MiamiHockeyII
Registered User
- Mar 24, 2022
- 176
- 248
If the CHL and NCAA come to an agreement, it will destroy U-sport in Canada and likely AJHL, BCHL and other leagues. I also feel it is unlikely to happen, as the powerful schools in the NCAA are happy being the big dogs. It's the smaller schools that want it. That's said, the hockey landscape in Canada is all over the place these day's so who knows?
No, no it won't destroy anything if it happens. That's an opinion completely unsupported by anything other than the American ego.
Let's imagine you're a 20 year old graduating from the CHL. By this point you already have a sense of your pro hockey prospects / aspirations, as do hockey coaches. Unless you're already drafted, you know your chances are slim to none, and you're going to university for an education first.
Top NCAA Div I programs only get 18 full scholarships to hand out, and that number will not change. Some programs will offer a few full rides to 20 year olds, but that just means that other players who WOULD have received those full rides will become available to play USports. Shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, so to speak.
Remember, Div III programs get ZERO full rides, and the cost of US Tuition is prohibitive for Canadians, so the idea that CHL players will, en masse, choose Div II/III hockey over USports is fanciful. Most Canadians in the CHL come from modest financial means, and part of the CHL's allure is that you don't have to pay to play.
If you want to compare large comprehensive universities, Michigan tuition is $58,000 USD (~$80,000 Cdn) for International Students. Alberta Tuition for Canadians is $6,500 Cdn. For those non-full ride players, unless your family is made of money, as a Canadian you're choosing Alberta over Michigan all day.
If you want to compare smaller universities, Bentley University tuition is $56,500 USD (~$80,000 Cdn) for International Students. UNB is $11,000 for Canadians. Not in the same arena. Oh, and (rumour has it) UNB can offer athletic scholarships to reduce that to zero or less. Bentley has financial aid that may cut it down to $30,000 USD (~40,000 Cdn), but that's still $160,000 more than UNB.
If you want to argue that NIL changes things, it doesn't. International students on student visas are prohibited from earning NIL income in the US.