Name, image and likeness opportunities in college athletics are primarily focused on high-stakes sports like football and basketball, and talks of seven-figure contracts for star quarterbacks and point guards are not out of the question. .
In the case of college hockey, NIL opportunities are not as prominent or plentiful. Gophers men's coach Bob Motzko famously said during last year's Frozen Four game, “Our players eat burritos,” in reference to Logan Cooley's Chipotle deal, “but times are changing. I think there is,” he said.
Derek Burns, co-founder and president of Dinkytown Athletes, the official NIL collective of Gophers Sports, sees change in hockey coming in the not too distant future.
“It's only a matter of time before the hockey world is affected significantly by the NIL,” Burns said Tuesday, adding, “I don't have a crystal ball, but I think things will change significantly within the next 18 months.” Ta.
The signs are already showing.
The Gophers announced last week that forward Jimmy Snageld will not sign with the St. Louis Blues and will return for his junior season in 2024-25. In response to the announcement, posts from Dinkytown athletes on the X Platform (formerly Twitter) trumpeted Snageld's decision.
“Thankfully, we were able to offer Jimmy a bundle package,” Burns said. “You'd have to ask him what factors factored into his decision. … To be honest, it was just to let him know that we wanted him back. That’s what I wanted to do.”
On Sunday, news broke that Nashville Predators first-round draft pick Matthew Wood will be transferring from Connecticut to Minnesota. Burns wouldn't say whether the Dinkytown athletes played a role, but he added that he's excited for the Gophers to bring in more talent.
As the NCAA Men's Frozen Four gets underway this week in St. Paul, we asked four coaches in attendance for their thoughts on the NIL and its immediate and long-term impact on the sport.
“I feel like college hockey is still relatively in its infancy,” Denver coach David Karl said. The Pioneers will face Boston University in the semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m. “That's probably going to be a bigger factor in the next few years. Yes, there's money flying around and you hear rumors, but it's hard to say exactly what's true and what's false. It hasn't affected us yet'' in a negative way. ”
Boston College coach Jay Pandolfo is happy for his players to have the opportunity to earn money while continuing to develop.
“You don't make life-changing money in hockey, but you probably do in football and basketball,” Pandolfo said.
Boston College coach Greg Brown referenced comments made by UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma about how the NIL has unfortunately made relationships with players more transactional.
“We haven’t gotten to that point yet. [that] “The point of hockey,” Brown said. “I hope that doesn't happen.”
Michigan coach Brandon Nowrat wants the focus to be on the program and not on what the players get on NIL contracts.
“We want people to come to the University of Michigan for all the resources this school has to offer, and we have a lot of them, especially academically,” Naurat said. “From a hockey standpoint, what we're saying is we develop you and our style of play helps prepare you to be a National Hockey League player.”
One area where NIL deals will be important in the college hockey world is how the gap between the 18 full scholarships allowed and the 25-28 player roster size can be bridged. That's what it means. Coaches can distribute scholarships by giving some players less-than-full rides, and contracts with NIL can fill in the gaps.
This is important in player retention, especially since the transfer portal is an easy way for a player to seek a full scholarship at another program.
As the NIL becomes a bigger factor for the Gophers, competition for players will intensify. One of Minnesota's longtime rivals, North Dakota, currently has a school-sanctioned 1883 Collective. That group is expected to be heavily involved in hockey, the sport that is the undisputed king on the UND campus.
“Minnesota has been competing for talent with teams like North Dakota State for decades,” Burns said. “The fact that they not only have a team, but they seem to be very committed to men's hockey, that's going to have a huge impact and we're going to have to compete with that.”
