NCAA prospects fast tracking to the NHL
Hockey Betting Lines
08/16/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the decision to forego college, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jerry D'Amigo and Montreal Canadiens first rounder Jarred Tinordi have joined a growing list of NHL draft picks to put down the books in favor of opportunism.
Although there is still immense talent throughout the college system, the repercussions of losing some of the brightest up-and-coming stars could have damaging long-term effects on hockey programs across the United States.
D'Amigo, a sixth-round pick in 2009, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs on Wednesday in the hopes of cracking the big squad out of training camp this fall.
As a result of D'Amigo's aspirations, he lost his NCAA eligibility and cannot return to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where he posted 10 goals and 24 assists in 35 games en route to being named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) rookie of the year.
If the 19-year old fails to impress in camp, his options include taking a trip down the road to suit up for the Toronto Marlies, or opt for the OHL and join the Kitchener Rangers, the owner of his junior rights.
While it is unlikely D'Amigo abandoned his fellow Engineers at RPI to play in the OHL, riding the bus in the American Hockey League is a different story, especially with the parent club in the same city.
Regardless of where the speedy winger starts the season, NHL action seems to be in the cards at some point this year, a mind-boggling revelation considering his development and expectations only a year ago.
Unlike D'Amigo who gave it the old college try (for one year, anyway), Tinordi changed course only a few weeks before he was slated to head off to study and play at the University of Notre Dame.
Instead, the hulking 6'6" defenseman will pack his bags and join Dale Hunter and the London Knights in the OHL.
Tinordi, the 22nd overall in this year's entry draft, is a bruising stay-at- home defenseman with a booming shot and good mobility. He also displayed his leadership qualities this past season as the captain of the U.S. National Development team.
Studying the game in the ultra-competitive OHL while honing his skills under the reigning coach of the year will do wonders for his progress, and was likely a major reason for the move.
Unfortunately for the NCAA, the current economic climate in the NHL, combined with the advanced development regiments of the OHL and the U.S. national team has allowed for a quicker transition to professional hockey.
In the salary cap world, players on entry-level deals become invaluable and opportunities arise sooner than they have in previous years. Thus, committing to four years of college has become a less attractive option for many.
Besides Tinordi, fellow draftees Cam Fowler and Jack Campbell also revoked their commitments to Notre Dame and Michigan, respectively, and fled to Windsor to join the Spitfires.
Dropping out of college and passing up thousands of dollars worth of scholarship money does not usually equate to success in the real world. But in the NHL, when ample opportunities call for younger, cheaper players, the math speaks for itself.
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"Joke."
"Terrible for golf."
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What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.