Latest news with #MacKenzie
Hamilton Spectator
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
CHL execs not panicking as players head to NCAA in changing junior hockey landscape
RIMOUSKI - London Knights GM Mark Hunter says it's concerning. Canadian Hockey League president Dan Mackenzie isn't panicking. Western Hockey League commissioner Dan Near, meanwhile, will be surprised if some players don't change their minds by Christmas. One thing is certain: winds of change are sweeping through Canadian junior hockey with some top CHL prospects flying south to the NCAA. Where it all lands is anyone's guess. 'It's a real new landscape here right now of what's going to happen to junior hockey,' Hunter said. 'The next two years are going to be some wild, wild west.' The WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League have long produced the most — and many of the best — NHL players. But the talent pipeline could shift after the NCAA lifted a long-standing ban in November, allowing CHL players to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season. A wave of CHL talent — particularly players nearing the end of their junior careers — committed to American schools in the months that followed. In recent weeks, younger players Canadian junior teams had planned to build around have joined the trend. The WHL's Victoria Royals took a huge hit Friday when highly touted 2025 prospect Cole Reschny and 16-year-old Keaton Verhoeff committed to the University of North Dakota. Brampton Steelheads goalie Jack Ivankovic, 18, is reportedly following suit to the University of Michigan, joining projected first-round NHL pick Malcolm Spence, who's leaving the OHL's Erie Otters. Gavin McKenna could be next. Rumours have linked the prize of the 2026 NHL draft to the NCAA after he led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Memorial Cup final on Sunday. 'It is concerning,' Hunter said. 'We can't sit there and say it's not.' While the country's top junior teams congregated for the Memorial Cup, CHL executives met in Rimouski to discuss what some fans see as the beginning of an exodus. The league is monitoring closely, but plans to let the dust settle before making any reactive moves. 'We don't know who's going and how that's all going to work,' MacKenzie said. 'We also don't know if they're going to stay, if they're going to go into the portal, if they're going to come back, like who knows? 'A lot still has to play out, but by no means are we panicking or not confident that we can't develop great players.' MacKenzie noted that the CHL has more NHL draft picks than any other league. He and Near also highlighted that a record 170 CHL players landed on NHL Central Scouting's pre-draft rankings. 'We are the best development environment in the world,' Near said. 'Am I surprised that NCAA schools are interested in our players? I'm not.' So why are players leaving? The increasing departures have some puzzled. 'The reasons they're giving us are basically, it's not you, it's me,' QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini said in French. 'You didn't do anything wrong. The support is perfect. My coach is great. My billet family is amazing. 'Why this move gets made escapes me.' Near believes players might view the NCAA as a shiny new toy. He also credits recruiters from U.S. schools as persuasive salesmen. The WHL commissioner, however, suggested the grass may not be greener. More than 300 players, he said, entered the NCAA transfer portal, a sign that many aren't satisfied with their situations. 'Means they weren't happy with where they were,' he said. 'When they're recruiting, they don't talk to you about whether the scholarship is guaranteed for the time that you're there. 'I'd be shocked if some guys didn't come back at Christmas because they didn't think it was what they expected.' The NCAA is still a proven path to the NHL. Teams have drafted 63 first-round picks from the NCAA in the last 10 years, including Macklin Celebrini, last year's No. 1 overall selection. MONEY TALKS One reason players could be eyeing the NCAA? Money. In June 2021, the NCAA implemented a policy allowing players to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Near argued that NIL money would pale in comparison to future NHL earnings. He also raised questions about how much players could make under their foreign student visas. For example, Canadian basketball player Aaliyah Edwards couldn't actively participate in endorsements in the U.S. when she played for UConn. CHL teams, meanwhile, provide only a modest monthly stipend. Players are allowed to pursue sponsorship deals, but cannot be paid under the league's amateur student-athlete model. MacKenzie doesn't see that changing anytime soon. CHL VS. NCAA MacKenzie said the CHL and its schedule of 60-plus regular-season games — followed possibly by four playoff rounds and the Memorial Cup — is an ideal development path to the NHL. In contrast, NCAA teams play between 30 and 40 games in a given season. Cecchini highlighted that the average age of players in the NCAA also skews higher. 'Don't underestimate this, it's a man's league,' he said. There's also a bigger emphasis on school. While the QMJHL mandates players to study, the OHL and WHL have looser requirements. 