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Though Cole said they didn't have to hold back any of their recruits to accommodate Lewandowski, there are bound to be other sit- uations where players are going to be asked to wait longer than they had hoped to join their college teams. That could create an unexpect- ed logjam of players, which ripples all the way down to the youth level. A student-athlete staying for a fifth year in college means the player that was supposed to have that spot in a normal year now might have to play another year of junior hockey. The 18 & Under player that was expecting to make the jump to juniors might have to stay with their 18U or high school team a year longer than expected. That doesn't have to be a negative, but it can be a tough pill to swallow for some players looking to advance. Coaches and administrators at the primary feeders to college hockey—in all tiers of junior hockey, high school and 18U levels—are trying to stay on top of the ever-evolving situation. Mark Frankenfeld, president and commis- sioner of the North American Hockey League, which also includes the Tier III NAPHL and 18U NA3HL under its umbrella, is keeping a close eye on the developments. "From our league perspective, our respon- sibility is making sure we're watching all the ways the colleges and the ecosystem adapt and then we'll continue to evolve with our own events, marketing or whatever we need to do to help these players get opportunities," Frankenfeld said. "It's going to be hard for all of these players who are not in the college system yet. In the normal setting you might be ready, but there's nowhere to go." College teams asking recruits to spend an extra year at whatever level they're currently at existed long before the NCAA's temporary eligibility rules in response to Covid-19. In a career that spans 26 seasons, longtime junior head coach P.K. O'Handley—now the president of hockey operations for the USHL's 42 // OCTOBER 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOS BY Getty Images REACTION –Danton Cole, head coach of the Michigan State Spartans "A lot of times players are in a hurry. They want to get to juniors, college and pro. Sometimes it's better to be a year too late instead of a year too early." COACHES AND ADMINISTRATORS AT THE PRIMARY FEEDER LEVELS OF COLLEGE HOCKEY ARE STAYING ON TOP OF THE EVOLVING SITUATION. THE NCAA'S DECISION TO GRANT AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY TO ATHLETES WILL CREATE A BIT OF A LOG JAM AT JUNIOR AND YOUTH LEVELS, BUT THERE ARE SOME WHO SEE IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THEIR DEVELOPMENT. Chain Chain