National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 21, 2010 9:00:15 AM

When it comes to recruiting, college ice hockey coaches compete directly with Canadian junior leagues that offer an education, a pipeline to the NHL and − in some cases − an immediate payday to starry-eyed elite players.

But collegiate hockey officials say those promises aren't always what they seem and that NCAA ice hockey offers better training in all aspects than the Canadian leagues can provide.

To highlight these issues and to promote the sport, Division I ice hockey commissioners have created College Hockey Inc. and hired former National Hockey League Players Association Executive Director Paul Kelly to run the organization.

Kelly, who is charged with marketing and promoting Division I men's ice hockey, says the Canadian junior leagues represent a growing business created to make money and mold players for more professional leagues. Meanwhile, he said NCAA programs are part of the higher education system; if they develop athletes that go on to participate in the professional leagues, it's considered a side benefit.

The two philosophies are vastly different, but are both targeting the same elite, young players.

The Canadian leagues need more players, and the U.S. is developing good ones at an increasing rate. The leagues are recruiting the best talent they can find so they can fill their arenas and meet their business plan. But that business is hurting the collegiate game, something Kelly hopes to stop.

"This is overdue," he said. "The colleges desperately need help. They are losing this battle. I won't let that happen."

Education

One way Kelly hopes to fight the battle is by combating what he calls the "misinformation" spread by the Canadian Hockey League junior organizations. The major junior clubs tout their scholarship programs to prospective players, but collegiate hockey officials warn young players to be aware of the parameters of the educational programs before assuming it is the same as an NCAA grant-in-aid.

Tom Anastos, commissioner of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, sees little comparison.

"Prospects exploring (the CHL) should make sure they thoroughly understand the ‘conditions' that come with their scholarships," he said. "Most of their scholarship money is awarded after the completion of the player's playing career with them, not simultaneously like ours is."

Anastos said the CHL claims it has awarded $4.5 million in scholarship money this year, but NCAA programs award more than $30 million annually in athletically related financial aid.

Kelly said other rules restrict access to the CHL educational funds. For example, players receive just one year of a college education for every year they play in the Canadian league, and that is forfeited if the player signs a professional contract of any kind (including for a minor league). Players also have 18 months after their career in the league to access the educational funds, and the amount can be limited to the tuition of the college closest to their home.

"Those education packages have numerous flaws," Kelly said. "If I'm an American kid and I'm done playing up there after two years, I want to get an education. I want to go to Notre Dame. Even if you do live in South Bend by chance, they'll give you only $7,000 a year for two years. If you did that and forewent a full or a half scholarship, you made a bad decision."

Wish list: Earlier contact

NCAA coaches say another part of the problem is that they are often handcuffed by NCAA rules about contacting recruits and scholarship limits. The Canadian leagues can start wooing young players at early ages, but NCAA coaches can't begin the recruiting process until a player's junior year. Players often commit to the CHL even before NCAA coaches are allowed to begin the process.

That delayed contact period might give the impression to recruits and their families that college coaches aren't interested, Anastos said, especially if they are unfamiliar with the rules.

"The entire college hockey environment offers so many more benefits to student-athletes far beyond just the scholarship, which is obviously very significant," Anastos said. "The collegiate environment offers student-athletes the opportunity to grow and develop their social skills as much as their athletics skills, all within a strong infrastructure and special resources that will assist and support their needs in so many ways.

"Our recruitment issues are less about what we have to offer – because that is significant. Most of our challenges are based on our inability to make contact with prospects earlier in the recruitment process. This would allow us to better educate them on their options, as well as provide them with some indication that college programs are interested in them."

That's where Kelly and College Hockey Inc. come in. Because he doesn't represent a particular institution, Kelly is not bound by the same recruiting rules. He doesn't promote individual programs but simply educates young hockey players and their families about the benefits of collegiate hockey.

Besides the education aspect, collegiate hockey also offers young players the chance to train with some of the best coaches in the world, Kelly said. The competition schedule is less strenuous for NCAA student-athletes, leaving more time for skill instruction, conditioning and other training.

As the popularity of ice hockey increases, some areas of the country – like Arizona and California – are developing more ice players whose only exposure to the sport is through NHL teams. Because few NCAA teams in those areas sponsor ice hockey, young players aren't exposed to the collegiate ice hockey environment and can be easily convinced that their best route to the NHL is through the Canadian leagues.

"Statistics say college develops players for the NHL as effectively as the Canadian leagues, with the benefit of developing a foundation for your life," Kelly said. "If a kid makes a decision to go one way or the other, that's fine. We just want them to make the decision with the benefit of the most information possible. I can't stop the Canadian leagues from drafting them at age 14. All I can do is educate them."

Leaving midseason

Even if a college coach wins the recruiting war and a student-athlete enrolls in an NCAA school and begins the ice hockey season, the retention of the student-athlete is not certain. Kelly cited three student-athletes who recently left their teams at midseason to join junior programs in Canada. The phenomenon has been steadily increasing over the last several years, and he said Canadian teams often continue to recruit prospects even after they have committed to and enrolled in an NCAA institution.

Kelly's solution is to make all college players a part of USA Hockey. In addition to the insurance benefit provided to members of USA Hockey, the student-athletes would be bound by a transfer agreement in place between the Canadian and U.S. federations that says if you leave you program midseason, you cannot play in another country or for another federation unless you get a waiver from your home federation.

There would be an expense involved in registering student-athletes in this way, but Kelly called it "nominal" and something that would alleviate a problem that can otherwise wreak havoc on a program.

"You lose a kid midseason; you can't replace him," he said. "You lose the scholarship, it impacts the whole team. At least if you lose them in the summer, you have a little bit of latitude to do something about it."

Though Kelly, Anastos and others involved with collegiate ice hockey know they are facing a challenge going forward, they are looking for extraordinary ideas to address their issues, including changes in the way the sport is administered by the NCAA.

"The most important change is for those involved to get a greater understanding of the unique dynamics facing our sport and help find progressive solutions to address them," Anastos said. "There is no other NCAA sport that competes with another entity for prospects like hockey does – and we need unique solutions."