Universities lose numbers to the NCAA, test to all GMs

It was around the end of the first semester that news of U Sports transfers to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) started trickling out of the University of Alberta Golden Bears‘ room, and into the hands of ready and waiting reporters.

At the time, it wasn’t the place to get into it.

The Bears were looking ahead into what should have been a hopeful playoff run. And questions surrounding who would leave, beyond the obvious, would’ve caused more problems than they’re worth when the numbers start to get that large.

Now, the wait is over. It’s on record. The Bears’ hockey team is losing four players to the same NCAA school and likely one or two more elsewhere.

“I know that four of our players are going to one particular school,” Bears general manager (GM), Stan Marple, confirmed when asked if the number of Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players heading to the NCAA was as expected.

We never really got an answer, but this information will do.

The NCAA’s decision to commit CHL players, was both a pro and a con for several leagues, albeit a setback for teams unable to compete with NCAA funding and the lure that comes with an NCAA audience, particularly scouting.

“I suppose maybe they feel they’re getting better exposure. We don’t know the details of why they’re leaving in regards to what financial gain they might be getting by going to an NCAA school,” according to Marple who acknowledged the Bears’ inability to compete with such an incentive. “I know there’s the option that they can pay players now.”

And that is most teams, not just the big names in Big Ten, or the Boston Colleges (BC) of the league producing the next Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Will Smith, or dare I say, James Hagens — what is in the water at BC?

Money? Prestige? Banners? History?

Everything the Bears provide minus a few dollar signs and a path to a different pro league.

“I don’t believe that school has had anybody in the last five years sign entry level contracts from their from their program,” Marple said about the university four of his players have chosen to attend. “And we’ve had three guys sign entry-level contracts from our program in the last, I believe, five or six years: Zach Sawchenko and Noah and Luke Philp. So you know that argument.”

It’s a strong argument, but simply matters less and less to players with NCAA offers and little care of the history and passion of the program they’re choosing to leave behind.

Hey, it’s hard to blame them, or any player from any school for that matter.

If the Bears have set the transfer standard for more points than games played — which they have — then they’re not alone in the NCAA pouching club.

Mount Royal University can say goodbye to star rookie, Justin Lies.

This is probably the last the University of Saskatchewan will see of Landon Kosior.

The University of New Brunswick had a short-lived run with Peter Reynolds. Maybe even third-year Kale McCallum with 39 points in 27 games — as a defensemen — gives someone a flashy two years. That is, if he’s not already going pro.

Sure, the Bears, with a confirmed four, probable five, and possibly six players leaving have it worse, but it’s a test to all teams, and all the GMs will earn their pay check this summer.

“I’d like to think that Canada West is probably the strongest of the three leagues in regards to overall competitiveness. So that makes our players better and the product better, and we just got to work hard to try to get back to where we need to be,” Marple shared in a realistically positive, “we got this” mantra.

It’s called manifesting.

Though, if anyone is able to recruit enough players to make up for the loss in talent, the same GM who just recruited 11 players this past off-season might have a leg up in this race.

Get ready for this though — he might need to recruit 11 more.

All this talk about rookies and we tend to forget the grads. Add a couple players that could head to Europe next year because the Bears are just that good, and next season isn’t a wash, but a challenge for a proven GM.

“I don’t think we’ve never not made the playoffs since I’ve been here.” Good start.

“I think the league’s grown more competitive, so we have to deal with that and try to be better, but I can’t see things changing too much.” That’s what we like to hear.

“I don’t think there’s been [a time], in the 100 and some year history of the program, that we haven’t been competitive. So I’m hopeful that won’t change either going forward.” Sounds like there’s a plan in motion.

So, the hand is slowly lifting of the panic button.

It won’t fully be settled until a few games into the next regular season when the impact of all this recruitment adjustment is barred open for analyzation and slight scrutiny when justified.

In other words, stay tuned.