COACH'S CORNER/HNIC

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cherry-weighs-alexei-emelins-hits-024815909.html

 

[video]https://youtu.be/m1ZuSAaXHwc[/video]

 

[video]https://youtu.be/5ScDk-GkrL8[/video]

 

[video]https://youtu.be/alIJ6RkzmfE[/video]

 

[video]https://youtu.be/FLbic4gzY7s[/video]

 

[video]https://youtu.be/gQsst1K7xQo[/video]

 

[video]https://youtu.be/VJbOxqQTi9M[/video]

 

Grapes says: Hang in there!

 

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/don-cherry-not-happy-europeans-canadian-hockey-league-1.4503819

 

One benefit of having Euro competition in the CHL eludes Grapes mental grasp. Sure, every roster spot taken by a European player means one less Canadian kid is playing at the high developmental league level.

Well, do not ignore that the CHL are first and foremost developmental leagues. If you compete against better skaters your development is accelerated. Those top two "North American" skaters are good for the CHL and they're great for the Canadian kids they skate with and against.

Xenophobia and sour grapes drive this man's mental neurons. Time to change his moniker to "Grape Nuts".

 

lol @ Grape Nuts.

I think Cherry has good intentions and try's, sometimes too hard, to be the ultimate Canadian supporter. He speaks off the cuff and without to much thought at times, definitely shoots from the hip, but I do agree with the way the system is set up now. There is plenty of room for 2 Euro's per roster and the competition should only be a motivational factor for the 'Canadian' who didn't make the cut.

Cherry has been on this bandwagon of more Canadians and less Euro's in the CHL and the OHL for a long time. He's even lobbied to have more Canadians in the NHL on Canadian teams. I think he goes overboard and wants to come off as the true patriot. Hell, he's even a tad senile... I guess that's what makes him interesting to me.

 

I honestly have no issues with two imports, it really doesn't make a difference in wether a canadian player becomes professional or not. The option is always open for canadian players to play in the US college system.

 

And, let's not forget that for many players, the NCAA path offers important developmental advantages over the CHL.

Competition is against mainly 20-23 year old players vs. virtually everyone being 20 and under. Players in college get an education. It's also relatively easier to achieve unrestricted status.

Of course the NCAA is open to European prospects, but everyone who cares about hockey should hope that prospects face the strongest competition possible. The Canadian kid who would have taken one of those Euro imports spots will probably be back on his Dad's farm or hawking insurance in a few short years.

 

If you have exceptional talent, the path to the nhl will be realized with both avenues. The difference is that the NCAA provides an oppurtunity for an undrafted player that's 20 or over.
This worked well for Tyler Bozak and Viktor Stalberg.
The chances of turning pro are really slim. I remember my dad being upset many years after I stopped playing. He thought that because I was the leading goal scorer on my team that I had talent to make the pros.
I explained to him years later, you have to be the best in the league, then the best in the city, then the best in the country.

Toronto is full of ex- amateur players that had their dreams quashed. It's like going to hollywood where every other person tried to make it as an actor, but they now have a different career.
I was in an industrial league that had 4 different tier levels of competition. I placed myself in the third lowest, mainly because of my age and time away from the game. I watched a few of those tier one games, ex-OHL players from the 90s. These guys didn't mess around, quick as lightning. Most of those players weren't drafted, or if they were, they didn't even play one nhl game.

Many years invested in a dream, not a realistic dream, but a dream.

 

The cream usually rises to the top... scouts will see and find you no matter where or what system a player may end up in.

 

My mistake, stalberg was drafted in the 6th round, but made his bones with Vermont.

 

Grapes is picking the jets to go the finals.