When Jerry D'Amigo (right) announced he was leaving RPI for the Toronto Maple Leafs, I said this was "great news for Union fans." Now that fellow freshman stud Brandon Pirri (left) is following in his footsteps as he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday, I am proclaiming that this is "AMAZING news for Union fans." I wonder what With Out A Peer will have to say about that (haha). I will say the same thing I said about D'Amigo: congrats and I hope you do well, but this is really going to hurt RPI in the wins column. Yes, maybe RPI will attract some bigger recruits, but at the end of the day it's about wins and winning championships... Just ask Rex Ryan.Here's what RPI Head Coach Seth Appert had to say to Ken Schott:
"'At the end of the day, you win with your seniors,' Appert said. 'That's what college hockey is all about. It's about you senior class. I'm excited about the seniors that we have. We have eight coming back, and I like them for different reasons. I know from experience that the teams I've played on and coached that have won at their highest levels, won with seniors and not with talented, young players.'"
Well, if this is true, it doesn't look like RPI will be winning too much because after Chase Polacek there really isn't that many impact seniors. You have Bryan Brutlag and Tyler Helfrich on offense, who both need to step up dramatically to try and fill the holes D'Amigo and Pirri left. On defense you have Jeff Foss and captain John Kennedy, who will have to not only be rock solid on defense but help on the offensive end as well. Maybe the incoming freshman can help out on both sides of the puck. RPI will have to depend on their defense with Kennedy and Foss leading the way, and incoming freshmen Patrick Koudys and Guy Leboeuf logging some major minutes. But, once again, I am not impressed with goaltender Allen York.
I agree with Appert that you win with your seniors. Just look at Union last season. They had the best season and program history and were led by seniors Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters. You can also say the same about Cornell, who were lead by Blake Gallagher, Colin Greening, and Ben Scrivens. The mix of great veterans with some talented younger players is the key for success (see Maine Hockey 1993, Paul Kariya, Ferraro Brothers, and Jim Montgomery). But, in order to do this you need to keep some good players for four years. Maybe if RPI is lucky one of their freshmen will step up with Polacek and go on a run. But, when the Class of 2013 becomes seniors it will be a pretty weak group of guys (Marty O'Grady is promising though). And if you win with your seniors there's not going to be a lot of winning in Troy during the 2012-13 season.
This also brings up the thought of Union players leaving school early to join the NHL ranks. Now that Union is on the rise, they will be getting better recruits. The one name that comes t
o mind is Keith Kinkaid, who was named to the ECAC All-Rookie team last season. If he has a big season this year, there is that possibility that he leaves Union. Keith has participated in many NHL Prospect Camps and NHL teams have some interest in him. This would be a major loss for the Dutchmen if this were to happen, but luckily Colin Stevens is on his way next year. The difference between Kinkaid and the RPI studs is that Kinkaid was not drafted by an NHL team. But, we'll cross that bridge when it comes around.
Read this article from the Satchem Patch (Long Island) about Kinkaid and the possibility of him going to the NHL.
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