Welcome To July’s Newsletter

We are pleased to welcome you all to our July Newsletter.

Each month we distribute at least one of these newsletters, in which we compile articles that we think will be of interest to young hockey players and their families.

Many years ago, when we first got into the hockey advisory profession, we decided to concentrate on helping male hockey players.

Because of the careful and important decisions that needed to be made by young men as early as in grade 9, to possibly leverage their hockey skills to receive future educational benefits, we felt that this was a good niche.

Male players have traditionally had to consider options that could possibly disqualify them from the possibility of ever earning a post-secondary education, while playing hockey, and so that has been where we have concentrated our expertise..

As you can imagine, over the years, we have managed to make a tremendous number of contacts within the hockey world, and in recent years we have found that many of those contacts are now involved in female hockey (from bantam and midget hockey coaches to prep school, college and university coaches to a number of Olympic and National team coaches coaches…. and everything in between).

We regularly hear from these coaches and athletic directors, asking about female players who might be the younger sisters of existing (and past) male clients.

Each week, we hear from Prep Schools and Colleges looking for female player leads.

For example, within the past week, we have heard from a dozen colleges and universities still looking for players for this coming Fall. During the same period, we have heard from prep schools also looking for players with the right mix of athletic and academic attributes.

Just last week, we made several female player recommendations to prep schools and college programs for the Fall of 2017. We closely examined the player attributes and the college fits. In each case, those players will receive financial packages to attend.

As part of our services for families, we have now decided to expand our staff and offer an Advisory Program for a limited number of female hockey players.

We will soon begin to make some introductions of our new affiliations and staff members.

We have spent the past few months, conducting research and speaking to a large number of female coaches, and educating them about our professional services.

In addition to last month’s introduction to our Code of Ethics, and our new Female Program, the next few months will also involve the introduction of several new exciting initiatives which will ensure that our clients are Top of Mind with hockey programs throughout North America, and will prove to serve our American, Canadian, European and Asian clients very well, as they make important decisions to maximize their future options while pursuing their academic and athletic dreams.

If you wish to speak to us about our professional services, I invite you to contact us at your convenience through email at info@hockeyfamilyadvisor.com.

Wishing you all the very best, I remain,

Sincerely,

David MacDonald, SPAD
Hockey Family Advisor

Posted in Newsletter

NHL, NHLPA Support NCAA Growth

Industry Growth Fund to finance feasibility studies for potential programs, starting at U. of Illinois

Gary Bettman, Mathieu Schneider, John McDonough, Josh Whitman, Terry Pegula and Pat Kelleher spoke at Friday’s announcement.

The NHL and NHLPA are committed to supporting the growth of NCAA Division I hockey, introducing a new initiative to fund feasibility studies for potential programs on Friday prior to the NHL Draft.

The University of Illinois will be the first school to conduct a feasibility study under the new initiative, which is funded by the NHL and NHLPA’s joint Industry Growth Fund.

Additional schools will have the opportunity to have feasibility studies funded through the project, which is designed to help spur the growth of Division I men’s and women’s hockey.

“Where high-level hockey is established, youth hockey interest and participation often follows,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “By expanding the footprint of elite hockey at all levels, we can inspire new players and parents to join the hockey family. By working to add programs at the Division I level, we hope to grow the game of hockey, both on and off the ice.”

Growing the Game

The NHL and hockey participation in general have both expanded significantly throughout the United States in the past 20 years, but the number of Division I programs has not kept pace. | Infographic: The Need for Growth

Recent additions to the Division I landscape – such as Arizona State and Penn State on the men’s side and Merrimack and Penn State on the women’s side – have been encouraging, and the hope is that funding feasibility studies will allow other schools to see the benefits of adding the sport.

“While I think everyone in hockey has hoped to see programs added, this is a groundbreaking project by the NHL and NHLPA to take the initiative to help make that happen,” said College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee. “Those of us at the college level are grateful for the leadership the NHL and NHLPA are showing with this project.”

There are currently 60 NCAA Division I men’s programs; Holy Cross is poised to become the 37th NCAA Division I women’s program and will join Hockey East in 2018-19.

About Illinois

Illinois is one of many states that has seen an explosion in hockey interest and participation, fueled in part by the recent success of the Chicago Blackhawks. Illinois produces the most Division I players (84 men and 35 women) of any state that is not home to a Division I program. | Infographic: The New State of Hockey

Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman was in attendance at the announcement and was optimistic that the local talent base could help make the Fighting Illini competitive quickly.

“The idea of varsity hockey at the University of Illinois has great appeal,” said Whitman. “With hockey’s popularity in both Chicago and St. Louis, and rapidly growing youth participation across the state, we anticipate tremendous interest in the sport and at our university. We are grateful to College Hockey Inc., USA Hockey and our colleagues with the Chicago Blackhawks, who have been incredibly supportive during our preliminary due diligence.”

The Blackhawks, who hosted the announcement and this weekend’s NHL Draft, expressed their support of the potential for NCAA Division I hockey in the state.

“We’ve had the opportunity to meet with Josh [Whitman] two or three times and every time you are around Josh you feel that energy that he is going to try to get this done,” said Blackhawks President & CEO John McDonough. “When we heard that the NHL was going to participate, it inspired everybody.”

Long-Term Benefits

For the NHL and NHLPA, investing in Division I college hockey should produce both immediate and long-term benefits in terms of the health of the sport.

More Division I programs will produce more hockey fans and inspire more young hockey players. They will also provide more opportunities where young players can aspire to play and, in men’s hockey, progress toward the NHL.

NCAA hockey produced a record 314 NHL players in 2016-17, comprising 32% of the league (also a record). The Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins featured the most former NCAA players of any team in NHL history.

“The NCAA develops tremendous talent and expanding the number of schools at the Division I level, for us, is a no-brainer,” Bettman said.

The NHL and NHLPA and the league’s teams will encourage additional schools to conduct feasibility studies.

Continuing Recent Growth

Buffalo Sabres owener Terry Pegula – whose gift launched the Penn State men’s and women’s programs – and Arizona State men’s head coach Greg Powers both attended the announcement of the new program. After witnessing first-hand the rapid growth their programs have enjoyed, Pegula and Powers are both hopeful that others will join the Division I ranks.

Pegula talked about Nate Jensen, a Penn State alum who scored the first goal at Pegula Ice Arena and now works for Pegula in his oil and gas business.

“I find it interesting that the NCAA hockey road can lead in two places: a hockey career, or a career in business,” Pegula said. “We in the NHL are proud to support NCAA hockey.”

