Just curious for all the CIS followers out there, I have been following CIS hockey for quite a few years now and I was curious as to if CIS schools regularly take walk on players?
I know that with higher end CIS schools they recruit pretty heavily, so my question is, If a player was to come out of the blue and do well in camp/pre season would they take him on board?
I know in junior hockey there can be quite a bit of politics that's why I ask if there is in CIS hockey as well.
Doubtful that you would earn a regular spot at a top school if all spots are covered. They have to keep promises to recruits or else the school will lose credibility. You could possibly earn a spot with the black aces if you are enrolled and after a year of practices the coaches would know if you were varsity material or not.
in rare cases,
the last walk on I can remember at UNB was Ryan Mockler in the early to mid 2000's , obviously there have been other CIS walk-ons since then, but at UNB I can't recall any others.
I wouldn't say regularly, far from it now days. If a player is good enough, the coach knows if he is on campus. I know at St Mary's, Trevor has often had a 3rd goalie from Junior B ranks, but even he would not be a true walk on. Having said that, they have open tryouts, or they used to when the regulations forbid the coach from stepping onto the ice for a month or so. Essentially it was an open ice free for all, returning players, recruits, and anyone who wanted to. Consequently we got a lot of guys who had played high school or Junior B. Now that the coach can step in much sooner, he can go with his final team a lot earlier and use the ice time more to his team benefit. These were also the years where recruiting, at least in the AUS, was far less "investment intensive" than it is now; Junior A Tier II was common place, even the average standard, while Major Junior grads were bonus. Today that basic standard is a CHL grad, and a bonus is an ex pro. More difficult than ever for walk ons.
At RMC it happens quite a bit because we need the bodies due to injuries and usually they are our most improved players.
Jean-Phillipe F.Pelland walked on last year and went from sitting whole games on the bench being a cheerleader to being a very capable defensive forward by seasons end.
Jonathan Ferlatte didn't score a goal his walk on year in 2010-2011 and scored 3 last year and was an excellent forechecker.
Colin O'Rourke joined from the soccer team midway through 2010-2011 because RMC had 3 defensemen that weren't injured out of the 8 and this season changed to forward and was asst captian this past year.
Andrew Hawkins played junior B and got a sniff at junior A out west. He's dropped about 30 pounds in fat and gained a lot of muscle.
in rare cases,
the last walk on I can remember at UNB was Ryan Mockler in the early to mid 2000's , obviously there have been other CIS walk-ons since then, but at UNB I can't recall any others.
I'm pretty sure Campbell was a regular recruit. I think Salituro was kind of in between last year...I think he may have been recruited but didn't necessarily have a roster spot until after a few good exhibitions.
Jarrett Paul from a handful of years ago was a walk-on I believe but I don't believe he ever did play for them.
It definitely depends on the strength of the program. Last year Laurier had injuries and guys quitting, so by the end of the year, the roster was up to 27 players, with 9 of them arriving on the team either in the current season or the one before as a walkon.
STFX hold walk on tryouts but they are usually to fill 4th line spots. the last significant walk ons to make the team were Eric Mckenna (4th liner, in and out of the line up) and R.D Chisholm, who turned out to be a real surprise and is looking to challenge for a top 4 spot next season
Sometimes the definition of "walk-on" comes into play.
The Bisons seldom have an announcement for a commitment from a Junior "A" player. However, several such players try out each year. I believe that most are to some extent at least recruited to do so, but perhaps with no promises having been made.
The last player described as a "walk-on" was Chris Benias, who just finished his 5th year.
One season they had room for a 3rd goaltender and two goaltenders from the MMJHL (an independent league considered to be between Junior "A" and "B") competed for that spot. I am not sure that either was a "walk-on" in the sense that both were known to the coaches, yet they were not specifically recruited and had to earn a roster spot.
Sorry I should have been a little more clear on my definition of a walk on player.
A player with maybe a bit of junior experience in either jr.a/b. If a player like this showed potential in their camp would they keep him around as a black ace/practice player. I'm speaking in terms of a high end program like UNB, Western, Mcgill, Calgary.
Sorry I should have been a little more clear on my definition of a walk on player.
A player with maybe a bit of junior experience in either jr.a/b. If a player like this showed potential in their camp would they keep him around as a black ace/practice player. I'm speaking in terms of a high end program like UNB, Western, Mcgill, Calgary.
What you are saying, while being possible, would be highly improbable. The CIS coaches do their jobs and know hockey people across the country they count on to look under rocks and traverse the muskeg to find potential players. If you are an eligible JrA or Major Jr player you will be on their depth charts and would have received appropriate consideration based on scouting reports. If you believe in your abilities then call a coach and see what he thinks your chances are. Another route is spending a year in a college hockey program like BCIHL or ACAC to get more development ice and possibly earn your invite to a CIS camp. The next step up in competitive hockey after CIS is pro and with teams only needing to replace 4 maybe 5 grads a year from the hundreds of 20 year olds finishing their careers in Jr plus returning pro players you can see it won't be a cake walk on.
What you are saying, while being possible, would be highly improbable. The CIS coaches do their jobs and know hockey people across the country they count on to look under rocks and traverse the muskeg to find potential players. If you are an eligible JrA or Major Jr player you will be on their depth charts and would have received appropriate consideration based on scouting reports. If you believe in your abilities then call a coach and see what he thinks your chances are. Another route is spending a year in a college hockey program like BCIHL or ACAC to get more development ice and possibly earn your invite to a CIS camp. The next step up in competitive hockey after CIS is pro and with teams only needing to replace 4 maybe 5 grads a year from the hundreds of 20 year olds finishing their careers in Jr plus returning pro players you can see it won't be a cake walk on.
At places like the Manitoba, Sask, Alberta, and Calgary there are probably enough registered students playing Junior "A" or "B" (or even Senior) to form a good second team. The coaches are aware of those players and no doubt speak to them about try-outs.
