Cmon dude. The U.S. development program is doing great things. The NCAA is still not even close to CHL levels. I really don't want to make a list of the current guys who've bolted whom are currently and in the near future gonna be solid players. They far outweigh guys in the college ranks.

I'm not saying it's a bad league or they are all bad players. Just that the level of competition is sub par and harder to quantify. It was and for the forseeable future will be. It's just a fact.
- Seanook

I think you should make a list, the results will surprise you.

Cmon dude. The U.S. development program is doing great things. The NCAA is still not even close to CHL levels. I really don't want to make a list of the current guys who've bolted whom are currently and in the near future gonna be solid players. They far outweigh guys in the college ranks.

I'm not saying it's a bad league or they are all bad players. Just that the level of competition is sub par and harder to quantify. It was and for the forseeable future will be. It's just a fact.
- Seanook

Huh?

But Americans bolt to the CHL I thought...
- Stripes77

Most of the above are Undrafted Canadians

Most of the above are Undrafted Canadians
- Seanook

2 of the 5 isn't most.....

2 of the 5 isn't most.....
- burn

Sorry sorry. Just the legitimate NHLers

I think you should make a list, the results will surprise you.
- Stripes77

Just look at the top American talent in the CHL. The best stay with the development program until drafted and either bolt to Canada or now Europe. A few will go the NCAA route. If it was my kid, I'd probably like that option but the fact remains that the bulk of the top kids will end up in other leagues.

Oh yeah ......Seth Jones. Straight into the WHL

Just look at the top American talent in the CHL. The best stay with the development program until drafted and either bolt to Canada or now Europe. A few will go the NCAA route. If it was my kid, I'd probably like that option but the fact remains that the bulk of the top kids will end up in other leagues.
- Seanook

I'm surprised more don't go Europeon or College route to avoid being stuck in the CHL for two years after they're drafted

I'm surprised more don't go Europeon or College route to avoid being stuck in the CHL for two years after they're drafted
- bluengold12

We'll likely see more of that as long as the "hold out" stigma of kids going to the NCAA doesn't make teams wary. It's going to be interesting to say the Least. There are one or two prospects projected to go in the first round who've commited to schools who may (or may not) get passed over. Lots of NHL clubs pressure kids to jump ship and join the CHL teams who drafted them for various obvious reasons.

Fact: About a third of NHL players played NCAA.

Edit: Source: http://collegehockeyinc.c...m/pages/2015-16-alums-nhl

Fact: About a third of NHL players played NCAA.
- RhinoFan

For how long?

Did they finish?

What percentage of them left to join other leagues?

Where did this stat come from.... Source?

Edit: ok so source included but this still doesn't supply the other needed info. The argument was not whether they played in the NCAA but more so whether they stayed.

For how long?

Did they finish?

What percentage of them left to join other leagues?

Where did this stat come from.... Source?

Edit: ok so source included but this still doesn't supply the other needed info. The argument was not whether they played in the NCAA but more so whether they stayed.
- Seanook

Click on the link
Pretty self explanatory

He won the hobey baker award... Over hyped? Smh....
- bluengold12

Umm. Have you seen who has won that award?. Calling getting that award a coupe is,well, it's, I'm not sure. It seems more like a "club award" more often than not, given to the coaches son who always helps out after the game

Who said that noise? I hope they were joking. Dont let the 1 percent represent the rest of us, lol.
- Njuice

Probably the same guy/gal who said Eichel was the 5th or 6th best player in the draft last year.

An interesting twist to the rivalry would be if Buffalo somehow nabbed the younger Nylander.

For how long?

Did they finish?

What percentage of them left to join other leagues?

Where did this stat come from.... Source?

Edit: ok so source included but this still doesn't supply the other needed info. The argument was not whether they played in the NCAA but more so whether they stayed.
- Seanook

I see a lot of 3 and 4 year stints. I see a number of guys that did spend time in college and left for bigger and better things like the AHL (Kesler/Vanek) or the NHL (Eichel/Johnny Hockey). If you want to count em up and tally feel free. To me this shows that the majority of the high end players do not bolt...Gaudreau (college to nhl), Kesler (college to ahl), Vanek, (college to ahl), JVR (same), Pacioretty (same), Eichel (same), Toews (same).

