Is Hockey Canada playing politics with American players?
Earlier this season — in late October and early November — the Battlefords North Stars tried to add two American players to their roster, only to subsequently have those players deemed ineligible to play Junior A hockey in Canada.
This article will some shed light on that decision and the process that occured; why Ryan Gil and Ryan Rosenberg were not approved to play in the SJHL and where the situation currently stands (Gil did play four games for the North Stars this year, but that was an unintentional error, as he was not eligible in the first place).
Reinstatement denied by Hockey Canada
The decision that Gil and Rosenberg would not be allowed to suit up for the North Stars was not made by the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. Nor was it made by the Canadian Junior Hockey League (the body that oversees the 10 provincial Junior A leagues).