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SEPTEMBER 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 43 C o l l e g e Ho c ke y I n c 's E xe c u t i v e D i r e c t o r Mike Snee regularly checks his Twitter feed to keep up with youth hockey teams. W h a t h e s a w s e v - e r a l t i m e s i n 2 0 1 8 was something that he considered to be in poor taste: youth hockey rosters with college logos appearing alongside the names of 13- and 14-year-old players who had already committed to Div. I programs. "I don't know if most people who would have seen it thought that was almost accepted as normal," said Snee, who works for the non- profit organization that promotes the college hockey experience. "That creates a finish line or a sense that something really important happens at that age. Now, I won't have to look at any line charts any more with college commitment logos next to a player's name." That's because the NCAA adopted a rule change regarding Div. I men's hockey recruit- ing that took effective May 1. The new rule states that college coaches can't have contact with recruits until Jan. 1 of a player's sopho- more year in high school. Another part of the change prohibits coach- es from extending a verbal offer until Aug. 1 prior to a player's junior year. And athletes can't sign a binding National Letter of Intent until their senior year. Before the rule change, teenagers as young as 13 verbally committed to colleges. For example, in 2017, brothers Chaz and Cruz Lucius, then 14 and 13, respectively picked the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. "I applaud the NCAA for stepping in and solving a really complicated and messy situ- ation," said Boston College head coach Jerry York. "It was just way out of hand. Just think about 14-year-olds choosing college that were four or five years away." York had questions about these young play- ers who committed to the Eagles, some of whom hadn't even enrolled in high school yet. "The whole process was Looney Tunes," York said. "Ninety percent of the coaches in America understand a 14-year-old has trouble matching the color of his socks. And they had no idea on academics. How were they going to do in algebra or in foreign languages? What a game that was." Scott Paluch, a regional manager with USA Hockey 's American Development Model, applauds the new rule, but he'd like to see the NCAA Div. I hockey mirror what college lacrosse does with recruiting. Paluch considers lacrosse to be the leader when it comes to recruiting reform. In 2017, the sport and the NCAA agreed to a Sept. 1 date for both coaches having contact and making offers. "I would fully support any rule that pushes back and allows the institution to see a more fully-developed player," said Paluch, a former head coach at Bowling Green State University. "Also, a rule that allows the time gap between acceptance, commitment and arrival to be closer together." Paluch says the contribution of College Hockey Inc., spreading the facts of recruiting cannot be overlooked. The average age of players committing to a college is 18, highlighting the need for fresh- men to wait to make a decision. Most players also commit while playing Junior hockey, which could be after a student's senior year of high school. "I think it's important for people to be aware of statistics," Paluch said. "A lot of the hockey community didn't have that information. We are just starting to understand it. I think the big difference a lot of other people don't understand between hockey and most other collegiate sports is the average age difference of a freshman. Our average age is 22 years old this season." The changes approved by the NCAA were endorsed by NHL and USA Hockey. " We are confident that rules, which sup- port and promote college contacts later in a player's development will reduce many of the unnecessary pressures felt by young hockey players," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly was quoted as saying in a College Hockey, Inc press release. "That will provide them a better and more enjoyable experience playing the game."