'Some players may want to focus more on the hockey than on the school side,' MacKenzie said. 'Every player is different in terms of what their objectives are.' NEW RECRUITING METHODS The changing landscape, Hunter said, will force teams to ask more questions during their recruitment. 'Do you want to play in the CHL?' he said. 'You've got to be more specific about what their thoughts are. I totally agree with that. We have to be more thorough with what we're doing now.' The rule change could also swing the other way, with more Americans joining the CHL, now that players won't burn their bridge to the NCAA. This year's OHL draft saw a rise in American selections, and Cecchini predicted the same would happen in the QMJHL. Ottawa Senators draft pick Blake Montgomery, who's headed to Wisconsin next season, also moved from the USHL to the OHL's London Knights this season. Medicine Hat general manager Willie Desjardins sees teams increasing recruiting efforts south of the border. 'We'll look. I think there'll be more players coming up,' he said. 'We're going to do what we can to hold players from going to NCAA, we want them to stay with us, and USHL is going to do what they can to keep their players, so it won't change, but there will be a different flow of players.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. 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Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
CHL execs not panicking as players head to NCAA in changing junior hockey landscape
RIMOUSKI – London Knights GM Mark Hunter says it's concerning. Canadian Hockey League president Dan Mackenzie isn't panicking. Western Hockey League commissioner Dan Near, meanwhile, will be surprised if some players don't change their minds by Christmas. One thing is certain: winds of change are sweeping through Canadian junior hockey with some top CHL prospects flying south to the NCAA. Where it all lands is anyone's guess. 'It's a real new landscape here right now of what's going to happen to junior hockey,' Hunter said. 'The next two years are going to be some wild, wild west.' The WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League have long produced the most — and many of the best — NHL players. But the talent pipeline could shift after the NCAA lifted a long-standing ban in November, allowing CHL players to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season. A wave of CHL talent — particularly players nearing the end of their junior careers — committed to American schools in the months that followed. In recent weeks, younger players Canadian junior teams had planned to build around have joined the trend. The WHL's Victoria Royals took a huge hit Friday when highly touted 2025 prospect Cole Reschny and 16-year-old Keaton Verhoeff committed to the University of North Dakota. Brampton Steelheads goalie Jack Ivankovic, 18, is reportedly following suit to the University of Michigan, joining projected first-round NHL pick Malcolm Spence, who's leaving the OHL's Erie Otters. Gavin McKenna could be next. Rumours have linked the prize of the 2026 NHL draft to the NCAA after he led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Memorial Cup final on Sunday. 'It is concerning,' Hunter said. 'We can't sit there and say it's not.' While the country's top junior teams congregated for the Memorial Cup, CHL executives met in Rimouski to discuss what some fans see as the beginning of an exodus. The league is monitoring closely, but plans to let the dust settle before making any reactive moves. 'We don't know who's going and how that's all going to work,' MacKenzie said. 'We also don't know if they're going to stay, if they're going to go into the portal, if they're going to come back, like who knows? 'A lot still has to play out, but by no means are we panicking or not confident that we can't develop great players.' MacKenzie noted that the CHL has more NHL draft picks than any other league. He and Near also highlighted that a record 170 CHL players landed on NHL Central Scouting's pre-draft rankings. 'We are the best development environment in the world,' Near said. 'Am I surprised that NCAA schools are interested in our players? I'm not.' So why are players leaving? The increasing departures have some puzzled. 'The reasons they're giving us are basically, it's not you, it's me,' QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini said in French. 'You didn't do anything wrong. The support is perfect. My coach is great. My billet family is amazing. 'Why this move gets made escapes me.' Near believes players might view the NCAA as a shiny new toy. He also credits recruiters from U.S. schools as persuasive salesmen. The WHL commissioner, however, suggested the grass may not be greener. More than 300 players, he said, entered the NCAA transfer portal, a sign that many aren't satisfied with their situations. 'Means they weren't happy with where they were,' he said. 'When they're recruiting, they don't talk to you about whether the scholarship is guaranteed for the time that you're there. 