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With Auston Matthews electing to play overseas rather than in the CHL or college some have suggested this could open the door for other players to follow in his footsteps.
In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether more draft eligibles should go play overseas in the future.
Todd Cordell
I think there are a lot of layers to this questions and a lot more goes into it than meets the eyes.
The benefits are easy to see: play hockey against men and get paid handsomely to do it before even being drafted. That's an attractive proposition for anyone, especially given you could be exploring Europe in the process.
There are some negatives, though, and not everyone can do it.
First and foremost you have to be a late birthday because you can't get a work permit until you're 18 years of age. That takes a ton of players out of the equation right out of the hop.
Another thing is not all 18-year-olds are ready and willing to live on a different side of the planet than their parents, friends and family. That's tough to do.
Players committed to colleges would also be giving up the opportunity to get a good education, which may come handy down the road if their careers reach a halt for whatever reason.
Beyond the physical freaks like Matthews - he's already 6'2, 200 pounds - most draft eligibles aren't physically mature enough to go to Europe and play against men, some of which have NHL experience under their belt.
This could work for extraordinary talents like Matthews that have late birthdays but I don't think it's something we'll see from the next tier of prospects.
I could see a prospect or two following in Matthews' footsteps here and there but I really don't expect much of this moving forward.
Ryan Wilson
Yes.
There should absolutely be more players who take the same path as Auston Matthews. However I must specify that it doesn't make sense for all players. Only the top end prospects should be doing this. Top end players don't always make the NHL right away and are usually stuck playing an extra year of junior hockey because of the ludicrous CHL transfer agreement. By going to Europe they get to play against men, make very good money, and avoid being shackled to that terrible agreement.
Tim Chiasson
Yes.
I think that more high end talent like Matthews should head overseas and play with men instead of staying in North America and playing with boys.
I'm no development wizard, but I'm going to assume it's better for the process for the top guns of a draft to play against stiffer competition to hit peak levels as soon as possible - which benefits the gaining club significantly.
If Auston Matthews had of went to the CHL it would have been better than the NCAA competition-wise, but heading to Europe will be even more valuable.
I doubt that it hurts his value any simply because people know what he's already done against people his own size and age. He's getting a leg up on the competition in my mind and I'd love to see more highly projected kids do the same thing.
It's also a chance for the game to grow in coverage on a global scale, which increases the competition at international tournaments. Really, what's not to like about more top prospects heading to Euro Leagues in their draft year?
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