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Team Canada hopeful Kevin Roy pretty much rules out QMJHL

neate sager

Long story short, Kevin Roy is not headed to Brown nor is he likely headed to major junior.

The 19-year-old Anaheim Ducks draft pick, who's on Team Canada's roster for next month's four-game exhibition series with Russia, became a hot commodity after lighting up the USHL with a 54-goal, 104-point season. That led to informed opinions that the Lac Beauport, Que., native, who's long been coveted by major junior teams, including his hometown Quebec Remparts, probably would pass attending Brown University, an Ivy League school, for a more marquee NCAA team. He is eligible for major junior, but based on an article in Tuesday's Le Soleil, that seems like a non-starter.

"I think the major junior is a very good league, which has very good players. But for my development, I think the [NCAA] is what will best help me reach the next level, because of the way the game is played. There are fewer games and it'll allow me to train harder in the gym," he said. (Le Soleil, translated)

Roy, let's not dance around it, is very much on the small side at 5-foot-9 and 159 pounds and the longer development arc he'll get in college, compared to a single season of junior, ought to do him good. Another strike against playing junior is that his 21-year-old goaltender brother, Derick Roy (2.78 average, .912 save percentage for South Shore of the Eastern Junior Hockey League last season) is also casting about for a college. He's too old for junior.

From Brad Schlossman:

[Kevin] Roy has been a free agent this whole time. Ivy League schools do not sign National Letters of Intent, therefore, it was not forbidden by NCAA rules for schools to contact him and try to woo him.

There is a gentleman's agreement in college hockey where coaches do not recruit verbally committed players. But who knows how long that will last. When coaches are under great pressure to win games or lose their jobs, abiding by a gentleman's agreement won't always be the first thing on their minds.

There haven't been any rumblings of teams contacting Roy to try to woo him, but it certainly wouldn't be surprising if it happened.

Where will he end up? The consensus is that Roy will be at a school on the East Coast. It will have to be a school that has a scholarship open this late — possibly two scholarships open. Many believe that Roy's older brother, goalie Derick Roy, is a package deal. (Slightly Chilled)

One would think Kevin Roy would like to have a place to play nailed down prior to leaving for Russia. The Canada-Russia series begins Aug. 8, two weeks from Wednesday.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.