When I was 18 and 19 years old, I was finishing up my senior year in high school and preparing for my first year of college. I wrapped up my high school sports career with some nice accolades in football, and I spent about two weeks on my university’s football team before I realized that it was not at all what I wanted for a variety of reasons. I was almost 19 years of age and ready to focus on my degree, meeting new people, and paving my way. I’m thinking of all of this because of what several players that age are going through this week around the league.
Because hockey has such a unique system of where players are pulled from, there are some decisions that have to be made. Signing a player to an entry-level deal or not, if the player is to be on the NHL squad, a minor league squad, or is able to return (I say “return” because a majority of the top draft picks are selected from the Canadian junior leagues) to the club team. If a team feels like a player can contribute to the NHL club, he must be signed to a deal and is to remain on the roster for the season. If he’s not signed to a deal he can return to his club team after a maximum of nine games in the NHL. There’s more lingo and underlying terms I could throw in here, but let’s just say that if a player doesn’t play more than nine games in the NHL, it will not count towards his entry-level deal. I’ll leave it at that. It’s not that important.
What are important are the decisions these youngsters are making. I’d like to be able to say I am not jealous of teenagers getting to suit up to play in the NHL, but I have not decided to dedicate my life to a career of hockey like these lads have. I was recently talking to my best friend’s sister and how, at age 21, she has no idea what she wants to do with her potential degree. I have a hard time imaging a career in front of me at 18 years old, but some of these guys are making career decisions even before they’re 17 in deciding to attend junior leagues in Canada or to play collegiate hockey somewhere.
I’m not going to babble about these guys “being ready” to play in the NHL with regard to their body size, “maturity level”, and their surround support groups. We have all seen in a variety of sports that players can simply play the game and will succeed. But, there are, as I’m watching Josh Hamilton roam centerfield in the MLB playoffs, guys who are not fully prepared to be on their own.
What I will do is introduce you to a few guys who have been making news the last couple weeks about whether or not they’re going to stick around with the big club. My goal is not to bore you with the different scenarios about the squad the player is attempting to make – injuries to others or to excite the fans with the newest draft pick.
Top overall pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 18 years old, will start the season with the Edmonton Oilers. He will start the season in Edmonton, but there is still the chance he will head back to his club team after a handful of games. Keep an eye on this smaller-framed guy sticking around Edmonton.
Brandon Saad of the Chicago Blackhawks, who will turn 19 next month, is expected to head back to his club team after being selected in the second round this past year. That predicition was made before he started to play quite well in the preseason. He just signed a new deal that will allow him to stay on the Blackhawks for a few years to come. As a Blackhawks fan, it would be nice to see another young American hockey player make his name on the Blackhawks, much like Patrick Kane and Ben Smith and Nick Leddy are set to do.
Lastly, Mark Scheifele, will turn 19 in March. Scheifele just signed a deal to stick around with the Winnipeg Jets. He played quite well after being the seventh overall pick in the recent draft, and he, with 20-year old Evander Kane, can help form quite a line for the Jets. My pals up in Winnipeg might be in for quite the treat. It’s not too long of a drive for me to get there…
There are obviously many other guys who will see time in both the NHL and their junior club teams, but these are the three I’ve seen the most written about these past couple weeks in the preseason. If there are others I should know about, I’m open to emails from all you readers! I have readers, right?
This will be all for this week as I’m trying to limit myself and not go overboard with my words. I hope everyone enjoys a great opening week for the NHL. And don’t forget to go check out the men’s hockey squad over at the Kohl Center, opening their season this Friday against Northern Michigan University!
did Torrin leave anyone out? let him know at tthatcher@wisc.edu