A big point of contention this summer has been about the three Canadian Hockey League junior circuits poaching American players -- whether they be USHL players or NCAA commits. Given the number of players that develop in the USHL and then matriculate to the NCAA, this hits a lot of familiar faces -- and also creates a ripple effect. The University of Michigan has lost two goaltenders in late summer. Paul Kelly of College Hockey, Inc. has some pretty pointed comments in the Boston Globe.
Among them: "I’m a believer that when you make a commitment, you stand by it and honor it. ... When kids make a commitment, particularly when that commitment takes a more formal form in a letter of intent to attend that school, then you break that commitment, frankly, if I’m an NHL GM, it might cause me some concern.
Kelly came right out and said what I suspected all along. The reason some of these players are skipping out on college commitments and jumping to the QMJHL is that their parents are getting large payments to allow it. Kelly puts a dollar value on it, up to $300,000 or even more. This is what we heard about Stanislav Galiev, that his mother received a six-figure payment. The same for Adam Erne. It worked out for the SeaDogs, as they won the Memorial Cup with Galiev this year. Sixteen-year-old players shouldn't be turning pro. But how does one stop the flow of money to parents? The CHL obviously condones the practice, even if the league doesn't own up to it.
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