The investigation into a child-labor complaint filed with the State of Washington against the WHL’s four Washington-based teams is being expanded.
Matthew Erlich, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry, contacted media outlets last Thursday to inform them that the investigation of the complaint, which was filed by an unnamed party in September of 2013, will continue. The Department of Labor and Industry made the decision after soliciting advice from the State Attorney General’s office, Erlich said.
“We’ll be seeking more information now from the WHL teams in the state,” Erlich said.
The four WHL teams in Washington are the Everett Silvertips, Seattle Thunderbirds, Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans.
The complaint alleges that WHL teams violate the state’s minimum wage laws. Players are compensated with room, board, a small monthly stipend and one year of college paid for each season played in the league. The complaint says the monthly stipend, which numbers in the hundreds of dollars and varies based on the player’s age, does not meet the Washington State minimum wage of $9.32 per hour.
WHL commissioner Ron Robison issued a statement in September saying, “Our WHL clubs have responded to the government, providing requested information and explaining that our players are student athletes playing in a developmental hockey league, and participating and contributing to their sport the same way as other amateur athletes. … Amateur hockey players have competed within the WHL in the State of Washington since 1977. The WHL certainly recognizes that undoubtedly any changes to the status of junior hockey players could impact the status of other amateur athletes in the state as well.”
The complaint comes at a time when similar legal challenges are being made in Canada on behalf of Canadian Hockey League players. Challenges are also being made in the U.S. with regards to the status of collegiate athletes and whether they should be considered amateur.
There is no timetable for concluding the investigation. Erlich said the investigation can be stopped or the complaint can be settled at any point. However, Erlich said the investigation would likely require months to complete.
Around the WHL
Prince Albert acquired a pair of players. First, the Raiders picked up 20-year-old forward Colton Heffley from Kelowna for a fourth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft. Then Prince Albert acquired 19-year-old defenseman Raymond Grewel from Prince George in exchange for a 12th-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft. The moves help compensate for the loss of 19-year-old defenseman Hunter Warner, who is set for season-ending shoulder surgery. … Prince George waived 20-year-old goaltender Jared Rathjen to get down to the limit of three overagers. The Cougars had too many after forward Zach Pochiro was reassigned to the team by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues. … Calgary’s Connor Rankin was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 20-year-old forward had six goals and three assists as the Hitmen went 3-0. … Kelowna’s Rourke Chartier was named the WHL Player of the Month for November. The 18-year-old forward had 18 goals and 10 assists in 14 games. … Regina’s Daniel Wapple was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for November. The 19-year-old went 8-1-0-0 with a 2.19 goals against average and .931 save percentage.
Leaders
Points — Rourke Chartier (Kelowna), Nick Merkley (Kelowna) 51; goals — Chartier 32; assists — Merkley 41; penalty minutes — Keegan Kanzig (Calgary) 86; wins — Jordan Papirny (Brandon)19; goals against average — Taran Kozun (Seattle) 2.14; save percentage — Kozun, Jackson Whistle (Kelowna), Eric Comrie (Tri-City) .921.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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