Thursday, November 30, 2006

Should the USHL Allow More Imports On Rosters?

There have been many debates about how good the USHL is compared to the CHL. There is no doubt the USHL has made huge strides in recent years to make the gap closer, but would more imports help the USHL jump even closer? USHL teams are allowed 3 imports per team (max of 2 may be rookies, while 1 would have to be a veteran.) What if the USHL was to allow teams up to 5 or 6 imports per team? Canada produces some of the best hockey talent, so if the USHL could utilize that and give more Canadians roster spots on teams, it could make the league even better. You look at the past, and you have had imports come through the league such as Ted Purcell, Andreas Nodl, Jaroslav Markovic, Rob Ricci, Brock Trotter, Brock Bradford, Trevor Smith, Tomas Klempa, Rostislav Spirko, and Matt Read this season. Let's not forget a couple other key imports that came through the league: Thomas Vanek and Ruslan Fedotenko. Could you imagine good quality Canadian and Europe prospects coming to play in the USHL? It could be a very good thing for the league. The USHL could offer more exposure for kids who come to the league, as opposed to the Canadian Jr. A leagues.

Would this be beneficial for the league as a whole? Yes.
Will the league ever consider changing this? Most likely no.

No comments: