Doing this is a lot of fun, but can also be very difficult. Last year my pre-season all-conference team was Broc Little (Yale), Adam Estoclet (Dartmouth), Brian Day (Colgate), Nick D'Agostino (Cornell), George Hughes (SLU), and Keith Kinkaid (Union). The only one I picked right was Kinkaid. Also, I originally had Chase Polacek, but replaced him with Day once Jerry D'Amigo and Brandon Pirri left RPI. Obviously that was a mistake. But hey, the ECAC writers as a whole were only correct on Polacek.
At the same time, I correctly picked the top four teams in the conference (but in the wrong order): Union, Yale, Cornell, Dartmouth. I had the Big Green as my sleeper pick, which worked out well (the other polls had them finishing 6th).
As you can see, it's very difficult to be correct on a lot of these picks. The ECAC is such a tight conference that you never know what can happen.
So, without further ado, here are my picks with some explanation:
Pre-season Poll
1. Union
The Dutchmen were the talk of the ECAC and one of the best stories in college hockey last year. They won their first Cleary Cup and made their first NCAA tournament appearance. But, they ended the season on a sour note as they lost to 12th seeded Colgate in the ECAC quarterfinals and were shutout by eventual nation champion Minnesota-Duluth. The Dutchmen also had a pretty "bad" off-season as head coach Nate Leaman left for Providence and took two recruits with him, and lost ECAC Goalie of the Year and First Team All-American Keith Kinkaid to the New Jersey Devils. But, they named long time assistant Rick Bennett as the new head coach, who should bring some continuity to the program. Also, the Dutchmen have sophomore Troy Grosenick and freshman Colin Stevens in goal, who while not being Keith Kinkaid will be very solid in net. While the Dutchmen lost two major assets, they also bring back six of their top seven scorers and five of their top six defensemen. They also have sophomore defenseman Mike Ingoldsby, who before being knocked out for the season with a concussion, was one of Union's top defenders. Also, look for the Dutchmen to be dominant on the power-play again as they return PP snipers Daniel Carr (12 PPG), Wayne Simpson (9 PPG), and Jeremy Welsh (8 PPG). I feel the Dutchmen will have some hiccups early in the season as they try to find their new identity under Bennett and figure out their goaltending situation, but will figure it out and win their second consecutive Cleary Cup. Yes, I know I'm a "Union guy," but I really think the Dutchmen bring back the most impact players and have the best depth despite their losses.
2. Yale
The Bulldogs won the Whitelaw Cup two of the past three seasons, including last season. I see Brian O'Neill and Andrew Miller as the most lethal duo in the ECAC and one of the best in college hockey. They lost Ryan Rondeau in goal who led the league in GAA and save percentage, but have juniors Jeff Malcolm and Nick Maricic (who both have playing experience) to take his place. On defense, the Bulldogs lose captain Jimmy Martin and Mike Matczak to graduation, and only return three defenseman who saw real playing time last year. The Bulldogs also lost stud forwards Broc Little, Denny Kearny, and Chris Cahill, but look for Kenny Agostino, Kevin Limbert, and Chad Ziegler to pick up the slack. Coach Keith Allain is a proven winner, and I expect the Bulldogs to do the same thing this season. I think the losses of Little, Kearney, Cahill, Martin, and Rondeau will really hurt, but I still feel they will be be neck-and-neck with Union for the league's top spot.
3. Dartmouth
The Big Green were one of the surprises of the ECAC last season (as I predicted). They were led by Scott Fleming and Adam Estoclet (which I also predicted), who are now gone due to graduation. Dartmouth also loses forward Matt Reber (20 points) and top defender Evan Stephens (20 points) to graduation. While they will definitely lose some punch up front, they still return Doug Jones (29 points), freshman phenom Matt Lindblad (28 points), and Dustin Walsh (20 points). On the other side of the puck, the Big Green returns four defensemen who played in every game last season. But most importantly, they bring back goaltender James Mello, who was named to the All-ECAC Second Team. Mello led all ECAC goaltenders in save percentage and was second in GAA during league play.
4. Cornell
Coach Schafer's team is always good no matter who's on the ice. The team focuses on defense and special teams, which are the two things that never quit and win games. I think they'll have trouble scoring considering they lose three of their top five scorers. Also, their returning leading goal scorer had only eight goals last season (John Esposito). But, they do return assist specialist and leading scorer Greg Miller who notched 25 assists last season. His assist total might go down due to the losses of Joe Devin (17 goals) and Tyler Roeszler. Goaltending will be left up to sophomore Andy Iles, who is very highly regarded, after the early departure of Mike Garman (split time with Iles last season).
5. Quinnipiac
This could be the year the Bobcats finally get a first round bye in the league playoffs. The reason is that they only lose one impact player to graduation, Zach Hansen, who didn't even lead Bobcat defensemen in points last season. They return 19 of their top 20 scorers (which is a ridiculous stat, but shows that they don't lose anybody), including four players who scored at least 22 points last season. But, they still have to pick up their scoring as they were tied for last in goals per game during league play, and only had two players with double digit goals last season. I predict that the Jones twins will be a feared duo in the league, while Scott Zurevinski leads the Bobcat offense. Also, look for freshman Matt Peca to make an impact. On defense, Quinnipiac returns six defenders who played in at least 25 games, and in goal have junior Eric Hartzell and senior Dan Clarke. Hartzell put up great numbers last season, and Clarke can be one of the best goaltenders in the legue when he's on top of his game. Even though things are looking up for the Bobcats, I think they'll miss the Top 4 because they have history going against them. Coach Rand Pecknold always has a very talented team, but has had problems bringing them to the next level.
