RPI 2022 Off-season: Surely, We Deserve Better

[25+years]

I too am dismayed about the players who are in the portal. They were all good hockey players and fun to watch. I suspect the main reason for their leaving is they got 1 year extra due to the lost year and who can blame them for seeing what else they can experience/achieve before their careers are over ( I doubt any other than linden will make it to the pros).

As to DS. I like him as a coach ( I also liked DF and BP as well). If he leaves/ is not signed, who would be the coach? Do we want a ‘lateral move’ coach wise or a step up? A better coach could be a recruiting draw for sure. And what would a ‘better’ coach want to coach here? A good coach would want more of a commitment from the administration than they have been willing to make. Was DS promised a $20 million investment or was that just a PR stunt. And if they wouldn’t do it for him, why would they do it for a coach along the lines of a Donato or Pecknold?

 

[DrDemento]

I see that the opening football game will be at home against Dickinson College.


I'm hoping this will be a two-year home-and-home agreement, with RPI playing at Dickinson next year. I will be living in Carlisle, and the walk from my home to Dickinson's field is probably shorter than the walk from the RPI freshman dorms to '86 Field.

Many years ago i was stationed at the War College in Carlisle. As a Lt. Colonel in the Medical Corps I had some decent rank and privilege in the service (or at least I had thought so). Then i arrived at Carlisle and promptly saw that I was about the lowest ranking officer there. I never saw so many stars!! But as a physician, rank really matters vry little and you are like a separate entity and not really considered in the same category as the 'real Army'. I am sure things have changed some over the years but I found the area to be one of the most pleasant i have ever seen in the US and loved my time there.

 

[AspyDad]

This is the key to me. Do we know this to be true? All over the country in multiple sports players, even at big-time athletic schools, are taking advantage of the extra year combined with the free transfer and the ease of the portal, to attend a different school for a post graduate season (occasionally two if they combine a redshirt with a Covid bonus year). Frankly, though it kills me that we are losing players like Leppanen, Lacka, Johnson and, I presume Linden (either transfer or pro contract), I thought their returns were longshots since they all have or will be getting diplomas. For many players 4 years is enough and they want to move on to something different, not even necessarily better, although the chance to test oneself at a traditional power must be tempting if available. If the undergrads, however, are transferring en masse, that's something else altogether.

P.S. I still don't think the boys played at Harvard like a team that was checked out. They must know far more than we do and if they thought the program was about to come unglued yet put in that kind of effort - it would be amazing.

Troy York (Mid season departure), Emil Ohrvall (went to MIchigan), Evan Tironese (retired from College Hockey) in the RPI Serv List his dad did not have kind things to say about DS, Brady Ferner (UND), Lou Nanne (retired from Hockey), Owen Savory (UMass Lowell), Billy Jerry (LIU and his brother played for DS at Canisius), Corey Babichuk (Vermont). If you said to me "Aspydad, who retires from College Hockey?!", not many but we had two players to do it. Is it not the job of the head coach to instill a culture where players would want to stay? Even those who have a fifth year?? I have no beef with Dave, none. My question goes to the title of this thread, "Surely, we deserve better", do we?

 

[sezenack]

Troy York (Mid season departure), Emil Ohrvall (went to MIchigan), Evan Tironese (retired from College Hockey) in the RPI Serv List his dad did not have kind things to say about DS, Brady Ferner (UND), Lou Nanne (retired from Hockey), Owen Savory (UMass Lowell), Billy Jerry (LIU and his brother played for DS at Canisius), Corey Babichuk (Vermont). If you said to me "Aspydad, who retires from College Hockey?!", not many but we had two players to do it. Is it not the job of the head coach to instill a culture where players would want to stay? Even those who have a fifth year?? I have no beef with Dave, none. My question goes to the title of this thread, "Surely, we deserve better", do we?

Most of these are lazy examples. Troy York didn't even end up at another D1 program and was a huge locker room problem. Good riddance. Ohrvall wasn't a DS recruit; Nanne never even played for DS. Tironese was a player who was left over from Appert who was a huge players coach; DS is a very different type of coach from Appert, and he runs a tight ship. If Tironese didn't take well to that, then I'm sure he wouldn't have good things to say, but I don't think that's necessarily an indictment of DS. Savory, Jerry, Ferner and Babichuk all left because the administration cancelled the season, not because they wanted to leave. If they wanted to leave, they would have done so in the offseason. Also Babichuk just retired from college hockey after his junior year at UVM to answer your question about college hockey retirements; happens more than you probably think.

