The New York Rangers could benefit from scouting the 2023 Quinnipiac Bobcats National Championship team to bolster their farm system.
The Bobcat’s run to winning the school’s paramount NCAA title captivated the entire sports world.
Led by the pioneer of the program Rand Pecknold, a single word can be attributed to the team’s success. Culture.
M&T Bank Arena is just two hours north of Manhattan, a trip up I-95 may assist the club in finding competitive prospects who value team play and who also don a championship ring.
What players stood out from the Hamden Heavyweights this season?
The York Hill Line:
A line comprised of Collin Graf, Jacob Quillan, and Sam Lipkin led the Bobcats offensively to a National Championship.
Sam Lipkin was drafted by Coyotes in the 7th round of the 2021 NHL entry-level draft and already looks to be an NHL-caliber player.
He won the Clark Cup in the USHL with a Chicago Steel team that also featured Adam Fantilli and Sean Farell. He also earned a Bronze Medal with Team USA in the 2023 World Junior Championship.
He had the game-winning goal in the Frozen Four semi-final against Michigan and followed that up with an incredible backhand sauce to assist the championship-winning goal.
He has the frame and size at 20 years old. The Coyotes and Bobcats went back and forth to decide his fate, but his decision to remain in Hamden for a sophomore season will protect him from the uncertainty in Arizona, and most likely kept his linemates in Hamden when his return was announced on April 23rd.
Center Jacob “The Jet” Quillan and all-time single-season points leader Collin Graf were scouted in Tampa. But they remain unsigned, and no buzz suggests that they will be drafted in Nashville.
Quillan had an exceptional playoff run, and the Rangers need organizational depth down the middle lane. It’s worth looking into the rising junior as a late draft selection or free-agent signing who outshined Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies, Adam Fantilli, and Luke Hughes in the tournament with five goals and two assists. Not to mention, the sensational overtime goal to win it all.
Graf doesn’t necessarily have the frame for the NHL, but his skating ability, hands, and power-play role could be desirable for an organization lacking shoot-first skaters.
The three exemplify extreme levels of growth which the Rangers have not seen from late draft picks or summertime signings since Mats Zuccarello. A season ago, Graf only posted 22 points on a Union team that didn’t win a game in the ECAC Tournament. Quillan only posted 2 goals all last season. Lipkin was still in the USHL. They now look toward dominating the NCAA again in 2023-2024.
The Sherbrooke Boys:
Christophe Tellier and Christophe Fillion have the Sedin twin-like chemistry from growing up playing together. The dynamic duo doesn’t have the same flash as the York Hill Boys line, they may not be mustangs on the ice surface, but their synergy is off the charts.
With the ability to grind for a goal and connect on beautiful plays, it’s worth looking at two players that were mostly healthy scratches for the Bobcats a season before. French Canadian Batman and Robin have competed in the same uniform together for a decade, dating back to their days at Bishops College DU-Mont-St-Anne.
“Steals” are the result of seeing the glass half full, taking a chance, and unlocking a specific player’s potential. Easier said than done, but the chemistry between the Quebec natives is special. Shoot for the stars and land on organizational depth at worst. Tellier has two more seasons in gold, and Fillion will be a senior in 2023-2024.
🏒🔉"I think we have good chemistry...we just try and keep it simple, move our feet, and I think that's what we do best."
— Q30 Sports (@Q30Sports) April 5, 2023
Christophe Fillion & Cristophe Tellier, both natives of Sherbrooke, Quebec have been key contributors to the Bobcats success.
(@mugnoma) #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/Fiedf5hd9E
Ethan De Jong:
Signing with the Bakersfield Condors on April 25th, De Jong will be playing professionally in the AHL next season.
The forward put up 144 points in 184 career games and this season posted a hair under a point per game at 40 points in 41 games.
He won the 2022 ECAC conference defensive forward of the year honors and was a key two-way player for Pecknold’s pack.
If a team in California can scout in Connecticut, the Wolf Pack can. They signed De Jong’s former teammate Alex Whelan in 2019.
Skyler Brind’Armour:
Rod Brind’Armours son has all the traits an NHL prospect can possess. The Raleigh native has size he isn’t afraid to use, speed in transition, and mitts at top speed as well as in the net front position. Like his linemate above, he is the 2023 ECAC defensive forward of the year.
Brind’Armour signed a two-year deal on April 25th with the AHL Charlotte Checkers after he had not signed with the Edmonton Oilers who drafted him in the 2017 NHL entry-level draft.
He will skate just across North Carolina where his father is coaching the Hurricanes, but the Checkers is the Florida Panthers AHL affiliate now.
Of all the 2023 champs, Brind’Armour has the blueprint of an NHL-level player if he can refine his game and produce at the professional level.
Joey Cipollone
Joey Cippolone grew up a Ranger fan and is from Purchase, New York. He plays like a “Joey Bag A Donuts”. He plays sandpaper-style, is hard on pucks, and gets under the opponent’s skin.
Cipollone is currently unsigned, but his role this season was flanking the Bobcat’s menacing checking line. The York Hill line is finding hidden gems, the Sherbrooke Boys is tapping into bombastic chemistry, and Brind’Armour and De Jong are signed at a professional level.
Although most organizations have grinders at volume, Cipollone could elevate his game in a training camp at the AHL level if given the opportunity. All the players mentioned are not surefire NHL studs. In fact, most of their ceilings may consist of ECHL or AHL hockey.
It’s worth taking the drive and scouting them. NHL teams drew significant interest to the tournament this year, Jeff Gorton and Don Sweeney were at the Bridgeport regional, Rod Brind’Armour watched Yaniv Perets backstop Quinnipiac to victory and sign with the Hurricanes days later, and a handful of NHL scouts were interested in the Bobcats.
For a day trip, it could pay off for the Wolfpack and Rangers to take a peek at the talent in their region. Players like Boo Nieves (Michigan alumni), Morgan Barron (Cornell alumni), and Jimmy Vesey (Harvard alumni) played for top college programs that didn’t win the National Championship. The potential in these players is vibrant, and they have a ring to back it up.
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