...have any players in the Eccentric Division, er...I mean Central Division, received scholarships yet? It'll be interesting to see if the "terms of reference" relating to this new divisional structure in the OPJHL will be met.
...by my count, since this new structure was implemented Streetsville's Pirri and Newmarket's Melchiori both have received scholarships from RPI amd UMass-Lowell respectively. So far its a dead heat.
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how can we have an 'eccentric division' without my blades in it? what does it take? we've only been (nearly national champions,) league champions, divisional champs, etc., etc., etc. and for a few years now we've spread this glory around!
so for the 'rich daddy' subscribers, what's going on here? we've got some spark to our line-up, oh but then again that's already taken care of. so the blades will again dominate the 'west,' but this time with even less in terms of legitimate opponents.
oh my *^^%&(*&&^% ...... gawd. anyway .... GO BLADES GO !! GO BLADES GO !!
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...actually before the end of completing grade 10...same as Mitch Zion ('92) Corey Trivino, Brandon Burlon, Peter LeBlanc etc...these gentlemen all had scholarships before playing Jr hockey.
...apparently the scholarship process starts with a verbal commitment which is legally non-binding. In other words you can still "talk" to other schools.
Then, about a year before you attend the school, you sign a national letter of intent. Once this is signed you cannot change your mind; you must go for at least one year to that school.
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I've weighed in on this topic previously in THE CAGE & will share my experience,for what it is worth.
I am blessed with two daughters who went to US schools on full athletic scholarships.( Also blessed with two younger ones who have trouble moving checkers on a board)
You CAN of course, go to any school you like but there are huge differences in the programs & ethics in sports programs. I am not in favour of having someone else ,i.e. for a fee, speak with a "legitimate" school's Athletic Director on my or my child's behalf,unless the person is recognised internationally as a coach ,through international competition. We were fortunate in that our older daughters' coach was part of the Cdn Olympic program and as such most schools with a Track & Field program were aware of him.
I offer this only as my personal experience/opinion.
An Athletice Director who approaches a student prior to June of their grade 12 year faces sanctions. This includes "conversations". As recently as June of this year , when Olympic trials were held in Windsor there were two instances I am aware of where this took place. In each instance it was reported & temporary sanctions are still in place as far as I know , until the hearing /appeal process is completed. If the athlete or his guardian were to have made even a verbal committment he would not be eligile for this year and no other school can make him an offer.
Also scolarships are like any contract - there are a multitude of variations. The primary concern is medical - what happens if the athlete is injured/ill and requires a specific medical procedure in the US? We had this instance with our younger daughter - she was given full medical coverage by the school,was flown to the top sports medicine surgeon in that particular field , her mother was permitted to travel with her, stay at a hotel while our daughter was in hospital, & the school paid everything. That was because,through our advice from the older girls', coach we had two important things in place:
1. everything in writing & discussed directly with US - not some rep.
2. the Athletic Director & the school were known through the track and field community as ETHICAL with a proven program.
When I read this thread last night I called the old coach out west & it was through him I learned of the sanctions from the Windsor meet.
His bottom line was if you have a Sports/Athletic Director approaching a grade 10 or 11 student you should proceed with caution as it is your athlete whose interest you should have as a priority. If any other adult approached him directly regarding a "deal" your alarm bells would go off.We have enough recent examples to make us cautious.
I don't have any idea as to which schools have the best standards for hockey nor reputations for looking after their hockey students. It should also be clear to you as the parent/guardian, what happens if things don't work out. There are schools that have restrictions on athletes who have been provided even basic scholarships who would not be able to take part in that sport for a year upon their return to Canada.
I think common sense would dictate that you're involved personally with an Athletic Director. If he's approaching a player directly that should tell you something in itself.
I don't think you'd let your athlete buy a used car without your direct involvement. There's a lot more at stake in sports and educational programs.
And..if indeed guys got offers outside the rules , don't write about it on the internet.
Apologies for being so long winded...my rant for the day.
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Great deduction Hanson. Its funny. I follow US College Football and Basketball very closely and see dozens and dozens of "violations" each year in each sport when it comes to recruiting. With ESPNU and College Sports Network, many stories of violations, suspensions and sanctions are laid down in each sport.
What disturbs me, is that you never hear any violations in NCAA hockey!
Four years ago I coach an OMHA minor midget team and witnessed first hand several D-1 teams offering "commitments" to kids who hadn't even finished Grade 10. My understanding was that you had to be in the second semester of Grade 11 to receive anything of this ilk.
First thing I thought was, if they can't do that in NCAA football and basketball, why is hockey allowed to do so?
When was the last (or first) time you've heard of an NCAA recruiting scandal in hockey?
Do you remember any sanctions being levied?
If anyone can shed some light on as to why this is, please let us know.
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from our experience with our son,we were told by mutual friends that this NCAA school liked our son. We introduced ourselves at a tournament and later on invited us to visit their campus. Once on their campus that's when they offered my son a full scholarship (including medical, books, room and board etc etc. He was finishing grade 10 then. All that to say that once you are on campus they can offer you anything and that's totally legal. Even if it's only a verbal they never go back on their words or their reputation would be in jeopady!
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...as a sidebar...I remember watching this kid play for the Toronto Marlies minor midgets who was 5'6" and 150 pounds...and commenting what a great player he was. The parents around me said he was too small and that he was going nowhere and was going to get killed in Junior...boy, were they wrong.
He even had a scholarship to Northeastern University upon completion of his minor midget year; but he gave it all up to play for the London Knights.
Daniel Erlich defies all the laws of physics and has also defied Newton's law of universal gravitation. Bigger bodied OHL players "bounce" off of him.
The Hunter boys also gave Daniel a nice education package, by the way.
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