Neil Goldberg and some others raise some interesting questions about the effect that the new NHL draft rules will have on college players. My opinion is that it will actually prove to be better for those players and their teams. There's nothing a player like Jeff Kealty needs less while trying to make the adjustment to college and college hockey than the pressure of being a heralded first round pick. I thought he was fortunate to play for a team in BU that was deep enough at D and a coach in Parker who knew to let him develop at his own pace. He will be a good one, it may just take him a little longer than some people. The players who are good enough will still be drafted early on, and in many cases they will be the immediate impact players in college. A big negative of the draft that I have seen is the millstone it hangs around the neck of a player who might not have been quite that good but will always carry the stigma of being drafted. Sometimes it results in higher expectations from the fans, sometimes in higher expectations and pressure of the player on himself. Often it hurts the player much more than it helps. And we all know that just being drafted isn't a harbinger of things to come anyway. The history books are full of players who were drafted, even highly, and never went on to play even a game in the NHL. Will it hurt players' bargaining positions? I can't claim to be an expert on the intricacies of the draft and negotiation, but I do believe that the players who prove they deserve to be there will get there. Blaine Lacher was never drafted but he got a decent deal, proved he belongs in the show, and will reap the rewards. He won't be the last. I say, so what if fewer collegians are drafted...I doubt it will have a significant effect if any upon the number of collegians who actually play in the NHL, and it will probably prove to benefit the majority of players who will have a little less pressure to deal with. --- --- Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93 ***** Unofficial Merrimack Hockey home page under construction at: ***** ***** http://www.tiac.net/users/machnik/MChockey/MChockey.html ***** ** Send comments/suggestions to: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] **