Warren Foegele is a Carolina Hurricanes third round draft pick from 2014. He was also an incoming sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, until last week.
Three games into his sophomore season, Warren Foegele had 1 point, a goal, and was a +2. Last season Foegele broke out as a solid third-line point player for the New Hampshire. Picking up 11 assists and 16 points, and being a -6 in 34 games played. Foegele was primarily in a secondary scoring role as a freshman, which was not an uncommon position for an incoming Freshman prospect.
Foegele unlike Jeremy Bracco, actually finished a full season of NCAA hockey, and competed very well for a freshman. Though it appeared he was struggling to get rolling this season, no one was being too critical of his development at New Hampshire.
Many people are speculating that Foegele may have been influenced by the other NCAA defections to the OHL. Seeing the OHL as a younger league, and as an opportunity to experience more immediate scoring success. NCAA hockey has older more physically mature players making it harder for some young players to adjust and have high levels of scoring success immediately.
The trend of NCAA players leaving for the OHL and other Major Junior leagues is one that continues year in and year out. This is the problem with scholarships. The NCAA should enact a policy stating that if a player leaves school early, on his own accord, any scholarship money used has to be repaid. It could easily be added to any letter of intent.
There is no penalty for these NCAA players choosing to leave their teams, yet if they leave the OHL or other Major Junior league the penalty is that they can not play NCAA hockey. Why is this only a one way street? Why should the be allowed to continue?
Bracco, Doherty, and now Foegele, how many more until someone figures out there is a problem with the commitment system?
Joe Hughes
