THE VAULT: NINETEEN MAN PROTECTED ROSTERS The goals of junior hockey are to promote, develop, and administer the domestic USA Hockey program for junior-aged players, teams and leagues.

The above is the stated purpose of junior hockey in the United States. Let’s ask the game’s fourth-liners, healthy scratches, and third goalies how much promotion and development they are experiencing.

Protected rosters should be limited to nineteen players. All others should free to go to any team that wants them. That's a BIG should. 

Hockey purest often are heard whining that the junior level has over expanded, that the leagues are killing the game. I don’t agree.

Let’s use the number 25 as the current size of most protected rosters. Some leagues allows as many as 70. If junior roster sizes were reduced to 19, every player would be getting the ice time needed to enhance overall development.

Let’s be realistic, the only logical reason any player should be a healthy scratch should be the result of a disciplinary issue.

There are a number of economic advantages to this concept as well. The bus costs are the same, but equipment, hotel and meal expenses are easily reduced by 20% of more.

Educational concerns are understandable. Undergraduates should not be moved unless it is within a structure that does not require a school transfer. Obviously this works great for virtual school students.

The same roster size concept should also be applied to the pay-to-play level as well. I have to believe that parents are going to be more than willing to shell out 20% more money if it means little Johnny is really going to play.

Something else, if a pay-to-play team is taking all the money up front, the player has to play and dress in every game he is healthy enough to do so.

Goalies are an entirely different animal. If a coach feels strongly enough about the player that he wants to offer a contract and take the family’s money, then the goalie should be entitled to play in half the games. Failure to do so should result in an outright release AND prorated refund based on the number of minutes played.

A few years back, an NA3HL team had three goalies on the roster. In an early season three-game weekend series, the self-centered coach decided to play the NAHL veteran in all three of the games. Reason #24 that coach will never get another one of our players.

Roster deadline dates would have to be adjusted and the restriction of movement between the tiers would have to be eliminated. The developmental advantages far exceed the logistical headaches of moving players from team to team. Maybe such a practice would force a number of unsanctioned programs back into the fold of USA Hockey?

Water will always find its own path and junior hockey should do the same thing. We need to stop blowing smoke up these player’s backside and let them play.

Wherever that may be.