John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The NHL and CHL transfer agreement prevents drafted major junior players from playing in the AHL full-time.
As THN editor-in-chief Ryan Kennedy reported, there could be a move to change that for 19-year-olds.
And frankly, we think it’s an evolution whose time has come.
Anyone making the argument that 19-year-olds are somehow too delicate and underdeveloped to deal with the rigors of professional hockey is ignoring the fact that the major junior hockey level is basically a pro league unto itself. Eighteen and 19-year-old players put themselves through lengthy bus rides, and perform in front of thousands of fans who pay significant costs for tickets to games in the OHL, WHL and QMJHL. How is that any different in the AHL? To ask it is to answer it. There is no difference.
For some time now, we’ve been seeing changes throughout elite amateur sport that acknowledges the big-business element of the product. In the NCAA, athletes are now paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL) – a huge step forward for fair pay for the hard work and sacrifice they put into their chosen line of work. Similarly, if young hockey players are mature enough to play at hockey’s top level as 18-year-olds, surely they can do the same one level down in the AHL.
There are more than a few examples of 19-year-olds who should’ve been in the AHL rather than returning to the CHL as an older player. Last season, Maple Leafs prospect center Fraser Minten had a solid showing at Leafs training camp, but after a four-game NHL stint with no points, he was returned to junior hockey and posted 22 goals and 48 points in 43 games in the WHL. He easily could’ve and would’ve been sent to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies if he were a year older.
Similarly, Edmonton Oilers prospect Matthew Savoie had a one-game stint as a member of the Buffalo Sabres, and he had a six-game conditioning stint with AHL Rochester, where he generated two goals and five points. But he was then sent back to the WHL, where he put up a whopping 30 goals and 71 points in 34 games. Savoie is small in physical stature, but his skills are elite, and that’s why he would’ve been better served to be in the AHL last season.
Another example is a current one. Leafs prospect Easton Cowan is currently in the OHL as a 19-year-old with the…