Let the Early Exodus Begin

On Wednesday, it was announced that stand-out Wisconsin defenseman Brendan Smith, brother of Miami skater Reilly Smith, would skip out on his senior season and officially sign a three-year entry level contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Sure, I could point to what every one else is saying in that "this was a long time coming!" or, "come on, after watching the playoffs, the Red Wings clearly need the help!" or something of the sort, but I'm not going to. Fact of the matter is, the stalwart defenseman leaving the Badgers for the bright lights of the big leagues isn't the first this year to leave early...nor will he be the last. Let's take a closer look.

While seeing such a keystone player like Smith leave early certainly raises some eyebrows (okay, maybe just my eyebrows, but I'm sure I can't be the only one), he's actually only the latest to do so, joining 25 players in the NCAA who have already left for the big leagues with eligibility left (thanks to USCHO for the stat there). I myself didn't even realize that some of the players who are leaving actually did, names which should be familiar to those of us who have followed the Redhawks in the last few years. Let's take a look at some of these players.

We'll start with Ohio State, perhaps a different case due to the fact that coach John Markell was canned following yet another disappointing season with the Buckeyes, much to the chagrin of many a Redhawk fan. They're currently losing the services of three of their keystone players, forwards Zac Dalpe and Hunter Bishop along with defenseman Matt Bartkowski. These aren't just your average skaters, rather they're quite a talented trio whose absence will most certainly be felt in Columbus. Perhaps starting with Ohio State isn't the best, since their circumstances are a bit different than others; sure, these three players are quite possibly the most talented on their team, or were, rather, but their decision to leave early could have simply been due to the coaching change. Either way, there's one team left with quite a few holes to fill.

Another set of players leaving early which Redhawks fans will certainly recognize are Michigan State d-man Jeff Petry, Northern Michigan forward Mark Olver and Alabama-Huntsville goaltender Cameron Talbot. All three of these players, like the OSU trio in the previous paragraph, are highly talented prospects who will no doubt be playing elsewhere now that their college careers are over. Mark Olver had an outstanding year, both in CCHA and non-conference play, and I think we all remember watching Cameron Talbot stand on his head to keep the Miami -UAH game close. Having sat in the post-game press conference of that game, Cameron Talbot struck me as a young man of great poise and composure, and I'm certainly not surprised to see his name on this list. The same could be said of Olver and Petry.

This list certainly won't end with Brendan Smith. In fact, let's take a look closer to home, at a certain place we like to call home named the Steve Cady Arena. As much as Redhawk fans don't like to admit it, but the 'Hawks are just as vulnerable to losing some key pieces as these other schools are; just because it hasn't really been an issue in the past, aside from Jeff Zatkoff and Alec Martinez, doesn't mean it can't happen in Oxford as well. For example, defenseman Will Weber is one of the top prospects in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization--an organization that, right now, is really hurting on the blue line and looking desperately to plug some of those gaps. Weber, sooner or later, will be called upon to reinforce the CBJ blue line, but will they wait until after his senior year to do so? Or, there's the elephant in the room right now: whether or not captain Tommy Wingels will stay or go. Rumor has it that San Jose has already tendered him an offer, though I certainly cannot confirm that at this point.

I could go on and on down the list, including highlighting the three (!!) also leaving Boston University early, as much as it pains me to even mention that school. But the fact of the matter is that seeing talented kids leaving school early isn't just reserved for the high-profile players in NCAA football and basketball--it's also just as prevalent in hockey. So my question to you is this: what do you all think about what's going on? Certainly if a player is good enough to cut it in the big leagues, they should be permitted to do so, but at what cost to the school? Do these players even truly care about the colleges they sign on to, or are they just looking at it as merely practice before they get to the NHL, their ultimate goals? I'd love to hear what you all think. Until then, stay tuned until tomorrow, when you'll get one heck of a Stanley Cup preview.

Love and Honor,

Matt