Star Badger Hockey Recruit Facing Possible NCAA Sanctions
Nic Kerdiles, the centerpiece of Wisconsin hockey’s 2012 recruiting class, sat out UW’s first exhibition game this Saturday because of lingering NCAA issues. It appears the investigation surrounds an issue common with hockey and baseball players:
Pulver Sports is a full scale sports agency that specializes in the representation of hockey players. The agency is run by Ian Pulver, with some of their clients including Tyler Seguin, Nail Yakupov, and Alex Galchenyuk.
Sources told Bucky’s 5th Quarter Sunday that the situation started because a photo on twitter surfaced of Kerdiles out to dinner at the NHL Draft with representatives from Pulver Sports.
That likely triggered the investigation which is likely asking three things:
- Did Kerdiles sign an agreement for Pulver Sports to be his agent (not just his advisor)?
- Did Kerdiles allow Pulver Sports to act as his agent?
- Did Kerdiles accept any benefits from Pulver Sports?
Chris Peters of the United States of Hockey blog says a one-year suspension is on the table. That would indicate that Kerdiles allowed Pulver Sports to act as his agent or that he accepted significant extra benefits from the agency. One dinner would not result in sitting out a year and signing an agreement with an agent normally results in an athlete’s eligibility not be reinstated.