Powers leads the most recent team to join the Division I men’s ranks.

“Seeing first-hand the impact a Division I hockey program has had on a non-traditional market like Arizona, I can only imagine how great of an impact it would have in traditional markets like Illinois,” Powers said. “Hopefully, schools from everywhere will see the positive impact.”

Both Penn State and Arizona State’s new programs began thanks to significant donations. Schools that take advantage of the NHL and NHLPA’s feasibility study project may still need charitable contributions before starting a program, but it’s hoped that they will see the benefits of adding hockey before being presented with a multi-million-dollar gift.

Posted in NCAA, NHL, Strategic Decisions, The Business Of Hockey

Five Bobcat players attending NHL Development Camps

Five Quinnipiac Bobcats hockey players are set to attend NHL development camps currently or in the coming weeks. The five players attending will be junior captain Chase Priskie (Washington Capitals), sophomore defenseman Karlis Cukste (San Joe Sharks), sophomore goaltender Andrew Shortridge (Nashville Predators), sophomore defenseman Brogan Rafferty (Chicago Blackhawks) and incoming freshman goaltender Keith Petruzzelli (Detroit Red Wings).

Priskie, the newly selected captain was drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round of the 2016 draft after a spectacular rookie campaign. He followed that up with a 26 point sophomore season (7 goals, 16 assists) while achieving All-ECAC Third Team honors. He will look to lead a talented Quinnipiac team back to the NCAA tournament after missing for the first time in five seasons. The Capitals camp runs from June 27 to July 1.

Cukste had a very solid rookie campaign on the defensive end with 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) while blocking a team leading 65 shots. A 5th round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2015, Cukste continued to improve throughout the season and should be someone that could provide increased offensive ability this season. This past December he was part of the Latvian national team at the World Junior Championships in Canada. He will attend the Sharks camp from July 8 to July 12.

Shortridge was a big reason the Bobcats had a very good second half of the season in the 2016-17 campaign. He grabbed the goaltender reigns early in the second semester and never let go, showcasing his talent in college hockey and opening the door to possible future professional opportunities. Shortridge finished the season with a 13-7 record along with a 2.08 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He was even stronger in league games going 7-2 with a 1.74 goals against average and a .934 save percentage. Shortridge won two postseason series against Brown and St. Lawrence before the team fell in the semifinals to eventual ECAC champion Harvard. He will attend the Nashville Predators camp from June 26 to June 30.

Rafferty had a very good offensive season for the Bobcats leading the team with 22 assists to go along with two goals. He became the first Quinnipiac freshman to lead the team in assists since Matthew Peca in 2010-11 season. He had NHL interest this past season so it is no surprise he is heading to an NHL development camp and will be looked upon to increase his production further. The Blackhawks camp runs from July 17 to July 21.

Petruzzelli recently drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the 88th pick in the third round is the highest incoming freshman draft pick in Quinnipiac history. He comes to the program with a lot of hype and excitement after a tremendous rookie season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. He posted a 22-10-0-1 record with a 2.40 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. His 22 wins were first among rookie goaltenders in the USHL. His play earned his All-USHL Rookie Team honors. He was the Most Valuable Player of the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game when he made 21 saves in a 27 minutes of action. He was also a member of the silver medal winning United States team at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The Red Wings camp will be held from July 7 to July 11.

Posted in NCAA, NHL, Professional Hockey

The Rise of “De-Commitments” in NCAA Hockey Recruiting

Words themselves can take on different meanings, it’s the context that gives the word its place. The term “commitment” can be an obligation; I can’t go to the game I have another commitment. It can also be a vow, I am committed to be with my wife for the rest of my life. Or it could be a pledge or promise; the football player is committed to being the best he can by training hard every day. However, in the context of NCAA recruiting, especially as it relates to men’s hockey, commitment is a loose term.

This past week the number of de-committed players still in high school, juniors or prep school exceeded 60, which is significant for a sport that only has 60 Division 1 programs. Last season there were just shy of 500 incoming freshmen at the NCAA Division 1 level. So, that means that if we expect those numbers to remain constant, then roughly 12% of the committed players will either de-commit or switch their commitments.

There have been countless arguments on every side of this issue. Here at NZ we will look at the issue from the perspective of the players, the coaches and its impact on the game.

Before we delve into the four main contributing factors, lets first identify if this is even a problem.

12% isn’t a huge number, but it has had a significant impact in the competitive amateur hockey markets. We have already seen a shift from player development style camps and clinics to showcase tournaments because the focus has shifted from individual improvement to exposure by midget, prep, juniors and NCAA/CHL scouts.

The worst-case scenario of de-committing form the player’s perspective is banking on a college hockey scholarship and getting the plug pulled late in the game. That player may have had other opportunities if they weren’t committed and may have to end up paying full tuition at another school. The worst-case scenario from the coaches’ perspective is when a player who they have verballed a full scholarship to de-commits late in the game. They may have passed on other players or moved pieces around to accommodate that scholarship and to lose it late in the game can really hurt a team’s recruiting class. Given the dates of the early and late signing periods, schools and players are somewhat protected from this but not every school is a scholarship school and not everyone plays the game fairly.

The best-case scenario for both parties are the same, the player and the school decide that this isn’t the right fit and mutually decide to part ways on their prior commitment. This can happen with a new coaching staff comes into play or simply a player realizes they want to play at another school and the coaching staff realizes the player doesn’t fit their teams style.

Therefore, we can’t make the blanket statement that “de-commitments” are always bad or that they are the players fault or the coaches fault. In some cases, it is the best case scenario for all parties invovled. However, the rise of de-commitments in the past few years and the change in recruiting culture changes are negatively impacting the sport at all levels.

With that being said we will look at four contributing factors to the rise in de-commitments.

Early Recruiting

This may be the single largest problem that college hockey faces in the upcoming years. Players are verballing committing to NCAA programs at the ages of 13, 14, 15 and 16. These are very common and have completely shifted recruiting focuses among college coaches over the past 10 years.

Youth players are being asked to make decisions as it relates to their future when they don’t have the full scope or ability to make an informed decision. Most have no idea what they want to study, what their NHL likelihood will actually be, what size of the school they are looking for, the location of best fit, etc. It isn’t until these players are older, more informed and have endured enough experiences to really know where they want to go to school, what kind of coaches work best for them, where they want to live or even if the school has the major they are interested in.

