Hockey is set up much the same way, the exception being – and this is really what’s driving a lot of the misconception about “bust” picks — all drafted players are typically 18 years old. Some don’t get drafted their first year of eligibility and occasionally do get taken the following summer at age 19.

But just like baseball, they are also competing against grown men at the NHL level and that’s very tough to do for reasons both physical and mental. An 18-year-old player can have all the “hockey sense” in the universe, but their body is still not fully developed physically compared to players in their early to late 20s.

Sure, a handful of truly gifted players have entered the league at 18. Kraken president Ron Francis was one of them, stepping in with the Hartford Whalers for a 68-point season in 59 games the fall after being taken fourth overall in 1981.

But Francis played at a solid 6-foot-3, 200 pounds in an era where players weren’t as big or quick as today’s.

When I was a teenager growing up in the Montreal suburb of Laval, Quebec, our local junior team, the Voisins, featured a guy named Mario Lemieux. We used to take the bus across town to the arena next to a penitentiary, buy standing room tickets for right up at the ice level glass and watch Super Mario in action.

His draft year in 1984, Lemieux stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 230 pounds. That season, he scored 133 goals and added 149 assists in 70 games. For those who like math, that’s a four-point-per-game average.

He was a giant among boys and watching him from ice level emphasized the size part. I was standing by the glass the Monday night in March 1984 when he broke Guy Lafleur’s single-season junior goals record of 130, finishing that game with six goals and five assists against the league’s second-best team from Longueuil. It was 11-0 by the eight-minute mark of the second period and wound up a 16-4 final.

His team clinched the league title that season with a 17-1 victory over the same squad.

When you think of surefire, NHL-ready 18-year-olds, that’s a good place to start. Merely putting up 100 points in a major junior hockey season doesn’t guarantee you’ll withstand the next level.

And that’s just from a physical standpoint. Lemieux, clearly, was a gifted playmaker with hockey sense streaming out of him that was wise beyond his years.

Put that whole package together, that’s a candidate for an 18-year-old NHL debut.

Now, not every 18-year-old has to be a towering future Hall of Famer to make the NHL full-time. But it sure helps. A teenage body often must grow into a man to play into a men’s league.

NORTH ADAMS — The Peter Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink is in serious need of a new roof — and the state has agreed to pay for it.

In a Wednesday news release, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said the money “is part of DCR’s ongoing effort to ensure families and residents have access to welcoming and safe recreational facilities that provide important opportunities for activity as well as serve as community hubs.”

The replacement will cost about $537,000, with completion slated for the summer and before the rink’s fall season opening, and consists of replacing the 36,000-square-foot roof with PVC roofing membrane and new insulation.

The city took the rink over from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, which didn’t own it but had a lease with the state, in 2008. The city signed a long-term lease and committed to putting money into the rink. Around the same time, the DCR made a major change in its management of skating rinks throughout the state, ceding control to private operators and municipalities. Now, the rink is owned by DCR and managed by the city.

Between expanded youth hockey programs, open skating and more, the rink is a popular spot in the city, even more so now that MCLA hockey has returned to the rink after a 20-year hiatus.

State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, who was instrumental in getting the DCR to fund the project, recalled his efforts as mayor in 2008 to secure a long-term commitment of $1.1 million from the state for the upkeep of the rink, which was built in 1969.

“DCR was getting rid of all of its rinks, and MCLA backed away from it, ending their hockey program and no longer running the rink,” he said Thursday. “We took it over, and it has become most successful, and hasn’t cost the city any money. It’s a tremendous resource for Northern Berkshire.”

“I never thought I’d be around to promote this,” Barrett said. “I know it’s in desperate need, like it was when I took it over. I thank the DCR and the Healey administration for not walking away from commitments made two administrations ago.”

North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey said that one of her first actions as mayor, in January 2022, was to work with DCR on maintaining “this important community and regional asset.”

“Fortunately, one of our biggest concerns with the rink is being addressed,” she said in the news release.

GRAND FORKS — UND coach Dane Jackson said in his introductory press conference last month that he wants the Fighting Hawks to be a leader in recruiting Western Canada.

