The Skinny on: Two Isles Kids in the (Hockey) News

When we talk about Isles kids, we're usually talking about Zach Parise or Jeff Tambellini.  Sometimes we're talking about the married Dynasty Kids (Brianna Gillies and Justin Bourne -- and speedy recovery wishes this Xmas week to Bobby!).  We've also talked about the kids of Garry Howatt (his son found Saddam) and Gerry Hart (currently facing criminal charges).  And there are certainly others too.

This week, though, sons of Islander teammates are in the news -- one for what he's doing on the ice and one for what he's doing off it.

Miles Wood is the 19 year old son of Randy Wood.  Miles, who has already been drafted by the Devils  (100th overall in 2013) -- his mid-September birthday made his one of the youngest draft-eligible players ever, is committed to Boston College and should play there next year. 

This year, though, he has a chance to make the US World Junior Team which will begin play later this week in Montreal.  There are still a couple of roster spots to be cut, but Wood did score the winning goal in an exhibition game last night.

Wood is a bit of an exception in that he didn't come up through the Team USA system, nor is he playing Junior hockey or college hockey (at least yet).  There's a story about it here: http://worldjuniors.usahockey.com/news_article/show/459109


Then there is Sam Berg, the 18 year old son of Randy Wood's former Isles teammate Bill Berg.  Sam is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that threatens to turn junior hockey upside-down:

From the NY Times:

Berg is the plaintiff in one of three class-action lawsuits against junior hockey leagues that are making their way through Canadian courts. The suits charge that by issuing stipends to players of as little as $35 a week and not providing for overtime, vacation or holiday pay, the leagues violate minimum-wage laws in every Canadian province and the American states in which they operate.

The suit, filed in Ontario in October, seeks about $160 million in wages, benefits and payroll contributions for thousands of current and former players in the three major junior leagues — the Ontario Hockey League, the Western Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The leagues have 52 clubs in Canada and eight in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington and Oregon.

You can read the whole story (which unfortunately is one of Jeff Z. Klein's final pieces for the NY Times) here: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/sports/hockey/lawsuits-target-canadian-junior-hockey-league-system.html?ref=hockey&_r=0

Follow Jeff @jzedklein