Clarkson Men's Hockey 2022-2023

[vicb]

The following should make for some interesting perspective on Clarkson Athletics and hockey.

Whether you are able to make it back for COGO in-person or unable to attend that weekend, you are invited to participate in "Clarkson Hockey Hype", a series of virtual lunch dates with key members of Clarkson's Athletics program. Monday, January 30 Time: Noon Presenter: Athletic Director - Scott Smalling Tuesday, January 31 Time: Noon Presenter: Men's Hockey Coach - Casey Jones Wednesday, February 1 Time: Noon Presenter: Women's Hockey Coach - Matt Desrosiers Head Coaches, Desrosiers & Jones, will talk about how the season has gone thus far and where they see it going over the coming weeks. Athletic Director Smalling will focus on Cheel renovations and athletics overall. Register Here! You will receive the Zoom link one hour prior to the start of the event. Let’s Go Tech! The Clarkson University Alumni Office Questions? Email Erica Richards at [email protected]

8 Clarkson Avenue Potsdam, NY 13699 Follow on Twitter Find us on Facebook Connect on LinkedIn

[LetsGoTech16]

The following should make for some interesting perspective on Clarkson Athletics and hockey.

Whether you are able to make it back for COGO in-person or unable to attend that weekend, you are invited to participate in "Clarkson Hockey Hype", a series of virtual lunch dates with key members of Clarkson's Athletics program. Monday, January 30 Time: Noon Presenter: Athletic Director - Scott Smalling Tuesday, January 31 Time: Noon Presenter: Men's Hockey Coach - Casey Jones Wednesday, February 1 Time: Noon Presenter: Women's Hockey Coach - Matt Desrosiers Head Coaches, Desrosiers & Jones, will talk about how the season has gone thus far and where they see it going over the coming weeks. Athletic Director Smalling will focus on Cheel renovations and athletics overall. Register Here! You will receive the Zoom link one hour prior to the start of the event. Let’s Go Tech! The Clarkson University Alumni Office Questions? Email Erica Richards at [email protected]

8 Clarkson Avenue Potsdam, NY 13699 Follow on Twitter Find us on Facebook Connect on LinkedIn

Putting this here so people can see it.

[vicb]

Putting this here so people can see it.

Beat you to it by one minute.

[cutothefrozen4]

You've essentially made a list of excuses. You are correct that there's been a change in the college hockey landscape. The addition of only a couple of NCAA D-1 programs, you see a big hit in the talent pool of the "21 year old freshman" that helped the smaller programs compete in college hockey. However, that isn't going to change and adjustments have to be made. Schools like Quinnipiac have made that adjustment... and yes, I know QU enjoys a bit more in the way of resources with the full D-1 athletic budget and a few games broadcast on TV in the NYC and Boston markets but we should be able to recruit at or near their level. We all understand that Clarkson can't go out and get the first round pick but we have to be out there looking for the underrated 5th or 6th rounders and occasionally we can grab a 3rd rounder that falls in love with our environment.

The biggest problem we've seen during Casey's tenure is lack of development in the time that players are in the program. That includes freshmen that still look like freshmen 30 games in as well as players that don't improve significantly year over year. Players and player advisers who have aspirations to the NHL or a hockey career look at what our program has done for past players and how the experience at Clarkson could prepare them for the next level. When you look at guys like Dickinson (who granted left for 1 year) who never really made any progress even in the ECHL or Rempal who at least made it to the NHL for a cup of coffee but has been a career AHL guy, it doesn't exactly bring aspiring NHL players to our program. You're hanging your hat on the success of Nico Sturm at this point. The NHL is full of 5th and 6th rounders and undrafted free agents who went the college route and have enjoyed good careers, but Sturm is the only one currently that has Clarkson next to his name. If you look through the list, you see several names from "lesser" programs like Bemidji, Bowling Green, heck even Brown has a couple on the list.

I know coaching has changed as has player expectations, but if you look at Mark Morris' tenure, with a few notable exceptions (Thomas, Mueller), he had a long list of players that played in organized hockey at or above their "potential" at time of recruitment. If you don't offer that success to kids, you aren't going to get on the recruiting radar. Casey does not have that record.

