Franko Backs Out on Bemidji
by WCHBlog on Aug 31, 2010 10:19 PM PDT
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Print(Side note: First Bemidji news item since they joined the WCHA? You've made it, baby, in the smallest possible way.)
For the past couple of days, I was watching with raised eyebrows as Bemidji recruit Zach Franko was in attendance at the Kelowna Rockets tryout camp. Franko, a speedy forward out of Winnipeg, was a second round draft choice of the Rockets two years ago, and at one point, was gung-ho on playing for the Rockets, until he realized that at a generously-listed 5'10", he was probably better off getting a college education before taking his shot at pro hockey and committed to Bemidji State. But apparently in the past week, Kelowna has convinced Franko, who was reportedly very impressive at the camp, that size is nothing but a number, despite strong statistical evidence pointing otherwise, and Franko has committed to play in the WHL.
Franko was scheduled to play in the USHL this next year for Cedar Rapids, who selected him with a first round pick this past spring. It's a tough loss for Bemidji to lose one of the first big-time recruits they pulled in since being admitted to the WCHA, and it will be interesting to follow Franko's progress over the next couple of years in the WHL.
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The Experience
This is why it is going to get worse. For some kids, choosing the CHL is about preparing for the NHL. For other kids, it is about the CHL experience. Those who have been around the CHL rinks and followed teams realize that it is a mini-NHL atmosphere with radio/tv broadcasts, interviews, appearances, and an real hockey schedule. Face it, after playing 75-100 games for each year during your whole career and then having to cut back to 30 once you are 18 is not something that most kids are interested in. Also, Franko is not giving up a college education by choosing Kelowna. DO you expect us to believe he got a 4/4 from BSU?! He certainly did from Kelowna! And most importantly, the CHL is the ONLY place where you can play against the best: Orr Gretzky Lemieux … Tavares Kane Duchesne Hall Sequin…
You know not one of those guys you mentioned played in the WHL…right? You should say the OHL is where you play the best, which is prolly true.
Anyways, when do kids lose their eligibility? Can they go to camp and leave and keep it???
Yes.
Those are all OHL guys, so here is a list of a few DUB boys: Getzlaf, DOan, Iginla, Modano, Marleau,Souray, Chara….
Kids can go to camp with a CHL team on the CHL team’s nickel for 48 hours. After that time, their eligibility clock starts to tick if they continue staying on the CHL team’s nickel. IF they want to stay past the 48 hour period, the player may, BUT they must pay for everything themselves and cannot play in any sort of a game with referees and the scoreboard on.
Nobody cares about the CHL or WHL…. NOBODY…
Also, Do we need to start naming the NHL players that play college hockey now..
Get a life…
HA!
So you say! Nobody cares about the CHL? How come every other article on this site makes reference to the CHL? How come College Hockey Inc. was developed?
Also, NHL players cannot play college hockey. They, like CHL players, are considered professionals and therefore ineligible to play college hockey! :)
I think you know what I meant about the NHL players that played college hockey.. Although, you do have a point… about the NCAA and CHL,WHL OHL etc… seems to get brought up only on this web blog. I think its time to delete this link because I like most (except 4-5 people) don’t care about the difference and every other blog is about it….
Every other article makes reference to the CHL due to the fact that the CHL is having a detrimental impact on the NCAA by winning the majority of the recruiting battles and steering even those that once expressed a relatively strong desire to play college hockey into their direction.
Excuses.
Not what you think. The kids in the CHL don’t get huge contracts; that’s a myth.
A 16-20 year old kid values an experience more than money, and they are choosing the mini-NHL atmosphere of the CHL over being a footnote in the red-headed stepchild sport at a Big Ten school. The CHL kids do interviews, press conferences, appearances, sign autographs, and now they get to play themselves on EA Sports video games. Put yourself in their shoes. WHat would you choose?
