Limit 20 years old

[Vairs61]

I believe the league should be more concerned about the quality level of the weaker teams around the league than the number of 20yrs on a team. Any changes may push the talented 20 yrs to the GMHL that keeps expanding. They may be shooting themselves in the foot over this. Players are going to go where the quality level is better and develop playing against the best. It would be a shame to lose the better 17 and 18 yrs olds to the GMHL if the competition is better. They are not there yet but may get there one day.
Be careful what you wish for!!

[Port hockey1]

Bingo. ILuvHackey nailed it. I hope the league is listening to this kind of logic when the try to sort out the 20yrold rules tomorrow. Cap the number of CHL vets who can play, especially the 20yrold variety, or ban them all together.

Kyle Brothers is one example of 20 year olds still developing. I get that the point is the league's supposed to be about developing 16-18 year olds though.

But if that's how this league wan'ts it to be. Team's need to be prohibited from signing 20 year olds to import cards. There's no reason to be doing that if the league's purpose is developing younger players. Also, the practice of trading/adding 20 year olds at the deadline needs to stop.

I'm dead serious, no sarcasm. If the league wants to move in that direction, they need to do it right!

[Caledonia Fan]

There's a lot of good ideas pro and con on this topic.
Let's hope they go all the way. If that's the way they want to go.
Not half ass like I think is going to happen.
I figure the 19 year olds will just take the place of the 20 year olds.
Teams out of the playoffs can still trade or sell there 19 year olds instead of there 20 year olds.
So a lot will really stay the same, but no CHL or 20 year olds players.

I remember talking to some players. They told me the best developing they ever got was from older players.
The more experience (CHL) that player had the more they learn from him.

[Qwerty]

Port, I couldn't agree with you more...Brothers is a great example of the kind of 20-yr-old who the GO should want to attract and develop. Kyle played GO his entire Jr career, except for an initial stint in Alvinston. The boy developed all the way through and made the jump to NCAA when he landed a scholarship to Adrian College. Total success story for the GO, the player, and the teams that developed him. That's what Jr. B should be all about. The problem isn't with 20 year olds like Brothers, though I would argue there should be some limit on how many 20yrolds you can carry because there needs to be room for 16, 17, 18 and 19 year olds who deserve the same opportunity as Kyle to play and develop and maybe get an education out of it.

The problem is the guys who play a big chunk of their Jr years in the CHL, and then show up in GO to close out their career after it's clear they don't have what it takes to make it to the show. Those guys are toast for NCAA the second they step on the ice wearing a CHL game jersey. So when they drop down to the GO, they are not "developing" for a chance to play US college hockey. They're ineligible! Besides, many/most CHL guys graduate with some kind of scholarship they can use pay towards an education at a Canadian university or college, and maybe even play CIS hockey -- provided they're skilled, motivated and smart enough to do it.

So the question is: If a CHL vet is ineligible for NCAA scholarship, and if he's already got a scholarship in his pocket get a postsecondary education in Canada (where he has a good shot at making a CIS club), then why they need to take up spots on Jr. B rosters? Or, in at least one case we know about with the Corvairs, on a Jr. C affiliate roster?

The answer to the question is because they can. And because teams that can attract these players want to bolster their line-up with the best available talent so they can win games and a championship. Or two championships. Or three championships.

I know there are lots of guys who get a cup of coffee in the CHL (as call-ups for a couple of games) or they play a single season, or maybe part of a season before dropping back to the GO to finish up their Jr. career. Fine. These kids are generally not a problem, especially when they're still relatively young (17 or 18) and have time to "develop" for a shot at CIS or potentially to make the jump back into the O (rare). That said, there should be some limits on how many of these guys you can carry, too.

But when guys get parachuted into Jr B (or Jr. C) rosters as CHL veteran overages after years of playing major junior -- of which several can be identified on a certain roster in the Shoe -- you end up not with a Jr. B team, but something closer to an OHL team.