6. Colgate
The Raiders finished last in the regular season, but proved that they just fell into some bad luck during the season as they upset RPI and Union in the league playoffs. I really like their chances to have a good year, even though they lose top scorer Francois Brisebois (34 points). They bring back veteran scorers Austin Smith (31 points), Robbie Bourdon (28 points), and Kurtis Bartliff (28 points). Colgate also returns a veteran defense corps with two seniors and three juniors. It also looks like Coach Don Vaugahan has found his answer in goal with sophomore Eric Mihalik. If Vaugahan and the Raiders find a way to get fortunate bounces, win tight games, and build off of their post-season success, they should have a very successful season.
7. RPI
The Engineers had an up-and-down season last year, but were able to find their way into the national tournament. They are definitely going to miss two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Year Chase Polacek (48 points) and Tyler Helfrich (38), and will also miss leaders like Bryan Brutlag and John Kennedy. But, they do return Second Team All-American defenseman Nick Bailen. The offense will heavily rely on the seniors, as well as sophomore Brock Higgs and junior C.J. Lee, while the defense will rely heavily on sophomores. But, the defense will get some help from monster freshman Luke Curadi (6'5", 250lbs). It will also be tough for head coach Seth Appert to find a replacement for Allen York in net, but Appert is a winner and will get the most out of his team.
8. St. Lawrence
The Saints offense returns two great young forwards in 40-point scorer Greg Carey and 35-point scorer Kyle Flanagan, but lose productive forwards in Aaron Bogosian, Sean Flanagan, and Nick Pitsikoulis. On defense, head coach Joe Marsh will have a lot to choose from as he returns eight defenders who played at least 14 games last season, led by junior George Hughes. Marsh also has a lot to choose from in goal as four Saints saw time in goal last season. But, Matt Weninger had a solid freshman campaign and should see the bulk of the playing time.
9. Princeton
The Tigers will probably take a slight plunge in the 2011-12 season. Not only did they lose a great coach in Guy Gadowsky, but also lose three of their top four scorers to graduation and three veteran defensemen, including captain Taylor Fedun. But, they return leading scorer Andrew Calof (33 points), who had a tremendous freshman campaign, and junior Rob Kleebaum, who was second on the team with 12 goals. The Tigers have a good tandem in between the pipes in sophomore Sean Bonar and junior Mike Condon.
10. Harvard
The Crimson finished 10th last season and will depend heavily on superstar defenseman Danny Biega (30 points) and senior captain Alex Killorn (29 points). Besides these two, the team will be driven by their well-regarded freshman class, including in goal where Steven Michalek should receive some major playing time along with the two sophomore goaltenders. I see this year as a building year for coach Ted Donato and the Crimson, with Biega leading the team up the standings in 2012-13 if he sticks around.
11. Brown
The Bears are going to deeply miss captain Harry Zolnierczyk (but the rest of the ECAC won't). Even though he was the most penalized player in the ECAC, he led the team with 16 goals and set the tone for his team. Brown is known for their hard-nosed and gritty playing style, and Harry Z led the was the key in this mentality. Hopefully for head coach Brendan Whittet, they can continue to play like this without Zolnierczyk. Luckily, he has senior Jack Maclellan, who led the team with 17 assists and tied Harry Z for tops on the team with 31 points. After Maclellan, the Bears have very little scoring punch with no other players recording more than eight goals, and only one skater with 20 points last season. On defense, they have six defensemen who played in at least 20 games last year, but senior goaltender Mike Clemente had a very poor 2010-11 season (3.28 GAA, .896 save percentage). In order for the Bears to have a good season, Clemente will have to improve his play, and need players like Chris Zaires, Dennis Robertson, and Bobby Farnham to step-up.
12. Clarkson
The Golden Knights lose their top goal scorers (Brandon DeFazio and Scott Freeman) and top two defensemen (Bryan Rufenach and Mark Borowiecki), which will definitely hurt. While they do have solid players like Allan McPherson, Jake Morely, Nick Tremblay, Louke Oakley, and Matt Zarbo returning, none of these players scored more than nine goals last season. They also return only three defensemen who played at least 20 games last year. Paul Karpowich returns in goal for his senior season, but has never proven to be a top notch goaltender. He will have to improve on his career 3.13 GAA. I think new head coach Casey Jones will have a long first year at the helm.
Now, here's my All-Conference team:Defense: Nick Bailen (RPI), Danny Biega (Harvard)
Goalie: James Mello (Dartmouth)
Miller, O'Neill, and Bailen are easy choices considering they were First Team selections last season. Jeremy Welsh keeps improving every year and should be the catalyst in Union's great offense. Danny Biega is probably the biggest NHL prospect in the league. With the departures of Keith Kinkaid, Allen York, and Ryan Rondeau, Mello is solid and safe choice for the league's top goaltender. He was also named to the All-Conference Second Team last season.
And here are some other players to look out for:
Forwards: Greg Carey (SLU), Jack Maclellan (Brown), Greg Miller (Cornell), Andrew Calof (Princeton), Austin Smith (Colgate), Robbie Bourdon (Colgate)
Defense: Nick D'Agostino (Cornell), Mat Bodie (Union), George Hughes (SLU), Loren Barron (Quinnipiac)
Goalie: Eric Hartzell (Quinnipiac), Andy Iles (Cornell)
There you go. We'll see what happens. What do you think?
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