NHL pulling youngsters into the league

The consequences of the new collective bargaining agreement have not really yet been seen. Even the general managers of European clubs can't be sure what the consequences are, in fact they are changing their positions from positive to negative. One reason is the the NHL is keen to take on some younger players; guys that are cheaper than established stars, have some upside, but are still green. This is a risk of course but young hockey players from every nation are all too ready to leap at the chance to play in the NHL. In Sweden, we lost a promising young player to the Dallas, or better said, to Iowa. That is because Iowa is where the AHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars is and Louie Ericsson is going there. He would probably have matured more quickly by staying in Sweden, he surely would have played more since he was already Rookie of the Year in 2003, but he chose to move to the US to the chagrin of Frölunda's general manager.