The coach should absolutely instill a culture where players want to stay. 4 players in the portal means 26 players are not in the portal. It definitely stinks to lose them, but it appears the vast majority of players do want to stay.

 

[sezenack]

New Talkin' Neers https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bLtStysJoaxTXH6Turijn?si=9fc90af5c2794392

 

[rpi82]

Troy York (Mid season departure), Emil Ohrvall (went to MIchigan), Evan Tironese (retired from College Hockey) in the RPI Serv List his dad did not have kind things to say about DS, Brady Ferner (UND), Lou Nanne (retired from Hockey), Owen Savory (UMass Lowell), Billy Jerry (LIU and his brother played for DS at Canisius), Corey Babichuk (Vermont). If you said to me "Aspydad, who retires from College Hockey?!", not many but we had two players to do it. Is it not the job of the head coach to instill a culture where players would want to stay? Even those who have a fifth year?? I have no beef with Dave, none. My question goes to the title of this thread, "Surely, we deserve better", do we?

You had a little problem with verb tense. You complained about players that "are entering" the portal, which implies at the current time. The fact that we haven't heard of any (yet?) is what I questioned. The examples you provided are of players that entered the portal or left in previous years and there are good reasons for many of them that I think I are unrelated to the current coach or even the current state of the program in general. One left due to health issues and most left due to the school's pandemic response - some even stating that they'd have stayed otherwise. Sure there were a few where the coaching may have not been to their preference, but I have trouble thinking of any coach we've had that didn't have some departures due to interpersonal, cultural or playing style issues. I see no evidence that Dave Smith has a higher percentage of those. Does anyone?

 

[Ralph Baer]

Many years ago i was stationed at the War College in Carlisle. As a Lt. Colonel in the Medical Corps I had some decent rank and privilege in the service (or at least I had thought so). Then i arrived at Carlisle and promptly saw that I was about the lowest ranking officer there. I never saw so many stars!! But as a physician, rank really matters vry little and you are like a separate entity and not really considered in the same category as the 'real Army'. I am sure things have changed some over the years but I found the area to be one of the most pleasant i have ever seen in the US and loved my time there.

Very off topic post: My mother's father was a doctor and served in the German army in WW I. Medical ranks were different than for regular soldiers. He was an Oberarzt (supervisory physician). FWIW, he was on the western front until 1917. A few days after going to the east, he lost an eye due to a shrapnel wound in what is now Latvia.

 

[rpi82]

New Talkin' Neers https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bL...c90af5c2794392

If that's a coach that thinks there's even a slight chance that he won't be here next season then Dave Smith has got to be one of the coolest customers ever. He'd undoubtedly be the first that went on a 10 day recruiting trip with his purportedly unrenewed contract expiring just a few days later. I suppose there's a chance an amazing opportunity will come his way, but I think it's clear he's planning on being here this summer and on into next year.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Today is 19 March 2022. There are 196 days (28 weeks) until RPI's next game. There are 104 days until RPI has a new president.


This is based upon 1 October 2022 for the start of next season and 1 July 2022 for the end of @#$%^.

 

[Ralph Baer]

New Talkin' Neers https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bLtStysJoaxTXH6Turijn?si=9fc90af5c2794392

Although we commented negatively on occasion about Kyle Hallbauer, it's good to know that he will back next season. I suspect that he will be step up. With Johnson, Baxter, and apparently Helsen leaving on D, we need two or three replacements. One is apparently Max Smolinski. There is a chance that Kareem Al-Azem will show up in the fall so we won't lose them and because all reports indicate he had a great year at KUA. He could, however, benefit from a year in Maryland (NAHL) where he has signed or even in the USHL.

 

[rpi82]

Although we commented negatively on occasion about Kyle Hallbauer, it's good to know that he will back next season. I suspect that he will be step up. With Johnson, Baxter, and apparently Helsen leaving on D, we need two or three replacements. One is apparently Max Smolinski. There is a chance that Kareem Al-Azem will show up in the fall so we won't lose them and because all reports indicate he had a great year at KUA. He could, however, benefit from a year in Maryland (NAHL) where he has signed or even in the USHL.

if we get the sophomore year Kyle Hallbauer I'll be thrilled. As for Al-Azem, Northeastern has two of the better defensemen in HE that both entered directly from prep school, including one from Kimball Union, so it still can be done but they were also 2nd and 3rd round draft picks. If the coaches think Al-Azem is ready then I'll defer to their judgment, but I don't think he's regarded as a talent on the order of surefire NHL picks.

