Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Agent: Pelletier a big part of Flames future plans

PugnaciousIntern · 02-20-2022, 01:16 PM

I have waffled on how to handle the college player prospect issue.

If they’re exceptional like Johnny, and clearly deserve to be in the NHL before 4 years are up, that’s great. Even still, you get players like Fox who probably could have made that jump earlier but bet on themselves and decided against it.

The bigger issue is a valuable player like Coronato who still needs a few years of development. Especially with the prospect of a Harvard degree. If that were my son, I would 100% encourage him to finish 4 years and then pursue his NHL dreams. Pro hockey career is not a guarantee, and even if it happens, vast majority don’t make enough or last long enough to retire on their hockey income. Couple that with the probability that one of the other 31 teams probably has a better opportunity than the team that drafted you, and it simply doesn’t make sense for him to sign with the Flames after 3 years, and especially not after 4 years.

I’m not pretending to know what he will do, but I thoroughly understand the thinking of the college players who complete their degree and join another team. Especially when they are a good, but not top-flight prospect.

02-20-2022, 01:16 PM	#20
PugnaciousIntern First Line Centre Join Date: Jul 2014 Exp:	I have waffled on how to handle the college player prospect issue. If they’re exceptional like Johnny, and clearly deserve to be in the NHL before 4 years are up, that’s great. Even still, you get players like Fox who probably could have made that jump earlier but bet on themselves and decided against it. The bigger issue is a valuable player like Coronato who still needs a few years of development. Especially with the prospect of a Harvard degree. If that were my son, I would 100% encourage him to finish 4 years and then pursue his NHL dreams. Pro hockey career is not a guarantee, and even if it happens, vast majority don’t make enough or last long enough to retire on their hockey income. Couple that with the probability that one of the other 31 teams probably has a better opportunity than the team that drafted you, and it simply doesn’t make sense for him to sign with the Flames after 3 years, and especially not after 4 years. I’m not pretending to know what he will do, but I thoroughly understand the thinking of the college players who complete their degree and join another team. Especially when they are a good, but not top-flight prospect.