Needless to say, Hockey Canada isn't big on the whole NCAA option. As a matter fact, I can't find any direct reference to the NCAA anywhere in the manual. There are a few mentions of "college and university opportunities," but it's usually pretty vague, and seems to put the NCAA on par with CIS(Canada's version of college hockey) rather than as a pro development route. I can't necessarily blame Hockey Canada, since I'm sure that they want all of their kids to stay in the country, but still, it seems foolish to not even mention it as a viable option. But at least they don't disparage college hockey, right?
All levels agree that should a player not be capable of competing in the top level of the Canadian system- the CHL, it may be fitting to keep open all his avenues of opportunitySo basically Hockey Canada is saying "If you're not good enough to play in the CHL, then you can go to the NCAA."
What do you think about this obviously ridiculous sentiment, Swift Current Broncos' GM/coach Dean Chynoweth?
“But the reality up here is that if the kids are not good enough to play in our league, they’re not good enough to get a college scholarship. There just aren’t that many full rides.
Hockey Canada also seems to be pushing the league's educational package pretty heavily. Among the benefits of the CHL, Hockey Canada says that the CHL will:
Provide full academic scholarships for players who do not advance to top professional levelsThat sounds noble enough. But who is eligible to receive that money, and how much do they get?
Hockey Canada goes on to provide a chart of each league's scholarship program. In the OHL, they have a tiered benefit system. First round draft picks get their tuition, books, and board covered. Second through fifth round picks get tuition and books, and everybody else only gets tuition covered. The OHL also caps expenses at $15,000 per year. That doesn't strike me as going very far at a lot of colleges.
The WHL's plan strikes me as the best. Players get one year for every year/part of a year they play for a team. They cover all tuition, fees, and books at a public university in the player's home province.
In the QMJHL, a player has to play at least two seasons to qualify for scholarship, and has to play at the age of 19 to get scholarship money. The maximum a player can get if he plays 3 seasons is $10,500. If they play 2 years, it's only $7000.
And of course, all of this gets voided if a player signs a professional contract. So it doesn't quite seem like the sweet deal that Hockey Canada makes it out to be.
23 comments:
In the immortal words of one NCAA coach..."If the (NCAA) rules allowed it, you'd see a surprising number of Canadian (Major) Junior players leaving to play in the NCAA."
Plenty of great American players to play at American colleges. Let Canadian colleges provide opportunities for Canadian players.
Plus those dollar figures are in Canadian dollars...so that $15,000 in the OHL is what, like $3.50 US?
Actually, the U.S. dollar has lost a lot of value. The current exchange rate is 1 USD = 1.10 CAD. So $15,000 Canadian = $13,500 U.S.
It is a shame that the CHL is so completely obtuse that they wouldn't address development opportunities other than their own.
But if the CHL's handbook is effective enough to keep Canadian parents and elite players from knowing the reality of development opportunities in the NCAA then the "Internets" are a complete and total bust.
Plain and simple; Canadians are insecure.
All Canadians do is trash hockey in the US and claim that they are much superior. If so, why do they try with all their might to persuade 14 and 15 year old hockey players away from their respective options?
Canadians always have plenty of snide remarks about hockey in the US. They claim that Americans dont know anything about the sport. Why is it then that Canada has trouble beating the US in numerous international events? If the Canadian system is so much better than should they not be beating everyone by 15 or 20 goals per game?
Hockey Canada - CHL; WAKE UP and quit your whining!
Yeah, you'd think that after those friggen Canucks beat us at our own pastime last spring (in the world baseball championship tourney) and having one of the best NBA players (Steve Nash),they'd lighten up a little!
I mean sure they haven't won an international hockey tournament in what...five months and they were obviously lucky in winning the WJC back to back to back (thats three times) and I am sure they once again don't deserve to be in the semi finals at the World Hockey championships once again this year...while the more deserving team USA!!!!! got sent packing (like they do every year)....so yeah those friggen Canucks just ought to shut up!
Because we all know its about the USA! USA! USA!
can't see the ncaa publications listing the canadin hockey league(ohl,whl,qmjhl)as a viable option to ncaa recruits either.
Canada wins the world championship for the third time in five years! This is on top of the three World Junior Champions Canada has recently won!
Yeah, USA Hockey can only dream of having as much success as Canada!
Remember...ITS CANADA's GAME....so sorry USA.
If your not insecure why are you even remotely interested in, reading and commenting on this blog. This is Western COLLEGE Hockey. Mind your own business we are doing just fine down here... oh yeah by the way...don't friggin work for GM, Ford, Chrysler or any other stinkin American Company. Reserve yourself to Tim Horton's
You must remember that tuition rates in Canada are way cheaper than in the US. You can go to a world renowned school in Westen Canada such as the U of Alberta or Saskatchewan for 10k a year. To compare dollar amount isnt relevant.
Just to compare, how much are tuition rates at schools like UNO, UND, UMD...?
Plenty of great American players to play at American colleges. Let Canadian colleges provide opportunities for Canadian players.
why does the ncca need to scout canadians if there are so many great american hockey players then ?
