RPI 2025 Off-Season: Help Is On the Way

[tony/troy]

All 5 on my list for certain. Have a few others to consider also - Adam Bartell, Patrick Rachon, Brad Layzell, Stepane Robitaille, Allen Kummu, and from the distant past, Bill Grisdale. Can't comment on the 1954 group and as has been said, really difficult to compare across decades of hockey. I submit though that any of these listed so far (if we could bring them back and add them) would make next year's squad quite formidable!!!!

Grisdale indeed!!! Senior D man in my first full time year of attending RPI Hockey in 1965-1966. Fortunately, dad brought me to a couple of games toward the end of the previous season when I actually got to see Senior Jerry Knightly play.

However, Grisdale was a pair with another guy that should not be forgotten either despite the 65-66 team being pretty dreadful (3-19). Obviously, it got a little thin in the back after those two.

The other guy was Al Jones who, as a D man, actually led the 65-66 Engineers in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists. There wasn't very much else up front either.

 

[troyboy]

Which is why, no matter how talented they were, Martin St. Louis and Brian Gionta did not play as defensemen. Different positions in hockey necessitate players have certain attributes. And as the old adage goes - you cannot teach size! The game has changed over the years. When I played a big D-man might be 5'10" and 185 pounds. Today, most D players are listed as 6'2" or taller and 210 or bigger, with the larger boys being a couple inches above that and 15 or more pounds of muscle heavier.

It's worth mentioning that the 2 Elite d men in the NHL are Adam Fox and Cole Makar both undersized for that position not to mention the best d man at RPI in the last decade(top 3 or 4 all time) was unquestionably Nick Balen HANDS DOWN !!! If he said he was 5'9 he was lying Im not arguing the need for size but I believe the era has come where your best skater is a d man. The 3 players mentioned here are and were elite skaters.

 

[DrDemento]

It's worth mentioning that the 2 Elite d men in the NHL are Adam Fox and Cole Makar both undersized for that position not to mention the best d man at RPI in the last decade(top 3 or 4 all time) was unquestionably Nick Balen HANDS DOWN !!! If he said he was 5'9 he was lying Im not arguing the need for size but I believe the era has come where your best skater is a d man. The 3 players mentioned here are and were elite skaters.

There are always a few exceptions to the rule. Both Fox and Makar are incredible talents and you do not find players of that caliber very often. Hopefully they can avoid one of the problems that smaller players in the NHL seem to accumulate. Injuries! Neither is what I would describe as fragile but last year, every time I saw Fox get hit hard, I thought i was watching the end of the NY Rangers playoff run.

 

[DrDemento]

Grisdale indeed!!! Senior D man in my first full time year of attending RPI Hockey in 1965-1966. Fortunately, dad brought me to a couple of games toward the end of the previous season when I actually got to see Senior Jerry Knightly play.

However, Grisdale was a pair with another guy that should not be forgotten either despite the 65-66 team being pretty dreadful (3-19). Obviously, it got a little thin in the back after those two.

The other guy was Al Jones who, as a D man, actually led the 65-66 Engineers in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists. There wasn't very much else up front either.

Al was the most potent offensive weapon that year. And you are correct, there was not much else up front. You were indeed fortunate to get to see Jerry Knightly play but unfortunately you came on the scene just a tad late to see someone even more special in Bob Brinkworth. Surely both could have been NHL level players if the league at that time had been expanded to 32 teams.

 

[rpi82]

Chase Clark to canisius. Ethan David from RIT is really the only goalie left worth bringing in. Lang might need to go major junior or find an uncommitted ushl goalie.

Clark continues his annual descent on the college hockey food chain: Quinnipiac --> Sacred Heart --> AIC --> Canisius

FWIW, Neutral Zone raised Ryan Sanborn from 3.50 stars to 3.75 since he committed to UConn, He was as high as 4.25 in 2020 and 2021.

If he announced he'd be in Troy this fall they would cut him to 3.25.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

FWIW - the hockey coaches convention wrapped up today. With any luck, we'll get some more portal news later this week.

 

[Engineers]

Clark continues his annual descent on the college hockey food chain: Quinnipiac --> Sacred Heart --> AIC --> Canisius

If he announced he'd be in Troy this fall they would cut him to 3.25.

I’d say! I guess lang didn’t want him in Troy?

 

[troyboy]

Al was the most potent offensive weapon that year. And you are correct, there was not much else up front. You were indeed fortunate to get to see Jerry Knightly play but unfortunately you came on the scene just a tad late to see someone even more special in Bob Brinkworth. Surely both could have been NHL level players if the league at that time had been expanded to 32 teams.

Alright Doc I got a top 5 guy for you and Ralph...Kirby Rowe !

 

[Ralph Baer]

Today is 7 May 2025. There are 150 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 4 October 2025 for the start of next season.

 

[Ralph Baer]

Alright Doc I got a top 5 guy for you and Ralph...Kirby Rowe !

His partner on defense until he left RPI during his Junior year, Jim Blastorah, also is worth a mention for his shot.

Also Mike Prpich and Gerry Beauclair are worth mentioning although also not top five. Beauclair's shot put the band in peril.

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

...... Beauclair's shot put the band in peril.

