Should a College or University team play junior-aged players?

It’s a legitimate question, and many were left questioning why the Superior International Junior Hockey League and Lakehead University would entertain such an idea. I am here to provide my own personal insight, and perhaps some clarity, from the perspective of someone who will be involved with the game and who is heavily integrated into the lives and minds of these young hockey players… 

Let’s start with the Lakehead Thunderwolves. 

Why might they want to play these game? For one, it will be a little tune-up game for the university players as the timing of the short series comes right after the Christmas break. From a coach’s perspective,  it’s an opportunity to get the team back on the ice and maybe gain a little confidence in some games that, for all intents and purposes, should go their way.

In recent years, there have been a few SIJHL players (Jack Cook, Tag Bryson, Nik Campbell, Eric Vanska and Gunner Paradis) who have found a home at Lakehead University. So it is not weird to think Lakehead is using this showcase to watch some of the best players around the SIJHL and at a more competitive level than just watching them play in Jr. A games.

From a financial perspective, instead of having to travel to watch the league’s top players, they are all coming to them, to play in their own rink, without dipping into their scouting budget. In addition, there is the financial upside of packing the Fort William Gardens with hockey fans to watch it all happen.

The one glaring reason they may not want to play in this series is the potential optics risk, if the SIJHL all-stars put up a good fight and potentially take down the Thunderwolves. This scenario, while unlikely, could potentially happen.

It could serve as a motivator if things don’t go their way, and in any competition there is much to learn whether you have success or failure in the process. Looking at the USPORTS standings, Lakehead is having yet another strong season and in the end, that’s all that really matters.

It is my opinion that the positives outweigh the negatives in this situation, which would also likely explain why showcase is happening in the first place. I am certainly not the only one to recognize these factors and play them out in my head. If I were sitting in their position, I would invite the opportunity and play hard to make sure we prepare for the second half of our season, and get a good look at the prospects around the SIJHL. 

Now from the SIJHL’s perspective

This is a “no brainer”.  It seems as though there is everything to gain from this experience, and from a coaches perspective who will have several players in on the roster, this is a fantastic opportunity for our players to see the next level and where they need to be at in order to continue their careers at the college or university level.

On top of that, should the SIJHL have some success in this series, it will be an additional recruiting tool to draw players to our league who ultimately want to advance to the collegiate level.  Which is normally the case in competitive junior A hockey.  Even without success on the scoreboard, if the SIJHL can keep this going in years to come, it is an opportunity for kids to see the potential of being on a future all-star roster, and showcase themselves in front of one of the strongest USPORTS programs out there today. 

Perennially, as I mentioned above, there are plenty of SIJHL players who crack the Thunderwolves lineup. This offers another way to get yourself in front of Lakehead’s scouts.  Especially welcoming the challenge of older players, which is a clear benefit to the Lakehead scouts and coaching staff, seeing how players skills translate in the next level of competition.

While this comes with some risks like physical injuries or ego blows, as part of the coaching staff of the all-star team, it will be important to remind our players to temper their expectations and keep the weekend in perspective. It is clearly a great opportunity to play hard, and show everyone what we have.  

Worst case scenario is the SIJHL gets totally smashed by the Thunderwolves and chose not to participate in the future due to the extreme discrepancy. But I take it as an opportunity to show Northwestern Ontario and the rest of CJHL how far our league has come, and the true quality of prospects coming out of our league.

So on both sides there are potential pitfalls, but the competitor in me loves the idea of the challenge in an opportunity like this. 

Overall expectations? 

I expect to play respectfully and hard and to give ourselves the best chance at a competitive series. Do I expect to win? Well, no. But I don’t expect to get entirely blown out either.  Even at the NHL level, there are some 18 year old players who, when given the opportunity, don’t have a hard time translating their abilities against much older and more experienced  hockey players. Our group is made up of 18-20 year old players and if these players are looking to play at the next level, they will be chomping at the bit for a chance to show what they have, and test their abilities against older, stronger players. 

I am excited to get Thunder Bay and be a part of this showcase. I believe we can show how the SIJHL is generating prospects to play in College/University hockey programs. Huge thanks to the people who made this happen, especially the Individuals at Lakehead University who also saw the benefits of this little New Year’s series.