Even if a few players committed to the NCAA have already confirmed their return to the CHL due to the new regulations, we should not necessarily expect a mass exodus of players from the United States to Canada, particularly those playing in the American junior league, the USHL.
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Since no agreement exists between this American circuit and the CHL teams, transfer rights must therefore be negotiated individually, between the two teams.
Some told us about amounts that could vary between $10,000 and $15,000.
“These are significant amounts,” confirms the general manager of the Victoriaville Tigres, Kevin Cloutier, without going into precise figures. There is no limit to what they can ask for so they won’t give gifts.”
We can understand them. After all, the USHL wants to maintain its assets or, at the very least, get a fair price for the hours and money invested in player development.
This is why we should not necessarily expect a massive exodus of players from the USHL to the QMJHL, believe several hockey players. At the very least, it will make things more complicated, especially for smaller markets.
Montreal goaltender Rudy Guimond did just that, recently leaving Cedar Rapids to join the Moncton Wildcats.
The amount of the transfer is not known.
Established agreements
The circuit has transfer agreements with the vast majority of neighboring circuits, including the M18 AAA circuit, the junior AAA league and the junior A circuits in the Maritimes.
These agreements ensure that transfer fees are established in advance, according to a charter. For example, a team that wants to attract a 16-year-old player playing at the M18 AAA level must pay fees often varying between $3,000 and $6,000, depending on the period during which the transfer request is made.
These amounts are lower in the other circuits.
We shouldn’t expect to see many U18 AAA players joining QMJHL teams full-time before the holiday break, for academic reasons.
Different in the BCHL
Before the new regulations, players who wanted to play in the NCAA had a few options if they did not want to lose their eligibility and the majority opted for “prep school” type programs, the USHL as well as the BCHL in British Columbia.
Since the BCHL is not a circuit sanctioned by Hockey Canada, the players who play there can leave whenever they want, which Olivier Beaulieu (Shawinigan) and Enzo Lottin (Victoriaville) have already done in recent days, provided that a transfer request to Hockey Canada is accepted.
A formality, it seems. Lottin was already heading to Victoriaville on Wednesday, a few hours after making his request.
