Junior ice hockey
[8] Major Junior players were historically deemed ineligible to play college hockey in the United States, because they were considered to be professionals by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
[11][12] The decision was made after a class action was filed on behalf of a player who was declared ineligible after having played two exhibition games in the OHL when he was 16 years old.
Ontario Junior C Hockey has six rounds of best-of-seven playoffs (up to 42 games per team) for the Clarence Schmalz Cup which was first awarded in 1938.
In Ontario, Manitoba, and the Maritimes, Junior C is run independently of minor hockey systems, though with the same mostly recreational purpose.
[citation needed] While playing in the USHL, all player expenses are paid for by the team; no membership or equipment fees are charged.
[24] For most of its existence the USHL was considered inferior in quality of play to the major junior levels.
[citation needed] The NAHL, like the USHL, provides young players an alternative to major junior hockey, although the skill level is considered significantly lower than major junior hockey and typically filled with those who would not or did not make the roster of a Tier I team.
[29] This is for all accounts and purposes an amateur level, although some players go directly to NCAA Division I schools.
[citation needed] Prior to July 2011, USA Hockey split Tier III into Junior A and B divisions.
The Tier II status was denied in December 2016 but the USPHL moved forward with the new league anyway, creating the National Collegiate Development Conference.
In response, the USPHL has removed all their junior level leagues (the NCDC and the Tier III-level Premier and Elite Divisions) from USA Hockey sanctioning since the 2017–18 season.
The lack of an amateur draft in Europe means that the onus is on the teams to sign the most talented young players they can get, and the presence of an affiliated junior team provides a place for young players who are not yet ready for the rigours of the professional game to develop.
However, not all players on a European junior team are necessarily property of their professional club, and may elect to sign elsewhere.
[citation needed] At the World Hockey Summit in 2010, nations in Europe expressed concern about the number of junior players leaving to play in North America, despite the improved talent level and the increasing popularity of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Junior Championships.
[41] He stated that of the 527 Czech Republic players who went to North American Junior hockey, only 22 of them played more than 400 NHL games.
He sought to establish a European system that was competitive enough to deter players from entering into the CHL Import Draft.
