Hockey agent Aleksey Dementiev shared his opinion on the initiative of the Ministry of Sports to collect compensation from players under 23 who are leaving for foreign clubs.
– This is an interesting initiative. I think this is a definite step towards the creation of private hockey schools, where people will initially pay for their education.
Is the project raw? Yes, details are needed. For example, many change their place of residence. Someone does not consider hockey as a means of earning, but sees this as a chance to get an education – for example, the NCAA program.
I am not a supporter of an early departure to North America. Moreover, the political situation in the world is such that leaving there now is a big question. Just look at what problems the local population faces – few people are ready to live and play hockey in such an environment.
– Most of the schools are budget. Does compensation look fair from this point of view?
– You need to understand the mechanism for calculating compensation – now it is not. The form that hockey players need is not highlighted in most schools. From what I know, parents buy the uniform themselves, and they also take the child to training, competitions are a huge job, it also needs to be paid. And there are a lot of factors that will affect the calculation.
– The NHL offered to conclude a transfer agreement, what are the disadvantages of this option?
– There is a big caveat – if you sign this agreement, the NHL club can pick up the drafted player, even if he has a valid contract. From the point of view of the KHL club, it looks like this – you sign up a young player for three years, and after a season he is highly chosen by draft, and the club from the NHL offers him a contract and takes away for 200-300 thousand dollars.
– And what about the players who did not fit their school? For example, Nikita Kucherov, who was virtually abandoned by CSKA.
– Such players, in my opinion, should receive the status of an unlimited free agent. If we take CSKA, then maybe 3-4 people from the issue are worthy to get a contract. How then can you ask for money from those who did not fit the club? There is no interest in them in Russia, they find work abroad, and have to pay for it? And only those who signed a contract with the club should fall under the Ministry of Sports.
There are questions on the distribution of funds – Kucherov is a pupil of Polar Bears, he came to CSKA later. I am surprised at the number of transitions between schools in Russia – this is a problem. Coaches at children’s schools require good players, not do them. And they use the name of the school, a great story, they collect players at home, and those who were invited before that are sent to other teams. Therefore, the problem of calculating compensation and its distribution between schools may arise.
– 23 years is the optimal age for departure?
– If you go to the NHL, you should be ready for this league. Look at Hughes and Kakko – great hockey players, have achieved success at the junior level, but in the NHL they are hard. These are outstanding guys, but they started to play in this league early. Therefore, physical strength is also necessary – and by the age of 22-23, players just gain it. There is another plus for the player – the NHL rookie contract will be concluded for two years, ”Dementyev said.
The new idea of the Ministry of Sports is to milk players who travel to the NHL. Amendments to the law will not prevent juniors from leaving
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