For years there has been debate on whether or not expanding import player numbers in the United States would be a positive or negative impact on the growth of hockey.
Some have said that allowing more import players to enter and compete in the United States would be a good thing and would raise competitive levels of play. Some are now also suggesting that allowing more import players into the United States would solve the problem of a lack of players at the Tier III level.
On the other side, many in hockey would say that more import players will only limit opportunity for United States Citizens. Those same people usually point to the amount of international success that American teams have had in the Olympics and other international competitions as indicators that more import players are not needed.
The Amateur Athletic Union’s leagues, Western States Hockey League, Mid West Junior Hockey League and the Northern States League are allowed 8 import players each season with an additional 2 import players if they were on the prior seasons roster for a total of 10 imports allowed. This has not helped WSHL teams or MWJHL teams get to complete roster numbers in many cases.
USA Hockey allowed the USHL and NAHL to raise their import player numbers from 2 to 4 in recent years. Many teams do not use the full complement of import players allowed, and have no trouble finding quality players.
While raising the import player limit for Tier III teams under USA Hockey to 4 like the USHL and NAHL would certainly help some of those teams raise their roster numbers, it does not mean that it will raise the level of play.
The top European players can stay at home and be scouted. There is more scouting in Europe every year, and many of these European players can stay at home and play for free. Why would they come to the United States and pay to play? The players most likely choosing that route’ are not top players any way.
Canadian players have plenty of Junior B options that can allow them a good level of play and the opportunity to be scouted by Canadian University programs as well as Junior A programs. So why would they come to the United States unless they could not compete at those levels?
There are other issues that impact the import player market that many do not even consider or understand. International Ice Hockey Federation player transfer rules and compensation rules also impact how teams based in the United States view import players. That is specifically those teams under USA Hockey.
AAU teams do not pay the IIHF player transfer fee because they are not recognized by the IIHF as a governing body for ice hockey. AAU teams can simply pluck players from other countries and there is nothing the country losing the player can do to prevent it. This gives AAU teams a slight advantage when recruiting those import players who want to play in the United States at the Tier III level.
The best solution to raise the level of play at every level in the United States is not the addition of more import players, but the elimination of bad junior programs.
The Ontario Junior Hockey League took the right steps in eliminating a number of teams within their league in order to condense the talent pool. This initiative is one that is considered to have been very successful by most in the hockey world. The number of players coming out of the OJHL and moving on to higher levels of college and pro hockey are unprecedented in their past.
The WSHL has diluted itself bu over expansion and the move to a greatly increased amount of import players has not shown any increase in the level of play, nor has it proven to be a move that allows for more teams to fill their rosters with quality players.
The USHL and NAHL have shown that they do not always need to use their allowed numbers of import players. The competition in both of these leagues has not suffered, but has actually improved.
While allowing USA Hockey Tier III teams the same amount of imports as the USHL and the NAHL only makes sense and should be done, it certainly would not improve the level of competition to a point where it would inspire a mass exodus of European and Canadian players.
All of the Worlds hockey countries have import player restrictions for a reason. All of them want to develop their own countries players first. This makes sense. Every country puts money into their own programs, so why would they want to invest that money in non-citizens?
Should your neighbor be bumped off of a team because someone from another country wants to come to your country and receive benefit of your tax dollars and financial investment into your community?
While import players provide a unique opportunity for cultural exchanges without having to travel abroad, is that cultural exchange so valuable that you are willing to sacrifice opportunity for one of your own to play and develop?
What happens when the local community learns that “John”, or “Ivan”, or “Sven” do not make their local junior team because “John”, “Ivan” or “Sven” came in from another country and took his spot?
These are questions that each international hockey community must ask themselves when looking at import restrictions. It is not simply a matter of what the United States does or does not do, it is a matter of what the international hockey community does as a whole.
There is no simple answer other than to eliminate unfettered expansion at the Tier III level for at least the next three years to allow some balance to return to that market. The NAHL and USHL are fine the way they are. In the end this boils down through a Tier III impact argument, and if Tier III teams are short of players, they can blame themselves for over expansion.
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