From the coaches perspective, they also don’t have enough information or perspective to know for sure if that player is going to be good enough or play the right style of game to fit their team. Once the player matures and grows into his game, coaches will then be able to evaluate the likelihood of the player panning out, what role he could play for their team, what scholarship situation is and where that player fits in, etc. In some cases the player didn’t develop the way they had hoped and is no longer good enough. In some cases the player is good enough but not worth the scholarship they verbally offered and they cut the chord. Or sometimes the player just isn’t the right fit in regards to their style of play and what they bring to game. Lastly, we are seeing the repercussions of coaching changes (which are abundant) on recruiting classes. There are over 100 committed players on our recruiting class rankings who committed to a coach who is no longer at the school. The most recent coaching moves could trickle a major shift in recruiting as we saw with highly touted prospect Kale Howarth de-committing from Northern Michigan to UConn this past week.

Currently, early recruiting makes sense for both the player and the coaches, despite its potential negative repercussions, trick down effect and its high level of uncertainty. The reason is simple: the risk vs. reward favors both parties. There is very little risk in committing at 14, 15, 16 for the player because they could always switch their commitment or “upgrade” if they improve. The reward is they have a place to play, they are “committed” which gives them preferential treatment in terms of drafts, all-star teams, etc. From the coaches perspective, there is very little risk to them because it’s a verbal commitment. If the player doesn’t develop the way they hope, they can simply de-commit them without breaking a single rule. There is also no limit on the number of players they can commit to so they don’t risk losing one player because they early committed to another. The reward for them is locking up a talented player with upside and setting up their recruiting classes for the future. They can also monitor those players and have an impact on their development by suggesting either directly or through their agent where the players should play, what coaches in their area are good, where they should train, etc.

We are not condoning early commitments and we are not saying it’s a positive because we think it has a real negative impact on youth hockey and high school hockey; we are simply saying it makes sense why players and coaches do it and until that is changed, it will always occur.

The CHL Impact

Every league is trying to prove that they are the best path to the NCAA or CHL or NHL, etc. The truth is college hockey and the CHL have always been in competition for top prospects and that continues to play a role in the NCAA recruiting process. The WHL Draft for example occurs at ages 14/15 and the OHL and QMJHL occur at ages 15/16. So the CHL, in some respects, forces the NCAA’s hand to offer players before they may be ready to in order to entice them to stay in the NCAA system. This leads to what NZ calls “Upside Scouting” which comes with considerable risk. Upside scouting is a system based on projecting players 3-4 years down the road based on a limited set of viewings or a limited amount of player attributes. “Less than 15% of every NHL Draft Class will make a career in the NHL and those are 18-20 year olds,” remarked Director of Scouting Brendan Collins. “Imagine the percentages for projecting 14, 15, 16 year olds. It’s not an accurate assessment strategy.” If the CHL is telling a high end 16-year-old that he can play on their team that is pretty attractive offer and colleges have to act immediately or they’ll lose that player.

The Strong-Arm Tactic

The strong-arm tactic relates to coaches giving verbal offers attached to a time frame. A common example would be a coach telling a prospect that they have a full scholarship offer from that day until the end of the month. After that time the school is going to offer the scholarship to someone else. Because of the speed of recruiting today, if a coach finds an unknown prospect he may want to get him “verballed” before other schools know about him. However, when that occurs with 14, 15 and 16-year-old prospects it could lead to rushed or uninformed decisions where the player could find out later the school isn’t the right fit. Vis versa the school could find out he isn’t actually the player they thought he was and de-commit him as well. The point is strong arming does occur, it’s not illegal, it can work for teams but it is also a contributing factor to higher rates of de-commitments.

Family Advisors/Agents

While family advisors and agents were intended to be a solution to the complexity of recruiting, they have in some way, created a bigger problem. When it comes to the top 10% of players, most all of them have agents or “family advisors” as the NCAA coins it. These advisors are helping the family make decisions, but in reality, they are talking to schools and trying to place kids in programs. What this creates is a conversation, behind the scenes, between a 14-year-old and his advisor that then is relayed to the NCAA coaches. Coaches are not allowed to directly contact the player so the third party advisor allows for communication through them which keeps both the player and school in NCAA compliant. In reality, it’s a lot of adults coming together to make decisions for a young player who doesn’t even know what they want to study or where they want to live.

This third party in the recruiting process is not new but its grown significantly in the past 15 years. Back in the 70’s, 80’s and even the first half of the 90’s recruiting was between the player and the coach. However, this third person in the recruiting experience can backdoor NCAA rules by playing the middle man between the coach and younger prospects. However, these agents can have their own motives and influence the players decision. We have several cases of players who have committed to schools that may be considered bottom or mid-level programs and once they go to juniors and start proving themselves their agents start “shopping them” around to higher level programs. The term “shopping” refers to agents asking coaches informally if they have interest in their player and if they have scholarship money to make the deal. Once they get a few sniffs they’ll relay that to the player and then the player isn’t guilty of directly talking to other schools or dishonoring his commitment.

In fairness to the advisors, we are not pointing the blame in their direction. In most cases, the advisor is doing what his clients ask him to do, which is their job. Also, advisors have filled information voids and helped players navigate through the often-complicated NCAA recruiting process. So, to say they have created this issue would be unfair, but they are on the front lines of it.

Conclusion: There are ways to “solve” this problem and many of those ideas are being circulated in other sports to end early recruiting, end the verbal commitment and pull for an earlier signing period. An unlikely alternative could be to make scholarship offers transparent. “We couldn’t say this with absolute certainty because the information comes from a multitude of sources (NCAA coaches, agents/advisors, junior coaches, etc.) but if we assume everyone is telling the truth in an accurate manner than our data shows that there are 11 NCAA programs who have more scholarship money offers than room to accommodate them,” remarked NZ President Steve Wilk. Now this isn’t news to people closely following the situation and there are reasons for “over committing” due to early pro signings, one and done players and the potential for transfers, de-commitments, etc. “Our data shows about 12% of the D1 NCAA committed players will de-commit at some point, so if you have 40 players on your current verbal list, you have to factor in that about 4 of them on average will de-commit.”

We have provided a list of our running total of de-committed players who have yet to play college hockey. Some of these players de-committed years ago, some just a few weeks ago. You will see names on here like Oliver Wahlstrom who was the youngest kid to commit in D1 NCAA history who has since de-committed from Maine and is slated to attend Harvard in 2018. There are other players (12 in total) who we have heard have de-committed but they are still listed as committed on their league/team page or on other media outlets so until we hear definitively that they are de-committed we leave them off the list.

