GUEST COMMENTARY: Controlling The Escalating College Hockey Arms Race

USCHO Newsbot · 03-07-2008, 12:00 AM

Recruiting is a key part of success in any college sport, but hockey's unique mix of sources of talent creates unique problems. Gerald D. Skoning, captain of the 1964 Princeton Tigers, offers some perspective on junior hockey's role in the process.

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dggoddard · 03-07-2008, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USCHO Newsbot

Recruiting is a key part of success in any college sport, but hockey's unique mix of sources of talent creates unique problems. Gerald D. Skoning, captain of the 1964 Princeton Tigers, offers some perspective on junior hockey's role in the process.

Read more at uscho.com ...

Very interesting article and it certainly raises many valid points.

Many students besides hockey players are taking a year off between high school and college to work for the Peace Corps, go overseas or to do projects.

Until the NCAA outlaws the Junior Leagues the way they did Major Juniors in the '70s nothing is going to change.

Puck Swami · 03-07-2008, 12:26 PM

I don't think that taking a year off between high school and college for junior hockey is a bad thing, despite the author's citing of one player who was 'rusty' with the books...The facts are the college hockey graduates most of its participants with degrees, and very, very few players become academic casualties. And those few who leave early for the pros are simply following a great opportunity to play a game they love for money, and many of them will ulitmately finish their degrees.

The junior toothpaste is well out of the tube and it isn't going back in. The college hockey we see today is a much better developmental product than it was years ago, precisely because of the physical, emotional and social development that older players bring to the table.

In many cases, the emotional development that happens between 17/18 and 19/20 can be huge, and many players who do play junior may come into college as much more mature and more emotionally ready for the rigors of college work vs an 18 year old freshman that might be away from home for the first time.

I'd be much more concerned about D-I football and basketball players, where the real academic issues are...

The Sicatoka · 03-07-2008, 01:02 PM

The author said:

Quote:

Other major college sports like football, basketball and baseball have no such junior programs to groom their athletes. There are no “junior” football or basketball programs to develop and burnish young talent (although some may claim junior colleges occasionally serve that purpose).

In a word: Bologna.

The author must never heard of summer AAU basketball teams, leagues and camps.

Nor has he heard of American Legion (or other) summer baseball leagues, teams, and tournaments.

And what is a redshirt football player doing but playing on a "feeder team" before playing on the "big squad".

The feeder systems exist in those other sports. They just don't have the overt presence of the American and Canadian junior hockey systems.

bkjcjr · 03-10-2008, 11:28 PM

I don't buy that bunk. I was not an A student in high school, but a B student. I started college and then spent 4 years in the US Air Force before returning to college in electrical engineering. It took me about two weeks to get back into the swing of things.

This struggling A student could be one that never had to really work in high school and so never learned to study. Or, hopefully not, he was an athlete that teachers allowed to skate through because he was an athlete.

There are many people who are out of school for many years and go back. I have an engineer working for me who graduated from college 17 years ago. She has four young kids and just started working again. In a nine month period she studied and took the Fundamentals of Engineering test, and then studied and took the Professional Engineer's test, passing both. She is now doing an MBA program while working full time with four kids.

There is more to this story than just a kid struggling because he was out of school for a year.

ballgame · 03-11-2008, 04:48 PM

you can play Legion baseball out of high school right?

satyking · 03-12-2008, 10:43 AM

I raised this question earier in the season......I am not anti junior hockey but I do think a 21 year old freshman is a stretch.....the ex GI who returns to school could be eligable with a waiver but the idea of college hockey being staffed by players who have been training for 2 years is wrong, an age limit for all players should be put into place and waivers given for the ex GI and possibly those who were unable to play in ANY league for medical reasons

manurespreader · 03-12-2008, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by satyking

I raised this question earier in the season......I am not anti junior hockey but I do think a 21 year old freshman is a stretch.....the ex GI who returns to school could be eligable with a waiver but the idea of college hockey being staffed by players who have been training for 2 years is wrong, an age limit for all players should be put into place and waivers given for the ex GI and possibly those who were unable to play in ANY league for medical reasons

Look, BYU kids ALL take two years out of school for their mission. No one in football, or basketball is on their case about getting an unfair advantage. Sure taking time off helps a kids development but so what. There are all kinds of reasons they may take time off and they should not be penalized for doing so.

reggiedunlop · 03-12-2008, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USCHO Newsbot

Recruiting is a key part of success in any college sport, but hockey's unique mix of sources of talent creates unique problems. Gerald D. Skoning, captain of the 1964 Princeton Tigers, offers some perspective on junior hockey's role in the process.

Read more at uscho.com ...

This is not about taking time off and then matriculating to a college or university. The NCAA has to assure amateur status of all the athletes. Separate arguments concern academic standards, within the schools and in the NCAA community. The question then is simple, is a junior-league hockey player an amateur? Does this athlete receive any pay? What do they have to pay to play their sport as well as their out-of-pocket expenses for lodging, meals, transportation, training, equipment, etc.? Certainly the Q is out of the question. But of the other "major" junior leagues, in the US, Canada and now increasingly Europe. If a player plays for free, is housed for free, that is they have no out-of-pocket expenses, are they amateurs? Especially when their team charges at the gate, solicits endorsements and is strictly a for-profit business venture?

Clearly the NCAA has to dig deeper into the relationships between player and hockey junior league, to be able to answer to the football, baseball and basketball players that have the only option to go to a junior college and lose Div. I eligibility, as they "mature" and get ready for the rigors of academia (wink). Why should hockey get a pass on the same NCAA sniff test? Does a serious hockey player in a junior league still take a part-time college course load? Perhaps, or one would hope to help them stay "sharp".

Now to be fair, what about a post-grad prep school player, that receives a full-scholarship, that takes a minimum class load. Is this student any different than the student on a junior hockey team that takes a part-time load at a local college?

I guess that is why the NCAA has so many investigators and regulations.

Bill · 03-12-2008, 10:31 PM

If the NCAA does think about making any changes to the hockey recruiting landscape, I'd prefer to see them end the practice of playing the futures game with kids. Sure it's not technically illegal the way it's being done, but it seems to me to be a bit hypocritical of the NCAA to allow it at all.