Morris took advantage of good ole Canadian boys to stay near home and play College Hockey, which back then was put on the back burner up in Canada, with Major Junior being so popular. Now College Hockey is the top developmental league in the world (in my opinion) and the reach of the B1G, HE, NCHC schools is unmatched. For us to even get kids on the draft radar we have to get them long before that’s a thought, like Campbell, Gardner, Martino, and like we tried to do with Fowler. But my point is that’s a good mix of soft skill, we play in the ECAC where there is one run and gun team and that’s Harvard. It’s a muck and grind, modern day physical league. I’m convinced if you put Martino on say BU with their defense and in their top 6 he’s probably looking at 50 + points on the year. Down the middle we were 5’10 173 in Gosselin, 6’0 206 in Callin who is definitely a better winger given his lack of skating ability, 5’10 171 in Egan, and 6’0 200 in Rickwood, both of those freshman are still very much so adjusting to the college game. Player development ends up on the shoulders of the individual, it doesn’t hurt our program to only have Sturm reaching the NHL, if you want to break it down like that then there are a lot of failing NCAA programs. Once the player decides to leave the University, their development is on them and their personal skill coaches and organizations they signed for. It’s genuinely a lot harder to make the NHL then back in the Morris days. Sturms summer leaps were so noticeable, Casey didn’t have much to do with him, that was a determined individual that the staff identified as a late bloomer and got, we could be a lot better at identifying talent that fits within our culture.

[cutothefrozen4]

And my last comment for the day is this, I wouldn’t say Casey is deserving of the job currently, but I wouldn’t say he’s deserving of a firing. He’s still been pretty successful in the grand scheme of things over his tenure but that’s not how this is going to go down. I believe he has 2 years left on his contract after this season, maybe 3, at that point he will get evaluated, the University is not in a financial situation to meet any buyout. You had the ability to make something happen after the party incident incident and we were banned from postseason play, but that was long ago. It also comes down to the fact of the matter is, would we even be able to pull in an upgrade on Casey?

[O'Flaherty Fan]

Morris took advantage of good ole Canadian boys to stay near home and play College Hockey, which back then was put on the back burner up in Canada, with Major Junior being so popular. Now College Hockey is the top developmental league in the world (in my opinion) and the reach of the B1G, HE, NCHC schools is unmatched. For us to even get kids on the draft radar we have to get them long before that’s a thought, like Campbell, Gardner, Martino, and like we tried to do with Fowler. But my point is that’s a good mix of soft skill, we play in the ECAC where there is one run and gun team and that’s Harvard. It’s a muck and grind, modern day physical league. I’m convinced if you put Martino on say BU with their defense and in their top 6 he’s probably looking at 50 + points on the year. Down the middle we were 5’10 173 in Gosselin, 6’0 206 in Callin who is definitely a better winger given his lack of skating ability, 5’10 171 in Egan, and 6’0 200 in Rickwood, both of those freshman are still very much so adjusting to the college game. Player development ends up on the shoulders of the individual, it doesn’t hurt our program to only have Sturm reaching the NHL, if you want to break it down like that then there are a lot of failing NCAA programs. Once the player decides to leave the University, their development is on them and their personal skill coaches and organizations they signed for. It’s genuinely a lot harder to make the NHL then back in the Morris days. Sturms summer leaps were so noticeable, Casey didn’t have much to do with him, that was a determined individual that the staff identified as a late bloomer and got, we could be a lot better at identifying talent that fits within our culture.

Hey Cutothefrozen4, I love your insights and had a few questions for you.
1. What do you mean when you say the reach of the B1G, HE, and NCHC schools? ( Bigger recruiting budgets? more attractive destinations? Something else?)
2. It seems that you're saying that since we're in a grinders league we need to get bigger tougher kids that can flourish in that environment. Is that correct?
3. How does the BU defense contrast with the Tech defense that would allow Martino to post 50+ pts?
4. Just out of curiosity, what different things outside of those mentioned above might you do if you were in charge?

