College athletes face a difficult decision every year at this time: Do I sign with an NHL team and risk my future, or return to school? Hockey players are no different than other student-athletes when it comes to the risks of getting drafted. Getting drafted means you’ll likely make it like a pro, but there are downsides. Signing an NHL contract before you graduate means forfeiting your eligibility to play for your school again. If you get drafted but don’t sign with the team that drafts you, you can return to school and keep your eligibility for one more year. Read on to learn more about the risks of getting drafted as a college hockey player.
Do College Students Get Drafted?
There is no military draft in the United States, so college students cannot be drafted into the military. However, they may be eligible for enlistment into the military if they meet certain criteria.
Why Do Some Players Get Drafted And Others Don’t?
- College athletes are not drafted because they are required to sign a contract by the NHL before they can play. College athletes can’t just join an NHL team because they want to play professional hockey, so they must sign a contract first.
- The NHL does not draft college players because it is worried about the possible injury risks that come with drafting college athletes. The NHL wants to protect its players from injury, and the NCAA has strict rules about player safety in order to protect their players from getting injured.
- College athletes aren’t drafted because of money. The NHL pays its players well, and often gives them bonuses for winning championships or making the playoffs. Because of this, most college athletes don’t have much interest in signing with an NHL team unless there is a significant amount of money involved for each year that they play in college and for each year that they play professionally after college graduation (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t become very successful pros because they usually don’t stick around long enough to make it like a pro (they are usually traded). However, there are some exceptions: Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby were both able to make it like a pro after playing only one or two seasons in the NHL (Crosby doesn’t have many years left as he’s 32 years old now). Other exceptions include Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews who have both stayed in the NHL for many years and have made it like a pro.
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually aren’t very good at playing hockey. College athletes are required to play hockey every day, and sometimes play on different teams, so they have to be really good at hockey in order to succeed in college (and sometimes even after college). In order for these players to become really good at hockey, they have to practice a lot and play a lot of games. If these players don’t practice or play enough games during the season, they will probably not be able to become really good at hockey.
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t want to work hard enough in order to succeed as pros. College athletes usually don’t want to work as hard as pros because they are young and can still have fun playing hockey. However, if these players do not work hard enough during their time in college (and maybe even after college) then they will probably not be able to succeed as pros because they won’t be able to keep up with the speed of pro games and the physicality of them (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t show any interest in working hard during their time playing for their school teams or any interest whatsoever in working harder than other players on their team (unless there’s a significant amount of money involved). College athletes usually don’t work hard enough in college because they are young and can still have fun playing hockey. However, if these players do not work hard enough during their time in college (and maybe even after college) then they will probably not be able to succeed as pros because they won’t be able to keep up with the speed of pro games and the physicality of them (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t know how to find success at playing hockey. College athletes usually don’t know how to play hockey, so they usually have no idea how to become successful at playing the game. However, if these players do not know how to play the game, then they will probably not be able to succeed as pros because they won’t have a clue about what it takes to succeed at playing hockey (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t have any sense of pride when it comes to their abilities or skills when it comes down to whether or not they can succeed as pros or not (unless there’s a significant amount of money involved). College athletes often don’t feel proud about their abilities in order for them to succeed at playing hockey and make themselves better than other players and teams on the ice. If these players do not feel proud about their abilities then they will probably never become really good at playing hockey, which is essential for them to succeed as pros (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t have any sense of pride in their abilities or skills when it comes down to whether or not they are successful at being pros or not. College athletes often don’t feel proud about their abilities in order for them to succeed at playing hockey and make themselves better than other players and teams on the ice. However, if these players do not have a sense of pride about their abilities then they will probably never become really good at playing hockey, which is essential for them to succeed as pros (more on this below).
- Players who get drafted into the NHL usually don’t know how hard it is to succeed at being a pro player (unless there’s a significant amount of money involved). College athletes often don’t know how hard it is to be successful at being a pro player because they are young and can still have fun playing hockey. However, if these players do not know how hard it is to be successful as a pro, then they will probably never become really good at playing hockey, which is essential for them to succeed as pros (more on this below).
The Risks Of Getting Drafted
- The risks of getting drafted are that it is very difficult to succeed as a pro.
- The risks of getting drafted are that it is very difficult to succeed at being a pro player.
- The risks of getting drafted are that it is very difficult for these players to succeed at being pros.
- The risks of getting drafted are that these players will probably never become really good at playing hockey.
Final Words
Getting drafted is a huge honor and getting a scholarship to play college hockey is a great accomplishment. But it’s important to understand the risks of getting drafted and make sure that’s the path you want to pursue. If you decide to get drafted, be sure you know what you’re getting into and how to take advantage of opportunities that come your way.