On Friday, UND landed one of the top-performing young players in the Western Hockey League.

Saskatoon Blades forward Cooper Williams, who tallied more points than any 2008-born player in the WHL this season, announced his commitment to UND on Instagram.

Williams scored 21 goals and tallied 57 points in 68 regular-season games for the Blades.

The 6-foot, 150-pound Calgary native was one of six finalists for the WHL’s Rookie of the Year honor.

“He’s very, very smart,” Saskatoon coach Dan DaSilva told

Global News

in December. “He has a high hockey IQ. He’s in the right position. He knows where to go on the ice — both offensively and defensively. That’s his biggest asset, I’d say, is his ability to think and to read plays.”

Williams, 17, is expected to return to the Blades next season. His date of arrival on campus is yet to be determined.

Williams, who is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, visited UND last week.

“It was awesome,” he said. “Everything was so cool. I met a couple of guys on the team. They were awesome. The staff was awesome as well.”

Williams said he had been thinking about attending college for a while. He signed with Saskatoon, but in November, the NCAA changed its rules to allow players from the three Canadian Hockey Leagues to retain their college eligibility.

“I was thinking about (college) for a while now, even before the WHL Draft,” Williams said. “It was a 50-50 split. It’s awesome that the rules changed.”

Williams said he knew about UND because of former Fighting Hawks defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker, who helped coach hockey at Williams’ elementary school in Calgary.

“I talked to one other school over the phone, but I didn’t want to check out other schools,” Williams said. “(At UND), the facilities are great, the campus is unreal and it just seemed like the right fit for me.”

Williams is the second 2008-born player to commit to UND, joining West Fargo’s Keaton Jundt.

UND has a commitment from one 2009-born player in forward Eli McKamey, who accelerated his education and will be a senior next year.

The Fighting Hawks have been busy building the 2025-26 roster since Jackson was announced as head coach in late March.

Their 2025 commitments have included freshmen Jack Kernan (center) and Jan Špunar (goaltender). They’ve also picked up transfers Ellis Rickwood (Clarkson center), Anthony Menghini (Minnesota Duluth winger), Isaac Gordon (Michigan Tech winger), Gibson Homer (Arizona State goaltender) and Zach Sandy (Minnesota Duluth goaltender).

Williams is the first non-2025 commit of the Jackson era.

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

The University of Texas Hockey Team has seen great success on the ice, they’ll look to build off that success at the Southeastern Collegiate Frozen Showcase in 2026.

Ice hockey is gaining ground in the heart of SEC country, with club teams from several Southeastern Conference universities set to take center stage at the inaugural Southeast Collegiate Frozen Showcase in January 2026.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri gymnastics has signed graduate transfer Sara Wabi from Illinois State, head coach Shannon Welker announced on Friday. 

The Chicago native joins the Tigers after four seasons with the Redbirds, helping lead the team win the 2023 and 2025 Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) Championship and a trio of All-MIC First Team recognitions during her senior season. Wabi’s performance earned her a bid to compete on bars as an individual in the Seattle Regional of the 2025 NCAA Championships. 

“We are thrilled to welcome another high-level transfer to our program,” Welker said. “Sara is an elite competitor and brings great experience after competing at Illinois State for the last four years. She is a huge addition to our uneven bars squad – we cannot wait to begin working with her.” 

 

In 2024, Wabi saw action on floor and bars in every meet and was named to the All-MIC Second Team on both bars and floor at the MIC Championship. She scored 9.875 or better nine times during the season.

Wabi’s first collegiate meet came in 2023, where she competed on floor for the entirety of her sophomore year. She earned All-Midwest Independent Conference First Team honors on beam and bars that season as well. 

Before college, Wabi competed for Aspire Gymnastics Academy. During the 2021 Illinois State Meet, she placed second on bars, fourth on beam, seventh on floor, eighth on vault and fourth in the all-around.

Daughter to Steve and Sheryl Wabi, Sara was born on November 20, 2002.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest on Mizzou gymnastics, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, and Instagram.