Coach Laments Goalie’s Move Magliarditi’s Move To Spokane Hurts Western Michigan

Marc Magliarditi’s decision to leave college for the Spokane Chiefs is calculated to give the 20-year-old goaltender contractual leverage with the National Hockey League.

That’s the bottom line as described by Magliarditi’s former coach, Bill Wilkinson of Western Michigan University.

Magliarditi announced Wednesday that he would leave Western after one year to join the Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.

Contacted Thursday in Kalamazoo, Mich., Wilkinson said, “I don’t think it’s a great move for Marc, but he wants to turn professional as fast as possible. At this point, he thinks the fastest way is to play a year of major junior hockey.

“That way, at the end of the year, the Chicago Blackhawks would have to offer him a contract.”

The Blackhawks drafted Magliarditi in the sixth round of the ‘95 National Hockey League Entry Draft. As long as Magliarditi remained in school, the Blackhawks controlled his rights.

“The bottom line,” Wilkinson said, “is that he wants to get out of the Blackhawks organization. In college you’re stuck (with the team that drafts you) until you graduate or sign early.

“He’s counting on one of two things - either the Blackhawks will sign him or, if they don’t, he’ll have a chance to move on with another (NHL) team.”

Wilkinson called the decision a gamble.

“I’m not saying it’s the wrong decision,” the coach said. “It is a gamble because if he doesn’t have the year he hopes to have, his net worth becomes less. Then he has no recourse, no bargaining power. If he has a great year, he’ll have bargaining power above and beyond what it was.”

Wilkinson described Magliarditi as an excellent goaltender.

“I couldn’t have been happier with his performance,” the coach said.

From the school’s perspective, the timing could have been better.

“We sign recruits in November and mid-April,” Wilkinson said. “By not telling me until the end of June that he was leaving leaves a void in our program.

“The pressure was going to be on Marc this year because we graduated seven players, including six forwards. Defense and goaltending have to be keys for us.”

Magliarditi was getting conflicting advice, Wilkinson said.

“Some hockey people - his old coach in (Tier II) Des Moines, Bob Ferguson, for one - were telling him to stay where he was. He was also getting advice from his brother and other interested people that he should go and play major.

“There was definitely a conflict, but he’s old enough to make his own decisions,” Wilkinson added. “I’m not complaining. It’s not sour grapes. If he doesn’t want to stay at the university level, he shouldn’t be here.”

, DataTimes