Class action lawsuit alleges junior hockey violates U.S. antitrust law

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in a federal New York court arguing that the major junior hockey system in Canada and the United States goes against U.S. antitrust law.

The lawsuit has been brought forward by Isaiah DiLaure and Tanner Gould, who are both former WHL players, as well as divisions of the World Association of Ice Hockey Players Unions. They allege that all three leagues under the CHL umbrella as well as the NHL have been exploiting teenage hockey players by limiting their compensation and where they can play.

While most of the case is centred on the CHL, which includes the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the NHL is also under fire for financially supporting the CHL and having control over their decision-making, thus making them partially responsible for whatever the CHL does to it’s players.

The CHL has not yet released a full statement on the matter but will be looking into it.

“We have just been made aware of the complaint, filed by WAIPU, an organization that has not been certified to represent any CHL players,” the league said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. “Until we can thoroughly review the document, we are unable to provide comment as to the legitimacy of its contents.”

Part of the lawsuit’s case is that every American state and Canadian province is automatically assigned one of the three leagues in the CHL which their players can play in. Players do not get to choose which league they play in. Once a player is drafted into the CHL, if he chooses to play there, the team that drafted him keeps his rights for the duration of his junior career.

There has been a long-standing controversy over whether junior players should be paid full salaries prior to turning pro.