College, 1000% of the time. I may not make the NHL, but a degree I can use. Also, do you really think NCAA kids aren’t doing interviews press conference appearences and signing autographs? You’re big time mistaken if you do.
And as far as money, I’m not talking about contracts, not in the slightest.
by The Rabid One on Sep 4, 2010 2:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Absolutely!
If you do not sign that NHL contract, take your education package from the CHL and get that degree!
Yes, the NCAA kids at 85% of the schools are NOT doing interviews, playing in televised games, playing themselves on EA Sports NHL 11 and signing autographs. Ever been to any NCAA games outside of the WCHA? I’m big time dead on on that one.
So you’re telling me kids form the CCHA, Hockey East and the ECAC aren’t on TV, don’t do any interviews, (TV or print or anything) and no one, no kid or anything wants their autograph? Dude, go watch Fox Sports, NESN, ESPNU or CBS College Sports between October-March and especially between January and March and tell me those teams from those conferences aren’t on TV, because I’ve seen them.
Go find a paper in any of those college towns and I guarantee they get coverage.
Your comments right there may the stupidest thing I’ve ever read and with KTF around, that’s saying something.
by The Rabid One on Sep 5, 2010 1:23 AM PDT up reply actions
The reality is that many of D-1 hockey programs play second and even third fiddle to basketball and football. Members of the University of Michigan hockey team can, for the most part, walk around their school without being recognized.
In many small towns (and even midsized towns like London and Windsor) the CHL is akin to the NHL in terms of publicity and coverage.
Sorry Rabid One…but the NCAA isn’t all that and please tell me where any of my comments were not supported by sound facts! The truth hurts I guess.
by KTF on Sep 5, 2010 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions
All depends on the school, for the majority of the WCHA, hockey is king as for a lot of the schools, hockey is their only D-1 sport. CCHA and HE are a little different but their teams still get plenty of press coverage.
I also never said the NCAA is all that, it’s just better than the CHL in my opinion.
by The Rabid One on Sep 6, 2010 5:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Your opinion is just that….an opinion. The reality is that the CHL attracts and produces more NHL quality talent that the NCAA can only dream of. That sir is not an opinion but a FACT!
by KTF on Sep 6, 2010 6:55 AM PDT up reply actions
Keep stroking that hard-on buddy. Fact: There’s more to life than the NHL.
by The Rabid One on Sep 6, 2010 9:55 PM PDT up reply actions
What a profound response….yeah keep taking the Golden Goofers roster to the can with you and have fun pleasing yourself
by KTF on Sep 7, 2010 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Obvious you’re not familer with the UND Fighting Sioux then. Sioux hockey outdraws any other sport in North Dakota and Basketball and Football take the back stage in our state.
Well that's ONE!
ANd I know the total will be no where near 57!
That's exactly what I'm saying.
Ever been out of the state of MN? Even at a school like U of MI, the sport is football or basketball. If you go anywhere north of the border, it’s all hockey. The kids play for their city. The whole town views them as celebrities. The NCAA pales in comparison in that department.
I’m from Minnesota, I think you’d be mistaken if you feel that the CHL is having a detrimental impact in our state. In fact, I can’t remember a high profile kid leaving without playing college hockey since Peter Mueller. The CHL has a lot less impact in places where they don’t play…i understand the draw in Michigan but that’s not the only hotbed for hockey. Minnesota kids play college and do a pretty good job in the pro ranks. CHL isn’t end all be all…great league but not the only one.
True, but....
MN has not been affected by the CHL as much, but MN hasn’t produced the NHL talent that it used to back in the days of the Housleys, Brotens etc. … Michigan has produced more players that have had more of an impact in the NHL in recent years. The shift can be related to the changes in philosophy in terms of player development. Hockey, like every other sport, has become an 11 month sport where kids are training more and more. In MI, the AAA teams play almost year round. MN has recognized this and created the fall elite league in order to keep with the times, but it does have its limitations in terms of training time. There are also some interesting things going on in MN like McBain’s program that have caused a recent surge in talent coming from MN. His 87 group of 14 kids had 7 NHL draft picks and 11 D1 players including Erik Johnson. Will we see more MN kids going the CHL route? Maybe if the trend continues and college hockey becomes a ground for leftovers, but I think that MN kids will always dream of going to the U first.