Edit: Your very own Zach Hyman, Tyler Bozak, Ben Smith, Matt Hunwick, Colin Greening, Jake Gardiner and JVR all spent time in NCAA...not one of them bolted. They all went to the AHL or NHL afterwards. Marc Arcobello was the only one to leave and not go to his respective AHL/NHL teams...he went to the ECHL.

Umm. Have you seen who has won that award?. Calling get that award a couple is,well, it's, I'm not sure. It seems more like a "club award" more often than not, given to the coaches son who always helps out after the game
- walshyleafsfan

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say there, but the Hobey Baker is about as helpful as the Heisman trophy as to who will be a good pro in their respective leagues.

Click on the link
Pretty self explanatory
- jdfitz77

Too many unquantifiable variables.

Who jumped ship?

Who got passed over in the draft?

How many of these guys were legit NHL players or were they one and done free agents that were a waste of time?

It's too vast to pick apart and doesn't make or break any of the original arguments points. Someone with more patience than me is welcome to do it and I im wrong I'll concede.

I'll give it this much. There are definitely some real good players there but we already knew those guys and where they came from. Nobody here said they didn't

I'm not really sure what you're trying to say there, but the Hobey Baker is about as helpful as the Heisman trophy as to who will be a good pro in their respective leagues.
- Wetbandit1

Exactly. Apparently the Leafs are too "cocky" to accept a Hobey Baker" winner, of which 96% don't hockey.

I've only ever heard of a handful of those players

Exactly. Apparently the Leafs are too "cocky" to accept a Hobey Baker" winner, of which 96% don't hockey.

I've only ever heard of a handful of those players
- walshyleafsfan

but but but.... Someone said they could all be top 6 guys right away and for free!

Why are people focused on the fact that he won the Hobey Baker, and not the fact that he's actually a damn good NHL prospect?

but but but.... Someone said they could all be top 6 guys right away and for free!

- Seanook

I actually believe they will get Vesey and I'm pretty sure I'll be very meh when it happens and pissed off guys like Brown and Johnson lose ice time because of it

Why are people focused on the fact that he won the Hobey Baker, and not the fact that he's actually a damn good NHL prospect?
- sbroads24

I think it's because very few Hobey Baker winners become good NHL players

If Stamkos & Eichel didn't fit on a line together for whatever reason...

_____ -Eichel- Reinhart
_____ -STAMKOS- Ennis
Kane -O'Reilly- _____
Foligno-Larsson-Gionta


Hell yes I'm alright with that
Think of all the guys we have coming up that could potentially fill in those blanks

Fasching, Bailey, Baptiste, Rodrigues, Hurley, Cornel, Olofsson, Possler, Carrier, Catenacci, Karabacek, Malone, Estephan...

All those guys rated as "top9" or better talents
So we only need a couple of them to work out

And that's keeping Foligno & Larsson on the 4th line & not accounting for Girgensons anywhere

And what if we signed Vesey &/or Caggiula?


YEAH...
I'm REALLY liking what I see here quite a bit
- jdfitz77

Hmm.. I forget. Why did O'Reilly want out of Colorado again? Sure he wanted money, but more importantly he didn't like playing third fiddle to MacKinnon and Duchene.

If you think any star player making $7M is ok playing on the third line for an entire season you're sorely mistaken. And sure, you can spread the ice time around for a game or two or even ten maybe, but in the long run the first line will get 20+ minutes, the second will get about 18, the third about 14, and the fourth about 8 with time taken from the bottom 6 for the first line, or whomever is going the best at that particular time. Eichel averaged 19:07 as the 2C. Are you just not going to have a fourth line? You can't even make that work in NHL16 anymore, the players get pissed when they're played below where they should be and not get enough ice time and their stats go down as a result.