10 thoughts on the transfer portal after one week
Plus: Yale is getting closer to hiring a new coach, Frozen Four drew record ratings for ESPN, and a full notebook
The transfer portal has been open for almost one week, and there are exactly the same number of entries six days into the window as there were in the entire last cycle (308 players). Of those players, 147 (47.7 percent) have already announced commitments for next season.
Today’s newsletter starts with 10 thoughts on the transfer portal as we approach the halfway point of the entry window. Players have until April 27 to enter the portal. After that, they can only enter if their financial aid is cut or if their program undergoes a head coaching change.
Also in today’s issue:
Yale is getting close to hiring a new head coach, and it appears that alum Jeff Hamilton is the favorite. Where do things stand? Who is running the search? We have some info.
ESPN drew record numbers for the Frozen Four and the national title game last week. Plus, notes on the production elements behind the broadcast, and more.
In our notebook, Elliotte Friedman reports that David Carle turned down $25 million from the Chicago Blackhawks last year, BC flipped a goalie commitment, Yost Ice Arena suffered some storm damage, notes on future Frozen Four sites, college hockey expansion, and more.
This is issue #670 of the College Hockey Insider newsletter.
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10 thoughts on the transfer portal after one week
(1) I wrote about this earlier in the week, but money is playing a bigger role in this portal cycle than any we’ve seen.
Multiple players (at least three that I know of) have told teams they were committed, only to de-commit hours later when a bigger-money offer came along. Multiple coaches told me last week that conversations with players or agents have started with, “Team X is offering $30,000.”
And as you would expect, there are a lot of “backroom deals” happening. But that has always happened. You’re never going to stop that. Several players have committed to a new school within hours of entering the portal.