 

[Ralph Baer]

if we get the sophomore year Kyle Hallbauer I'll be thrilled. As for Al-Azem, Northeastern has two of the better defensemen in HE that both entered directly from prep school, including one from Kimball Union, so it still can be done but they were also 2nd and 3rd round draft picks. If the coaches think Al-Azem is ready then I'll defer to their judgment, but I don't think he's regarded as a talent on the order of surefire NHL picks.

My concern is that if he doesn't come in the fall, someone else will get him like Hunter McDonald this year. He is, however, younger than was HM a year ago.

 

[AspyDad]

You had a little problem with verb tense

Then of course this invalidates my whole post.

 

[AspyDad]

but I have trouble thinking of any coach we've had that didn't have some departures due to interpersonal, cultural or playing style issues.

Believe the previous coach only had one: Pat Koudys. I do admit there is a new paradigm in College Hockey with the portal (see I'm fair). In advance, sorry for any verb tense issues.

 

[AspyDad]

Most of these are lazy examples.

Stubborn meet facts

 

[AspyDad]

The coach should absolutely instill a culture where players want to stay. 4 players in the portal means 26 players are not in the portal. It definitely stinks to lose them, but it appears the vast majority of players do want to stay.

But what does it mean when there your core talent and they most likely have the opportunity that others on the team don't; asking for a friend?

 

[troyboy]

In the words head coach Herm Edward's You are what your record says you are and our current group is.349 so we can voice all the opinions we want the data is the data I'm sure all the engineers out there can agree on that. I'll pre apologize for any verb misuse !

 

[rpi82]

Believe the previous coach only had one: Pat Koudys. I do admit there is a new paradigm in College Hockey with the portal (see I'm fair). In advance, sorry for any verb tense issues.

It's more than the portal. First it was the free grad transfer, then the portal and now one free transfer for everyone. Seth didn't have to play under any of those rules** that have made transfers dramatically easier and less costly. Yet he certainly had other departures that stemmed from a misalignment of perceptions between the coaches and the players. Guys like Jordan Cyr, Reed Kipp, Christian Morrisette and Craig Bokenfohr come to mind. Seth actually cut some of them because the rules of the day placed more of the power in the hands of coaches than players, but the effect was the same.

** Graduate transfer was coming in right at the end of Seth's tenure. IIRC Drew Melanson was our first. Would he have stayed if Seth was retained? I doubt it. His RPI career had a downward trend and he was ready to go. I believe the coaching change was incidental to his plan but we may never be sure.

P.S. When the verb tense error changes the entire argument it is relevant, but your apology is accepted.

 

[rpi82]

New Talkin' Neers https://open.spotify.com/episode/7bL...c90af5c2794392

BTW, I want to complement the Talkin' Neers team on their insights. One of the guys (sorry Sezenack, you guys all sound alike to me) pointed out the great playoffs for Kjellberg. I agree. He was dominant at times on the ice controlling play. He, like virtually all defensemen with offensive skills, sometimes frustrates me with his defensive play but he gave a very strong effort right to the end. That includes the "breakaway" by Corinoto (sp?) with an empty net in the last game. That was a brilliant defensive play and, despite the complaints from Harvard, it was absolutely not a penalty. I reviewed it several times. With everyone pressing forward Corinoto poked the puck out of his end by Kjellberg and took off after it, but Simon was by his side stride for stride. They came together inside the RPI blue line. In soccer it would have been called a shoulder to shoulder challenge as two guys with equal rights to the puck came together side by side and, surprise, surprise, the bigger guy won. The good Dr. must have loved it as it exhibited his favorite physics principles. It was absolutely legal and a play, in terms of skating and body control, that few college defensemen could make. If he comes back next season I can see Kjellberg giving us a Will Reilly-like senior season.

 

[AspyDad]

I'll pre apologize for any verb misuse !

Apparently the verb tense error changes the entire argument; who da thunk?!