This is my last post on this issue, as I am sure many people on this forum will applaud. This isn't a "witch hunt" or a hater tirade against CC management or players. These are smart hockey people and super-skilled kids. And I know there are some damn good true Jr. B players (i.e., non-CHLers) who have been "developed" in Caledonia who currently play on the team. But anyone who takes the time to go through their roster can see what's going on here. Building a championship team with a bench filled overwhelmingly by former OHL 20-yr-olds is currently allowed within the rules of league... a Jr. B league. In my opinion, it shouldn't be.

Like you, Port, I hope the league moves in the right direction, and I hope they do it right.

[gojhlrules]

If a kid came into the gojhl as 16 ,17 or 18 he should be allowed to continue as a 20 year old. Also, shouldn't limit a 20 year old rookie who is developing late but as zero CHL experience. This however will not solve the problem... CC and other deep pocket teams will just get these kids a year earlier and pay them to play for 2 years instead of 1.

[Caledonia Fan]

Port, I couldn't agree with you more...Brothers is a great example of the kind of 20-yr-old who the GO should want to attract and develop. Kyle played GO his entire Jr career, except for an initial stint in Alvinston. The boy developed all the way through and made the jump to NCAA when he landed a scholarship to Adrian College. Total success story for the GO, the player, and the teams that developed him. That's what Jr. B should be all about. The problem isn't with 20 year olds like Brothers, though I would argue there should be some limit on how many 20yrolds you can carry because there needs to be room for 16, 17, 18 and 19 year olds who deserve the same opportunity as Kyle to play and develop and maybe get an education out of it.

The problem is the guys who play a big chunk of their Jr years in the CHL, and then show up in GO to close out their career after it's clear they don't have what it takes to make it to the show. Those guys are toast for NCAA the second they step on the ice wearing a CHL game jersey. So when they drop down to the GO, they are not "developing" for a chance to play US college hockey. They're ineligible! Besides, many/most CHL guys graduate with some kind of scholarship they can use pay towards an education at a Canadian university or college, and maybe even play CIS hockey -- provided they're skilled, motivated and smart enough to do it.

So the question is: If a CHL vet is ineligible for NCAA scholarship, and if he's already got a scholarship in his pocket get a postsecondary education in Canada (where he has a good shot at making a CIS club), then why they need to take up spots on Jr. B rosters? Or, in at least one case we know about with the Corvairs, on a Jr. C affiliate roster?

The answer to the question is because they can. And because teams that can attract these players want to bolster their line-up with the best available talent so they can win games and a championship. Or two championships. Or three championships.

I know there are lots of guys who get a cup of coffee in the CHL (as call-ups for a couple of games) or they play a single season, or maybe part of a season before dropping back to the GO to finish up their Jr. career. Fine. These kids are generally not a problem, especially when they're still relatively young (17 or 18) and have time to "develop" for a shot at CIS or potentially to make the jump back into the O (rare). That said, there should be some limits on how many of these guys you can carry, too.

But when guys get parachuted into Jr B (or Jr. C) rosters as CHL veteran overages after years of playing major junior -- of which several can be identified on a certain roster in the Shoe -- you end up not with a Jr. B team, but something closer to an OHL team.

This is my last post on this issue, as I am sure many people on this forum will applaud. This isn't a "witch hunt" or a hater tirade against CC management or players. These are smart hockey people and super-skilled kids. And I know there are some damn good true Jr. B players (i.e., non-CHLers) who have been "developed" in Caledonia who currently play on the team. But anyone who takes the time to go through their roster can see what's going on here. Building a championship team with a bench filled overwhelmingly by former OHL 20-yr-olds is currently allowed within the rules of league... a Jr. B league. In my opinion, it shouldn't be.

Like you, Port, I hope the league moves in the right direction, and I hope they do it right.

GOOD POST
You and Port are right about the league
I hope they do it right

[ILuvHackey]

Bingo. ILuvHackey nailed it. I hope the league is listening to this kind of logic when the try to sort out the 20yrold rules tomorrow. Cap the number of CHL vets who can play, especially the 20yrold variety, or ban them all together.

Kyle Brothers is one example of 20 year olds still developing. I get that the point is the league's supposed to be about developing 16-18 year olds though.

