CIS going pro - 2014/15

[AdamMcg83]

Some eliminated CIS teams are starting to be pillaged by the ECHL. A few signings from the OUA so far:

- Kain Allicock (Waterloo) - Missouri
- Jeff Brown (Toronto) - Brampton
- Andrew Radjenovic (Brock) - Bakersfield
- Michael Markovic (Toronto) - Alaska
- Dean Willmott (Ryerson) - Brampton
- Domenic Alberga (Ryerson) - Greenville

A couple interesting notes - Radjenovic (32 pts, 7th in OUA) just finished his 3rd yr of eligibility, so that will be a huge and perhaps unexpected loss for Brock.

Alberga looks like he's continuing the trend of early exits from the Rams program, following Wise and Hermenegildo last season. Alberga was a CIS all-rookie forward last year, and he had 31 pts this year after 44 in his rookie campaign.

Click to read more...

 

[Rob]

Do you think Justin Larson will go pro before the end of the season?

 

[AdamMcg83]

Do you think Justin Larson will go pro before the end of the season?

It's my understanding that Larson won't be going pro before the end of the season. I think he wants to keep his options open going into next season, and it's no secret that he has aspirations of law school as well. Whether or not he starts a pro career in the fall, or law school, it's still tbd.

 

[Prov1X]

Not sure where Anthony Peters is going to play but noticed this tweet tonight from teammate Micheal D'Orazio:

@m_dorazio51: Good luck to my good friend and teammate for the past 4 years @AnthonyPeters01 as he starts off his pro career http://t.co/p5yaidWeiR

Good luck to him, SMU will definitely miss him next season manning the pipes!

 

[AdamMcg83]

Reggie Traccitto (UPEI) has signed with Toronto (AHL).

 

[AdamMcg83]

Not sure where Anthony Peters is going to play but noticed this tweet tonight from teammate Micheal D'Orazio:



Good luck to him, SMU will definitely miss him next season manning the pipes!

Looks like Peters has signed with Florida (ECHL): http://www.echl.com/stats/transactions.php

 

[Prov1X]

Thanks, was curious where he was heading. Didn't realize that he was graduating. Big loss for them.

 

[Rob]

I actually thought Peters might stick around for a 5th year considering that SMU is hosting the Nationals next year. Not surprised that he had pro offers though. Hope he has a successful career. I'm also happy UNB doesn't have to face him again.

 

[AUS Fan]

Interesting. I'll be in Florida in April and will try to catch a game either in Ft Myers or Orlando when they play on Apr 9.

 

[mikeandI]

I actually thought Peters might stick around for a 5th year considering that SMU is hosting the Nationals next year. Not surprised that he had pro offers though. Hope he has a successful career. I'm also happy UNB doesn't have to face him again.

We were thinking out here he might decide to take his MBA at UNB.

 

[Rob]

We were thinking out here he might decide to take his MBA at UNB.

No but we have our eye on some other 5th year players.

 

[Prov1X]

We were thinking out here he might decide to take his MBA at UNB.

I wouldn't have been apposed to that!

 

[AUS Fan]

No but we have our eye on some other 5th year players.

Is this what UNB has become? Get some hired guns each year? Pridham and Swann. Fraser, Wall and Shantz. SFX has Slaney, but he was in school for 3 years and played for 2. How many other teams have even one 5th year transfer?

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Is this what UNB has become? Get some hired guns each year? Pridham and Swann. Fraser, Wall and Shantz. SFX has Slaney, but he was in school for 3 years and played for 2. How many other teams have even one 5th year transfer?

They've probably had more 5th year transfers in the last 8 or so years than every other AUS school combined.

2007 - Brad Pierce from Dal
2009 - Jimmy Cuddihy from Dal, Justin McCutchen from STU (don't think it was his 5th year, though)
2013 - Colby Pridham from SMU, Bryce Swan from St. FX
2014 - Charles Lavigne from STU
2015 - Alex Wall from UPEI (4th year), Dana Fraser from UPEI, RD Chisholm from St. FX

 

[FreddyFoyle]

You forgot R.D. Chisholm.

StFX thought they has Shantz, until Vienneau pulled a disappearing act on UNB, and the V-Reds started working on Shantz again.

Wall is in his 4th year. He finished his undergrad at UPEI in 3 years.

Hard to get 5th year transfers if you don't have grad programs that the student-athletes want, and can get into.

Doesn't always work for UNB. Houde-Caron couldn't get into program he wanted at UNB, and wanted to be closer to girlfriend, and ended up as one of the top point guys at Concordia this year.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

Is this what UNB has become? Get some hired guns each year? Pridham and Swann. Fraser, Wall and Shantz. SFX has Slaney, but he was in school for 3 years and played for 2. How many other teams have even one 5th year transfer?

This is the same thing Carleton does in basketball, and no one seems to say much about it.

