Frkin' out

Unless you live in Halifax, or you are a really hardcore hockey fan, you will not know who Martin Frk is. So let me give you some background. Frk is a 16-year old hockey phenom from the Czech Republic. It was anounced today that the Halifax Mooseheads, after drafting him 3rd overall in this summers CHL import draft, had secured his rights from his local junior team Karlovy Vary. This after over two months months of speculation and having been denied by the IIHF in a decision earlier in the month.

Now that the whole saga has come to an end with today's anouncement, the timing is right to comment on the events that have transpired and opinions that have been expressed since Frk was drafted.

First, I am absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of watching this incredible talent perform at the Metro Centre for the next two or three years. By all accounts, Frk has all the talent in the world and should be a star in the QMJHL and maybe even the NHL. His numbers compare favourably to those of another Czech and Halifax alumnus, Jake Voracek of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Frk registered 55 points (28 G and 27 A) in 38 games as a 16-year old in the Czech under-20 league while Voracek had 59 points (21 G and 38 A) in 46 games. In addition to his offensive talent, it seems that Frk also brings a little sandpaper to the rink with him. Playing against men four and five years older than he was, the 6'0" 190 lbs. Frk rolled up 184 PIMs.

Second, Bobby Smith and the Mooseheads were not the bad guys here. Some of the commenters on the team's unofficial fan forum (Moosetalk) seem to think that Halifax was in the wrong for luring a player away from a valid contract in another country. Management of the Karlovy Vary team have tried to portray their Halifax counterparts as greedy and heavyhanded in the local Czech media. The rhetoric and posturing from GM Miroslav Vanek was comical at times. At last week's so-called hockey summit, much was made of hockey players crossing the ocean to play minor league and junior hockey in North America, to the detriment of the developmental systems in Europe - particularly in the former Eastern Bloc nations. This is pure crap.

Dealing specifically with the Frk scenario, the Mooseheads were dealing with a young man who desperately wanted to play hockey in Canada. Unfortunately, he and his parents had signed a contract with his local team on the advice of a local agent (with questionable motives and allegiances). Once the IIHF (also with questionable motives and allegiances) found the contract with Karlovy Vary valid, the Halifax management had two choices: buy out Frk's contract or challenge the contract legally. My sense is that Smith and the Mooseheads would have stood a better than good chance of voiding the contract in court, but a buyout probably made more sense in the long run.

The bottom line is that you had a 16-year old who wanted to wear a Mooseheads jersey. Not only did he want to come to Canada, he knew that provided him with the best chance to be drafted into the NHL. At that age, he should be able to play wherever he wants. And a contract signed under duress and the influence of dubious characters should not prevent him from doing so, or doing what is best for his career. If the IIHF (Rene Fasel) and the Czech hockey federation are so concerned about developing players in their own country, they should create a system that can compete with the CHL and the NCAA instead of duping young players to stay at home to play in an inferior league and against inferior competition.

Smith and the Mooseheads did nothing wrong here. I am sure that if they had been around (or if there had been any unbiased representation at all) at the time Frk and his parents signed the deal with Karlovy Vary they would have advised him against it. But for the unscrupulous agent and local hockey management, Frk would have been free to play hockey wherever he wanted. Now he can.