@HockeyThinkTank @JeffLoVecchio This isn’t that interesting. Pretty standard path. Blues AAA. To the NAHL. To the USHL. To NCAA. To the AHL. To the NHL. Plus a goalie to boot. Come up with a better diamond in the rough example.
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Rich Mears
1.7K posts
Rich Mears
@LCT_Inc
Husband, Father, Hockey lover
Shaker Heights, OH Katılım Nisan 2010
196 Takip Edilen271 Takipçiler
KIDS: This is Jakub Dobes' journey.
At 18 years old, he was playing 18u AAA and Missouri high school hockey.
He made a vow then to @JeffLoVecchio that he was going ALL IN. So much that he sent a screenshot of every meal that he ate to Vechs to make sure his nutrition was on point.
This video gives me chills. Especially knowing the work that went into it with the partnership of Dobey and Vechs.
Everyone has a different path. 18u and Missouri HS hockey at 18 years old.
Seven years later he has the entire Bell Centre in Montreal on its feet.
When you commit to something - really commit to something - it's a powerful, powerful thing.
Sportsnet@Sportsnet
Jakub Dobeš couldn’t help but smile as the crowd cheered for him 👏
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College hockey is not broken.
Jonesy@HedgeyeDJ
NCAA Hockey “5 in 5” Eligibility Position Paper Please find below a link to an extensive white paper addressing concerns around the proposed NCAA eligibility changes and their detrimental impact on ice hockey. Some key points from our paper: •The proposal would dramatically alter a decades-long development pipeline that has supported academic progress, competitive parity, and professional player development in NCAA hockey. •It would disproportionately disadvantage the 2006–2010 birth cohorts, who have invested substantial time and financial resources based on the existing, well-established pathway. •Many incoming freshmen could face material uncertainty in roster status, development trajectories, and long-term opportunities despite an implicit understanding between athletes, institutions, and the NCAA. •Sport-specific carve-outs are consistent with NCAA practice; men’s ice hockey already benefits from tailored rules for drafted players and extended enrollment deferrals. •The white paper advances policy alternatives that preserve the core intent of age-based eligibility reform while avoiding harm to players and families and preserving a development pipeline that demonstrably functions well. Full paper here: app.hedgeye.com/insights/18191… CC @KeithMcCullough @hedgeye
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@JD_Jerbear Definitely got better opportunities than most. 5 NAHL/5 USHL games at 16. NAHL at 17. Youngstown at 18. 11 games. I saw him play. Was nowhere near that level. Got to practice everyday; was probably 2nd-3rd line NAHL practicing in USHL. Got better and made his way to Princeton.
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lol bought his kids path to Princeton
USA TODAY@USATODAY
Murry Gunty, the founder and CEO of Blackstreet Capital Holdings, used his private investment firm to buy the teams on his son’s path to NCAA Division I college hockey. Then, he made the pathway more expensive for almost everyone else. usatoday.com/story/news/inv…
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Rich Mears retweetledi
Out of the 296 players that attended the @USHL phase II combine in Green Bay exactly ZERO got drafted. You have a better chance of being drafted if you don’t attend. The ULTIMATE money grab!
@usahockey
From the players I spoke with, USHL teams were not in attendance.
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I get that he is going to fill a need for @UNDmhockey this season, but I haven’t been able to find anything that makes him stand out, the way some of the other commits do. Someone tell me what I’m overlooking. What is he bringing?
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders@RidertownUSA
Congratulations to RoughRiders Connor Davis and the Davis family on Connor’s college commitment to the University of North Dakota! #LetsRide #CollegeCommitment #LGH
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@MikeMcMahonCHN Between this and the CHL rule change the 2007 BY has been through some crazy stuff. The 2006 and 2008 BYs have been impacted as well but I think the 07s have had it the worst. Lots of guys hanging them up or playing ACHA because they don’t want to deal with all this.
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On NCAA age-based eligibility, the pool of players hurt most (my opinion) will be players who graduate HS this spring.