If Canadians didn't fill hockey rosters at American colleges then the NCAA would be about as relevant as Canadian college hockey (i.e... not relevant at all in terms of developing talent for the NHL).
The CHL would benefit tremendously. Every single elite U.S. player that could would be playing there instead of in the NCAA. The number of D-1 schools would probably drop into the 40's.
Has anyone every read the dribble posted on the USHL website and/or Bob Turow's comments on the subject? (rolls eyes)
There are also some incorrect and misleading info in the first post.
The CHL is hands down a better route to choose over the NCAA. You guys only play 30 games a year. It is hard to develop when you play 1/3 of a NHL schedule! Canada is far superior in hockey. We beat the US when you tried to invade us 100 years ago and we'll take you in every world chanpionship from now to eternity. Don't you have some baseball to play?
both routes are good options depending on the kid. what I think is overlooked by the u.s. born kids is that Canada does have many first class universities and quite frankly they may have a better chance of having that paid for in the great white north.
Why on earth would Hockey CANADA promote going to American universities and colleges? To even question this is absolutely absurd. Find me one NCAA produced item that says anything at all about the CHL being a viable option for american players. Head on over to Hockey USA's website and see how much they promote Major Junior as an opportunity available to American players. (do the letters CHL even appear there in combination)?
Some many holes and twisted "facts" cited here to even give it a shred of credibility.
Some many holes and twisted "facts" cited here to even give it a shred of credibility.
It's more of a discussion (or attempt) of the relative worth of each league. So before you get your great white panties in a great white knot perhaps you'd point out the "twisted facts" to which you're referring.
I think I was the first person to mention surprise at the CHL's exclusion of the NCAA as a developmental route. Perhaps that was one-sided of me to do so but it came from an American who is interested in seeing all hockey players (either side of the border) have the most information possible with regard to making choices for their development.
Since players progress at different levels many Canadian kids aren't necessarily the kind of player that the major junior teams are looking for at 15. So they end up playing Junior A where they're left with choosing college (and playing in the NCAA is much more attractive than playing Canadian college) or playing in one of the NHL's development leagues for 150 bucks a week.
I also mentioned that it's a shame the CHL doesn't include the NCAA route in terms of development because I assumed the CHL's primary interest is supposed to be the betterment and development of it's players to the highest level possible.
The primary difference in my mind is that hockey is the national sport in Canada while idiotic baseball and basketball and football are the popular sports in America. Attitudes like yours don't do anything to encourage the export of your national sport and ultimately are likely to doom it to remain provincial. Perhaps some recognition that more Canadian hockey players are paid in US dollars and Euros than with loonies and toonies might be helpful.
The OHL continues to make gains against the NCAA/USHL/NTDP. There is no question that players like Fowler, Morin etal will be playing in the O.
Too many top end American players are begining to realize that if you are a sure fire NHL player, there is very little benefit in playing college hockey for one or two years....they ask themeselves what is the point?
As a result more and more of them will choose the CHL route.
BTW...does that decrepit company called Ford still exist or are they too looking at the Japanese to save them?
who really cares? its not like players and their parents are oblivious to alternate hockey routes. most canadians want to play in the chl, and will accept it if they end up in an american market because they grew up with the chl. college hockey has done quite well but when a canadian player makes his decision on which league to turn to most will choose the chl and it has nothing to do with the chl's handbook.
There are a few facts that are assumed and not fully explained.
#1 - NCAA scholarships are mostly dependent on the players ability to make the team and continue playing without career ending injury. In many cases, Canadian players going the NCAA route will not consider it unless at least full tuition is provided, which is a "partial" scholarship. In addition, if they are injured, their schalarship is nulified since it is dependent on the player being in the lineup. So, really, there are no guarantees.
#2 - Value. You can go to the University of Toronto (comparable to Harvard in Canada) and pay $6000 per year for tuition for your pre-law and not more than $10,000 per year for Law School plus expenses. The same degree at Harvard is exponentially higher.
#3 - Development. Loads of money goes into the development of the players in Canada. No one wants to spend the money to develop the player and then see them apply their skills in another country.
#4 - Professional contracts are deemed to be AHL or NHL contracts. If a marginal player leaves the OHL and plays 4 years in the ECHL, it is not considered a PRO contract. This gives the player the opportunity to try to make a living playing hockey prior to going to school. The league considers a player that plays in the AHL or NHL to be a professional and should be able to easily provide their own education.
#5 - Standard contracts. Although there is a schematic for standard contracts, there is absolutely nothing that states a player can not ask for more. This is usually the case. Some franchises provide for that. In addition, many players "renegotiate" their contracts prior to their overage year to up their school package.
#6 - Many contracts are fully guaranteed. This means a player could be a first round pick and suffer a career ending injury in his first game and he would still receive five full years of education and all expenses.
So, really, when all is said and done, is the NCAA a better option? In some cases it is. Also, if you think all hockey players and parents are not fully informed fo the NCAA options, you are also sadly mistaken. Players of considered value are contacted very early, of course not for recruiting officially but the info is provided to them.
"Canada didn't invent hockey. Hockey invented Canada."
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