Legein Calls it an Early Career

According to published reports on the net and in the Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus Blue Jackets have apparently lost one of their top prospects, Stefan Legein, to retirement. The reports have said that Legein's agent has notified the club that the 19-year old will not be reporting to training camp in September and will not continue his hockey career.

Legein finished last season in the OHL with the Niagra Ice Dogs and went through the motions with Canada's national team in the World Junior Championships, where he won gold, on his way to a promising professional career. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he'll be going ahead with that pro career.

Although he may not have been tabbed to make the big leagues this season, Stefan Legein did (or still does) have plenty of potential to be an everyday player, anywhere in the mould between Brendan Morrow, Matt Cooke and Sean Avery. Small, fast, feisty, decent hands... these are all things that make some players very good in the league and very valuable to hockey poolies everywhere.

If this is, in fact, his decision to call it quits, then you can't really argue with him, especially if you're a fan of the Blue Jackets or just a fan of hockey in general. If a player's heart isn't in the game, he obviously isn't going to perform at the highest of standards asked of him by his peers, coaching staff and fans, so it's better you be shocked at his retirement than to be angry at his lack of work ethic.

I, for one, am disappointed in his decision, because I was looking forward to watching him or maybe even picking him for my pool team one day, as he looked like a good bet for entertainment and possible fantasy value.