> Is there some loophole that I don't know about? I always thought that "once a professional, always a professional" was the policy of the NC$$, and the WHL was considered pro. The easiest way to put this is that some juniors players are pro, but most are amateur. A few juniors players have signed pro contracts but are held in the juniors for seasoning -- Marion Hossa of the Ottawa Senators / Portland Winter Hawks is a good example this year -- so the juniors are not a purely amateur system. But for the most part, the compensation which the juniors players receive is no more "professional" than are the athletic scholarships given by many colleges. HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.