CHL/NCAA

[RB76]

This whole idea about “getting an education” while speaking about top prospects is sort of a stretch. To get that education, they need four years of school. The sheer amount of $$$ they walk away from going to school is obscene. Not only that, they are delaying their UFA age as well.

If a player like Porter Martone were to decide to get an education, he’d lose at least $500k and that is assuming he’d play in the CHL as a 19 year old and the AHL for three years after that. If he plays one year in the NHL of those four years, that is another $1mil on top of the $500k in lost income.

Getting an education is not what these guys are looking at. They are looking at playing at a higher level than the OHL. Maybe they get paid some form of NIL but it is much harder for Canadians to cash in on it because they’d need to generate it while on Canadian soil AND they’d need to find some sort of endorsement $$$. How many CHL players have the name recognition to actually make real coin with NIL? The ones that would are more likely the guys to jump straight to the NHL straight out of the draft.

Martone, Misa, and Schaefer could all jump to the NHL next year. Will they be impactful? No. But, depending on where they are drafted, they could be that jewel to help the marketing. The shiny new toy so to speak. If Misa and MArtone go to SJ and Chicago, I could see both in the NHL next year. Schaefer maybe not as a D-Man that missed the 2nd half of the year and I don’t see the Islanders rushing it.

At the end of the day, the kids that will get the education are the OA’s and unsigned NHL picks. Undersized guys that have deficiencies that block them as real prospects but they are highly capable players at this level. The guys that don’t really have a strong shot at NHL will likely commit to schools like they are now and they will go get their degree and take advantage of what lies in front of them. The real prospects will use the NCAA as a stepping stone. They will take bird courses and focus solely on hockey. The education part will be minimal at best.

I agree the education is not paramount but only a handful of guys are NHL ready. Having said that, some like Martone it appears could choose to play a year in the NCAA, and sign his ELC in March/April after the season.

One thing is for certain, the change in landscape is providing players with greater opportunities and leverage. Although not standard at the moment, we might see NHL prospects signing two-year ELC’s.

 

[HockeyPops]

we might see NHL prospects signing two-year ELC’s.

This might become more common. We did have some of these in the past, as the length of the ELC is based on the age of the player. 18-21 = 3 years, 22-23 = 2 years, 24+ = 1 year. If the NHL/CHL agreement is renegotiated to extend the 2 year signing window to, say, 4 years, then this would become much more common.