But if that's how this league wan'ts it to be. Team's need to be prohibited from signing 20 year olds to import cards. There's no reason to be doing that if the league's purpose is developing younger players. Also, the practice of trading/adding 20 year olds at the deadline needs to stop.

I'm dead serious, no sarcasm. If the league wants to move in that direction, they need to do it right!

That's a great point. The big thing is that the 20 year olds we do have should be multiple year Jr. B guys.

[Cali vairs!]

I agree that they should be multiple year guys. With the rule your jut forcing teams like Caledonia to get the best Ohl 20 year olds thy can. Doesn't stop Caledonia from getting another pawley, Nixon, Cody brown, furlong type player. All this rule is gonna do is try and get 19 year olds from the O. I really see no benefits for the rule. Their gonna be about the same amount of development from teams. I think they have to put something in the rules about if u played 3/4 of a season in the Ohl then u count towards the 20 year old cards or have a limit
Of 3 former OHLers

[gojhlrules]

I agree with you cali. they should limit amount of ex ohl players give a chance for late bloomers to make their mark with maybe d1 or d3 or Canadian university

[jfvoll]

or Canadian university

Isn't that what former OHLers do as well?

[Cali vairs!]

Yea that's because their restricted of where they can go. They also have scholarship packages they can use so they don't really need to come to the league and get more scholarships and take them away from other players

[Qwerty]

Is there any word on where the league landed on this issue, or when it will be made public?

[Qwerty]

With thanks to ILuvHackey for posting this on another forum:

http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/sports-sto ... xt-season/

By a “large majority”, teams in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League voted to limit the number of 20-year-olds per team beginning in the 2016-17 season.

In an electronic vote by the 26 member teams last Friday (March 18), it was decided that teams could only carry a maximum of nine, 20-year-olds on their roster.

In addition, should a team sign a player that was on a Canadian Hockey League card the previous season after Jan. 10, it would cost the team the equivalent of two 20-year-old players. The exception to that rule is if the player had previously been on a registered card in the GOJHL during their junior career, then it would cost the team just the one card.

The new rule has been dubbed the 20-Year-Old Player Policy.

GOJHL commissioner Chuck Williams said the new policy will allow the league to fall in line with Junior A leagues throughout Canada. The Ontario Junior Hockey League has a similar policy related to 20-year-old players.

“The Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League is the highest level of junior hockey that’s offered in southwestern Ontario under the OHA (Ontario Hockey Association). With that in mind, we are always trying to improve the product on the ice, which allows us to recruit and develop and promote our players the best we can,” Williams said.

“We’re looking at bringing in the highest-skilled players we can have. We certainly want them to develop not only in their hockey skills, but in life skills, their educational careers and promote them to whatever level is appropriate for them.

“In many cases that’s going to be NCAA scholarships. CIS scholarships, possibly the OHL and beyond, or whatever their hockey career ends up being, we just want to make sure that we’ve developed them to the point that they can choose their path after that.”

Williams said for most teams, the new policy would make little difference. The league average for 20-year-olds per team is 5.69, with only four carrying more than nine this season – Guelph, 10; Leamington, 10; St. Catharines, 11; and Caledonia, 16.

Three teams – Brantford, St. Mary’s and Lambton Shores – didn’t have any 20-year-olds on the roster. The Cambridge Winter Hawks had five at one time, but after trades, whittled the number down to one.

“I would have to say that most teams are already living within this policy,” said Williams, adding there were similar policy models discussed, with just slight modifications to each.

“The purpose for bringing this into play is just like any other rule within a constitution or procedure or policy, or game day operations, is just to standardize the playing field for all of the teams so that we know there is a certain level that is being adhered to.”

While it may seem the policy was brought in after the backlash Caledonia has received for stockpiling 20-year-olds with varying degrees of OHL experience, Williams said change has been talked about for the last two years and it was “not something new that just hit the table”.

But the timing of the policy change certainly had a direct purpose.

“What happened more than anything else is that teams realized that, look, if we’re heading into mini camps, we should really know how we’re going to proceed with this rule. That’s what brought it up at this time.”

[Cali vairs!]

Anybody know if their is a rule against having a bunch of 20 year olds on ur jr c team and let them play like davis brown is this year with his import card