ECAC Pre-Season Coaches and Media Polls and All-Conference TeamsReleased

Coaches Poll Official Release
Media Poll Official Release
1989 & Still Waiting Picks

The Media and Coaches agreed (for the most part on the top three teams, with both picking Yale, Union, and Cornell to finish first, second, and third, respectively. RPI and Dartmouth were picked 4th and 5th in  one of the polls, so the Coaches and Media agree on who the Top 5 teams are. I have Quinnipiac in my Top 5 this year as my sleeper pick. I might be right, and maybe I won't. But, that's my pick for the surprise team of the year. I also have Colgate WAY higher than the Coaches and Media. Maybe that's because I saw them beat Union in the playoffs last season with my own eyes, or maybe because they bring back a good group of young players. I'm not a guru (and trust me nobody else is). The only thing the Coaches and the Media didn't agree on was Harvard. The Coaches picked the Crimson 7th, while the Media has them last. Coach Donato brought in a highly touted group of recruits, so who knows what these young guns can bring. I picked them 10th.

This is pretty much what I expected. As you can see, I also picked Mello, Bailen, Biega, O'Neill, and Miller. It seems like everyone has their own pick for the third forward, and they are all legitimate picks. I really can't complain with Maclellan and Carey as I picked them for my All-ECAC Second Team. But, I have to go with Union's Jeremy Welsh (yeah, yeah call me a homer, but I'm trying to be as objective as possible on this blog). He's 6'3" and 200+ pounds, with a good set of wheels and a great shot. How many centers in the league can match up with that? I also assume he will be playing once again with sophomore studs Josh Jooris and Daniel Carr, both of whom had great freshmen campaigns. He is a guy who is getting better and better with experience, and this season could be his best... and if it's, WATCH OUT!


At the end of the day these pre-season polls and teams are absolutely meaningless. This is all just fun and games to see if you're correct at the end of the year. Most times you're not, and I bet it's very rare that anyone is 100% correct. My sleepers could be absolute busts, and I could have underrated teams. But, this is just what I think looking at all these teams on paper. We will find out who was right and wrong once the teams take the ice.