College Hockey Free Agent Article (Fox Tidbits)

[Jiggy]

The article is on The Athletic.

Lot's of people on CP never believed Fox actually told the Flames he wouldn't sign with them. This article confirms Fox had no intention on signing with the Flames.
Fox and Matt Keator, his agent, were clear with both the Flames and Hurricanes that Fox wasn’t going to sign and would have played out his senior year at Harvard to become a free agent had they not moved his rights.

The article looks into Gauthier and Hayes wanting to choose their own path as well.

I forgot the Coyotes didn't sign Blake Wheeler and he became a free agent.

https://theathletic.com/5258206/2024...y-nhl-players/

[TheIronMaiden]

Its a brutal loop hole, and players who go that way should have to face some punishment.
Either that or extend team rights another year or two.

[devo22]

it's not a loophole. If a CHL player refuses to sign, he re-enters the draft two years after the draft ... NCAA players have to play for four years before the team loses their rights.

It sucks for the team when it happens, but it's just not a loophole that needs to (or even can) be closed. At least they were able to flip him in a deal that turned out pretty damn fine for the Flames.

[Sylvanfan]

Punish is s bit harsh, but make it so that they can't sign a NHL entry level deal till season year after that Senior NCAA season. Essentially forcing them to sit out, sign a AHL only deal or go to Europe for their first season after college.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Its a brutal loop hole, and players who go that way should have to face some punishment.
Either that or extend team rights another year or two.

It's not a loophole.

You're advocating that college players should have less choice then Junior and European players.

[Heavy Jack]

And stay out!

[Paulie Walnuts]

Wait I thought you can't have an agent if you are in the NCAA?

[#-3]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Its a brutal loop hole, and players who go that way should have to face some punishment.
Either that or extend team rights another year or two.

The only real mechanism that is realistic is to extend the amount of time that they are RFAs, which I already think happens. So all you can do is get more punitive with that.

[devo22]

Player drafted out of WHL/QMJHL/OHL:
- team has the rights for two years, player would then re-enter the draft, the new team has the rights for two years again, then the player becomes UFA

Player drafted out of USHL/NCAA:
- team has the rights for four years, then the player becomes UFA

Player drafted out of Europe:
- team has the rights for four years, then the player becomes UFA

maybe I've missed something, but where's the supposed loophole? A player can refuse to sign and become UFA after 4 years in all of the above scenarios (unless I got something wrong).

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Wait I thought you can't have an agent if you are in the NCAA?

they are officially called "family advisors", but that's pretty synonymous with an agent.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

It's not a loophole, but as with most things associated with the NCAA, it is an NCAA-fixable problem. If they allowed agents and the kids to sign contracts and remain eligible, the NHL could treat those players the same as the rest of the juniors. Don't sign in 2 years, go back in the draft.

[Jiggy]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Wait I thought you can't have an agent if you are in the NCAA?

Matt was his "family advisor" in College.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Wait I thought you can't have an agent if you are in the NCAA?

They have "family advisors", who magically become their agents after they sign a contract.

As I understand it, the only difference between an agent and a family advisor is how they get paid. The family advisor must be paid for their services directly by the family rather than taking a percentage of the player's earnings like an agent does. I suspect most either work on contingency or defer their payment until after the player signs a pro contract.

[King Theo]

I think the biggest problem that people have is you can sign a player who is in the CHL and have the right to them for years. But in the NCAA a player cannot sign a pro deal, it voids NCAA eligibility.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

According to who? Fox and his agent? What’s the source on this info?

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by devo22

Player drafted out of WHL/QMJHL/OHL:
- team has the rights for two years, player would then re-enter the draft, the new team has the rights for two years again, then the player becomes UFA

Player drafted out of USHL/NCAA:
- team has the rights for four years, then the player becomes UFA

Player drafted out of Europe:
- team has the rights for four years, then the player becomes UFA

maybe I've missed something, but where's the supposed loophole? A player can refuse to sign and become UFA after 4 years in all of the above scenarios (unless I got something wrong).

What you're missing is that NCAA can give players a place to play for 4 years after being drafted. Junior typically has 3 as every player has played 2 of their 5 years, sometimes 3.

So if a players birthday is before September 15th they're drafted out of the USHL or other non CHL league and have 4 years of NCAA eligibility left. After Sept. 15th only 3 because they are drafted after their first NCAA season.

You'll notice that Fox, Hayes, Wheeler are all born before September 15th cutoff date.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

According to who? Fox and his agent? What’s the source on this info?

Isn't this getting to walk like a duck, looks like a duck, heard a quack noise levels?

[FlamesAddiction]

Could the NHL just extend the deadline to sign college players? Rather than the August 15 deadline, or whatever it is, extend it to the following April or something?

Or have it so that if a player is offered a max level ELC and the player turns it down, they are an RFA for the following year. At least that way, teams would either have to trade for them or give them an offer sheet that can be matched.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

What you're missing is that NCAA can give players a place to play for 4 years after being drafted. Junior typically has 3 as every player has played 2 of their 5 years, sometimes 3.

That sounds like a CHL problem and not a NCAA players problem. Really it's the CHL that's out of step with the other feeder streams here and that isn't on the NHL or NCAA.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Parallex

That sounds like a CHL problem and not a NCAA players problem. Really it's the CHL that's out of step with the other feeder streams here and that isn't on the NHL or NCAA.

No, it's more the NHL having that September 15th cut off.

You should be able to figure that out.

[Red_Baron]

Does this happen in the other 3 major NA sports on a regular basis?

Other than Steve Francis and the Grizzlies I can't think of another example off the top of my head.