'I'd be shocked if some guys didn't come back at Christmas because they didn't think it was what they expected.' The NCAA is still a proven path to the NHL. Teams have drafted 63 first-round picks from the NCAA in the last 10 years, including Macklin Celebrini, last year's No. 1 overall selection. MONEY TALKS One reason players could be eyeing the NCAA? Money. In June 2021, the NCAA implemented a policy allowing players to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Near argued that NIL money would pale in comparison to future NHL earnings. He also raised questions about how much players could make under their foreign student visas. For example, Canadian basketball player Aaliyah Edwards couldn't actively participate in endorsements in the U.S. when she played for UConn. CHL teams, meanwhile, provide only a modest monthly stipend. Players are allowed to pursue sponsorship deals, but cannot be paid under the league's amateur student-athlete model. MacKenzie doesn't see that changing anytime soon. CHL VS. NCAA MacKenzie said the CHL and its schedule of 60-plus regular-season games — followed possibly by four playoff rounds and the Memorial Cup — is an ideal development path to the NHL. In contrast, NCAA teams play between 30 and 40 games in a given season. Cecchini highlighted that the average age of players in the NCAA also skews higher. 'Don't underestimate this, it's a man's league,' he said. There's also a bigger emphasis on school. While the QMJHL mandates players to study, the OHL and WHL have looser requirements. 'Some players may want to focus more on the hockey than on the school side,' MacKenzie said. 'Every player is different in terms of what their objectives are.' NEW RECRUITING METHODS The changing landscape, Hunter said, will force teams to ask more questions during their recruitment. 'Do you want to play in the CHL?' he said. 'You've got to be more specific about what their thoughts are. I totally agree with that. We have to be more thorough with what we're doing now.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The rule change could also swing the other way, with more Americans joining the CHL, now that players won't burn their bridge to the NCAA. This year's OHL draft saw a rise in American selections, and Cecchini predicted the same would happen in the QMJHL. Ottawa Senators draft pick Blake Montgomery, who's headed to Wisconsin next season, also moved from the USHL to the OHL's London Knights this season. Medicine Hat general manager Willie Desjardins sees teams increasing recruiting efforts south of the border. 'We'll look. I think there'll be more players coming up,' he said. 'We're going to do what we can to hold players from going to NCAA, we want them to stay with us, and USHL is going to do what they can to keep their players, so it won't change, but there will be a different flow of players.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Jack MacKenzie breaks silence on atrocious flying seat injury as Aberdeen Scottish Cup hero confesses 'I got lucky'
The defender was badly hurt and needed stitches and carried off the pitch after the shocking incident after the whistle Scottish Cup hero Jack MacKenzie has urged Scottish football to learn its lessons and make sure the ugly injury he suffered at Tannadice never happens again. The defender was badly hurt after he was hit from a flying seat that was allegedly thrown from the Aberdeen support, after their final day Premiership defeat at Dundee United. MacKenzie needed stitches and had to be carried off the pitch after the horror incident and hopes the authorities can stamp out such flashpoints in the future. The left-back, speaking in an exclusive interview with Record Sport, stated: 'That incident we all want to forget about it and to move on, but we need to look at the serious side of things, where it needs to be taken out of football. 'It is something that needs to be looked at. 'You don't want to see an incident like that again.' The 25-year-old might have been struck but he claimed he was lucky. He also knows it could have been far worse if it had hit one of the young Dundee United fans who were beside him. The incident happened after some of the United fans ran on to the pitch to celebrate their win and European qualification. MacKenzie, who is set to join Plymouth on freedom of contract, admitted: 'There were little Dundee United supporting kids beside me, who were maybe 10 or 11 years old. 'If it had hit them on the head then we could have been looking at something completely horrendous. 'I was unlucky that it hit me but I also got lucky that it didn't cause me even more damage.' The defender admitted the aftermath of the incident was the hardest of his career, from the incident to the fear that it would cost him his Hampden farewell in the Scottish Cup Final against Celtic. Luckily, he was fit and managed to help Aberdeen lift the cup. He explained: 'The week before was probably one of the hardest he had had in football. It was tough. 'I just feared that could be the note I was leaving the club on and I just didn't want that. I wasn't nice for my family, my teammates or myself. 'There was a concern. I didn't train much at the start of the week because the stitches hadn't closed up as much as we hoped they would. 'I was also lucky I didn't get a concussion. An inch lower and it could have hit my eye and it could have been worse but all I ever wanted to do was be involved in the final. When I got the green light to play it was a relief. 'I wouldn't say it has been forgotten about but winning the Scottish Cup definitely outshines that.'
