Julie Robenhymer: National Pre-Season Poll Released, Season Preview

Julie Robenhymer: National Pre-Season Poll Released, Season Preview
- jules

I was kind of surprised by the poll but you did say they don't mean nothing and I know very little about college hockey. I would have to think though that boston college already had a decent core when that line was around and that losing that line hurts but replacing some of those guys and I know they don't all play the same positions but are hannafin and eichel who are 2 of the top 3 picks in this draft that is being called for whatever it's worth the deepest and strongest draft since the Crosby draft. I get that there is likely a hike in competition from the ushl to college but eichel looks like he is going to dominate every league he goes in and I can't see him not being one of the best college players even if he is way younger lol am I way off and uneducated on this league ? I'm kind of curious if you could maybe shake it out for me lol

Julie Robenhymer: National Pre-Season Poll Released, Season Preview
- jules

how many of those colleges are benefiting from Canadian talent? id like to see the numbers on how many Canadian kids flock to those schools, im sure its high. Are there rules for how many foreign kids can play for these schools?

GO GOPHERS!

how many of those colleges are benefiting from Canadian talent? id like to see the numbers on how many Canadian kids flock to those schools, im sure its high. Are there rules for how many foreign kids can play for these schools?
- munky123

Minnesota has only 2 non-US born players and they're both from Sweden. The majority of the Gophers team is made up of players native to Minnesota.

I was kind of surprised by the poll but you did say they don't mean nothing and I know very little about college hockey. I would have to think though that boston college already had a decent core when that line was around and that losing that line hurts but replacing some of those guys and I know they don't all play the same positions but are hannafin and eichel who are 2 of the top 3 picks in this draft that is being called for whatever it's worth the deepest and strongest draft since the Crosby draft. I get that there is likely a hike in competition from the ushl to college but eichel looks like he is going to dominate every league he goes in and I can't see him not being one of the best college players even if he is way younger lol am I way off and uneducated on this league ? I'm kind of curious if you could maybe shake it out for me lol
- blizzzard

Yes, BC has a great core of players, but that line produced 198 points last season. Add in the fourth leading point producer on that team last year who also graduated and Jerry York is now looking at replacing 228 of the 461 points they earned last season. I don't care how amazing your returning players and incoming freshmen are, that's a lot of offensive production to make up for.

Also, while Noah Hanifin will play for Boston College this season, Jack Eichel will play for Boston University, which is a completely different school three miles down Commonwealth Avenue. But, yes....Eichel will be a force to be reckoned with in Hockey East.

how many of those colleges are benefiting from Canadian talent? id like to see the numbers on how many Canadian kids flock to those schools, im sure its high. Are there rules for how many foreign kids can play for these schools?
- munky123

That's a very elitest attitude you have there...Let me help you with that

Minnesota: 2 Swedes, 24 Americans
North Dakota: 8 Canadians, 17 Americans
Providence: 8 Canadians, 22 Americans
Boston College: 2 Canadians, 22 Americans
Colgate: 1 Nord, 11 Americans, 15 Canadians
St Cloud State: 1 Dane, 4 Canadians, 4 Finns, 17 Americans
Michigan: 4 Canadians, 22 Americans
Union: 9 Canadians, 18 Americans
Miami: 27 Americans
Ferris State: 4 Canadians, 23 Americans
Notre Dame: 1 Austrian, 3 Canadians, 23 Americans
Wisconsin: 5 Canadians, 20 Americans
Minnesota State: 1 Latvian, 6 Canadians, 18 Americans
Cornell: 1 Finn, 11 Canadians, 14 Americans
Denver: 1 Austrian, 7 Canadians, 18 Americans

So, of the nearly 400 student-athletes playing for the top 15 teams in DI hockey at the start of the 2014-15 season, 75% are American, 22% are Canadian and 3% are European.

Also, there is no limit on the number of foreign student-athletes you can have on your roster. The NCAA provides equal opportunity for all, but student-athletes do have to pass through the academic clearing house and adhere to the academic standards of their respective institutions.