What are you talking about Mich produce more NHL talent?
Paul Martin, Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold, Alex Goligoski, Thomas Vanek, Ryan Potulny, Kyle Okposo, Phil Kessel, Eric Johnson, Blake Wheeler, Ryan Stoa
NCAA will never be a ground for leftovers in the Midwest, especially in Minnesota. With the exception of Peter Mueller they haven’t had a major defection in quite a while. You CHL backers can start boasting about winning recruiting battles when the Bjugstad’s and the Forborts leave like Campbell and Fowler.
Maybe it’s tied to leagues too? The WCHA might do a better job of getting kids recognized than the CCHA. I know the WCHA has a few more fans that attend games…as it seems like that is one of the points given when people ask why teams like Windsor and London receive the best talent…
Huh?
So you are including Austrian born players like Vanek, and Wisconsin born players like Kessel?
U mean the state of Minneosta or the school? cuz that will go just as bad for you.
Paul Martin, Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold, Alex Goligoski, Kyle Okposo, Eric Johnson, Blake Wheeler, Ryan Stoa, Tj Oshie, Peter Mueller, David Backes, Matt Cullen, Zach Parise, Matt Niskanen, Dustin Byfuglien,
...and this will go bad for you.
If MN claims every NHLer that played for the U, then couldn’t MI claim everyone that played for the NTDP? The Plymouth WHalers? The Saginaw Spirit? U of Michigan? Tech? UNM? MSU? Western? Wayne State?
For the other matter, I’ll take these MI guys over your MN guys:
Brian Rolston, Brian Rafalski, Mike Modano, Doug Weight, Ryan Miller, David Legwand, Ryan Kesler, David Booth , Abdelkader, Tim Thomas.
By the way, TJ Oshie was born in Washington state and Byfuglien played midgets for the Chicago Mission. Just saying.
I’m a Michigan guy, but you’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel when you’re talking about pluggers like Abdelkader and career AHLers like Tim Thomas.
Someone who was actually interested in winning that argument might have mentioned guys like Pat LaFontaine and the Hatcher brothers (or even Cam Fowler and Jack Campbell), but that’s beside the point.
“career AHLers like Tim Thomas”
Wow! Careful you might soil yourself. You’re really a genius aren’t you? I mean you just can’t help yourself? O.K. Skippy; last time I checked Tim Thomas was a Vezina Trophy winner two season ago in the NHL. You might also want to look the definition of work Buffoon on Google because you’re a textbook definition of a “Buffoon”
•clown: a rude or vulgar fool
•clown: a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
He’s 36 years old and has played five seasons in the NHL, three as a starter. The rest of the time, he’s been in Finland, the AHL, the IHL and the ECHL. He’s currently not a starter, and the Bruins are actively trying (and failing) to move him. Thus, I stand by what I said.
What’s funny is that you just jumped down my throat and personally insulted me when I was actually SUPPORTING the Michigan side of the argument.
Yeah so five plus seasons in the NHL and a multi-million dollar contract makes you a career AHLer……you are certainly clueless!
What ever the reason, even though its not really about money, the fact remains that this is becoming a major issue for the NCAA.
Ummm, no.
Not really. The NCAA will always have talented players in the league, just like the CHL will.
The NHL has great players that have gone both routes and succeeded. That won’t change anytime soon.
I love how the writer of this blog can get these CHL-backers all wound up so easily. Every post he makes he gets the panties of KTF and wickedsmart all bunched up. Quite humorous. :)
I think the fact that he was headed to Bemidji tells you all you need to know about his level of talent. That a Canadian kid who was headed to a doormat decided to take the money and go to the CHL is not exactly a big loss for anyone involved. Yet the CHL morons are here jumping up and down and thumping their chests as if this were a Jack Campbell situation all over again.