 

[AUS Fan]

Yes, but North Carolina cheats and they aren't punished. Why does it just happen to Syracuse?
It doesn't change the facts just because some other school does what your school does and is not taken to task.

I'm certainly not accusing UNB of any wrongdoing, by bringing these players in; I'm just making the observation that they have more of these guys than other schools.

And, please don't equate the "grad" programs some of those guys have done with a "real" MBA program. Have Bailey, Swann, Pridham graduated yet? Not picking on these guys, but just curious. How many non-athletes are in this "grad" program?
If you can accept that Bryce Swann, as an example, who did Not Graduate from SFX, but was selected for the "grad" program at UNB because he was a good citizen of the world and Not because he played hockey....

I await the slings and arrows from disgruntled UNB peeps.

 

[mikeandI]

No but we have our eye on some other 5th year players.

Whew, we're glad to hear that! Wouldn't want that program to dry up there.
How is enrolment! Up or down do to the economy?

 

[mikeandI]

This is the same thing Carleton does in basketball, and no one seems to say much about it.

And how is that program doing!
Analytics guys had better add business grad programs to their linear equations to help predict success

 

[Prov1X]

As for the 5th year players, simple answer, why not go to a place where you are given a good chance at winning a CIS title? Believe it or not, a CIS championship ring means a lot to these players and choose to come to UNB because of the better chance at winning one of these rings. No one is saying a thing except for the haters. UNB can't be such a bad place to play since there is no shortage of top level players wanting to play here!

 

[mikeandI]

As for the 5th year players, simple answer, why not go to a place where you are given a good chance at winning a CIS title? Believe it or not, a CIS championship ring means a lot to these players and choose to come to UNB because of the better chance at winning one of these rings. No one is saying a thing except for the haters. UNB can't be such a bad place to play since there is no shortage of top level players wanting to play here!

No one questioning that. The movement of the 4th fifth years is not just a UNB phenomina although it sounds like you think it is. The court sports have been taking advantage of this for years.
Maybe UNB is just following along, the best programs learn quickly how to get the best players and one year is all they need from them to put them over the top.

It gets alittle old however when you throw in the educational purpose or concept! Not all of them can become assistant coaches at UNB or at the schools they transfer to when they are done, or maybe they can. as they all seem to be around for a few years after they compete or complete their one year.

 

[Prov1X]

It doesn't matter what UNB does as haters are going to hate! When you have a top level program, people are going to assume that they are breaking every rule in the book to get players, and no matter what investigations are done, some will never be convinced that no rules are being broken. I am sure that Alberta hears the same sort of things out west, although they haven't had a rule brought in specifically because of their success.

 

[Freddy Beach]

Felix Poulin- from Stu to Alaska Aces

 

[Hollywood3]

It doesn't matter what UNB does as haters are going to hate! When you have a top level program, people are going to assume that they are breaking every rule in the book to get players, and no matter what investigations are done, some will never be convinced that no rules are being broken. I am sure that Alberta hears the same sort of things out west, although they haven't had a rule brought in specifically because of their success.

I have not heard allegations against Alberta. I have heard allegations against almost the whole AUS. It is rare for a player to leave one CW team for another. One went across town from Calgary to MRU when they joined the conference. A Regina player went to Sask for his 5th year when he graduated and went into law, which is not offered at Regina. The Bisons have had two players come back to school after being out for a couple years. All of these were done (by all appearances) for academic rather than hockey reasons.

 

[MiamiHockey]

I'm certainly not accusing UNB of any wrongdoing, by bringing these players in; I'm just making the observation that they have more of these guys than other schools.

And, please don't equate the "grad" programs some of those guys have done with a "real" MBA program. Have Bailey, Swann, Pridham graduated yet? Not picking on these guys, but just curious. How many non-athletes are in this "grad" program?
If you can accept that Bryce Swann, as an example, who did Not Graduate from SFX, but was selected for the "grad" program at UNB because he was a good citizen of the world and Not because he played hockey....

I am generally not one to defend UNB, but you need to know that there is a patent difference between the recruiting of CHL players and the recruiting of grad students.

If you are going to argue (as I have in the past) that UNB has low entrance standards for their undergrad programs, that's one thing. There is some merit to that argument.

BUT, for a player to get into a graduate program, they have to have (1) completed their undergrad degree, and (2) maintained an acceptable standard - typically a minimum B average - to get accepted into a graduate program. And whereas many universities have some flexibility for enrolment into undergraduate programs, there is much less flexibility for enrolment into graduate programs. Deans are more protective of their graduate programs.

Now, I'm not saying that these transfers are all Rhodes Scholars, but by completing their degree in 3-4 years with at least a B average, they are achieving what is expected of "student-athletes." Good for them that they have earned the right to transfer schools after 4 years AND that they choose to pursue a graduate degree rather than turning pro, and good for UNB that they attract these accomplished student-athletes.