Canadian University Hockey Becoming Next Step For CHL Graduates

Courtesy: HockeyNow (www.hockeynow.ca)

On a sheet of ice at the Scotiabank Centre, home of the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the university world’s best looked to become the nation’s best. 

Eight teams contested the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national hockey title at the University Cup this month, but only one—the University of Alberta Golden Bears—walked away victorious. 

The Golden Bears are a modern-day dynasty in the CIS—the 2015 national title was their second-consecutive and fifteenth all-time, the capper to a regular season in which they were again declared the nation’s and Canada West’s best team. 
And nowadays, that really means something. 

Once considered an afterthought to major junior in Canada, CIS hockey is no longer the forgotten little brother in a hockey-mad nation. The talent is impressive, the players committed, and the reputation growing. 

‘When someone comes to a game for the first time, they become addicted’

In the 15 years Kevin Figsby has been with the Concordia University men’s hockey program, the world of CIS hockey is markedly different. 

Changes have been seen in the calibre of players, the popularity of the product and health of the association’s leagues, but nowhere is the advancement more evident to fans than on the ice.

“Certainly, the product on ice over the last 10 years has increased tenfold,” said Figsby, who is also the president of the Canadian University Hockey Coaches Association.

“When someone comes to a game for the first time, they become addicted.”

At present, players graduating out of the Canadian Hockey League are more often choosing Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey as the next step in their career. In the last decade, the CIS has gone from a composition of 60 to 65 per cent CHL graduates, to 87 per cent, Figsby said. 

In the University Cup, 166 CHL graduates suited up for the eight participating teams, 78 per cent of all players in the tournament. Twenty-five of those played for the championship-winning Golden Bears. 

And a higher percentage of major junior alumni has brought with it a better brand of hockey. 

“For the most part, the guys realize that the players in the league now have played in the CHL for four years, so it’s a step up when they come into the league in their first year at this level,” Figsby said. 

“The practice tempo at the CIS level is game tempo from when they came out of major junior. Just due to the fact of the speed, the size of the players, to qualify or quantify, you’d have to look and say CIS is bigger, faster, stronger.”

For Riley Kieser, who is in his first year with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, CIS hockey wasn’t really a consideration as he was growing up. 

But, when his three-year career with the Edmonton Oil Kings came to an end and he was looking to continue playing hockey elsewhere, the arts student was surprised by the calibre of hockey that had been in his backyard all along.

“You don’t think of it as an option when you’re growing up, it’s not as popular,” said Kieser, who, with the Bears’ championship, managed to capture both the CIS national championship and the MasterCard Memorial Cup less than a year apart. “But, now that you’re here, you see that it’s great hockey and it’s definitely a step up from the CHL.

“It took until I practised with [the Golden Bears] and started playing games. The actual level was that much higher and you really have to up your game to play here, too.”

CHL does a great job with setting players up for Plan B
In part, the change in quality at the CIS level has resulted from the CHL doing a better job of informing its graduates about the academic opportunities available to them. But, Figsby believes players are also making more intelligent decisions. 

“I think kids are a lot more astute than they were years ago,” the Concordia Stingers head coach said. “There’s a lot more information that’s available to them, there’s a lot more options that are available. 

“And certainly, when they weigh their options and they weigh their future and they talk to people, they know that CIS is probably their principle option as a 20-year-old who’s not going on to the NHL, to come in and continue to hone their skills.”

For Jordan DePape, who played four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers, Red Deer Rebels and Brandon Wheat Kings, it was important to get an education and take advantage of his scholarship package when his time in the CHL came to an end. He’s now put in two seasons with the University of Manitoba Bisons. 

But, like many others who are now plying their craft in the CIS, DePape doesn’t think of playing university hockey as a death sentence for dreams of the professional game. 

“More and more often these days, you see guys playing university hockey, getting their degree and then going on and playing pro, whether that’s in the East Coast [Hockey League] working your way up to the AHL [American Hockey League], or going overseas,” DePape told HockeyNow. 

