Leafs to treat player progression similar to MLB.

[edwardslane]

Jeff Veillette ‏@Jeffler 13m13 minutes ago Ottawa, Ontario
@felixpotvin @Steve_Dangle Dubas has been talking up how he wants to take the baseball approach and have guys start at the ECHL and go up

Dwayne Bennett ‏@DwayneStocksNHL 9m9 minutes ago
@Jeffler @felixpotvin @Steve_Dangle It's a place players like Tyler Biggs go to die~ Good idea though.. Hope it works. #ECHL--- #AHL--- #NHL

ECHL(AA)--> AHL(AAA)-->NHL(MLB)

Most view the ECHL as a demotion, and in the past has been used primarily as such, as well for rehab stints.

With the leafs prospect pool getting deeper and deeper.. and the Marlies roster a mix of AHL veterans + up and coming prospects. There may not be enough room for guys like Gauthier/ Verhaegy etc.

The plan would be to start those guys in the ECHL and promote them when injuries occur in the AHL or when they've shown enough player development to warrant it.

I really like this idea and hope we do go this route

Click to read more...

 

[Daisy Jane]

that's what I've been trying to tell people. like, I get that the ECHL has been known as a Player graveyard, but the leafs want to try to make it so its more of a developmental tool and you just get uber good

 

[Leafidelity]

Might be a reason the camp number jumped to 57 players this year

 

[meefer]

Daisy, I agree, and as an aside, thank you...in another thread you offered 'oodles and oodles'...who else says that Big smile.

 

[Rufio65*]

The ECHL is not a great developmental league, at all. I wish that they would just try and improve the roster by making HOCKEY trades instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

 

[BertCorbeau]

I have no issue with this .. A good progressive move IMO

 

[buttman*]

You can only have 50 contracts. You gonna have 5 of those playing ECHL? Doesn't add up. You can't sign 75 guys.

 

[IBeL34f]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1924927

Probably belongs here, there was some discussion about the ECHL's new role in our organization yesterday.

Makes a ton of sense. If AHL contracts don't count against our limit, that adds a great element to this as well.

 

[Commander Clueless]

The ECHL is not a great developmental league, at all. I wish that they would just try and improve the roster by making HOCKEY trades instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

I'm confused. How do trades affect the path they want to take with developing their prospects? Both things are necessary for rebuilding.

 

[Commander Clueless]

You can only have 50 contracts. You gonna have 5 of those playing ECHL? Doesn't add up. You can't sign 75 guys.

50 NHL contracts.

Players signed by the Marlies only do not count against that limit.

 

[Joey Hoser]

Meh.

I mean, obviously it's better to have a good ECHL system than a bad one, but if how we treat our 20-somethingth best prospects has any impact on the success of the NHL team, I'll be impressed.

 

[Canada4Gold]

You can only have 50 contracts. You gonna have 5 of those playing ECHL? Doesn't add up. You can't sign 75 guys.

some people who play in the AHL get signed to AHL contracts

 

[Bad Goalie]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1924927

Probably belongs here, there was some discussion about the ECHL's new role in our organization yesterday.

Makes a ton of sense. If AHL contracts don't count against our limit, that adds a great element to this as well.

"If AHL contracts don't count against our limit"

They don't. Vancouver had Curtis Valk in Utica on a Utica contract. Utica sent him to the ECHL where he was producing as an all star until injury ended his season. He just participated in Vancouver's prospect camp. Toronto could do the same.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Do other organizations value the ECHL like this? If other organizations don't value that model how will the development of players take place if these players aren't being tested in the ECHL?

 

[pedis]

I think this would be a great idea because the marlies do look pretty deep next year and certain guys would probably gain more from taking prominent roles on the echl teams. This is forward thinking and hopefully works out for us in the end

 

[Stand Witness]

Realistically a lot of our prospects will never become NHL players. If players who become NHL players develop in the AHL why can't our career AHL players develop in the ECHL?

Of course developing in the ECHL doesn't mean you can't make it to the NHL but if all teams are used then it can only be a positive.

 

[MJ65]

Playing in ECHL you are not facing tougher opponents / competition and under those circumstances your progress is stalled - I am not a fan of this league

 

[PJJ]

hockey and baseball should not be compared. you can't just look at statistics in hockey like you can for baseball..

 

[Bullseye]

the limit for contracts is 50 - does that apply to every player in every league? Are any "contracts" exempt from being counted?

 

[deletethis]

I'm skeptical about this having any impact. The Leafs' best prospects won't be playing in the ECHL ever. It'll be for the project prospects. The ECHL isn't just a hockey level demotion it's also a salary demotion for many of the players. Remnants of cement head hockey survives in the ECHL. Players on AHL contracts are free agents with regards to the NHL and free to sign anywhere. Let's hope a gem doesn't emerge while on an AHL contract that another organization swoops in and signs (probably not a problem while the Leafs are in rebuild mode).

 

[DopeyFish]

the limit for contracts is 50 - does that apply to every player in every league? Are any "contracts" exempt from being counted?

I assume players that play in ECHL don't require a contract... so this move will probably lead to late arriving ELCs

 

[Northern Dancer]

The ECHL is not a great developmental league, at all. I wish that they would just try and improve the roster by making HOCKEY trades instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

You are very wrong JB. The overwhelming majority of CHL graduates and NCAA graduates who are not drafted cannot make the ECHL. It is very under-rated. BTW our top prospects will not play there.

 

[ACC1224]

Jeff Veillette ‏@Jeffler 13m13 minutes ago Ottawa, Ontario
@felixpotvin @Steve_Dangle Dubas has been talking up how he wants to take the baseball approach and have guys start at the ECHL and go up

Dwayne Bennett ‏@DwayneStocksNHL 9m9 minutes ago
@Jeffler @felixpotvin @Steve_Dangle It's a place players like Tyler Biggs go to die~ Good idea though.. Hope it works. #ECHL--- #AHL--- #NHL

ECHL(AA)--> AHL(AAA)-->NHL(MLB)

Most view the ECHL as a demotion, and in the past has been used primarily as such, as well for rehab stints.

With the leafs prospect pool getting deeper and deeper.. and the Marlies roster a mix of AHL veterans + up and coming prospects. There may not be enough room for guys like Gauthier/ Verhaegy etc.

The plan would be to start those guys in the ECHL and promote them when injuries occur in the AHL or when they've shown enough player development to warrant it.

I really like this idea and hope we do go this route

Discussed the other day. Novel approach but I don't see how it's possible with only 50 contracts.

 

[deletethis]

I dislike the contract limitation of 50. It's just another way that the NHL CBA cripples the rich franchises from using their financial clout for any sort of competitive advantage. You'd think the NHLPA wouldn't care if the Toronto Maple Leafs had 10 more players under contract so I imagine it's the rest of the NHL who rake in that sweet transfer money their market didn't earn who won't even allow wealthier franchise even this modest advantage.

 

[Mess]

Do other organizations value the ECHL like this? If other organizations don't value that model how will the development of players take place if these players aren't being tested in the ECHL?

Some ECHL have no NHL affiliation and some teams have multiple NHL teams sharing one ECHL team as its simply an overflow for your AHL team for players you have under contract for somewhere to play that are not good enough for the AHL.

Teams on average send 5-6 players max to the league and pay their salaries while their down there helping out the ECHL with costs/funding to pay salaries as well as supplying some free talent for the team.

The ECHL is expecting an NHL teams weakest prospects not their best ones as those are developed in the AHL. They fill out the rest of their rosters on their own with UFAs and undrafted or unsigned players often cut loose by NHL teams.