Leaving Early: A Problem in the College Hockey System

More and more college hockey players are leaving their respected colleges for the pros. This has been a natural occurrence since end of the lockout in 2005 when about two dozen Division I players decided to sign pro contracts rather than finish school. When it happened again the next year leaders of the college hockey conferences were starting to become alarmed. The main reason for the fleeing underclassmen: money. The entry level bonuses are now capped at $85,000. This makes it a smaller risk for teams to take on prospects, and let them develop for cheap in the minors. The longest an entry level contract can be for 18-21 year old, which is the typical age group defecting from the college ranks to the pros is three years. The maximum amount the contract can be is $900,000 a year; this amount will increase to $925,000 a year in 2010. For the elite college players, this is enough of an incentive in itself.

Many of these college players are leaving after their sophomore year. Figuring two years of experience has made them improve as players and as individuals. All of these players leaving already know that they are going to get that NHL dream contract. Every player usually enters the draft when they are 18-20 and the team who selects them has exclusive negotiating rights for two years then they become an unrestricted free agent. In the case of the college players, the teams have the player’s rights until 30 days after they leave college. Most of the college students know that their stocks are higher after successful campaigns in the first two years of college. After that, there is a risk that their value decreases. Thus, those who rather be playing in the pros instead of in the classroom leave early.

A problem that has college programs upset is NHL teams luring away players while in the midst of a season. An example is when the New York Islanders lured away Kyle Okposo from the University of Minnesota. Eighteen games into the season he announced that he would be leaving. Garth Snow made the comment, “Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program. They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that.” This might have been part of the persuasion, but you got to believe that money signs played a huge part in this defect.

Many coaches say that they want their players to be successful on the ice as well as in the classroom. Like Gopher head coach Don Lucia stated: "We have had numerous players sign and play in the NHL, but just as important many more move on to have successful careers after graduating from the University of Minnesota. We have always and will continue to work to ensure our players reach their potential on the ice and in the classroom." These players cannot play hockey their whole like and most of them will not last more than a few years. The student-athletes have to remember that they are students and it is their job to obtain the degree they are at college for.

The NHL should really consider working with the NCAA to make measures tougher for the player to leave. It is too easy for the player to just get up and go after the semester ends. If a player only wants experience for a year or two they should go play in a lower minor league system or for a junior league. The players should also have to be committed to finishing school before they are allowed to leave. Look at it this way: many of the players need to mature as people and as a player. So stay the whole four years and get the experience you need. What are they going to do when they are done and they are not bringing in a hockey salary?

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NHL Draft Day Basics by Jamie Fitzpatrick, About.com