Thanks

[cutothefrozen4]

Hey Cutothefrozen4, I love your insights and had a few questions for you.
1. What do you mean when you say the reach of the B1G, HE, and NCHC schools? ( Bigger recruiting budgets? more attractive destinations? Something else?)
2. It seems that you're saying that since we're in a grinders league we need to get bigger tougher kids that can flourish in that environment. Is that correct?
3. How does the BU defense contrast with the Tech defense that would allow Martino to post 50+ pts?
4. Just out of curiosity, what different things outside of those mentioned above might you do if you were in charge?

Thanks

1) Back in the day, there was limited visibility and recruits could slip through the cracks, that’s just not how it is anymore with hockey essentially running year around. When you take a visit to BC, BU, Michigan, Minnesota, it’s going to feel a lot different to a 16-18 year old kid compared to Clarkson. Clarkson becomes a secondary option in those kids minds. Those conferences also produce a lot more NHL talent, which is always the goal despite it being an extremely difficult goal, advisors sometimes are in it for the kids and the families, a lot of the times they are not, even if it’s a bad choice for the individual like we see so much of.

2) I think there needs to be a balance, we’ve had success with big two way centers (Dickinson, Dunne, Sturm) there’s no need to change that formula, yet here we are. I think that’s definitely why this team struggles to defeat teams they have more talent then, they have a soft mentality, there’s no leadership, and physically they fade late in games. Skill is important, but you can’t veer so far away from a proven identity that you know works. Gardner would be huge, but I get the sense the sharks will be circling for him.

3) BU has Domenick Fensore, Lane Hutson, the point was if Martino played with more skilled players that like to play the fancy way he does, then he’d be more productive.

4) That’s not something I care to explain because it’s irrelevant. In a brief way of putting it…..continue to recruit the goalie position well, try to find Trey Taylors not Kaelan Taylors, build down the middle with 200 foot players, put an emphasis on elite special teams play, which was the catalyst behind our run a few years back.

[O'Flaherty Fan]

1) Back in the day, there was limited visibility and recruits could slip through the cracks, that’s just not how it is anymore with hockey essentially running year around. When you take a visit to BC, BU, Michigan, Minnesota, it’s going to feel a lot different to a 16-18 year old kid compared to Clarkson. Clarkson becomes a secondary option in those kids minds. Those conferences also produce a lot more NHL talent, which is always the goal despite it being an extremely difficult goal, advisors sometimes are in it for the kids and the families, a lot of the times they are not, even if it’s a bad choice for the individual like we see so much of.

2) I think there needs to be a balance, we’ve had success with big two way centers (Dickinson, Dunne, Sturm) there’s no need to change that formula, yet here we are. I think that’s definitely why this team struggles to defeat teams they have more talent then, they have a soft mentality, there’s no leadership, and physically they fade late in games. Skill is important, but you can’t veer so far away from a proven identity that you know works. Gardner would be huge, but I get the sense the sharks will be circling for him.

3) BU has Domenick Fensore, Lane Hutson, the point was if Martino played with more skilled players that like to play the fancy way he does, then he’d be more productive.

4) That’s not something I care to explain because it’s irrelevant. In a brief way of putting it…..continue to recruit the goalie position well, try to find Trey Taylors not Kaelan Taylors, build down the middle with 200 foot players, put an emphasis on elite special teams play, which was the catalyst behind our run a few years back.

Thanks for the explanation. That all makes sense to me.

One more clarifying question: What do you see as the difference between a Trey and Kaelan Taylor's games?

[Don1973]

I wasn’t able to listen in on Casey’s lunchtime presentation today. What did he have to say? How about Scott’s presentation yesterday.

[cutothefrozen4]

Thanks for the explanation. That all makes sense to me.

One more clarifying question: What do you see as the difference between a Trey and Kaelan Taylor's games?