NCAA DIVISION 1 DE-COMMITMENT TRACKER

Player	Original	New
Tony Stillwell	Wisconsin	Brown
Jordan Kawaguchi	Providence	North Dakota
Christian Cakebread	North Dakota	Niagara
Connor Sych	St. Lawrence	Uncommitted
Khristian Acosta	Quinnipiac	Uncommitted
Aaron O’Neil	UNH	Uncommitted
Bailey Conger	St. Lawrence	RPI
Lucas Michaud	Maine	Uncommitted
Sean Dhooghe	Ohio State	Wisconsin
Jason Dhooghe	Ohio State	Wisconsin
Oliver Wahlstrom	Maine	Harvard
Joe O’Connor	Vermont	Quinnipiac
Ryley Risling	Vermont	Robert Morris
Martin Sundberg	Wisconsin	Nebraska-Omaha
Mitch Meek	Clarkson	Michigan Tech
Josh Laframboise	Minnesota Duluth	Uncommitted
Daniel Willett	Northeastern	RIT
Max Sauve	Vermont	Uncommitted
Marc McLaughlin	St. Lawrence	Boston College
Marc DelGaizo	St. Lawrence	Umass Amherst
Donovan Ott	Cornell	Uncommitted
Elijah Harris	Brown	Uncommitted
Jason O’Neill	New Hampshire	Providence
Brian Scoville	Umass Amherst	Uncommitted
Michael Graham	Minnesota Duluth	Notre Dame
Jack Adams	Princeton	Union
Philip Nyberg	Wisconsin	Uconn
Neil Shea	Maine	Northeastern
Cameron Crotty	St. Lawrence	Boston University
Connor McCarthy	Denver	Clarkson
Keenan Suthers	Western Michigan	St. Lawrence
Austin Dittenhafer	Vermont	Uncommitted
Connor Sodergren	Army	Umass Lowell
Matthew Ladd	Canisius	Colorado
Mike Falanga	Sacred Heart	Plattsburgh
Henry Bowlby	St. Lawrence	Harvard
Pierce Crawford	Holy Cross	Notre Dame
Bobby Kaiser	Western Michigan	Umass Amherst
Carson Vance	Wisconsin	Western Michigan
Vladislav Dzhioshvili	Cornell	Vermont
Wyatt Kalynuk	Wisconsin	Western Michigan
James Callahan	Quinnipiac	Trinity
Kohen Olischefski	Wisconsin	Denver
Joel Farabee	New Hampshire	Boston University
Matthew Muzyka	Quinnipiac	Skidmore
Jack Becker	Wisconsin	Michigan Tech
Sam Sternschein	Cornell	Penn State
Dylan St. Cyr	Michigan	Notre Dame
Brody Stevens	Western Michigan	Michigan State
Owen Sillinger	Arizona State	Bemidji State
Kale Kane	UVM	AIC
Matthew Berkovitz	Wisconsin	Army
Colin Theisen	Dartmouth	Notre Dame
Ryan Barrow	Dartmouth	Denver
Douglas Connor	Princeton	Uncommitted
Grant Gabriele	Western Michigan	Ohio State
Max Gildon	Wisconsin	UNH
Adam Scheel	Notre Dame	North Dakota
Alex Limoges	Cornell	Penn State
Phil Kemp	Brown	Yale
Kale Howarth	Northern Michigan	UConn

Posted in NCAA

Getting Cut from the Team

Disappointment is as much a part of sports as it can be in life. That’s a fact.

In hockey (or all team sports) two teams will face off and one will eventually win. In other sports, like track and field or motorsports etc, there will be one winner, but also a field of participants who were battling for their personal best. The athlete’s whose goal was to move up from 5th place, and get a podium and finish 3rd. Eventually you will want to come second and finally, bring home The Big Kahuna. 1st Place.

Hockey is a different sport. Players may feel disappointed by not getting enough ice time, and may also feel that their team mates aren’t working as hard as they do. Coaches may play a part and not put enough faith into their players, or nurture raw talent and sometimes you even get injured. But when it hits hard (and it hits hard sometimes), you may get cut from the team.

Ouch.

Being cut from a team will evoke a vast array of emotions. You may feel bitter, depressed, not good enough and pessimistic or even wonder if you still want to play at all. All of these feeling are totally natural, and the good news is that all of your heroes have felt exactly the same way at some point.

In the words of Rocky Balboa “It’s not how hard you can hit, it’s how hard you can get hit” and with that in mind, here are a few tips if you are cut from a team, so you can come back stronger, faster and more confident than ever:

1) Don’t Take It Personally

You were on a team. Over time, that team has had hundreds of players and dozens of coaches. Just because one coach didn’t feel like you were a good fit for that particular team doesn’t mean you should become bitter or hostile towards them our yourself. It just means it wasn’t a good fit. You were one of hundreds of people ever to be on that team, so don’t take it personally. There will be hundreds more after you and most of them will be cut as well.

2) Time To Get To Work

If you have been cut, your coach may have given you some advice on things you need to work on. That means it is now time to up your game and overcome elements of your game that need work. You will have to dedicate yourself to improving these parts of your game, and you may even want to find a private mentor which leads us to……

3) Find A Mentor

If you can, find a mentor. Hockey isn’t just about what happens on the ice, it is about keeping your mind strait. Your mental state is just as important as your physical skills and talking to a mentor who has been through what you have been through will help you keep your mental game razor sharp, and also give you an advantage in life.

4) Write It Down

Keep a journal of everything you do. Write about your experiences and how some things you have tried have worked, and how some have not worked out. Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb once said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” so don’t be afraid to document the things you have tried and didn’t work out. Be sure to include why. Knowledge is power.

You should also bookmark and write down any passages from books or quotes that resonate with you and keep them by your side. Any successful athlete will always have nuggets of knowledge to share, so keep your mind open and read about them and their stories.

5) Be Classy

Any coach or any business will tell you that if they have the choice between two people of equal ability, and one has a great attitude while the other one doesn’t, they will go with the team player.

Whenever you have the chance in hockey and in life, be the better person and keep a good attitude. If you have a great attitude, are coachable, willing to learn, are the first one there for practice and the last one to leave, you will always have the advantage over any player.

Posted in Life Lessons, Tips, Tryouts

Drafting from NCAA Produces Success

Players in 2006-13 drafts who spent their draft year in college outperforming others.

St. Cloud State’s Ryan Poehling could be the first current NCAA player selected in the 2017 NHL Draft.

When St. Cloud State freshman Ryan Poehling decided to accelerate his high school classes and join the Huskies as a 17-year-old, he did so to challenge himself on the ice and to play with his older twin brothers, Jack and Nick.

