The BCHL has released a lengthy paper suggesting changes to Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 junior development path.

The junior A league believes the governing body for Canadian hockey has fallen behind the times, failing to recognize the rise of NCAA as a route to the National Hockey League. The BCHL says Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Canadian Development Model (CDM), which was implemented in 2006, hasnB次元官网网址檛 taken into account the growth of top junior A leagues like the BCHL and Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL).

It favours major junior and B次元官网网址減enalizes elite players for choosing to play college-tracking junior hockey.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淥ur development model penalized players by placing discriminatory regulatory restrictions on their movement and participation in Canada,B次元官网网址� the 35-page paper observes. B次元官网网址淭his forces many players into decisions to leave the Canadian system entirely.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 the crux of the matter for the BCHL, which wants to be able to recruit talented 16 and 17-year-old players from out of province, but cannot. Those players, the paper posits, will pursue a college hockey path regardless, and end up playing in the United States in the USHL or North American Hockey League (NAHL).

B次元官网网址淭hese young men choose to play junior A to maintain NCAA college eligibility, which would be lost to them the moment they signed with a team in major junior,B次元官网网址� the paper notes. B次元官网网址淭he NCAA considers the Canadian Hockey League (CHL, encompassing the three major junior leagues) a professional league with some of its players signed to professional contracts, which disqualifies all of their athletes from attending college in the United States.

B次元官网网址淭his makes junior A the only path in Canada for those who want to play hockey at a US college.B次元官网网址�

There are junior A leagues across the country, but the two western circuits (BCHL and AJHL) lap the field in terms of getting players NCAA scholarships.

The paper cites the example of Owen Power, the first overall pick in the 2021 National Hockey League entry draft. The Ontario product wanted to pursue the college hockey path, but he couldnB次元官网网址檛 leave Ontario at age 16 to play in the BCHL or AJHL. Instead, he spent his 16 and 17-year-old seasons with the USHLB次元官网网址檚 Chicago Steel before joining the University of Michigan Wolverines.

B次元官网网址淎s Owen Power could not have transferred to a college-tracking junior program with a proven record of preparing players for US college within his own country, like the AJHL or BCHL, he had no choice but to go to the United States.B次元官网网址�

There are other bones of contention, including Hockey Canada and the NHL compensating major junior teams when a player is drafted. The BCHL doesnB次元官网网址檛 receive any money, despite producing a handful of draft picks each year.

The BCHL claims to have approached Hockey Canada many times with its concerns, and the decision to withdraw from the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) in 2021 was intended to remove the middleman and give the league a direct voice to Hockey Canada.

But the BCHL suggests Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 tight relationship with major junior (CHL) is the biggest obstacle to change.

B次元官网网址淭he CHL has a vested interest in convincing players to stay away from the US college hockey path and play major junior,B次元官网网址� the paper says. B次元官网网址淲e welcome fair competition for players, but, if Hockey Canada is truly representing all players in Canada, both paths should be promoted to and by our federation, not one over the other.

B次元官网网址淔or Hockey Canada to extol the virtues of major junior as the single development path for Canadian players and ignore the potential benefits that college-tracking junior can provide players is short-sighted, biased and wrong.B次元官网网址�

With the recent appointment of former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Thomas Cromwell to conduct an independent review of Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 governance structure, the BCHL hopes the time is right to push for reforms.

B次元官网网址淥ur objective is to have a frank, open and constructive discussion on the future of college-tracking junior hockey with the board of Hockey Canada as part of that review.B次元官网网址�

eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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