The new rules set new dates for first recruiting contacts with the goal of slowing down and improving the recruiting process. The changes will significantly alter the timeline for Division I hockey prospects. How will they impact European (import) players?
The changes restructure the timing of permissible recruiting activities. The most important changes are:
- Eliminating all recruiting conversations (whether initiated by the coach or the prospect) prior to Jan. 1 of a prospect’s sophomore (grade 10) year.
- Establishing Aug. 1 prior to a prospect’s junior (grade 11) year as the first date when NCAA coaches can make a verbal offer.
I don’t want to go into the details of the rule changes which are generally perceived as positive by parents, HS and D I coaches and also the NHL fully supports the recruiting rule changes. To learn more see College Hockey News Release.
In my opinion it has also a positive side for import players who usually come over when they are 16-18 years old. With the old rules the colleges already had issued a lot of commitments which worked to the detriment of imports. With the new rules which slow down the recruiting process a European player has a better opportunity to compete for the coveted D I roster spots!
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