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Secrets of an Aberdeen Scottish Cup shock as departing star reveals how Jimmy Thelin outfoxed Celtic
The local hero signs off from Pittodrie on the ultimate high after upsetting the odds against Brendan Rodgers' side Local hero Jack MacKenzie feared his Aberdeen career was going to end on the ultimate low but was delighted it ended on the ultimate high of lifting the Scottish Cup. The defender helped Jimmy Thelin's side to dramatically see off Brendan Rodgers' side on penalties to bring the trophy back to the Granite City for the first time in 35 years. It had come just a week after he had suffered a nasty head injury after a seat had been allegedly thrown from the Aberdeen section in their Premiership defeat to Dundee United. He had to be stretchered off the park, needed several stitches and left him sweating over his cup final place. Thankfully, he was able to make a full recovery for Hampden and MacKenzie's last act as an Aberdeen player saw him fulfil his lifelong dream of taking a Cup down the main streets of his home city. The 25-year-old said: 'We had heard a lot about it being 35 years. I am 25 and to go and lift it in my final game for the club is a dream come true. 'There was no better way to finish. 'I have just had the most amazing time at Aberdeen. I joined the club when I was nine and I never thought I would still have been here at 25. To top it off with the cup win made it absolutely perfect.' The right-back was first up to pick up his medal and was the last of the team to lift the trophy aloft before he took it down to the Hampden turf for the celebrations. He said: 'I just headed down the stairs with the trophy and I gave it to the chairman. I walked down the steps with it. I can't actually put into words what it meant. 'You just don't realise what it really means until you actually do it. When we won the penalty shootout I couldn't believe it and then it took a few days to really sink in. 'It is ridiculous especially with the way the league season ended and us missing out on fourth. 'It was a huge blow but to win the cup was the perfect end. If I have a better day in football than at Hampden then I will be amazed.' Dimitar Mitov was the Celtic penalty hero with two saves in the shootout. MacKenzie joked he was on penalty number 12. When Mitov denied Alistair Johnston, Graeme Shinnie sank to his knees, the rest of the team ran to their keeper and MacKenzie made a beeline for the Red Army. He stated: 'No, I ran the opposite way. I ran straight to the fans. 'I looked around and saw everybody had run to Mitov but my first reaction was to run to the fans. I am one of them. 'I can't recall the next 20 minutes after that. It was just incredible. It felt miles better than I ever thought it would.' Aberdeen upset the odds and ripped up the form book to lift the Cup. They had lost their final four league games, slumped to fifth and had lost four-in-a-row to Celtic. MacKenzie admitted it was the manager Thelin who gave them the belief they could do it. The Scotland squad player stated: 'I had a feeling we were going to do it, I think the whole group had a feeling. 'We had lost those four games and included in that was the defeat to Celtic. 'I have to say the belief all came from the manager. He just instilled it into us that we were going to win. 'We believed going into the game we would win. We just felt that it was going to be our year. 'We all stepped up when it mattered. From Dimi saving from Maeda to all the penalties, where the quality was unbelievable.' For the likes of Shinnie, Jack Milne and MacKenzie they are all Aberdeen boys and knew what it meant to the club and the city. Mackenzie said: 'Graeme is from here and Jack and I have been here since we were very young. 'To take the Scottish Cup back to your home city, it doesn't get any better. I felt 10ft tall. It can't get any better. 'It means a wee bit more but all the foreign boys have taken to the club as well. It is like a real family and a proper Aberdeen team." How big this cup win was clear on Sunday when 100,000 fans turned Aberdeen city centre into a sea of red and white. 'I couldn't believe how many people were there,' MacKenzie claimed. 'It is only then you realise what a big deal it is to the whole city. 'My mum, dad, girlfriend, my sister and her partner and some others. 'It was nice to have everyone see and to get a picture with them all was amazing. It was just massive. "I lived the dream and now I will be going back to being an Aberdeen fan. I am excited to see where the team kicks on from here.'
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie to join Plymouth Argyle
Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie is set to leave Pittodrie after agreeing to join English club Plymouth Argyle. The Dons defender has reportedly agreed a three-year deal with Argyle, who are rebuilding their squad for a promotion push in League One next season after being relegated from the Championship. The 25-year-old left-back made his final appearance for the Dons off the bench in their Scottish Cup win against Celtic at Hampden on Saturday. The defender, a product of the youth academy at Aberdeen, will become the third new arrival at Home Park already as Pilgrims boss Miron Muslic reshapes his squad. MacKenzie joins Coventry City's Jamie Patterson and Caleb Watts of Exeter City in making the move to Argyle. MacKenzie becomes the second Dons player to depart Pittodrie, with goalkeeper Ross Doohan having agreed a move to Celtic.
