Underage NHL players

[tarheelhockey]

Eric Lindros was big and strong enough to play in the NHL at 16

Big and strong, but neither experienced nor mature.

The NHL would've eaten him alive, even more than it actually did.

 

[UsernameWasTaken]

The rules are fine as they are.

 

[Caeldan]

Honestly, if anything the league should raise the age limit to 22.
Every year we see these 18-20 year old kids still growing into their frames getting decimated by guys in their late 20s at peak strength and causing career limiting injuries.

 

[Ttracer*]

Anyone that's NHL ready should be playing

If you're 16 dominating AHL or overseas, there's no point putting an age restriction on someone that's obviously ready. It's not like 16 year olds are stupid, they know NHLers are bigger and stronger. Chances are they would play "too cautiously" but still they would learn the game faster. Upping the age to 22 is moronic, some players have their best playing years at 19-21. This isn't a hyper popular sport like basketball or football, the talent pool is so tiny already let's open the borders a bit

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

If 5'9 150 lbs Johnny Hockey can destroy the NHL, then surely 17 year old Connor McDavid could destroy the league as well.

 

[Jeremy2020]

Simply because there have been a very small handful of players who could possibly, maybe have done it, doesn't mean it should be done. There's a larger picture.

It would push players to get into the NHL as soon as possible to make money. Players who may not be ready for it.

Lower level would lose star players which would mean a loss of money / talent level and likely cause development to suffer overall because of players trying to get into NHL earlier and less teams in those leagues.

Who manages the players money until they are 18? You want read about player's financial issues with their parents or hear from their parents about how their baby should replace so and so?

So...many issues...

 

[Mayor Bee]

I must be one of only a handful who remembers when underage European prospects came over to play in the IHL in the 1990s.

Radek Bonk played the 1993-94 season with the Las Vegas Thunder.

Petr Sykora played a handful of games in 1993-94 with the Cleveland Lumberjacks and all of 1994-95 with the Detroit Vipers.

Robert Dome played 1995-96 with the Utah Grizzlies and 1996-97 split between the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the Las Vegas Thunder.

Sergei Samsonov played 1996-97 with the Detroit Vipers.

Patrik Stefan played part of 1997-98 and all of 1998-99 with the Long Beach Ice Dogs.

It's worth pointing out that none of these players came close to matching their touted potential. Samsonov was universally regarded as the next Bure (if not better) when he was 15; he peaked early and was basically done as a high-level player when he was 25. Stefan got lit up in the IHL, suffering two moderate-to-severe concussions; his career highs were 14 goals and 40 points. Dome was a complete waste. Sykora and Bonk carved out long and serviceable careers; both had a good peak but weren't All-Star caliber.

All were regarded as future NHL stars before they came over. Was the early hype too much? Was their development actually stunted by playing full seasons early against guys who were one step below the NHL?

 

[MrGold]

Eric Lindros was big and strong enough to play in the NHL at 16

His size certainly helped him have a long career.

 

[Ttracer*]

If 5'9 150 lbs Johnny Hockey can destroy the NHL, then surely 17 year old Connor McDavid could destroy the league as well.

Give me a break, a PP shooter on a fringe team? Johnny didn't "destroy the NHL" he had a decent season then got stonewalled by the Ducks.

Johnny Goudreau destroying the NHL, thats frikkin funny

 

[Captain Bowie]

They should wait until they're finished high school before the enter the best hockey league in the world (or another pro league for that matter).

 

[Captain Bowie]

If 5'9 150 lbs Johnny Hockey can destroy the NHL, then surely 17 year old Connor McDavid could destroy the league as well.

Destroy?

http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?fetchKey=20152ALLSASALL&viewName=summary&sort=points&gp=1&pg=2

Hint: He's on page 2.

 

[LMFAO]

No, if anything they should be draft when they are older, 19 would be perfect.

 

[tarheelhockey]

It's not like 16 year olds are stupid, they know NHLers are bigger and stronger. Chances are they would play "too cautiously"

It's a scientific fact that 16 year olds have an undeveloped sense of risk aversion.

A kid that age might know that Zdeno Chara is bigger and stronger and can hurt him, but put the puck on that kid's stick in Game 7 overtime and there's a good chance he fails to make a safe decision -- for the same reason that an ordinary kid that age drives too fast, gets in fights and jumps off his roof for a YouTube audience. All it takes is getting carried away one time, and that kid is skating right into danger at full speed, in a way that a more seasoned player wouldn't think of doing.

There's a reason that kids don't play in the pros. It's dangerous and the negatives far outweigh the positives from a career standpoint.

 

[Terry Yake]

The rules are fine as they are.

this

 

[AlexandreBurrows]

You can't play in the MLB, NFL, or NBA younger than 18 or 19 either.