BLOG: On Oliver Wahlstrom being a good poster child for college hockey recruiting craziness

Smack in the middle of recruiting craziness, this week saw a rare occurrence in the college hockey world. One of the top 17 year-old hockey players in the country chose his school months before he'll suit up for them.

Not years. Months.

Oliver Wahlstrom, a potential 2018 top-10 NHL Draft pick, will be playing for Boston College. It's a big get for the Eagles, who pick up a player whose USNTDP goal-scoring total is sixth all-time and has been in the public eye since he was a nine year-old viral star.

In most college sports, a five-star recruit deciding at the deadline would be business as usual. Maybe there'd even be a ceremony with hats. College hockey? Five-star recruits commit before they can drive. Look at a U-17 or U-18 roster for the USNTDP. The names without college logos jump out because there are so few.

Most of the time when elite players are undecided at 18 it's a precursor to planning on heading to the CHL or Europe.

When it comes to elite players deciding to go the college route as seniors over the past 10-15 years, Phil Kessel and Brock Boeser stand out as the exception rather than the rule.

In Boeser's case, as is Wahlstrom's, the last minute decision came after de-committing from another school. BC is actually Wahlstrom's third following Maine and Harvard, along with a recruiting trail far longer than his college stay will be.

College hockey has many ways for a player to verbally commit. Wahlstrom hits most with a path leaves him as the poster child of the craziness that is college hockey recruiting.

The first person born in 2000 to commit to a D1 school - when he was 13 years old - becomes one of the last to choose.

In between being a middle schooler with college plans before high school and his plans to go to BC, Wahlstrom spent nearly three years intending to go play Ivy League hockey for the Crimson. However, he was unable to get into Harvard academically.

He's not the first person who couldn't get into school. (He's not even the first this spring. Michigan State picked up a pair of Wisconsin commits due to academics and questions over playing time with the Badgers.) It happens. Harvard's academic standards get used as shorthand for a difficult school to get into.

Still, it happened despite early recruiting and best-laid plans. The best 15 year-old hockey players commit with an idea for three years where he or she is going. Before anyone, they know what it will take for them to get into college academically.

They know assuming other outside factors don't occur such as coaches changing schools in the years in between, teams over-recruiting or players not developing at the same rate. The Gentlemen's Agreement may no longer be in play, but different coaches see it differently based on school or conference. Sixty schools look out for themselves. Commits have the power to alter course until signing an LOI.

At this point, Wahlstrom's unique path to college should come with a caution or two until he makes it on campus and is there longer than Jeremys Bracco or Roenick. There's a bit of everything -  deciding early, late, flipping schools and everything in between.

Despite it all, his three decisions from being the first 13 year-old year to commit to being an undecided five-star recruit are flashpoints to various discussions which come from recruiting. What is a verbal commitment from a 13 year-old worth? Is there a point in early commitments? How much of an issue is not qualifying academically? Why don't more elite players wait until the last minute to pick their spot? How has recruiting reached a point where a 17 or 18 year-old committing ends up being a rarity?

College hockey recruiting continues to be a free for all from 13 to 21. So much can - and does - change. Just ask Oliver Wahlstrom. His only constant was remaining one of the top players in his age group at both 13 and nearly 18; a feat unique on its own.