A good chunk of the chl won't be academically eligible also which we be another hurdle. Plus most have only ever cared about playing in the CHL(out west at least). Usually ncaa is the 2nd choice. I'm just wanting some clarity hopefully soon on what it will look like for next year so I can recruit lol
This particular kid was always really on the border of the WHL/NCAA decision to begin with [he was a 1st round pick in WHL], and I don't think his ice time in Sioux Falls was that great. He's obviously hoping to have his cake and eat it too, which he'll probably get, but the big question is going to be if he can go at 18 (if he's good enough, TBD) or have to wait until 20.
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What do you mean opt outs? CHL players can leave whenever they want. It’s the NCAA that’s stopping them from moving freely.
CHL players can not actually leave whenever they want. I mean they can stop playing, but they can't just sign a contract and go play in Europe for example. The CHL team holds their rights as things stand right now. How this plays out with the NCAA is still to be seen though.
No one holds a player hostage if they want to leave. They either get traded or released. No GM is preventing a player from playing out of spite.
Yes a team would just release them. They aren't going to hold them hostage. That's rule one for how to ruin any future relationships with players/agents.
You said players can leave whenever they want, they can't. That's all. They don't have the freedom to do whatever they want. Maybe they should, but right now the team they are with in the CHL do have rights over them.
Are you saying team's won't release or trade a player that wants to leave? Because I've yet to see that happen.
You said "players can leave whenever they want". I was responding to that and your statement is absolutely not true. Obviously if a player wants out the team will usually work out a trade. Players can't just wake up on a Monday morning and decide they are tired of the OHL and sign a contract in Sweden though.
BECAUSE NO ONE HAS THAT THOUGHT.
Just to clarify, there are limited teams that would actually do this.
I think the only real play there is that he signed an NHL ELC, and the NHL has a Transfer Agreement with the CHL, so you sometimes see ex-NCAA players that left early and signed ELCs get assigned to Major Juniors if they don't seem ready yet for the AHL (Chaz Lucius comes to mind). I doubt players in those positions ever sign CHL Agreements to begin with, they just go there as part of an Assignment.
Any kid without an NHL ELC or being a draft pick (sometimes teams park later round picks with AHL Contracts but with the expectation that they're just pushing off their ELC if they continue to progress) would be best served playing in the NCAA. Even for the guys that get AHL Contracts, it can be pretty brutal for them, they're usually the first one out in any roster re-shuffling and even if they play pretty well for their age, any sent down players on NHL ELCs will bump them down. In terms of making/sticking on an AHL roster and in the AHL lineup, players that are older, more experienced, can set a good example on and off the ice for the 20 year old second and third round picks, and more plug and play are usually prioritized for AHL deals over some 21 year old "bonus" prospect (that was already passed over in the Draft three times and then all 32 teams decided not to offer an NHL Contract to). You basically have one year [in a year you'll likely be on the 4th line, frequently in and out of the lineup and a candidate to get sent to the ECHL] to make a good enough impression to warrant an AHL future or it's off to the ECHL long-term.
Where it could hurt CHL is if there’s a big exodus of high end 18-19 year olds to NCAA every year. That puts anyone that tries to jump from Junior to Pro at a disadvantage, and in turns incentivizes more elite level kids that are hoping to play in the NHL in their D+1 to accelerate their schooling and enter NCAA at 17 (like Celebrini)
