CHL set to make announcement that may face legal challenges

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Liam
March 31, 2022 (4:56 PM)

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Today, Eliotte Friedman reported that the CHL is set to announce their long speculated decision to ban teams from drafting players from Russia and Belarus.

The controversial decision comes as a response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with support from Belarus. The CHL, in an attempt to break ties from Russian allegiances even in hockey, believe banning further Russian players will put pressure on the Russian government.

This is not only a symbolic breaking of ties between the North American and Russian hockey allyship. There exists social skepticism of Russian players currently, especially within the CHL, of whether Russian players support the Ukrainian invasion. The CHL's decision to ban the drafting of Russian players, coinciding with reports of Russian players being victims of harassment, has a certain amount of social condemnation within it. However, while the feelings are understandable against aggressors in war, this decision is misguided.

Russian junior hockey players should not be held responsible for the actions of an authoritarian government; that fundamentally does not make sense. In addition, the decision to ban Russian players is in the direct interest of the Russian government. They will now be able to retain their young talent in for the foreseeable future, and for a nation that values sport as a display of national strength, the decision from the CHL greatly helps the Russians achieve this. It allows the Russian government to show strength from within their own country, in isolation from what they believe to be western aggressors.

Even from just a pure hockey perspective, this decision is disappointing for the quality of the game. Russian prospects notoriously do not get significant playing time in the KHL, or the minor league equivalent in the MHL. The opportunity to billet in Canada, play meaningful minutes on North American ice, and develop relationships in Canada brings significant talent from Russia to the NHL. With todays decision to end the draft of Russians, this process will certainly be hurt, and the Russians will retain their best young players.