IF I WERE KING: SUBSTANDARD OPERATORS WOULD BE REMOVED FROM LEAGUES Which of the pay-to-play leagues is going to be the first to give prospects exactly what they are paying to play for?

If I Were King… leagues would have a mechanism in place to force the sale or remove operators that refuse to ice competitive teams, refuse to maintain minimum standards for the level of play, or have a tolerance for players that act like donkeys on the ice.

The real question, which of the Big Three pay-to-play leagues is going to be the first to give prospects exactly what they are paying to play for?

Between North American 3 Hockey League, and non-sanctioned leagues, there are a continuous stream of complaints from families regarding the wide gulf between what was promised during the recruiting process and the reality of their individual experiences.

Today we will talk about an idea that will put one of these leagues clearly above the others. Will it be one of the USA Hockey sanctioned leagues or will one of the non-sanctioned crews jump on the opportunity to rise above?

Imagine the advantages a league would have over the others if they simply delivered on all the promises made in the player agreement. Clearly laying out in writing what a player can expect from his junior hockey team, in exchange for the fee, will be a game changer for the level of play.

A standardized contract for every team, with strict penalties for failure to deliver (that include 100% refunds), would quickly put that league ahead of the pack.

Line Items that should be in every player agreement:

-Guarantee minimum number of games

-Weekly team and individual video work

-Off ice conditioning and physical training

-Minimum number of weekly practice sessions

-Standards for pre and post-game meals approved by a dietitian

-Standards for transportation and overnight accommodations

-Standards equipment and apparel

-Standards for athletic training and/or medical staff at every practice and game

-Standards for roster transparency, that include a written notice to player and league when player is added or dropped. This should also be the date used to pro-rate the player fee, or refund, for each agreement.

-Practice players should be absolute free agents that are available to be contacted by anybody that might be able to utilize their services. The weekly fee to be a practice player should be standardized and set by the league. The league should publish the list of such players.

The Guarantying of such items, in exchange for what often is a five-figure player agreement, should be the expectation and not a pipe dream. As of today, most agreements have fees that are heavily frontloaded. The problem is that a lot of teams take advantage of the situation with no intention of honoring their end of the agreement.

It’s clear that leagues and teams are not taking USA Hockey seriously when standards and player rights are being completely ignored. It’s also become obvious that the perceived oversight of USA Hockey has become all but meaningless.

Maybe one of the non-sanctioned leagues will be the first to step-up and force operators into maintaining their end of the deal. So, which league is going to step up and change the face of pay to play hockey? Now could be the perfect opportunity.