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RPI 2023 Off-season: We March Fourth Into the Off-season

I hoped it wouldn't happen because it hurts us for the coming year, but I don't see the departure of graduate transfers as a negative indicator for the program as a whole. I loved RPI but I went to a different school for my grad degree and I can see how graduating closes one chapter in a player's life and make him want to look at a different opportunity. Just like last season when I was most concerned by the departures of Kjellberg and Dubinsky, the biggest red flag to me will be if we develop a pattern of transfers with undergraduate eligibility.
 
Today is 16 March 2023. There are 205 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 7 October 2023 for the start of next season.
 
The portal might be great for the individual player, but it is a train wreck for schools like ours.
We basically become a feeder program for the top schools.
Recruit a kid who blossoms in his first two years and wave good bye.
Also, how do you build a program when you lose half of your players each year.
I will be here rooting for the engineers as long as I'm alive, but I cannot see how we get better under these circumstances. And no coach can change that.
Sorry for the depressing post.
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
The portal might be great for the individual player, but it is a train wreck for schools like ours.
We basically become a feeder program for the top schools.
Recruit a kid who blossoms in his first two years and wave good bye.
Also, how do you build a program when you lose half of your players each year.
I will be here rooting for the engineers as long as I'm alive, but I cannot see how we get better under these circumstances. And no coach can change that.
Sorry for the depressing post.
Click to expand...

We all share your sentiment....but at least everyone is in the same boat. The haves and have nots......a tale as old as time ! Adapt or die as they say....
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
The portal might be great for the individual player, but it is a train wreck for schools like ours.
We basically become a feeder program for the top schools.
Recruit a kid who blossoms in his first two years and wave good bye.
Also, how do you build a program when you lose half of your players each year.
I will be here rooting for the engineers as long as I'm alive, but I cannot see how we get better under these circumstances. And no coach can change that.
Sorry for the depressing post.
Click to expand...

EHF- although the post is a bit of a downer, it is absolutely true. I had hoped this type of thing was just for the year or two after the shutdown from the pandemic. But I can how the successful programs would want it to be permanent.
 
rpi82 said:
I hoped it wouldn't happen because it hurts us for the coming year, but I don't see the departure of graduate transfers as a negative indicator for the program as a whole. I loved RPI but I went to a different school for my grad degree and I can see how graduating closes one chapter in a player's life and make him want to look at a different opportunity. Just like last season when I was most concerned by the departures of Kjellberg and Dubinsky, the biggest red flag to me will be if we develop a pattern of transfers with undergraduate eligibility.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree with this. Not worried about guys not using their 5th years, but it will be worrying if we start losing key underclassmen
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
The portal might be great for the individual player, but it is a train wreck for schools like ours.
We basically become a feeder program for the top schools.
Recruit a kid who blossoms in his first two years and wave good bye.
Also, how do you build a program when you lose half of your players each year.
I will be here rooting for the engineers as long as I'm alive, but I cannot see how we get better under these circumstances. And no coach can change that.
Sorry for the depressing post.
Click to expand...

The only players who we have lost that we wouldn't normally lose were Dubinsky and Kjellberg. Take a look at their numbers this year to see how that worked out for them. Normally these seniors would be graduating and leaving anyways, but COVID gave them an extra year.

The portal also works both ways. We tend to get talented players who are barely playing at top programs. We had success with Gornall, Zieky, and Walsh doing this. The jury is still out on Agnew, Strom and Budy who are still at RPI.

Sometimes we even benefit when Atlantic Hockey guys want to move up leagues like Heidemann (not going to count Addamo because his program got cut). But Atlantic Hockey teams can benefit when guys like Nick Bowman and Danny DiGrande want more ice time than they got with us. Both played key roles for Canisius. Or you can take a look at someone like Casey Carreau who left BC to go to Niagara or Eric Esposito who left UNH to go to Mercyhurst.

In summary, calling it a train wreck for us or even some lower teams than us isn't really accurate. We have benefitted a lot from it. I didn't even include Jake Lee or Anthony Baxter above. Losing 5th year guys isn't really a big deal because it's only one year, and you'd lose them normally anyways. Have to wait and see how it plays out this year, but I'm not too concerned about it right now
 
sezenack said:
Yeah I felt like the writing was on the wall when we got commitments from Payant and McNeil, both overagers in junior
Click to expand...

And being overagers in juniors means that they probably enter RPI with at least a year's worth of college credit. So they will graduate in 3 years, and if they turn out any good they will enter the portal at that time. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
 
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sezenack said:
The only players who we have lost that we wouldn't normally lose were Dubinsky and Kjellberg. Take a look at their numbers this year to see how that worked out for them. Normally these seniors would be graduating and leaving anyways, but COVID gave them an extra year.

The portal also works both ways. We tend to get talented players who are barely playing at top programs. We had success with Gornall, Zieky, and Walsh doing this. The jury is still out on Agnew, Strom and Budy who are still at RPI.

Sometimes we even benefit when Atlantic Hockey guys want to move up leagues like Heidemann (not going to count Addamo because his program got cut). But Atlantic Hockey teams can benefit when guys like Nick Bowman and Danny DiGrande want more ice time than they got with us. Both played key roles for Canisius. Or you can take a look at someone like Casey Carreau who left BC to go to Niagara or Eric Esposito who left UNH to go to Mercyhurst.

In summary, calling it a train wreck for us or even some lower teams than us isn't really accurate. We have benefitted a lot from it. I didn't even include Jake Lee or Anthony Baxter above. Losing 5th year guys isn't really a big deal because it's only one year, and you'd lose them normally anyways. Have to wait and see how it plays out this year, but I'm not too concerned about it right now
Click to expand...

Dubinsky is back in the portal.
 
I haven't been keeping up lately....Soooo everything is fine and the fact that we consistently lose our good players is just a "thing" !!!
 
Good lord, we’ve become a depressing bunch. Let’s look at transfers that were real undergrads (non-grads with more than a year of eligibility) under Smith. We’ve lost DiGrande, Dubinsky and Kjellberg. We’ve gained Gormall, Zieky, Bear, Walsh, Agnew, Strom, Heideman and Budy (didn’t include Addamo because he didn’t use his 2nd yr). Yes, I skipped those that left purely because of the shutdown and not for hockey reasons, but is there anyone that wouldn’t make that hockey trade?
 
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