2019 Face-Off Yearbook: ACC Preseason Rankings, All-Conference

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Preseason ACC Rankings
1. Duke
2. Notre Dame
3. Virginia
4. Syracuse
5. North Carolina



Preseason All-ACC Team
A-Michael Kraus, Virginia
A-Stephen Rehfuss, Syracuse
A-Ryder Garnsey, Notre Dame
M-Brad Smith, Duke
M-Dox Aitken, Virginia
M-Bryan Costabile, Notre Dame
FO-Justin Schwenk, Virginia
SSDM-Drew Schantz, Notre Dame
LSM-Jack Rowlett, North Carolina
D-Cade van Raaphorst, Duke
D-Nick Mellen, Syracuse
D-JT Giles-Harris, Duke
G-Alex Rode, Virginia

 

[Powellfan]

Kennedy, Trimboli and Solomon made the 2018 team (which was much larger) but are left off for the 2019 preseason list. Not sure I'll ever understand the logic used to create these preseason and post season lists. Congrats to Rhefuss and Mellen.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Play better.

Win games.

The post season rankings are all that matter.

 

[ThundrTroll]

Kennedy, Trimboli and Solomon made the 2018 team (which was much larger) but are left off for the 2019 preseason list. Not sure I'll ever understand the logic used to create these preseason and post season lists. Congrats to Rhefuss and Mellen.

Good observation. Only Trimboli makes logical sense to me since 4 middies were named to the 2018 team and the other 3 are all returning (like Trimboli).

 

[DoctahLexus]

Wow UVA's faceoff guy/goalie are considered the best? I seem to recall both of those guys sucking last year. Amazing that there isn't a stud goalie or FOGO in the entire ACC.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Wow UVA's faceoff guy/goalie are considered the best? I seem to recall both of those guys sucking last year. Amazing that there isn't a stud goalie or FOGO in the entire ACC.

Well I think they were put on the 1st team by default as the options were far from great. Not that Rode and the FOGO were terrible by any stretch but I definitely dont think first team ALL-ACC for either. Dukes and NDs goalie graduated along with Syracuse's, UNC was rotating guys due to injury so I think it became Rode by default. It's a similar situation at FOGO. ND and Duke's guys were lost to graduation, UNC's main guy was not good and well Varello had his own issues. So again it was basically Schwenk or Varello.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Well I think they were put on the 1st team by default as the options were far from great. Not that Rode and the FOGO were terrible by any stretch but I definitely dont think first team ALL-ACC for either. Dukes and NDs goalie graduated along with Syracuse's, UNC was rotating guys due to injury so I think it became Rode by default. It's a similar situation at FOGO. ND and Duke's guys were lost to graduation, UNC's main guy was not good and well Varello had his own issues. So again it was basically Schwenk or Varello.

Good point. I believe ND's goalie was a freshman last year actually. But he was the only one I found even less impressive than Virginia's. I think Varello beat Schwenk when they went head to head pretty convincingly, but I'm sure his percentage in the end was much worse than Schwenk's. It was a very disappointing FOGO year for Cuse.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Good point. I believe ND's goalie was a freshman last year actually. But he was the only one I found even less impressive than Virginia's. I think Varello beat Schwenk when they went head to head pretty convincingly, but I'm sure his percentage in the end was much worse than Schwenk's. It was a very disappointing FOGO year for Cuse.

Your right about ND, I was thinking of 2 years ago. I think Varello fared pretty well against Schwenk in the first match up but much less so in the ACC tourney. Losing the two FOGO recruits for this class leaves SU in a very precarious position though Phaup and Varello is a decent 1-2 punch. I wonder if they might try to move someone over or even look at a very late recruit or transfer.

 

[Powellfan]

The ND and UVa goalies both had save percentages below 50% last year, but the ND goalie had a much lower GAA - something like 8.6 compared to 11.5. Plus UVa brings in this year's number one goalie recruit and some people on message boards were thinking he might grab the starting job (Rode was number one recruit the year before). I think I'd give the nudge to the ND goalie, but money should probably be on someone who didn't start last year.