The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline recently shared that the Columbus Blue Jackets may seek a waiver from the CHL-NHL Agreement for prospects Jordan Dumais and Denton Mateychuk. This waiver would allow for Columbus to send the prospects to the AHL, rather than their respective juniors leagues, if they don’t make the NHL roster. This comes in the wake of Shane Wright (OHL) receiving a waiver and Matthew Savoie (WHL) likely being rejected for one.
While there’s certainly an argument in his favor, the Blue Jackets may struggle to win in favor of Mateychuk, who’s spent part of the last four seasons in the WHL. Players are eligible for AHL, rather than CHL, assignment if they’re 20 years old before December 31st, something that Savoie and Wright miss by just a few days. Mateychuk, on the other hand, misses this mark by over six months, stacking the odds against him. The WHL recently rejected Savoie’s request for this waiver despite him arguably having a better case for the exemption than Shane Wright. This sets a precedent in western Canada that Columbus will have to overcome if they want to send Mateychuk to the AHL.
But while Mateychuk faces an uphill battle, there’s no certainty what Dumais will receive. In a year that’s seen a flurry of AHL waiver requests, nobody has yet to request from the QMJHL. Columbus will now be pulling the third league into the conversation, likely helping their chances at bringing light to the CHL-NHL agreement. Dumais doesn’t turn 20 until April and has played an uninterrupted three years in the QMHL, holding him back from either the age or seasons played requirements that can earn a player AHL eligibility. He likely carries the weakest case of the four players, but there’s no arguing his prowess over the juniors league. Dumais has recorded back-to-back 100-point seasons in the QMJHL, netting a staggering 140 points last year. While points don’t impact the CHL-NHL agreement, they could be a strong variable in the arguments for how Dumais has outgrown the league.
Whether Columbus receives this waiver for either player is yet to be seen. But they become the third NHL team to request something along these lines in just the last month. Regardless of the outcome, their involvement continues to lift up the question of if, and how, the CHL-NHL agreement could be redesigned for the modern hockey landscape.
Send them all to Switzerland men’s league and then the Junior leagues will not benefit from their stars and the players will benefit from better competition!
Well, isn’t that just the best idea!
You obviously live near a CHL team and have a homer’s bias rather than what is best for the player!
I’m actually an American NHL fan concerned about where talent is going to come from as the NHL continues with expansion plans. I could care less about the CHL, but the reality is it’s the top producer of players and the NHL relies upon it heavily so it needs to be handled carefully and properly.
Only in the NHL does a minor league hold this much power over the top league. Can someone explain to me what the benefit is for the NHL to maintain this agreement?
CHL players are under contract to their CHL teams. The agreement between the CHL and the NHL stipulates how and when the players (really at the request of the NHL team that they belong to) can break that contract and go from the CHL to another league. Without it, the NHL could not get their hands on these players at all until they age out of the CHL.
The NHL needs a strong CHL because the CHL produces more NHL players than anything else. The vast majority of Canadian players pass through the CHL.
The CHL needs good players to help with revenue. More revenue, better ability for the CHLto produce NHL stars. At the upper margin like Wright and Savioe, it might suck. But overall it makes the NHL better.
I had a feeling this was gonna happen. With that stupid agreement between the CHL and NHL keeping 19 year olds out of the AHL. This only benefits the CHL. They need to lump it, and be subject to losing some of their best players. A lot of 19 year olds are too good to be playing in the CHL.
The CHL is too weak already as it is. Too watered down – too many teams and not enough players. If they lose all their top players to pro early, the development of the younger talent stagnates and in the end, the NHL suffers for it just as much as the CHL for it. And you don’t need to look any further than the ‘03 draft to see that it doesn’t hurt these players to have to spend a little more time in junior hockey.
@HockeyDude:
’03 was 20 years ago though. The business of hockey is continually evolving. The CHL is starting to lose some of the best youngsters to the USHL, and US colleges. For example Adam Fantilli, and presumptive 24 #1 pick Macklin Celebrini. They need to change with the times.
The tube CHL didn’t lose those players, the Jr. A leagues did. There have always been Canadian players who have chosen the college route and that number isn’t increasing.
@HockeyDude
Wrong
“Traditionally the best players in the world are choosing the CHL route, but that is definitely changing.
Over 30% of the NHL is coming from the NCAA now. A majority of those players are American but we are starting to see some elite Canadian prospects make that decision to play NCAA hockey.
Cale Makar and Alex Newhook are the most notable players to play NCAA hockey recently.
“Some NHL scouts have confided to me that they think the NCAA is now the best amateur league in the world,” said one NCAA coach. “Most of that has to do with the number of older players in the league, but also the influx of high end talent deciding to go that route.”
link to elitelevelhockey.com
“But that is changing. More than a third of NHL players have come through the U.S. college system, a number that was 20 per cent more than 20 years ago. Some of that is a reflection of the influx of American-born talent into the NHL — Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser and Johnny Gaudreau all played in the NCAA — but Canadians are also eyeing the U.S. college system in increasing numbers. If nothing else, college hockey is proving to be a viable alternative to the well-worn route to the pros for a Canadian kid: get drafted into the Canadian Hockey League and hope to eventually make the leap from junior to the professional ranks.”
link to torontosun.com
I’m not exactly playing “devil’s advocate” but maybe they should just grant the exceptions to anyone who asks? Surely it wouldn’t be quite the slippery slope the imagination fears.
Well, one could make the argument that we should allow that to happen all the way down the ladder. Let the peewees that think they should play bantam, the bantam play midget…I think we all know how that would go.
Sorry if that offends anyone, I don’t know what they call the levels anymore.