Major Junior vs The Rest of Junior Hockey and the NCAA - Part two

Editors Opinion

Major Junior has an education payment plan based upon how long you play in a league. So when you age out you have money set aside for future education. But dont forget to read the fine print. There are time limits and restrictions placed uon that money, when you can use it, and how soon you must use it, and if you sign a pro contract with certain value you loose that money.

Aging out of Major Junior will put you into college and graduating at 25 or 26 yrs of age. That is if you dont go on to play minor pro for a few years, and that could make you 28 by the time you graduate.

Aging out of the USHL or another USAH junior program and moving on to play NCAA hockey will have you finishing your education at 25 or 26 as well. Sometimes it can be a year or two earlier.

The ages and graduation times being very similiar, I am often asked, "whats the difference?".

The differences are many.

Lets say you finish Major Junior, move on to minor pro, and after three or four years you realize you are not getting to the NHL. Your Major Junior education money will have been forfieted. The fine print requires that the player enroll full time in school within thirty six months of finishing his junior career, this because of school calendars is realy just a 30 month window in most cases. The other fine print says if you sign a pro contract for a certain dollar amount, that you give up that money.

So if your lucky enough to get an entry level deal, you will loose that school money even if you never collect NHL game checks. The problem with that is that your pro contract value is high enough to void the education money, but it wont be enough to pay for your education after a few years in the minors.

The USHL or NCAA route, allows you to already have your education when you finish playing. There is no penalty after this when you turn pro at any level.

Some people have mistakenly reported that if you go on to play one game of pro hockey after major junior that you loose your school money. That is completely untrue.

Some people have stated that your school money is determined by what round you are drafted in. That is also completely untrue. I have negotiated free agent contracts that allow for more benefits than some contracts I have done for top 10 Major Junior drafted players.

Everyone outside of the actual business side of hockey likes to chip in their two cents. Usually one cent is right and the other is a penny from a foreign country and cant be cashed. Do not believe what you read on message boards, or what is said by people who do not actually work within the game. Most of that information is either half right, or completely wrong. Either way, that information is likely to lead you down a path that does not work for you. I recently read a reporters opinion on major junior hockey, his description of contracts, how the league and team operate; and the information provided was not even close to being accurate.

So how do you make your choice? Major Junior or another route? What is right for you? The choice will not be an easy one for the high end players.

The key is to ask the right questions of your adviser. Have realistic expectations and have a realistic sense of where you actually fit in and your talent level.

Get an adviser that has no direct loyalty to any team or league. Formulate a plan that is right for you, your goals, and your talent level. Ask the right questions, get answers based on facts, not based on emotion or someones ability to gain stature or money from your decision. Get an adviser that will not allow other people to influence the accurate presentation of facts.

Some coaches, scouts and team personel will try to discourage you from getting an adviser. Why? Would they discourage you from having a guidance counselor in school? The most typical reason for this kind of discouragement is that these coaches or scouts do not want to have questions asked, or have people make educated decisions that could mean they do not get the player they want.

The difference in the choice you make could be one that changes your life forever. Making such a decision at a time when hockey should still be fun and not all life encompassing is not an easy thing to do. Without the right information, without the right guidance the chances are only 50/50 that you will make the right choice.

Does anyone ever remember the players who made the wrong career path choices? Sure. About as often as people remember who lost in the 2002 Stanley Cup final.