USA Hockey makes the rules for all USA Hockey sanctioned leagues. The only USA Hockey Tier III sanctioned league, is the NA3HL. And now, through USA Hockey the NA3HL has shown exactly who it is, what it is about, and how much player development plays into thier business.
Allow me to be blunt, any moron signing an NA3HL contract that effectively denies prospects the ability to leave and play in higher level and better leagues needs to get an attorney involved before signing. Because the NA3HL has done exactly that with its new refund policy through USA Hockey
The new USA Hockey NA3HL refund policy states;
From Date of Signing to December 31 — From the tuition for the full season, an amount up to 25% thereof shall be refunded (deducting for recruitment and related expenses).
So dear readers if you understand what is said, the NA3HL can keep 75% of your tuition whether you leave the team on Septeber 10th or December 31st. Thats right, thanks for your money, good luck and here’s the finger for your trouble.
Oh yes, one little tidbit in that rule is that refunds do not have to be provided until April 15th to April 30th. Just enough time that can pass where you cant dispute your credit card charges and you might just forget that the refund is owed.
But it gets better!!!!
If the player joins a non-USA Hockey member team at any time before the end of the season, no refund is owed.
Thats right, if you leave for the EHL or USPHL you get nothing. But in order to have a complete understanding you really need to read the rule.
That rule actually also means that if you leave for a Canadian Tier II/Junior A team, you get nothing!
Thats right, a sneaky rule change that inhibits development and restricts your players from advancing to better leagues. Nothing says we do not care about Tier III players and their development, like a rule change like this.
Now I know some people may get offended with my statements in this article. Those are probably the same people that either support the NA3HL or USA Hockey blindly, or have a complete lack of intelligence.
This rule change is spitting in the face of every player and parent who is looking for opportunity to advance. It is a license for NA3HL teams to steal money that they have not earned simply because they are USA Hockey sanctioned.
News flash for the NA3HL and USA Hockey. People wouldn’t leave your programs if they were as good as advertised or if you delivered on real development. People only leave one program for another when they discover that the new opportunity is better than the one they currently have. It’s a consumer right to change their mind when quality is not as advertised.
The reason the NA3HL needs this rule change is simple. Too many players are leaving. That problem would not exist if the NA3HL had better operators, higher standards, and actually delivered on its promises. Oh, and maybe they have too many teams and have over expanded to a point where it is clear they value quantity over quality.
Hockey Canada at least has the balls to come out and make rules against non Hockey Canada programs and states why they are in force.
But USA Hockey and the NA3HL are lead by their wallets and nothing more. They do not have the balls to admit the EHL and USPHL offer better products and better development. They wont admit that any Canadian Junior A program is going to offer better development than their program.
But USA Hockey and the NA3HL cant call the USPHL and EHL “outlaw” because in the USA it would be illegal. It would violate anti trust laws. It would violate their Congressional authority.
So the big middle finger is not just to the USPHL and EHL, but it is to Junior A in Canada. Now players cant take advantage of callups to Canada without giving up their money to this scam that seeks to be validated by some rule change that no one other than the “Junior Council” was able to vote on. That “Junior Council” only consisting of the USHL, NAHL and of course the NA3HL.
Where are the rest of the Junior Hockey standards for Tier I and Tier II? They sure aren’t in the annual guide any more. Parents and players dont get to see those standards. So much for transparency.
This rule change is nothing more than highway robbery in the monopoly that is USA Hockey and the NA3HL. Disgusting. Discriminatory. Destructive.
Anyone signing in the NA3HL is a fool and is limiting his upward mobility because of the greed in the NA3HL and USA Hockey’s protection of that greed.
