For many junior prospects, it has now been the better part of a year since they played any competitive hockey. That’s unacceptable for many trying to continue their development, so seeking out opportunities overseas is priority number one. For Jean-Luc Foudy, it has resulted in a loan to Morrums GolS IK in Sweden’s third-tier Hockeyettan.
Foudy, 18, was just selected 75th overall by the Colorado Avalanche last month, but currently doesn’t have a place to play. He is a member of the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, who haven’t yet started their season (or released a concrete schedule) and was not invited to Canada’s World Junior selection camp. For now, he’s going to suit up in Sweden, playing there until the OHL starts back up. If it doesn’t, his agreement lasts for the entire Hockeyettan season.
It’s important for prospects to get playing time, especially ones like Foudy who have a standout skill but lack polish in other areas. Foudy, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets Liam Foudy, is an incredibly fast skater, perhaps the quickest in the entire 2020 draft class. Unfortunately, he lacks some of the other skills that made his brother a first-round pick and notably has just 23 goals in 126 OHL games.
It’s important to remember that even once a player is drafted, he isn’t actually signed to a professional contract and thus not guaranteed a pro career. Foudy has not yet signed his entry-level deal with the Avalanche, and though in his specific case that is still a likelihood, some prospects that miss out on development time will never even get an offer. There are not endless jobs for young players out there, nor will all of them wish to travel overseas when they are still just teenagers. But with junior leagues still so uncertain—the QMJHL, which is playing, has been a complicated mess of scheduling and travel thanks to COVID-19 outbreaks—the bold ones will seek out opportunity elsewhere.