CHL banning NCAA scouts from free passes

[Reggie Dunlop]

Seems kind of petty..

The development may be a sign that all is not perfect between the organizations following a wild news cycle for some of the top NHL development leagues. The NCAA changed a rule last November, allowing CHL players to play U.S. college hockey starting this season.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/juniors/art...s-this-season/

[PegCityFlamesFan]

That'll solve the problem. If I was a potential high draft pick and had the choice between riding a bus through the prairies in -40s living with a billet or getting paid to live and train in a high level facility I know where I'd go.

[Boreal]

Shows how brainless junior hockey actually is.

Why protect or value their talent (ie:asset)?

Oh right, because they basically pay nothing for it.

They clearly thought that the NCAA ruling would be just like kids leaving for Canadian University. Idiots.

[Reggie Dunlop]

It’s not like the CHL is playing to sold-out barns either.

Scouts at that level are usually part-time anyways.

[Eric Vail]

I don't find this surprising. They are direct competitors for talent. Why would the CHL welcome scouts in to their rinks when their objective is to raid their teams?

[MegaErtz]

The CHL is done, stick a fork in it. I love that this exploitive system is finally dying. Decades of stealing money from young men is over.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

The CHL is done, stick a fork in it. I love that this exploitive system is finally dying. Decades of stealing money from young men is over.

Its not done, its just going to become a younger league. A place for kids who haven't graduated highschool yet. As long and the games are competitive and tickets are reasonable most teams will be fine. Its not like folks in Lethbridge or Medicine Hat will start to choose driving to watch games in Boston.

[Ped]

Yeah, there will be less talent, but it will be league-wide so a lot of people won't notice. I think it will definitely affect the NHL draft long-term and where players tend to come from.

[getbak]

It will have the biggest impact on the USHL and Junior A leagues because top players have chosen to go to those leagues to keep their NCAA eligibility even though they could have made it in the CHL.

For example, I suspect we've seen the last player drafted from the Brooks Bandits.


I wouldn't be surprised if eventually, we see some of the bigger teams from the WHL, OHL, QMJHL, and USHL break off and form their own pre-draft super league with just elite players between 16 and 18, with the expectation that their players will move on to either the pros or NCAA after they're drafted.