Jimmy Vesey is one of Howie Morenz Authentic Jersey the best college hockey players in the country and, since turning down the Nashville Predators' contract offer after being their third-round pick in the 2012 NHL draft, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound offensive weapon has become one of the top unrestricted free agents on the market.The Harvard captain is a two-time winner of the Walter Brown Award as the best American college hockey player in New England, a two-time ECAC Player of the Year and a two-time Hobey Hat Trick finalist. And on Friday night, Vesey won the prestigious Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given to the college player who best exemplifies the characteristics of its legendary namesake -- on-ice skill, strength in character and commitment to community service.It's been obvious for a while that Vesey, 22, will have no immediate need for the Harvard degree in government that he will officially earn on May 26. But speculation was rampant when he didn't sign with Nashville by the end of his junior season that he might decide to take advantage of a clause in the CBA that allows an NCAA player to become a free agent if the team that drafts him doesn't sign him within four years.http://www.officialpenguinsonlinestore.com/Womens_Youth_Bryan_Trottier_Jersey This clause was first employed by Blake Wheeler in 2008, when he signed with the Boston Bruins instead of the Phoenix Coyotes, and while it's still not used often, it's becoming increasingly more common. Mike Reilly used it last summer when he turned down the Columbus Blue Jackets and later signed with the Minnesota Wild. The summer before that, Kevin Hayes invoked it to pass on the Chicago Blackhawks and signed instead with the New York Rangers. Two years before that, Justin Schultz used it to sign with the Edmonton Oilers instead of the Anaheim Ducks.Adding fuel to the fire about Vesey's situation is the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs, who drafted his younger brother, Nolan -- a sophomore forward at Maine -- in 2014, hired his father, Jim, who played briefly in the NHL himself, as an amateur scout last summer.When it was announced last week that Jimmy Vesey would in fact pursue free agency in August, it sparked outrage in Nashville, interest among other GMs and debate among the media and hockey fans. http://www.officialavalanchestore.com/Womens_Youth_Semyon_Varlamov_Jersey Three NHL executives contacted by ESPN.com said Vesey spurning the Predators wouldn't stop them from pursuing him, given the opportunity."I think it's easy for everyone on the outside to have an opinion on it, but from what I've seen these past four years, he's an incredible kid, a great and loyal teammate of the highest character, and he made a tough decision that he feels is in his best interest and is well within the guidelines set forth in the collective bargaining agreement," said Ted Donato, Harvard's head coach for the past 12 seasons."I don't think he wanted to jeopardize the opportunity to finish what he started here and I think that's something he had his mind set on."If there's one thing you should know about Jimmy Vesey it's that when he sets his mind to something, he will do everything in his power to make it happen.As the son of a former player, Vesey had skates on his feet as soon as he could walk and he grew up around hockey culture. He always had the desire to be a good player and hone his natural talent for scoring goals, but it wasn't until his freshman year of high school, when he was cut from the varsity hockey team for being unable to complete a six-minute mile, that he discovered his desire to do whatever it took to be the best.http://www.officiallightningstore.com/Womens_Youth_Ryan_Callahan_Jersey "Growing up, I was always one of the bigger kids and one of the better players. Then it seemed like everyone caught up with me and they were getting bigger and stronger and I fell behind the pack a little bit," Vesey said. "When I didn't make the varsity team, that was a big deal for me.
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