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NHL player agents call on CHL to be more generous with players' education packages
The longer the Canadian Hockey League is under scrutiny for how it shares the weath with the players, the harder it will be to have strings attached to much ballyhooed education package a player can access after finishing his major junior tenure.
While having players be able to go on to play in Canadian Interuniversity Sport has been a resounding success for the game, there is a big catch involved: a player has only 18 months from the conclusion of his CHL days to decide to go to school. That can lead to rushed decisions over whether to pursue the pros or go to school. For instance, earlier this week the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Reggie Traccitto from the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers to an AHL deal, which hastened the question of whether he might have ascended to the minors earlier if he hadn't had to leave an ECHL team four seasons ago in order to retain his education package.
Now player agents are joining the chorus to widen the window former CHL players have to get what they earned. Or, failing that, at least meet the parents CHL president David Branch consulted with when the 18-month limit was enacted.
From Rick Westhead:
"The CHL's dirty little secret is they don't want players using these packages," said Octagon Hockey's Allan Walsh, whose NHL clients include Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Huberdeau. "They're severely limiting the number of former players that can make use of their earned school money.
Two other agents, CAA's Pat Brisson and Newport Sports' Don Meehan, also say the CHL should be open to changing its policy to encourage more former players to go to college or university.
Brisson and Walsh say players should be allowed to use their full education scholarships at least three years after their major-junior eligibility. Meehan said the issue deserves more discussion.
"Fair is fair and this isn't fair," Walsh said in an interview. "These players are not being given a fair shake and it's time for all of us to do something about it."
Walsh said the overwhelming majority of junior players do not advance to the NHL. "That's who we're talking about," he said. "This is their life, their future. They earned this money. The CHL should give it to them." (TSN)
Dirty little secret is a bit much, seeing as agents would know this from having negotiated so many players' contracts, where details of a education package are finalized.
The point stands, though. It does not seem like an unreasonable request to go from 18 to 36 months. That leaves a longer window for a player to try to get a foothold as a pro and a better idea of whether a long-term playing career is in the cards. It should also be pointed out CIS rules — one year of eligibility forfeited for every year of pro played at age 21 or later, along with an age limit instituted after to a media outcry in 2010 when a 29-year-old Mike Danton joined the Saint Mary's Huskies following his release from prison — also contribute to the inflexibility.
And, understandably, not every former player will necessarily want to attend a traditional post-secondary institution.
The CHL is believed to have already relaxed the 'closest school clause' that restricted the schools where a player could receive his education package (this can also be negotiated at the time of signing). If the CHL is being sincere about doing right by the players, it could certainly hear out the concerns about the 18-month rule.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
