You can play for any team in the CHL I'm pretty sure, the same applies in the opposite direction. If the kid identifies as Canadian, has Canadian citizenship and qualifies he should be free to play for Canada if he wants. By the logic of the original poster, William Nylander shouldn't be able to play for any country, which is ridiculous.
Plus your country is poaching way more talent than ours. Just look at Bode Wilde going USNDP route, or previously Fowler.
Thank you for your comments, honnestly you speak out my mind and explained well the whole situation with USA Hockey vs recruitment battle with dual citizenship players...
Honnestly, it it time to tell how USA Hockey try to -poach (that's a great word to explain it) - some of the best ''sons of former
Canadian NHLers'' / or dealing with dual citizenship top prospects.
First, yes it is an advantage to be the son of a former NHL, as you can get some hints on the game and develop the professional approach of the sport, but also with a deep pocket parent who is willing to put the money in, that's helpful! And since most of NHL teams are based in the US, -naturally- more sons of NHLers will be born in the US and be raised there. It's simple logic, come-on people.
As well said by Ken Campbell of The Hockey News: ‘’every time a Canadian goes to a US city and marries an American there, it increases the odds that USA Hockey will have another young star on it’s hands’’
In the past, it would have been the likes of Brett Hull, Zach Parise, Nick Foligno, Connor Murphy, Jarred Tinordi, Colin Wilson, Stefan Matteau. - Nowadays USA Hockey have :
2014 Draft : Ryan MacInnis, Dominic Turgeon, John Wesley, Ryan Mantha, Chase Perry, Tyler Nanne
2015 Draft: Chase Pearson, Joel Daccord, Adam Marsh
2016 Draft: Logan Brown, Kieffer Bellows (who scored two goals in the WJC final against Canada, congrats..clap clap), Tage Thompson, Chad Krys, Graham McPhee
2017: Josh Norris, Evan Barratt, Drake Rymsha, Skyler Brind'Amour, Cayden Primeau
And now for 2018: Jack DeBoer, Riley Hughes, Michael Kesselring, Philippe Lapointe Will MacKinnon, Tyler Madden, Ryan Savage...
2019: Alex Turcotte, Luke Toporowski, Jack Hugues*
It is always fun to see how Canada in someway is helping USA Hockey develop his talent pool of prospects and how USA Hockey is trying to retain them troughout their ''National team programs''. They are not yet 16 they can play for the Country on international competitions and begin their ''In God We Trust American Patriostim'', so yes afterall they want to play for USA at the U18 and U20 levels. It is now a recruitment battle and the Americans well understood that (maybe way before Canada did).
The Bode Wilde/Jack Hughes/Quinn Hugues situations are also fun to examinate since some already said:
''This kid is born and raised in the U.S.. Yes, he should play for the U.S. (which doesn't appear to be in question to him). Also, not clear on the eligibility issues, but would a kid like this need to just play in the CHL for two years or a Canadian based CHL team for two years to be eligible to play for Canada?''
Jack Hugues and is brother Quinn were playing in Canada because of their father was hired with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They both played with the Toronto Malboros in Minor Midget but it was never in question that they would represent USA on international level. Canada developed them in some way, but they went for the US but since their father is American, I am totally find with that.
And for Bode Wilde, he was born in Montreal, stayed in Canada until I think he was 12/13 and already said in a THN interview : ''I always rooted for Canada in the past'' - he skipped the Young Olympic Games because he wasn't able to choose yet. But since he moved to the US, and had many''opportunities'' given - ahum... the NTDP - it simplified his choice and settled for it. Canada doesn't have a national program so yes it is a huge advantage for the USA hockey program.
_________________________________
USA Hockey may one day (sooner than later) usurp Canada as the powerhouse nation in hockey, but it will never be because they like the sport the way Canadians do
*I can give you numvbers if you want*. It will simply because of their mass population and natural growth of the sport in a huge market with tons of money pours in to develop fans (and it was about time to be honest with you geeeeeezzzzz).
As Brian Burke already said:
‘’It simple arithmetic. More people live in California (per instance) than Canada. I know people up here are alarmed, but it’s a compliment. We have been chasing Canada since I got into this game. ‘’
