Pioneers must deal with fast line change.

Here is an interesting article from the Denver Post on players like Trotter leaving their college team early. While it hurts to lose players during the season I don't see a need to have any unnecessary rules on saying how long a player has to stay or when they can leave. From Lucia's comments in this article it would appear that Lucia would like to get rid of the one and done players like Phil Kessel and Erik Johnson.

Say for a moment if there was a rule like this then in UND's case the Sioux probably don't get players like Jonathon Toews, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac or David Toews. I would rather have these players come play in the WCHA for one and two season instead of not having them play in the WCHA at all. Whats good for Minnesota is not alway good for the rest of the league. If that was the case the Gophers don't get players like Erik Johnson or Phil Kessel because they end up going to Major Juniors in Canada instead.

(Read the whole article right here)

NCAA hockey is one of three major development entities for the NHL, but the only one that is unprotected from absorbing in-season player departures to NHL contracts.

If Trotter or Okposo played in the Canadian Hockey League, otherwise known as major junior, or a European elite league, they would have been prohibited or deterred from signing NHL deals.

"There is no deterrent with us at all," Western Collegiate Hockey Association commissioner Bruce McLeod said. "We have to come up with a deterrent, whether you can't sign after the season starts, or even like July 15, because it's hard to replace a guy after that.

"But, of course, we can't deal with money. We can't impose fines like the (International Ice Hockey Federation). It has to be a rule like major junior."

In major junior, an NHL prospect learns his full-season status after the first 10 NHL regular- season games. He sticks with the NHL club or is sent back to major junior for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.

If an NHL club signs an IIHF player and that player does not play in the NHL, the team that signs him compensates the IIHF team up to $150,000.

"We have to inject some rules to protect college hockey," Gophers coach Don Lucia said. " (DU's) situation is a little different than ours (with Okposo), but we have to find a common ground. Other leagues are protected and ours isn't. . . . We don't hold any cards, and therein lies the problem. We don't have any leverage."

This is an interesting article and it is something to think about. I am not so sure that we need to have another rule detailing how long a player needs to agree on staying in college. I guess coaches might have to make sure they are communicating with their players through the season.