Former Viper Zurevinski Turns Down Contract Offer From Canucks:

Former Vernon Vipers forward, Scott Zurevinski recently turned down a contract with the Vancouver Canucks to stay in school and play another year at Quinnipiac University. Zurevinski played two seasons in Vernon (2006-08) before joining the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

This was in the New Haven Register Newspaper just over two weeks ago

QUINNIPIAC HOCKEY: Following his heart, not the check

Published: Friday, October 15, 2010

0diggsdigg ShareThis2By Chip Malafronte, Register Staff

cmalafronte@newhavenregister.com

HAMDEN — A few weeks before the college hockey season ended last March, Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold got a phone call from a front office representative of the Vancouver Canucks.

He told Pecknold the team was set to make a contract offer to then-sophomore forward Scott Zurevinski when the Bobcats’ season was finished. It was a courtesy call so Pecknold could begin making plans to fill the voided scholarship for the next season.

Pecknold got back on the recruiting trail almost immediately because, he says, “not too many kids say no to the NHL”.

True to form, shortly after the season ended, Zurevinski got an offer: a two-year contract for the maximum allowable money under the Canucks’ salary cap. It was a tempting deal that would have put a hefty chunk into his bank account. Zurevinski consulted with family, his advisor and Pecknold; mulled it over for all of two days, and then said thanks, but no thanks.

“I didn’t think I was ready,” said Zurevinski, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound winger from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, who’ll lead the Bobcats (1-1) into their non-conference game against Bentley tonight (7 p.m.) at the TD Bank Sports Center. “I thought I needed another year or two to round my game.”

Since he knew he wanted to return to school, and aware of how NHL brass might try to persuade him by tossing actual dollar amounts into the conversation, Zurevinski never spoke directly with the Canucks. He left that to his family advisor.

“I didn’t want to go into deep negotiations with them because I didn’t want to make a decision that I didn’t really want to make, you know?” Zurevinski said. “You talk to one of those general managers, and it’s tough to say no to those guys. It’s a lot of money. But at the same time, you can’t chase the money. I wanted to follow my heart and not the check.”

As a junior player in Vernon, British Columbia, Zurevinski was recruited by several colleges, including Alaska and Ohio State. But the pro scouts weren’t aware of him until he arrived at Quinnipiac, where he scored 18 points as a freshman and upped that total to 30 points last winter.

“I thought he’d have a chance at the NHL, but I didn’t think it would be this quickly,” Pecknold said. “We played a game at Yale his freshman year. Scouts were there to see Brandon Wong, David Marshall and Brian Leitch, but afterward they were coming to me and saying ‘who’s this No. 19?’ That’s kind of when I realized there would be a lot more NHL interest coming.”

Pecknold, among those who felt Zurevinski needed another year of college to develop, seems resigned to the fact that an NHL deal will be made at the end of this season.

Zurevinski says he hasn’t ruled out returning for his senior season.

“No decision has been made,” Zurevinski said. “When I told Rand I was coming back, I mentioned that there’s a chance I might not be back for my senior year. I don’t want to be that guy that just disappears; I kind of gave him a head’s up because they have to recruit and I said if I feel it’s time to go, then I will be leaving. There’s a chance I could be moving on, but there’s a chance I could be back here. Nothing’s set in stone.”

Already well-respected in the Quinnipiac locker room, Zurevinski only elevated himself in the eyes of teammates after his decision to turn down an NHL offer and return to school.

“Everyone knows he’s fully committed 100 percent to the team,” junior defenseman Mike Glaicar said. “I think we knew that already, but that just solidified it.”

On a young Bobcats team with six freshmen and 12 sophomores, Zurevinski is a leader on and off the ice. Last weekend, the team played well in beating Ohio State 2-1 Friday before a flat performance in a 4-0 loss to the Buckeyes the next night.

Of course, Quinnipiac had opened practice only five days before the series. Zurevinski, in his own, unique manner, was there to deliver the message to the younger Bobcats — there’s plenty of season remaining.

“They’re frustrated, but it’s like ‘guys, we just started,’” Zurevinski said. “We’re going to blow a couple of games. It happens. I mean, it’s a big deal (to lose) and you don’t want it to happen, but let’s get them out of the way and move on. I thought a couple of guys were going to jump off bridges after the game. You try to get them laughing. It’s a learning experience.”