I have very mixed feeling about pro defections.

I seems to me that for the most part the defection are top 3 or 4  round
draft picks (like the BC players).  There are not many players of this
caliber come to college hockey and most of them leave in a year or two.  In
the whole scheme of college hockey with circa 50 teams their comings and
goings don't seem that significant except for a team like BC that can have
3 on the team at the same time and make a title run with them.

The Cornell players that have left early for the pros have for the most
part left with substantial signing bonuses. Some only played in the minor
leagues for a few years but the pay scale was fairy substantial.

For schools with athletic scholarships if a player walks away from the
scholarship without a signing bonus and guaranteed minor league contract
that is of greater value it seems like a very questionable decision.  It
may be that the players in question are not really not that happy in college.

I do recall one great Cornell defender who left early to play pro
hockey.   He was an impact player in the college game and I certainly felt
he had pro-potential but he never made it out of the lower level minor
leagues and never got a big signing bonus.  He probably should have stayed
in college for a couple of more seasons and got his degree.  Who knows,
those extra years of college hockey might have even made him a real pro
prospect.

I think ultimately (spoken as the father of a college student) we have to
accept that they must make their own decisions even though we may second
guess them.

--Steve

Greg Ambrose wrote in part:
>While you certainly cannot deny any kid the chance to pursue his dream, IMHO
>the proliferation of NHL and minor league clubs over the past few years has
>really had a real negative impact on college hockey.  If there were only
>30-40 professional teams total, then do think all but the elite would jump
>ship?  But with 30 in the NHL and another 50 or so in the minors, there are
>a hell of a lot of open spots every year, available to every kid (college
>and Major Juniors) who thinks he has what it takes.
>
>The sad thing about all this is that, for most, the pinnacle of their hockey
>careers is in college.  I can only speak about UNH with any kind of
>knowledge.  In the last four years, UNH has had three players leave early -
>Eric Nickulas, Derek Bekar, and Jayme Filipowicz.  As I write this, all
>three are without a pro contract for the coming season, as they were dumped
>by the Bruins, Caps and Predators, respectively.  And need I say that they
>not only do they not have contracts, they don't have a college degree
>either.  I wonder if they now think it was worth leaving early.