....And that means....
that the NCAA is getting all of the leftovers in that birth year.
:)
Ha, you guys crack me up.
Both the CHL and the NCAA get really talented players. It seems that the CHL-backers on here just want to point to a list of old players to show how “superior” they are when compared to the NCAA, when in reality they realize that the leagues are very similar in skillset…they just can’t bear to admit it for whatever reason.
We get all fired up because...
the articles talk about this kid leaving college and that kid signing with a CHL team, NTDP kids signing with CHL teams…. Then there is a perpetual sour grapes mentality that is accompanied with a bashing of the CHL route. It is annoying along with all the misinformation about the CHL, which never ceases to amaze me.
About your other comment, the leagues are not similar in skillset. That’s the biggest difference between the two routes. The level of play is similar, but the skill is much higher in the CHL. Look at the draft.
If that were true, college kids leaving the NCAA for the CHL wouldn’t dominate the CHL like they do.
No no no, the coaching is far superior there as well…Sam Lofquist “got it” instantly when arriving in Guelph.
Maybe the U didnt "get it"!
Maybe he wasn’t a 21 year old frosh like they love in the WCHA.
Tavares, Duschene, Kadri, Hall, Seguin, Gudbranson….and on and on. That’s TALENT my friend!
Let me enlighten you on something here....
He was an 18 year old frosh when the WCHA likes them to come in AFTER two years of jrs. Of course he’s not going to be an impact player in the NCAA when they are playing guys 3-6 years older than him.
Furthermore, Lofquist did not exactly “tear up” the O either. He had a good season, but that is all.
What college player who recently left has dominated the CHL??? Statistics wise, most tend to do better but that does not mean the NCAA is a better league. If that were true then the KHL could make the same arguement since many players from the NHL during the lock out had “worse” statistics playing in Russia.
Some times a change of scenery is neccessary. Take a look at Watson who from the 3rd line in Windsor to a first line scoring sensation playing for the Petes. A player like former Michigan Robbie Czarnik went from being a 2nd line centerman, behind Matt Rust, to being a 2nd line center behing Sequin in Plymouth. Yes his stats may have been better but he played the same role in Plymouth as he did for Michigan.
by KTF on Sep 9, 2010 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions
Um, no. Czarnik played on Seguin’s wing for all but about ten games after he left Michigan for Plymouth. Nice try though.
Um B.S! I saw Plymouth several times last year including the playoffs and not once was Czarnik on a line with Sequin….NOT ONCE!
Ah, so you’re one of those Spits morons. Not surprising at all. But yeah, you’re full of crap. Czarnik was on Seguin’s line most of his time in Plymouth.
The funny thing about all of this is that the OHL keeps their old scoresheets on their website. I’ve actually got all the Plymouth, Saginaw, Windsor and Sarnia scoresheets from last season printed out in a binder right in front of me. Of Czarnik’s 49 points last regular season, Seguin was on the ice for 36 of them. As for the playoffs, anyone with half a brain knows that the Whalers’ big scoring line was Hayes-Jenks-McRae, and Brown-Seguin-Czarnik was the 2nd line that couldn’t get anything going in the 2nd round.
Next time you decide to run your mouth, you might want to know what the hell you’re talking about before you do so.
KTF is right.
Seguin was on the first line and Czarnik was on the second line. They did play some PP together.
In terms of top end talent, the leagues are quite far a part….just take a look at the best players in the NHL and see where the majority of them have come from.
by KTF on Sep 9, 2010 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Habs’ prospects changing their tune
www.theglobeandmail.com
After years of targeting U.S. college-destined players, Montreal is finally pursuing those who go the major junior route
about an hour ago ·
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