Minnesota has only 2 non-US born players and they're both from Sweden. The majority of the Gophers team is made up of players native to Minnesota.
- MnGump

23 of the 26 players on Minnesota's roster are, in fact, from Minnesota

...plus two from Sweden and one from Missouri.

23 of the 26 players on Minnesota's roster are, in fact, from Minnesota

...plus two from Sweden and one from Missouri.
- jules

State of Hockey baby!


Good blog BTW Jules, and I do believe that the majority of US born NHL'ers are in fact Minnesota natives as well...

Yes, BC has a great core of players, but that line produced 198 points last season. Add in the fourth leading point producer on that team last year who also graduated and Jerry York is now looking at replacing 228 of the 461 points they earned last season. I don't care how amazing your returning players and incoming freshmen are, that's a lot of offensive production to make up for.

Also, while Noah Hanifin will play for Boston College this season, Jack Eichel will play for Boston University, which is a completely different school three miles down Commonwealth Avenue. But, yes....Eichel will be a force to be reckoned with in Hockey East.
- jules

Ah ok see I'm a newb when it comes to college hockey

how many of those colleges are benefiting from Canadian talent? id like to see the numbers on how many Canadian kids flock to those schools, im sure its high. Are there rules for how many foreign kids can play for these schools?
- munky123

most schools have a lot of canadian players. and they can offer scholarships to whomever they want.

23 of the 26 players on Minnesota's roster are, in fact, from Minnesota

...plus two from Sweden and one from Missouri.
- jules

right but they have a history of recruiting only minnesota born players.

That's a very elitest attitude you have there...Let me help you with that

Minnesota: 2 Swedes, 24 Americans
North Dakota: 8 Canadians, 17 Americans
Providence: 8 Canadians, 22 Americans
Boston College: 2 Canadians, 22 Americans
Colgate: 1 Nord, 11 Americans, 15 Canadians
St Cloud State: 1 Dane, 4 Canadians, 4 Finns, 17 Americans
Michigan: 4 Canadians, 22 Americans
Union: 9 Canadians, 18 Americans
Miami: 27 Americans
Ferris State: 4 Canadians, 23 Americans
Notre Dame: 1 Austrian, 3 Canadians, 23 Americans
Wisconsin: 5 Canadians, 20 Americans
Minnesota State: 1 Latvian, 6 Canadians, 18 Americans
Cornell: 1 Finn, 11 Canadians, 14 Americans
Denver: 1 Austrian, 7 Canadians, 18 Americans

So, of the nearly 400 student-athletes playing for the top 15 teams in DI hockey at the start of the 2014-15 season, 75% are American, 22% are Canadian and 3% are European.

Also, there is no limit on the number of foreign student-athletes you can have on your roster. The NCAA provides equal opportunity for all, but student-athletes do have to pass through the academic clearing house and adhere to the academic standards of their respective institutions.
- jules

now do the same for the CHL. i think that if canadian players did not have the best junior league in their back yard lots of American kids would be out of luck in the NCAA.

most schools have a lot of canadian players. and they can offer scholarships to whomever they want.
- Fountain-San

D-I Programs can only offer 18 athletic scholarships, but they can divide up those scholarships amongst more than 18 players. (Example, only give half scholarships to two players.) and some leagues and schools have their own limits on the number of scholarships they can offer - Atlantic Hockey schools only offer 12 scholarships for financial reasons and the six members of ECAC that are also in the Ivy League don't offer any.

I also question how you quantify "a lot"

right but they have a history of recruiting only minnesota born players.
- Fountain-San

Well if you consider Minnesota is more or less the "Canada" of US hockey when it comes to sheer volume and talent level of players in youth hockey, it's kind of a no brainer that the most storied and biggest hockey college in the state needn't go much further than their own back yard.

The U of M pretty much gets first crack at the cream of the crop in regards to local prospects, therefore they have little need to venture out nationwide being these Minnesota born players are mostly blue-chip to begin with.

now do the same for the CHL. i think that if canadian players did not have the best junior league in their back yard lots of American kids would be out of luck in the NCAA.
- Fountain-San

Why is it a surprise that majority of American kids choose to play college hockey while majority of Canadians choose to play in the CHL?

