Re: >>> RIT Tigers Offseason: Looking forward to more in 2019-20 <<<
Very angry there. Maybe try some Tai-Chi. Helps to re-center.
But back to the point...
Back in the day, the D-III Tigers were competitive with and even could beat the NTDP U18's. There's absolutely NO WAY those teams would have posted a 9-7 record against D-I opponents (especially of the caliber in your list). That program is leaps and bounds ahead of where it used to be. I never said RIT couldn't beat them, but was just making the point that it would definitely not be an easy game at all. I know full well that they are merely teenagers playing against mostly 20-23 year-old players, but their talent level is what gives them a chance every night. And that talent level has grown significantly in that program over the years.
We did host that team with a soon-to-be top draft pick when Erik Johnson played at Ritter. I believe it was a sellout, but again that was Ritter. IIRC, that may have been the Tigers first D-I season (05-06)?
I'm not so sure NHL future draft prospects can raise too much of the interest level for a Tigers game, especially in an exhibition. A large number of college hockey fans are going to support their school and know (or care) very little about teams/players from elsewhere. They get a good idea when their teams are playing important big games, but generally aren't too concerned with who is on the other team. To get their attention, the names would have to already be well known names, which means already NHL players. Obviously, that would mean the U21 team would have to make an appearance and kick most college teams' rear ends (that's never going to happen, obviously). There are a core of true fans of the sport that would know who some of these U18 guys are and actually want to see them play, but we're kind of in the minority. It wouldn't boost attendance all that much, IMO.
Originally posted by Tom Naeger
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But back to the point...
Back in the day, the D-III Tigers were competitive with and even could beat the NTDP U18's. There's absolutely NO WAY those teams would have posted a 9-7 record against D-I opponents (especially of the caliber in your list). That program is leaps and bounds ahead of where it used to be. I never said RIT couldn't beat them, but was just making the point that it would definitely not be an easy game at all. I know full well that they are merely teenagers playing against mostly 20-23 year-old players, but their talent level is what gives them a chance every night. And that talent level has grown significantly in that program over the years.
We did host that team with a soon-to-be top draft pick when Erik Johnson played at Ritter. I believe it was a sellout, but again that was Ritter. IIRC, that may have been the Tigers first D-I season (05-06)?
I'm not so sure NHL future draft prospects can raise too much of the interest level for a Tigers game, especially in an exhibition. A large number of college hockey fans are going to support their school and know (or care) very little about teams/players from elsewhere. They get a good idea when their teams are playing important big games, but generally aren't too concerned with who is on the other team. To get their attention, the names would have to already be well known names, which means already NHL players. Obviously, that would mean the U21 team would have to make an appearance and kick most college teams' rear ends (that's never going to happen, obviously). There are a core of true fans of the sport that would know who some of these U18 guys are and actually want to see them play, but we're kind of in the minority. It wouldn't boost attendance all that much, IMO.
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