Figsby, too, talked about players taking their game to the next level following university careers, something that has been done by plenty of Canadians. 

Last month, HockeyNow spoke with David Bowman, who went from playing with the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds to playing professionally in Italy. 

Stu Grimson suited up for the Manitoba Bisons, before going on to play parts of 14 seasons in the NHL. 

Joel Ward, now a regular with the Washington Capitals, played four seasons for the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers before jumping to the AHL’s Houston Aeros and, eventually, the NHL. 

Those are just a few of the many examples of professional careers growing out of university commitments. 

More and more, players and coaches have started to see the CIS as the next step in the progression of a hockey career in Canada. Players who aren’t ready to make the jump to the pro game straight out of major junior can take the time to continue to develop, while getting an education, before heading on to any number of pro opportunities. 

And, when what is sometimes a short professional career is finished, players have an education to continue the rest of their lives with.

Studying criminology, DePape, for example, said he plans to pursue a career as a police or corrections officer if there are no hockey-related options available to him when he graduates. 

“Then, if they want to pursue a professional hockey career, they can always do that, but they’ll always have that degree,” Figsby said. “The one thing no one’s ever going to be able to take away is that university degree. 

“I’ve always said, it’s not something you have to fall back on, it’s something you have to move forward to, after you finish playing hockey.”

A more balanced product
In the stands for the 2015 University Cup, Figsby had a hard time predicting a winner. 

The CIS national championship has always been a culmination of the season, a time for a best-on-best showcase of the country’s talent, but more and more, it’s getting harder to tell the difference between conferences. 

“Every conference across the country is producing top-level players and when you get to the national championship, it’s about the game you’re playing and not about what you’ve done all year,” he said.

“Ten years ago, I think you could maybe predict who the winner was before the tournament started in any given year. Now, you have to come or you have to watch it to actually see the best of the best, because it’s not what they’ve done all season anymore, it’s what they do at the nationals that counts.”

In years past, certain areas of the country and certain universities landed the preponderance of CHL graduates. 

But that no longer seems to be the case—players are choosing universities all over the country, whether for the programs they offer, their proximity to family or a desire to see a new part of Canada.

And, with the parity among teams, players are no longer guaranteed a spot on a CIS club by virtue of having CHL experience. 

“You’re playing against men, you’re playing against older guys,” DePape said. “They’re real strong, they’re real physical.”

Figsby echoed DePape’s sentiments, agreeing he has seen the competition for roster spots change drastically. 

“I think that’s probably a big difference over the last 10 years. Because there’s so many more players coming out of major junior, out of the CHL, into the CIS, you’ve got to have a consistent work ethic in order to crack the lineup and you’ve, as we say, got to bring your A-game everyday,” he said.

Fair compensation
The issue of financial compensation for major junior players has been in the news recently, with some calling for the CHL to pay its players for their time in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

While the issue has brought a number of opinions to light and left some divided, both DePape and Kieser are among those who feel they were adequately compensated for their time in major junior. 

“Having the school paid for is kind of a big relief,” Kieser said. “It’s quite a large amount of money to go here, so it kind of helps financially that you don’t have to worry about that and you can just focus on doing well in school and being a student athlete.”

For DePape, the situation is similar. After four years with the Blazers, Rebels and Wheat Kings, the 22-year-old has five years of school paid for. The fifth year of scholarship support came for playing just a handful of exhibition games for the Wheat Kings in 2008-09. 

Odds are, the defender will be finished with his university career before he even has a chance to use all his years of scholarship money.

And, while not every CHL graduate takes advantage of the education made available to them, those who do seem to be pleased with the deal they’re given. 

“At the end of the day, when I start my university career, at least I’m not 20 to 25 grand in debt after I get my degree, or have to work my whole teenage years,” expressed DePape. 

“Instead, I get to play hockey and live life to the fullest, basically.”

 

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