I guess this would be my only caveat with Nick Bailen, he too had a well-earned reputation for hammering the puck 6' over the net or drilling the point shot into the defenders shin guards....so much so that mates in our seating section still yell "Bailen" when it occurs today.... LOL Don't get me wrong, he was an elite puck mover, but shot accuracy was not his strong suit...ha ha.

 

[fr. joe]

His partner on defense until he left RPI during his Junior year, Jim Blastorah, also is worth a mention for his shot.

Also Mike Prpich and Gerry Beauclair are worth mentioning although also not top five. Beauclair's shot put the band in peril.

I remember Gerry (Bozo) Beauclair. Seems he led the ECAC in shots on glass.
A few years a later Steve Stoyanovich came to town. Goalies always wanted to know when he was on the ice.
Some were known to duck when SS cut loose a slapper.

 

[ServinisScores]

From your list - Pothier has to be in my top 10 and probably my top 5. Extremely smart defensive player who was always aware of everything going on the ice. Would make any RPI team that had him instantly better. Askew may well be the fastest skater i ever saw (both on ice and on roller blades in roller hockey) but not truly a defensive player and often his speed put him totally out of control with the puck. Bryan Tapper and his family has been close with us for over 30 years. Simply a quality man who was converted early from being a forward (where i personally felt he would have been a top tier player). Severe back injury limited his production in Troy but worked hard in rehab to come back so he could play his final year with his younger brother. When healthy, hit like a Mack truck (forcing both St. Louis and Perrin to the bench in one game against Vermont).
Waiting to hear from some of the seasoned posters here (Ralph, Waite, etc) so we can add some of the fellows from the 60's 70' and 80's.

Haha life happens and I lost track of my own suggestion. These are always up for argument:

1) Ken Hammond
2) Brian Pothier
3) Mike Dark
4) Nick Bailen
5) Bill Sack

 

[rpi82]

It's worth mentioning that the 2 Elite d men in the NHL are Adam Fox and Cole Makar both undersized for that position not to mention the best d man at RPI in the last decade(top 3 or 4 all time) was unquestionably Nick Balen HANDS DOWN !!! If he said he was 5'9 he was lying Im not arguing the need for size but I believe the era has come where your best skater is a d man. The 3 players mentioned here are and were elite skaters.

Back when I was in school Clarkson had an All-American d-man named Dave Fretz. They listed him at about 5'6", but I think even that was an exaggeration. He looked like he'd get killed out there, but he was almost impossible to line up for a hit. On the defensive end he was far more effective than you'd expect, but I was convinced that was partly because the refs allowed him at least one or two free cross-checks in front of the net to compensate for his size.

 

[rpi82]

He's probably already committed, but an interesting forward, Filip Sitar, entered the portal from UConn yesterday. He was very highly regarded as an incoming recruit last year but he never got untracked - only getting 3 points on the season. He's from Slovenia but he played in Sweden before going directly to Storrs as an '05 without ever playing in North American juniors (probably a mistake). His track record reads like Dovar Tinling's - talented but entered college too early. The interesting part is that he could be a good test of our United Nations hockey program. His hometown in Slovenia is just across the border from Mattias Lange's Austrian hometown. He played in Sweden against our new transfer recruit, Lindberg, and we also have a coach from a Baltic neighbor, Latvia. Add in our HC from NYC, which has an ethnic enclave for virtually every group imaginable, and we've got things covered from all angles. Good luck coach.

 

[DrDemento]

Haha life happens and I lost track of my own suggestion. These are always up for argument:

1) Ken Hammond
2) Brian Pothier
3) Mike Dark
4) Nick Bailen
5) Bill Sack

Billy Sack was fabulous - but he was a goalie!!! Incredible reflexes and capable of making some of the most acrobatic saves ever. i suppose he could have also played as a defense man but it was hard to skate up and down the ice in those pads!!

 

[DrDemento]

He's probably already committed, but an interesting forward, Filip Sitar, entered the portal from UConn yesterday. He was very highly regarded as an incoming recruit last year but he never got untracked - only getting 3 points on the season. He's from Slovenia but he played in Sweden before going directly to Storrs as an '05 without ever playing in North American juniors (probably a mistake). His track record reads like Dovar Tinling's - talented but entered college too early. The interesting part is that he could be a good test of our United Nations hockey program. His hometown in Slovenia is just across the border from Mattias Lange's Austrian hometown. He played in Sweden against our new transfer recruit, Lindberg, and we also have a coach from a Baltic neighbor, Latvia. Add in our HC from NYC, which has an ethnic enclave for virtually every group imaginable, and we've got things covered from all angles. Good luck coach.

Have been saying for years that we needed to expand our reach into Europe (especially Eastern Europe). We have several former RPI boys over there who could be instrumental in our finding some boys with potential as hockey recruits but who also could flourish in the RPI academic environment. I am particularly interested now that we will have a coach in Slovakia very soon.

 

[fr. joe]

I see that Kyle Chauvette's name, which popped up in this thread under the heading of "goalies in the portal," has transferred to UNH. Looks like Luke Pearson still hasn't committed to another university.

 

[troyboy]

I guess this would be my only caveat with Nick Bailen, he too had a well-earned reputation for hammering the puck 6' over the net or drilling the point shot into the defenders shin guards....so much so that mates in our seating section still yell "Bailen" when it occurs today.... LOL Don't get me wrong, he was an elite puck mover, but shot accuracy was not his strong suit...ha ha.

During Nick's career at RPI he could walk the line as good as any player in college hockey !