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NCAA Allowing 17 and 18 years olds in NHL draft?


elmduf

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NCAA to allow 17 & 18 year olds in NHL Draft

I thought I'd post this and see how you folks feel about it. Honestly, I'm not very educated on the current system, but am curious how this affects UND hockey and NCAA hockey overall.... ;)

An apology up-front.... this is a Yahoo college hockey link. I don't really think much of their college hockey articles. (hope PCM hasn't contributed!)

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As long as they don't hire an agent or take money, I'm yet to see how being drafted gives a competitive advantage.

What, does being the fourth round pick of an NHL team add 10 mph to your slapshot or help you to win faceoffs? :D

This move is a move that is actually better for the student-athletes. Think about DiPietro at BU a few years back. He opted in after his freshman year. He spent the next two seasons in the minors. Wouldn't it have been better for "student-athlete" DiPietro to be able to be drafted when he was the hot commodity and still play for BU after that?

It sounds like the NCAA may have figured this out as well.

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I agree that most 17 & 18 year olds aren't ready for NHL. Hopefully the NHL would only waste a pick on someone exceptional. In the current system, it seems plenty of college players who have already been drafted do indeed stay in college despite being a draft pick. They recognize that if they were to go pro they might just be playing in the minors anyway, so stay in and get a education and have fun playing in college.

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I wonder if this waiver had been in place before, if Crosby would've gone the college route to be drafted sooner??

I don't believe so Crosby is on the fast tract to the NHL, and he will play in the NHL as soon as he is old enough.

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I don't believe so Crosby is on the fast tract to the NHL, and he will play in the NHL as soon as he is old enough.

Sydney may have bounced around the idea of going college at one point, or a rumor of such was started, but Sydney would still either be at Shattuck's right now or in some junior league (Can only assume USHL) if he had decided to do that. Instead he is now playing for Rimouiski Oceanic of the QMJHL. It is the fast track to the NHL and it gave him an opportunity to play with the "big boys" earlier. Either he can stall out and drop or he can steadily rise in skill and be a far and away #1 overall pick. Chances are, he'll be a #1 overall pick.

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Sydney may have bounced around the idea of going college at one point, or a rumor of such was started, but Sydney would still either be at Shattuck's right now or in some junior league (Can only assume USHL) if he had decided to do that. Instead he is now playing for Rimouiski Oceanic of the QMJHL. It is the fast track to the NHL and it gave him an opportunity to play with the "big boys" earlier. Either he can stall out and drop or he can steadily rise in skill and be a far and away #1 overall pick. Chances are, he'll be a #1 overall pick.

If Sidney Crosby is not the #1 overall pick I call shenanigans.

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Most draft picks aren't for "immediate needs." Teams go for free agents for those. The draft is more for the future (two to five years), to develop and build.

Drafting is more like playing the speculation markets. That's why I have no problem with 17 or 18 year olds being drafted.

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