History also suggests that he may have improved his chances of making an impact in the NHL.

A small subset of the selections in the 2017 NHL Draft this Friday and Saturday spent this past season playing NCAA hockey, like Poehling.

A study of eight drafts from 2006-13 shows that those players – likely around a dozen – could be the best values in the draft.

Those eight drafts featured 73 players who played college hockey in their draft season. Of those, a remarkable 66% have reached the NHL for at least one game and 32% have appeared in more than 100 NHL games. Those figures are 23 and 13 percentage points higher, respectively, than all other players in the draft.

Players drafted out of the NCAA have not just reached the NHL, but made a significant impact. Players in this study include first-round picks Phil Kessel and Colin Wilson, who just met in the Stanley Cup Final, as well as later-round success stories like goaltender Chad Johnson and defenseman Justin Braun.

Older Competition

Most NHL draftees are 18 years old and the average age of an NCAA freshman is older than 19, so there are relatively few draft-eligible player in the NCAA each year.

Those who are playing college, however, get to compete against older players – often as old as 24 or 25. That gives scouts a chance to evaluate prospects against opposing players who are closer, physically, to what those prospects would face in the NHL.

NCAA First-Round Picks

In the 2015 NHL Draft, three current college players were taken in the first eight selections (Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, Zach Werenski). TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button said at the time that it helped scouts to see those players compete at the college level.

“One of the biggest things watching players at 17 or 18 is that you are trying to project what they will be like as an NHL player,” said Button. “You don’t get to see them play at that level – no sport does. But for Eichel, Hanifin and Werenski, you get to measure these players against bigger and stronger players who are closer to the NHL game. In my view there’s nothing but positives in that regard.”

Poehling, likewise, told NHL Network that he benefitted from the competition he experienced this year at St. Cloud State.

“I think I’ve adjusted well,” he said. “College hockey compared to what I had been playing is bigger, faster, stronger guys. I think this year of development for me will be big for the following year.”

Beyond the First Round

Success in the NHL Draft is vastly more unpredictable beyond the first round. While 92% of all first-rounders will reach the NHL, only 34% of players taken after the first round can say the same.

While players like Eichel and Werenski in 2015 and Charlie McAvoy and Luke Kunin last year get a lot of attention, most current NCAA players in the draft are taken after the first round. That may be where the biggest values lie.

Shayne Gostisbehere, Paul Stastny and Alec Martinez were all taken after the first round. Candidates to follow in their footsteps this year include Luke Martin (Michigan), Patrick Khodorenko (Michigan State) and Johnathan Kovacevic (Merrimack).

Second Chances

Many of the NCAA players taken in the draft are a year – or even two – older than the majority of players selected. That may account for some of their success relative to other draftees. While NHL teams tend to favor taking players in their first year of draft eligibility, a second-year eligible player may show something at the college level that wasn’t clear in junior hockey.

Such was the case for Gostisbehere, whose slight frame when he was headed to Union had teams wondering if his offensive gifts would shine through against NCAA competition. After they did, the Philadelphia Flyers grabbed him in the third round.

“Shayne had grown,” recalled Flyers scout John Riley, a former assistant coach at Princeton. “He still probably was a buck-fifty, but he was now 5-10 or 5-10 ½ and his intelligence with the puck was [working] at the college level.”

Current college players like St. Cloud State’s Jack Ahcan or Arizona State’s Brinson Pasichnuk could fit a similar profile in the 2017- NHL Draft. Both were eligible but not selected in 2016, then shined as freshmen and played big roles for their teams.

Ahcan recently turned 20 and Pasichnuk will in November. Though older than other draft prospects, that may give scouts a clearer picture of the player they will eventually become.

“Those years are such big development years, one year can make a huge difference,” said ISS Hockey Director of Scouting Dennis MacInnis. “I’ve seen a guy one fall who has been 5-foot-11 and by the next year he’s shot up to 6-2 and is a whole different player.”

NHL scouts never stop watching for the next impact player. Now more than ever, they are finding them in the college ranks.

Note: This study was initially published in June 2016 and has been updated to reflect the progress of those draft picks in the past year.

Posted in NCAA, Strategic Decisions

60 NCAA Players Drafted

NHL teams select players or recruits from 30 of 60 Division I programs.

Cameron Crotty was one of seven Boston University players or recruits selected in the NHL Draft, most of any school.

Half of all Division I programs had a player or recruit selected in the 2017 NHL Draft, with 60 current or future college hockey players drafted in the two-day event at Chicago’s United Center.

Six first-round picks began the proceedings on Friday night, followed by 54 additional selections on Saturday. Twenty-nine of the 31 NHL teams selected at least one player on the college path (Calgary and St. Louis the lone exceptions).

Boston University led all schools with seven players or commits selected, the second straight year that the Terriers had the most players taken in the draft. Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Penn State and Wisconsin each had four selections.

Eight of the players selected spent 2016-17 in NCAA hockey, led by first-round selections Ryan Poehling (St. Cloud State) and Jake Oettinger (Boston University).

Thirty of the college players selected are defensemen, equaling the number of forwards (25) and goaltenders (5) combined. That follows a trend that saw 37% of NHL defenseman this season come from the college ranks (compared to 32% of all players). Fifteen of the first 100 selections in the draft were current or future NCAA defensemen.

Also noteworthy:

– The first 12 NCAA players taken represented nine schools

– Cale Makar (No. 4 overall) became the highest draft choice in University of Massachusetts history; Makar’s future teammate, Mario Ferraro, became the second-highest Minuteman ever selected at 49th overall

– Jake Oettinger is the first college goaltender selected in the first round of the draft since Cory Schneider (Boston College) in 2004

– This marked the third year in a row that multiple current college players were selected in the first round of the draft

College hockey had a record 314 former players appear in the NHL in 2016-17, comprising 32% of the league (another record).

Posted in Academics, NCAA, NHL, Professional Hockey, Scouting / Recruiting

College Hockey Atlantic Combine

This year, we had a wonderful event, with terrific competition and opportunities to learn more about leveraging one’s hockey skills to pursue athletic and academic dreams.

The event was attended by players from throughout Canada and the United States, and also from Europe, They all had one thing in common… they wished to learn more about College Hockey, and wished to let that be known to the prep school, junior and college coaches who attended the event.

The four day event started off with fitness testing, and it was wonderful to see how our participants were prepared for this year’s challenges. We wish to thank ProEdge Sports Conditioning for their involvement again this year. They do a great job at organizing this aspect the Combine, and their facilities are second to none.

