Mid way through September and those slosely kept secrets of roster numbers that were kept all summer are starting to come out into the open.
A few things in junior hockey always remain true. Bad recruiters do not get better, and bad recruiters are almost always the reason that teams fail. Teams fail because they have a lack of quality billets. Teams fail because they charge too much and people cant afford the tuition. Teams fail because they never move players to the next level. Some teams fail because they have all of these issues.
Rarely does a team go under because they worked hard, and just could not find the players to commit. Rarely does a team fail due to an arena issue. Suddenly though, league management is starting to step in with some teams facing failure before they can damage any of the players they may be holding onto.
The USPHL has again stepped in and folded three more Premier, Elite and AAA franchises. Having control over player registration and seeing exactly who has the numbers on their roster to compete before they can take the ice allows for quality control at the top.
The NA3HL though is willing once again to let weak and unstable teams to continue to compete. The Carolina Rage, affiliated and owned by the same owner who owns the disastrous NAHL Maine Nordiques played this weekend with twelve players on the ice Sunday. Going zero and three in their first three games with having one goal scored, and thirty three goals against.
Meanwhile the NA3 Pelham Prowlers took their fourteen players to the ice, losing three games in a row over the weekend. Pelham has started this season with an obvious goal of setting records. Six straight losses to start the season with seven goals scored and sixty eight goals scored against.
It gets more interesting this week and next. The EHL, EHLP, AEJHL, NJHL and other pay to play leagues will be kicking off their seasons. More USPHL Premier and Elite teams start their seasons, and the remaining NA3 teams will be hitting the ice.
Based on messages, and player information there are another twelve to twenty teams with low roster numbers. How many end up playing is the only question left to be asked. Half way through September, and the bodies cant be kept hidden much longer.
