Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
I'd to go back and look, but I think the concern with Fox started happening after his first year in college when he blew up...he left Harvard with one year of eligibility remaining...which was the same as Gaudreau.
All I am saying is it sucks that this happened to Calgary, but Fox is the outlier... I'd be hard pressed to find someone else that did this and became a star in the NHL.
If there are concerns with it, the solution is easy - do not draft someone that is intending to go to a US college program. The other solution is getting the NHLPA to agree to indefinite draft rights, which is highly unlikely.
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Blake Wheeler is probably one of the better players to do it. Refused to sign with Phoenix. Phoenix ended up getting a 2nd round compensatory pick though.
Justin Schultz is another example, but he signed in Edmonton, so maybe not the best example.
Tom Erixon didn't pan out, but was viewed very highly at the time.
There are probably more. It's not like it happens every year, but when it does happen, it is brutal for the team it happens to. When all is said and done, Fox could be the best player to have gone this route.