The next morning players were on the ice for team practices, run by prep school and college coaches, who were very pleased with what they saw. Following those practices, we were approached by several coaches, asking about players, who stood out as having the right attitudes and determination, and as coachable.

It was exciting indeed, as some of the North America’s top coaches were on the ice with the young men attending the weekends combine. Of particular interest, it was neat to watch Mike Towns, the Assistant Coach at American International College, conduct an on-ice session with Ben Meisner, a local goalie who attended AIC a number of years ago, who is now playing pro-hockey in Europe, and is home for the summer (picture to the right).

Later in the day, we had a number of high level competitions, with small benches (so that coaches could watch players play a lot of hockey in stressful situations). The coaches were very impresses with the level of “compete” from all players, and how they handled themselves on and off the ice.

On the second day of the event, we had symposium which was for the purpose of discussing “prep schools” and prep school hockey”.

Each of the four prep school coaches which led the session; Jeff Lewis (of Rothesay Netherwood School), Jonathon Johnson (of Shady Side Academy of Pittsburg, PA), Mike Chielleno (of Gilmour Academy in Ohio) and Doug Friedman (of Kents Hill School in Maine) gave an excellent presentation of their own hockey careers, and a short presentation regarding their schools and why they felt prep schools would be a good choice for many of the players and families in the room. They then opened the floor up to a number of excellent questions, and provided answers to address the questions raised by players and parents, which included hockey, academics, living environments, and financial considerations.

The third day of the action-packed event saw more competition, and provided tremendous entertainment, as all games were close. Competition was brisk, and players reported having great time.

The third day was jammed packed with college Question and Answer sessions, and players and parents were able to again learn what college hockey is all about, and were provided the opportunity to ask questions of several coaches who were on our panel. Coaches included Bill Riga (of Quinnipiac University of Connecticut) (seen speaking), as well as John Rose (of the Ivy League’s Dartmouth College), Ben Guite (of the University of Maine) and Mike Towns (of American International College). These coaches all coach Division 1 NCAA Mens’ College Hockey.

The questions were excellent, and the answers were even better. For many of the players in the room, it was quickly realized that if they make early and proper decisions, the possibility of earning an education, while playing hockey, in not out of reach.

The highlight of the third day of the Combine was perhaps the best received a five local players, told of their road to the NCAA, and how they made important early decisions to ensure that they were able to go on and play Division 1 hockey. Each spoke of their own challenges, and how important it was to make informed decisions that did not rely on stroking their egos, Many spoke of how they are still playing hockey, while many of their better regarded playing friends (at age 15 and 16), who had decided to play CHL hockey, are no longer playing hockey, and have not gone on to earn a post-secondary education.

Players who participated in the session were Ben Meisner (AIG Alumni, and currently playing pro in Germany) (seen speaking), Brennan Saulnier (University of Alabama-Huntsville), Charles Grant (Dartmouth University Alumni), Nick Quillan (about to enter Colgate University), and Noah Bauld (Cornell University). These young men spoke so eloquently, regarding the roads that each traveled, and were extremely informative and forthwith in speaking of their experiences.

All in all, the event was a huge success, and many young men managed to get on the radars of coaches which would otherwise not normally have an opportunity to see them play.

We are already starting plan next year’s event. Next year, there will be a female division, and already we have 4 female college coaches who have promised to come.

We will soon, be announcing the details for next year’s event, and hope you will consider attending. Please let us know if you are interested in knowing more.

Posted in NCAA, Options, Parents, Prep Schools, Scouting / Recruiting

Our Code of Ethics

updated June 15th 2017

PREAMBLE AND APPLICABILITY

The Code of Ethics (the “Code”) has been adopted by Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., and it’s licensees, contractors, and employees, to provide principles and rules to all persons whom it has recognized and certified to use the association with Hockey Family Advisor, and its logo trademarks (collectively, the “Marks”).

These Marks are owned by Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. and is the sole organization, which is recognized and authorized to use these Marks.

Implicit in the company’s acceptance of this authorization is an obligation not only to ensure compliance with the mandates and requirements of all applicable laws and regulations, but also to require associated professionals to act in an ethical and professionally responsible manner becoming of the profession.

For purposes of this Code, a person recognized and certified by Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. to use the Marks is called the HFA Professional. This Code applies to all professionals actively involved in the practice of advisory services while under the auspices of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. or in another related profession, in the performance of their professional responsibilities in relation to the clients of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., including those of its licensees and contractors.

In addition, some principles, specifically Principle 1 and Principle 6, also apply more generally to the activities of HFA Professionals even when acting outside the scope of their capacity as student-athlete planning practitioners.

COMPOSITION AND SCOPE

The Code consists of two parts: Part 1 – Principles and Part II – Rules.

The Principles are statements expressing in general terms the ethical and professional ideals of HFA Professionals, ideals they should strive to display in their professional activities. As such the Principles are intended to be a source of guidance for our Advisors.

The comments following each Principle further explain the meaning of the Principle. The Rules provide practical guidelines derived from the tenets embodied in the Principles. As such, the Rules set forth the standards of ethical and professional conduct expected to be followed in particular situations. This Code does not undertake to define standards of professional conduct of HFA Professionals for purposes of civil liability.

The Code is structured so that the presentation of the Rules parallels the presentation of the Principles. For example, the Rules which relate to Principle 1 (Integrity) are numbered in the 100 to 199 series while those Rules relating to Principle 2 (Objectivity) are numbered in the 200 to 299 series.

COMPLIANCE

Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. requires adherence to this Code by all those it recognizes and certifies to use its Marks. Compliance with the Code, individually and by the profession as a whole, depends on each professional’s knowledge of and adherence to the Principles and applicable Rules, the influence of fellow professionals and public opinion, and disciplinary proceedings, when necessary, involving HFA Professionals who fail to comply with the applicable provisions of the Code.

TERMINOLOGY IN THIS CODE

“HFA Professional”: a person whose compensation is derived from providing advise and services to a student-athlete client of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc.

“Conflicts of interest”: circumstances, relationships or other facts about the HFA Professional’s own financial, business, property and/or personal interests that may, as it may appear to a reasonable observer, impair his/her ability to render disinterested advice, recommendations or services.

“Fee-for-service”: a method of compensation where Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., or the HFA Professional, through agreement, is paid by the student-athlete client for services rendered, or to be rendered.

A “related party” for this purpose shall mean an individual or entity from whom any direct or indirect economic benefit is derived by the HFA Professional as a result of implementing a recommendation made by the HFA Professional.

