Odds of making NHL slim but OHL process rewarding

Parents of promising players should use trustworthy agents and advisers to avoid the pitfalls

A few weeks back, Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario government made a decision to exclude Ontario Hockey League players from employment standards legislation by declaring them amateur athletes.

This finally brought the 425 OHL players in line with the players in the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

This entire situation came about when a Toronto-based law firm brought a $180 million class action lawsuit against the Canadian Hockey League which oversees the three leagues. The suit contends that the teams in the three leagues owe all the players and former players for outstanding wages, overtime pay, holiday and vacation pay.

With this legislation Ontario is now with most of the other provinces and U.S. states in which the teams of the CHL play in declaring the players are amateur athletes not employees.

David Branch, the commissioner of the OHL, stated this is a critical issue, affecting “not just major hockey but all amateur sports leagues.” He added he is working to confirm CHL players are not considered employees regulated by employment standards legislation.

If players were considered employees, some CHL franchises could fold. It is questionable a team like the Petes, the longest continuously running franchise in the CHL, would be financially viable. Also not known is how much of what the teams now pay would be downloaded to the players if they became employees receiving a wage.

Now teams pay for sticks, skates, equipment, travel, weekly expense money, room and board for players, arena rentals, trips home and of course, education packages.

In the 2017-18 academic year the 20 OHL clubs spend $3,125,000 on education packages for graduated players. In addition, they spent another $475,000 on the education of their current players. That works out to an average of $180,000 per team.

Most major junior players play for one reason alone; to compete at the highest level their skills allow and hope it gives them a chance to play at a level for money someday. Every player knows just a small percentage of CHL players go on to make money at hockey but a greater number get an education and most go on to use the experience to enhance their life in other ways.

The Huffington Post, using research by former Peterborough Petes trainer Jim Parcels and Hockey News writer Ken Campbell, estimated that 0.16 per cent of players in Ontario will be drafted to the NHL and only 0.02 per cent will have a career in the NHL, using the 400-games minimum for a player’s pension as the criteria of a career.

It is a definite long-shot for a young hockey player to make it to the NHL. But hockey does allow focused players to get on the road to that dream earlier and enjoy the trip wherever it may take them. For the majority who do not achieve that dream, the process itself has many rewards.

For most, the watershed moment is minor midget hockey. That level sorts out the few that have a chance and the many that do not because of the junior A leagues’ priority drafts.

Fortunately, this happens at 16 years of age allowing the young players to refocus. They can continue to use hockey for a vehicle for physical activity, enjoyment and possible educational opportunities or they can strike out in another direction.

The problem with this process are the few adults that are involved not to do what is best for the young players and give them realistic advice but who are in it to use these players dreams for their own financial benefits.

It is essential parents educate themselves to all the possibilities facing their son and use trustworthy agents and advisers to avoid the pitfalls. Don Barrie is a retired teacher, former Buffalo Sabres scout and a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Peterborough and District Sports Hall of Fame. His column appears each Saturday in The Examiner.