The teams that currently want older players will still want older players, and they can still access them for a short window.
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@LCT_Inc @ColbyCohen36 They spent their entire lives playing more games than this
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40 game regular season is a good place to be. With conference tournaments and ncaa’s you can get to 45-50 games. Lots of practice and time with the strength and conditioning coaches. This is what a majority of guys need. Hope this passes.
College Hockey News@chnews
Large majority of coaches supported increasing games limit to 40 at today's meetings. Still needs to go through a number of legislative steps for approval, and no guarantee. Ivies are stuck on 30 either way.
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If Minnestoa loses this game, this will be the reason why. The #JonnyJynx
Jonny Lazarus@JLazzy23
The Wild want it more
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New: 2026-27 #CBJ Roster Projection 1.0. We begin looking ahead to what the roster could look like next season.
-Woah, could be much different up front if UFAs don't return.
-Blue line makeover needed?
-A newcomer in net soon?
Read: thehockeywriters.com/2026-27-blue-j…
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Call me crazy, but the NHL going back to the Olympics MIGHT JUST have been a great move. 🤯🤯🤯
Braylon Breeze@Braylon_Breeze
Through Sunday, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 1.143M viewers, the best start on record. That’s up 83% from this point last year & more impressively, 43% from 2024, which is the second most-watched playoffs on record. Games with 1M+ viewers: 2026 — 19 2025 — 1 2024 — 9
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@LowtierLeroy @For3JT Wtf are you talking about. Ever been to a New England Prep school. Most of the boys graduate at 19 and many go to Ivy League schools. Stay in your lane bro.
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With the 5-for-5 NCAA rule, what happens to high school kids graduating AFTER turning 19?
They’ll burn a year of eligibility while in high school and only get to play 4 seasons in 5 years.
I wonder if such cases are being considered by the NCAA.
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In my two seasons coaching in the NAHL, we’ve had players come up from the NA3HL in season and have an immediate impact on our team.
NA3HL@NA3HL
The NA3HL continues to be a proven path for athletes looking to play in the NAHL! 👀 Read more about their impressive performance during the 2025-26 season below. 🔗: na3hl.com/news/story.cfm… #LadderofDevelopment
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@JD_Jerbear The 2006/07 age group of Americans will go down as being f’ed over more than anyone. First the CHL rule change now this. ACHA teams will be getting a lot of great players from kids who are just tired with the whole thing.
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@CHN_AdamWodon Athletes are eligible to play longer, the total # of available spots is more restricted and competitive. A 2026 senior, that 5th year isn't just about the rule passing—it's about convincing a coach to use one of their strictly limited roster spots on you instead of a new recruit.
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If there's 20 roster spots on the field hockey team and 4 are taken by 5th years, that's 4 fewer opportunities for high schoolers. How is this difficult for anyone to understand?
Rich Mears@LCT_Inc
@CHN_AdamWodon How does it take away opportunities. If everyone just now gets 5 years, then everyone gets 5 years instead of 4. Explain how anyone loses out?
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@CHN_AdamWodon Math is hard for you. Hockey will have to adjust and be like every other sport. 18-23 year olds playing in college not guys playing when they are 25-26. There will be an adjustment period but we’ll all live and maybe the sport gets better without all these ridiculous jr leagues.
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@LCT_Inc Man oh man. It's pretty obvious math. So. Do you think rosters magically get bigger?
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Nevermind hockey for a minute... Again I'll say that 5 years of eligibility is brutal for all non-football/basketball sports. Will take away thousands of opportunities for kids and no one cares. Does Charlie Baker even ask those sports when he says "no one disagrees"?
Mit Winter@WinterSportsLaw
NCAA President Charlie Baker is pushing for the proposal to allow DI athletes five years of eligibility to be voted on as emergency legislation in May, with implementation the next month. Baker is also in support of DI having a legal tampering window like we see in the NFL.
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