“Student-athletic Planning”: the process of creating strategies, considering all relevant aspects of a client’s situation, to manage affairs to meet the client’s academic and athletic goals.

PART I – PRINCIPLES

INTRODUCTION

These Principles of the Code recognize the individual advisory professional’s responsibilities to the public, clients, colleagues, employers and to the profession. They apply to all HFA Professionals employed or contracted by Can-Am Hockey Family Advisory Inc. in all aspects of their work, and provide specific guidance to them in the performance of their role.

PRINCIPLE 1: INTEGRITY

A HFA Professional shall always act with integrity.

HFA Professionals may be placed by clients in positions of trust and confidence. The ultimate source of such public trust is the HFA Professional’s personal integrity. In deciding what is right and just, a HFA Professional should rely on his or her integrity as the appropriate touchstone. Integrity demands honesty and candor that must not be subordinated to personal gain and advantage. Within the characteristic of integrity, allowance can be made for legitimate difference of opinion; but integrity cannot co-exist with deceit or subordination of one’s principles. Integrity requires the HFA Professional to observe not only the letter but also the spirit of this Code.

PRINCIPLE 2: OBJECTIVITY

A HFA Professional shall be objective in providing services to clients. Objectivity requires intellectual honesty and impartiality. It is an essential quality for any professional. Regardless of the particular service rendered or the capacity in which an advisory professional functions, a professional should protect the integrity of his or her work, maintain objectivity, and avoid the subordination of his or her judgment, which would be in violation of this Code.

PRINCIPLE 3: COMPETENCE

A HFA Professional shall provide services to clients competently and maintain the necessary knowledge and skill to continue to do so in those areas in which the HFA Professional is engaged. One is competent only when one has attained and maintained an adequate level of knowledge and skill, and applies that knowledge effectively in providing services to clients.

Competence also includes the wisdom to recognize the limitations of that knowledge and when consultation or client referral is appropriate. A HFA Professional, by virtue of having the privilege of association with Can–Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. is deemed to be qualified to practice student-athlete planning. However, in addition to assimilating the core competencies and knowledge required, and acquiring the necessary experience, a HFA Professional shall make a commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

PRINCIPLE 4: FAIRNESS

A HFA Professional shall perform student-athletic planning in a manner that is fair and reasonable to clients, principals, partners, and employers and shall disclose conflicts of interest in providing such services.

Fairness requires impartiality, intellectual honesty, and disclosure of conflicts of interest. It involves a subordination of one’s own feelings, prejudices, and desires so as to achieve a proper balance of conflicting interests. Fairness is treating others in the same fashion that one would want to be treated and is an essential trait of any professional.

PRINCIPLE 5: CONFIDENTIALITY

A HFA Professional shall maintain confidentiality of all client information.

A client, by seeking the services of a HFA Professional, expects to develop a relationship of personal trust and confidence. This type of relationship must be built upon the understanding that information supplied to the advisory professional will be confidential. In order to provide student-athlete planning effectively and to protect the client’s privacy, the HFA

Professional shall safeguard the confidentiality of such information.

PRINCIPLE 6: PROFESSIONALISM

A HFA Professional’s conduct in all matters shall reflect credit upon the profession.

A HFA Professional shall behave in a manner that maintains the good reputation of the profession and its ability to serve the public interest.

A HFA Professional shall avoid activities that adversely affect the quality of his or her student-athlete planning advice.

PRINCIPLE 7: DILIGENCE

A HFA Professional shall act diligently in providing student-athlete planning and promotion.

Diligence is the provision of services in a prompt and thorough manner. Diligence also includes proper planning for and supervision of the rendering of professional services.

PART II – RULES

INTRODUCTION

These Rules provide practical guidelines derived from the tenets embodied in the Principles. As such, the Rules set forth the standards of ethical and professionally responsible conduct expected to be followed in particular situations.

PRINCIPLE 1: INTEGRITY

A HFA Professional shall always act with integrity.

Rule 101 – A HFA Professional shall not engage in or associate with conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation, or knowingly make a false or misleading statement.

Rule 102 – A HFA Professional has the following responsibilities regarding funds and/or other property of clients:

a) A HFA Professional who takes custody of all or any part of a client’s assets for any purposes, shall do so with the care required of a fiduciary;

b) In exercising custody of, or discretionary authority over, client funds or other property, a HFA Professional shall act only in accordance with the authority set forth in the set of specific direction;

c) A HFA Professional shall identify and keep complete records of all funds or other property of a client in the custody, or under the discretionary authority, of the HFA Professional;

d) Upon receiving funds or other property of a client, a HFA Professional shall promptly or as otherwise permitted by law or provided by agreement with the client, deliver to the client or third party any funds or other property that the client or third party is entitled to receive and, upon request by the client or any person duly authorized, render a full accounting regarding such funds or other property;

e) A HFA Professional shall not commingle client funds or other property with his/her personal funds and/or other property or the funds and/or other property of the professional firm.

f) A HFA Professional shall not use, transfer, withdraw or otherwise employ funds or property for his or her fees, or for any other purpose not provided for in the engagement, except when authorized in writing by the client; and

g) A client’s assets in the custody of the HFA Professional shall be used only for the means intended.

Rule 103 – A HFA Professional shall not solicit clients through false or misleading communications or advertisements, and for greater certainty;

a) a HFA Professional shall not make a false or misleading communication about the size, scope or areas of competence of the advisory professional’s practice or of any organization with which the HFA Professional is associated;

b) a HFA Professional shall not make false or misleading communications to the public or create unverifiable expectations regarding matters relating to student-athletic planning or competence of the HFA Professisonal; and

c) a HFA Professional shall not give the impression that he/she is representing the views of Cam-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. or any other group unless he/she has been authorized to do so

PRINCIPLE 2: OBJECTIVITY

A HFA Professional shall be objective in providing student-athlete planning to clients.

Rule 201 – A HFA Professional shall exercise reasonable and prudent professional judgment in providing student-athlete planning.

Rule 202 – A HFA Professional shall always act in the best interests of the client.

PRINCIPLE 3: COMPETENCE

A HFA Professional shall provide student-athletic planning advice to clients competently and maintain the necessary competence and knowledge to continue to do so in those areas in which the HFA Professional is engaged.

Rule 301 – A HFA Professional shall offer advice only in those areas in which he/she is competent to do so. In areas where the HFA Professional is not sufficiently competent, he/she shall seek the counsel of qualified individuals and/or refer clients to such parties.

Rule 302 – A HFA Professional shall abstain from intervening in the personal affairs of the client on matters outside the scope of the engagement.

