THE FIVE: BAD HABITS THAT TURN OFF COLLEGE HOCKEY COACHES Major junior player eligibility gives college hockey coaches a big advantage.

Competition among college hockey coaches has always been fierce. But the current recruiting environment allows college programs, when they see their chances improving of landing one recruit over another, to turn their heads away from other athletes who are equally qualified. It is the new nature of recruiting.

Now that players from the Canadian Hockey League are eligible for NCAA Division I hockey, coaches at every level of college hockey find themselves looking at a much deeper player pool.

That puts prospects at a distinct disadvantage. Yes, there are more coaches out there recruiting. However, one small slip in skill, attitude or other key trait can doom a prospect’s opportunities to be followed, recruited, and committed.

Here are five characteristics college coaches will not tolerate from prospects:

Disrespect: Regardless of how manifested, when a young player shows even the slightest degree of disrespect, they are toast with coaches. Look in another direction while getting instructions from a coach? Treat family members badly? Finished. Argue with a referee or even a linesman? Take a hike. Pick one or any number of other rude acts? You are history.

Temper: Toss a water bottle, argue with a teammate, ignore a coach’s instructions or yell like a banshee, and you will be crossed off the list. Coaches see bad tempers as long-term fixes and they do not have the time to be psychologists for the uncontrollable head case.

Lack of Promptness: When coaches see young players are habitually tardy, they begin to doubt whether they will be able to manage their own time in college. If a youngster cannot be on time with adult supervision, a coach must assume there is no chance that he or she will turn a new leaf when left on their own.

Laziness: So-called game players are of no use to college coaches. There are too many issues coaches already have to cope with to add a lazy player to the list. If you plan to be a college athlete, you must prove it every time you step onto the ice. Too many hard workers are available for coaches to spend a minute considering the rehabilitation of a lazy one.

Selfishness: Success in college hockey has everything to do with teamwork. A selfish player sticks out like a zombie on steroids. Coaches want nothing to do with them.