
Coaches Award: Jacob Quillan
Al Carbone 7th Player Award: Charles Alexis Legault
Academic Award: Alex Power
Michael Torello Award: CJ McGee

Rand honored all the departing players. Tupker, Deplessis, Fillion and Rasanen as outgoing seniors. Legault, Lipkin, Quillan and Graf as early departures. Also gave kudos to McGee and Lee as 5th years and all their contributions to the program.

Captains announced for next season:
C: Travis Treloar
A: Cooper Moore
A: Davis Pennington
A: Noah Altman

The only thing mentioned about next seasons schedule was UNH for 2 @home, and @ Maine for 2. The rest of the OOC schedule still being finalized.

 

[DrewQU99]

Both Rand and Schafer have pretty good coaching trees along with Casey Jones too.

Rand with Cashman (Dartmouth), Riga (Holy Cross), Syer (Princeton)
Schafer with Syer (Princeton), Casey Jones (Clarkson), Brekke (St. Lawrence)
Jones with Brekke (St. Lawrence), Josh Hauge (Union)

Plus, it's only a matter of time before Joe Dumais gets a head coaching job somewhere. Sources tell me he turned down the Princeton job.

 

[QUAlum2004]

Plus, it's only a matter of time before Joe Dumais gets a head coaching job somewhere. Sources tell me he turned down the Princeton job.

He did turn it down. Probably was the favorite before Ben Syer.

 

[QUAlum2004]

Just home from the Hockey Banquet. As usual, a great time honoring the team.

Team awards:

Rookie of the Year: Mason Marcellus
MVP: Collin Graf
Coaches Award: Jacob Quillan
Al Carbone 7th Player Award: Charles Alexis Legault
Academic Award: Alex Power
Michael Torello Award: CJ McGee

Rand honored all the departing players. Tupker, Deplessis, Fillion and Rasanen as outgoing seniors. Legault, Lipkin, Quillan and Graf as early departures. Also gave kudos to McGee and Lee as 5th years and all their contributions to the program.

Captains announced for next season:
C: Travis Treloar
A: Cooper Moore
A: Davis Pennington
A: Noah Altman

The only thing mentioned about next seasons schedule was UNH for 2 @home, and @ Maine for 2. The rest of the OOC schedule still being finalized.

UNH was the only known OOC games we had known about since last year. The Maine games look to be extended the series for another two years. Maine there for 2 this year and probably back to Hamden for 2025-2026 season. Interesting captain and assistant captain choice as they are all transfers in except Altman.

Did he say if Legault is going pro or to the transfer portal? Been very quiet on that front.

 

[QU_Paul]

He did turn it down. Probably was the favorite before Ben Syer.

I have seen quotes from Dumais (similar to Rand) that he likes living in CT and it's a good environment for a young family. But by not taking other jobs, it seems like he is waiting for the QU job. I have no idea if that is even remotely true. I have seen others speculate that Cashman would be the next coach if Rand ever left, but I really don't see Rand leaving anytime soon. I know some guys prefer being the #2 guy, but seems strange unless he is waiting for a specific team(s).