PRINCIPLE 4: FAIRNESS

A HFA Professional shall perform student-athlete planning in a manner that is fair and reasonable to clients, principals, partners, and employers, and shall always disclose conflicts of interest in providing such services.

Rule 401 – A HFA Professional shall make timely written disclosure of all material information relative to the professional relationship. Written disclosures that include the following information are considered to be in compliance with this Rule:

a) A statement indicating whether the HFA Professional’s compensation arrangements involve fee-for-service, commission or bonus (which will not be the case under the NCAA Rules), salary, or any combination of the foregoing.

b) A statement describing the material terms of the relationships that an HFA Professional (or his/her firm) has with third parties, including the nature of the compensation arrangements.

c) A statement identifying any potential conflicts of interest.

Rule 403 – A HFA Professional shall not receive commissions or other forms of economic benefit from any party other than his/her client (this includes commissions or referral fees from schools, teams, hockey camps, training facilities, etc.). In the case where a HFA Professional is offered such a benefit, he shall; i) immediately disclose all pertinent and material facts to his/her client in writing, and ii) negotiate that the amount of the financial benefit go the client through an agreed method;

Rule 404 – A HFA Professional shall inform the client of changes in circumstances and material information that arise subsequent to the original engagement that may have an impact on the professional relationship or services to be rendered.

Such changes include, but are not limited to:

a) conflicts of interest;

b) the HFA Professional business affiliation;

c) compensation structure affecting the professional services to be rendered; and

d) new or changed professional relationships.

Rule 405 – A HFA Professional shall not engage in discriminatory practices as defined in applicable human rights legislation.

PRINCIPLE 5: CONFIDENTIALITY

A HFA Professional shall maintain confidentiality of all client information.

Rule 501 – A HFA Professional shall not disclose any confidential client information without the specific consent of the client unless in response to proper legal or regulatory process. A client’s name shall not be disclosed to another party unless specific consent has been granted for the use of the client as a reference.

Rule 502 – A HFA Professional is bound to professional secrecy and may not disclose confidential information revealed by reason of his or her position or profession unless required by law.

Rule 503 – The use of client information for personal benefit is improper, whether or not it actually causes harm to the client.

Rule 504 – A HFA Professional shall maintain the same standards of confidentiality for employers as for clients while employed and thereafter.

Rule 505 – A HFA Professional doing business as a partner or principal of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., or as a licensee, owes to the firm(s), its advisory professional partners, contractors and/or co-owners a responsibility to act in good faith. This includes, but is not limited to, adherence to reasonable expectations of confidentiality both while in business together and thereafter.

PRINCIPLE 6: PROFESSIONALISM

A HFA Professional’s conduct in all matters shall reflect credit upon the profession.

Rule 601 – A HFA Professional shall not engage in any conduct that reflects adversely on his or her integrity or fitness as an HFA Professional, upon the Marks, or upon the profession.

Rule 602 – A HFA Professional shall use the Marks in compliance with the rules and regulations of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., as established and amended from time to time.

Rule 603 – A HFA Professional who has knowledge that another affiliated HFA Professional has committed a violation of this Code, which raises substantial questions as to the HFA Professional’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as an HFA Professional in other respects, shall promptly inform the President of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc..

This rule does not require disclosure of information or reporting based on knowledge gained as a consultant or expert witness in anticipation of or related to litigation or other dispute resolution mechanisms. For purposes of this rule, knowledge means no substantial doubt.

Rule 604 – A HFA Professional shall not criticize another HFA Professional without first submitting this criticism to the other HFA Professional for explanation. Where the criticism may result in a complaint being lodged with Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc., the HFA Professional must, where required, first submit that criticism in writing to the other HFA Professional for explanation. Notwithstanding this rule, a HFA Professional may first submit a criticism of another HFA Professional to the President of Can-Am Family Advisor Inc., should the matter be considered of such a nature that prior notice is not appropriate.

Rule 605 – A HFA Professional who has knowledge that raises a substantial question of unprofessional, fraudulent or illegal conduct by a HFA Professional or other associated professional, shall promptly inform the appropriate regulatory and/or professional disciplinary body. This rule does not require disclosure or reporting of information gained as a consultant or expert witness in anticipation of, or related to litigation or other dispute resolution mechanisms. For purposes of this Rule, knowledge means no substantial doubt.

Rule 606 – A HFA Professional who has reason to suspect illegal conduct within the HFA Professional organization shall make timely disclosure of the available evidence to the HFA Professional’s immediate supervisor and/or partners or co-owners. If the HFA Professional is convinced that illegal conduct exists within the HFA Professional’s organization, and that appropriate measures are not taken to remedy the situation, the HFA Professional shall, where appropriate, alert the appropriate regulatory authorities including the President of Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. in a timely manner.

Rule 607 – A HFA Professional shall perform student-athlete planning in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations and established policies of governmental agencies or other applicable authorities, as well as Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc..

Rule 608 – A HFA Professional shall not adopt any method of obtaining or retaining clients that tends to lower the standard of dignity of the profession.

Rule 609 – A HFA Professional shall not practice any other profession or offer to provide such additional services unless the HFA Professional is qualified to practice in those fields and is licensed or registered as required by law.

Rule 610 – A HFA Professional shall return the client’s original records in a timely manner after their return has been requested by the client.

Rule 611 – A HFA Professional shall not bring or threaten to bring a disciplinary proceeding under this Code, or report or threaten to report information to Can-Am Hockey Family Advisor Inc. pursuant to Rules 602 or 603 or make or threaten to make use of this Code for no substantial purpose other than to harass, maliciously injure, embarrass and/or unfairly burden another HFA Professional.

PRINCIPLE 7: DILIGENCE

A HFA Professional shall act diligently in providing student-athletic planning.

Rule 701 – A HFA Professional shall enter into a client engagement only after securing sufficient information to be satisfied that the relationship is warranted by the individual’s needs and objectives, and that the HFA Professional has the ability to either provide the requisite competent services or to involve and supervise other professionals who can provide such services.

Rule 702 – A HFA Professional shall make only those recommendations that are suitable for the client.

Rule 703 – Consistent with the nature and scope of the engagement, a HFA Professional shall carry out a reasonable investigation regarding the opportunities recommended to clients.

Such an investigation may be made by the HFA Professional or by others provided the HFA Professional acts reasonably in relying upon such investigation.

Rule 704 – A HFA Professional shall properly supervise subordinates with regard to their delivery of student-athletic planning, and shall not accept or condone conduct in violation of this Code.

Posted in Family Advisors and Agents