The Arizona Coyotes have acknowledged reports the club allegedly used some illegal recruiting tactics but are declining to comment further on any potential investigation.
“We are aware of the reports. We have discussed the matter with the NHL and we will have no further comment at this time,” the statement says, per the Arizona Republic.
The statement was made in response to allegations of recruitment misconduct against draft-eligible players in the Canadian Hockey League. According to reports, some CHL teams have accused the Coyotes of putting draft-eligible players through physical tests, which is not allowed before the NHL Combine in early June.
According to Craig Custance of The Athletic — citing the NHL’s combine testing policy — teams are allowed to interview and do psychology tests before the combine but not physical tests. Custance also reports that violations could lead to fines of $250,000 or more and quotes a line from the policy that says “There will be strict enforcement surrounding this policy and the subsequent fine associated with the violation.”
[relatedlinks]