Kaelan is a very good athlete and it shows on the ice, but we need our defensemen to be able to do more with the puck. So much of our offense is trying to generate from a low to high cycle and getting point shots through and on net/finding sticks for redirects. Trey is very comfortable with the puck and loves to use his skating ability to change angles on passing and shooting lanes which is very helpful when trying to generate offense how we like to. Trey needs to get stronger, that’ll come in time if he puts in the effort. It’s not just Kaelan….Lewandowski, McFaul, Pasanen, Power, Sarsland all have difficulties with this as well, all for different reasons, but you look at Amorosa/Summers numbers, and then you look at ours now, we need more offensive production from the back end.

[Remember Walker]

Kaelan is a very good athlete and it shows on the ice, but we need our defensemen to be able to do more with the puck. So much of our offense is trying to generate from a low to high cycle and getting point shots through and on net/finding sticks for redirects. Trey is very comfortable with the puck and loves to use his skating ability to change angles on passing and shooting lanes which is very helpful when trying to generate offense how we like to. Trey needs to get stronger, that’ll come in time if he puts in the effort. It’s not just Kaelan….Lewandowski, McFaul, Pasanen, Power, Sarsland all have difficulties with this as well, all for different reasons, but you look at Amorosa/Summers numbers, and then you look at ours now, we need more offensive production from the back end.

A low to high cycle only works when the forwards actually pass the puck out QUICKLY to the defensemen. Too many times this year they CARRY the puck 3/4ths the way out, then soft pass to the defeseman who now has the opposition right on him (usually the player that followed our offensive player out). Next years team needs to spend a week simply passing the puck with no one trying to shoot. Passing has never been in "the bucket's" playbook, but Badger Bob Johnson lived by it...and won many championships and awards because of it.

As for your earlier comments about draft selections and forwards, go look at Mankato and see that the entire team is undrafted...yet, in a more difficult conference, they have 2x more wins than losses. Good players that can gel and play together, line after line, using a system that features getting open to take higher percentage shots is what this team needs. We do not need more glamour, but we need staff who know how to accomplish a far better offensive system that the 11 year "project" we've lived with watching.

I know.... give them one more chance.

Life is too short for that.

[NCNYHockey9]

A low to high cycle only works when the forwards actually pass the puck out QUICKLY to the defensemen. Too many times this year they CARRY the puck 3/4ths the way out, then soft pass to the defeseman who now has the opposition right on him (usually the player that followed our offensive player out). Next years team needs to spend a week simply passing the puck with no one trying to shoot. Passing has never been in "the bucket's" playbook, but Badger Bob Johnson lived by it...and won many championships and awards because of it.

As for your earlier comments about draft selections and forwards, go look at Mankato and see that the entire team is undrafted...yet, in a more difficult conference, they have 2x more wins than losses. Good players that can gel and play together, line after line, using a system that features getting open to take higher percentage shots is what this team needs. We do not need more glamour, but we need staff who know how to accomplish a far better offensive system that the 11 year "project" we've lived with watching.

I know.... give them one more chance.

Life is too short for that.

Give me a few names of a potential replacement.

[NCNYHockey9]

A low to high cycle only works when the forwards actually pass the puck out QUICKLY to the defensemen. Too many times this year they CARRY the puck 3/4ths the way out, then soft pass to the defeseman who now has the opposition right on him (usually the player that followed our offensive player out). Next years team needs to spend a week simply passing the puck with no one trying to shoot. Passing has never been in "the bucket's" playbook, but Badger Bob Johnson lived by it...and won many championships and awards because of it.

As for your earlier comments about draft selections and forwards, go look at Mankato and see that the entire team is undrafted...yet, in a more difficult conference, they have 2x more wins than losses. Good players that can gel and play together, line after line, using a system that features getting open to take higher percentage shots is what this team needs. We do not need more glamour, but we need staff who know how to accomplish a far better offensive system that the 11 year "project" we've lived with watching.

I know.... give them one more chance.

Life is too short for that.

Nevermind. After yet another atrocity at Yale I too have seen enough.

[LetsGoTech16]

Seriously losing 3-0 to a 3-14-4 Yale. Losing is bad enough but not even a goal?! Like come on this is like watching SUNY Plattsburgh take it to SUNY Potsdam!

[LetsGoTech16]

And they still managed to give another one up for a 4-0 loss. Never thought I would see this team get to this low of a point but I have.