It also shouldn't be a surprise that there are some Americans that want to play in the CHL and some Canadians that want to play in college.

Different strokes for different folks. Both avenues are proven paths to the NHL if both the skill and the will are there. One isn't better than the other, but one might be the better option for certain players.

I also think your assumption that a lot of Americans would be out of luck in the NCAA if they were able to accept former-CHL players is off the mark. Every school takes tremendous pride in recruiting from their own back yard - Michigan wants the best players from Michigan. Minnesota the best from Minnesota, Wisconsin from Wisconsin, BC and BU from Massachusetts, etc.

Why is it a surprise that majority of American kids choose to play college hockey while majority of Canadians choose to play in the CHL?

It also shouldn't be a surprise that there are some Americans that want to play in the CHL and some Canadians that want to play in college.

Different strokes for different folks. Both avenues are proven paths to the NHL if both the skill and the will are there. One isn't better than the other, but one might be the better option for certain players.

I also think your assumption that a lot of Americans would be out of luck in the NCAA if they were able to accept former-CHL players is off the mark. Every school takes tremendous pride in recruiting from their own back yard - Michigan wants the best players from Michigan. Minnesota the best from Minnesota, Wisconsin from Wisconsin, BC and BU from Massachusetts, etc.
- jules

Spot on Jules! Although Canada will most likely always have the largest volume of high talent players, it does seem a bit self serving and pompous to insinuate that the CHL is automatically better than the NCAA.

Why is it a surprise that majority of American kids choose to play college hockey while majority of Canadians choose to play in the CHL?

It also shouldn't be a surprise that there are some Americans that want to play in the CHL and some Canadians that want to play in college.

Different strokes for different folks. Both avenues are proven paths to the NHL if both the skill and the will are there. One isn't better than the other, but one might be the better option for certain players.

I also think your assumption that a lot of Americans would be out of luck in the NCAA if they were able to accept former-CHL players is off the mark. Every school takes tremendous pride in recruiting from their own back yard - Michigan wants the best players from Michigan. Minnesota the best from Minnesota, Wisconsin from Wisconsin, BC and BU from Massachusetts, etc.
- jules

not former players. we're pretending the CHL doesn't exist and that the NCAA is the only game in town for north american players.

Spot on Jules! Although Canada will most likely always have the largest volume of high talent players, it does seem a bit self serving and pompous to insinuate that the CHL is automatically better than the NCAA.
- MnGump

stop it. it is.

you think Minnesota would beat the knights or the oil kings?

Well if you consider Minnesota is more or less the "Canada" of US hockey when it comes to sheer volume and talent level of players in youth hockey, it's kind of a no brainer that the most storied and biggest hockey college in the state needn't go much further than their own back yard.

The U of M pretty much gets first crack at the cream of the crop in regards to local prospects, therefore they have little need to venture out nationwide being these Minnesota born players are mostly blue-chip to begin with.
- MnGump

that's fine. but it used to be a "thing". and good for them. not knocking it.

D-I Programs can only offer 18 athletic scholarships, but they can divide up those scholarships amongst more than 18 players. (Example, only give half scholarships to two players.) and some leagues and schools have their own limits on the number of scholarships they can offer - Atlantic Hockey schools only offer 12 scholarships for financial reasons and the six members of ECAC that are also in the Ivy League don't offer any.

I also question how you quantify "a lot"
- jules

you quantified it. i think those numbers show "a lot" of Canadian kids going the NCAA route as opposed to the CHL.

stop it. it is.

you think Minnesota would beat the knights or the oil kings?
- Fountain-San

That remains to be seen, but I don't think that they can't. But you're right to some extent. Big difference between CHL and NCAA is that CHL players get to concentrate 100% of their lives on hockey if they choose while NCAA players have academic obligations to maintain if they want to remain eligible to be active players. They don't get to live, breathe and eat nothing but hockey. Probably not a huge difference but probably a somewhat significant one in terms of overall development.

That remains to be seen, but I don't think that they can't. But you're right to some extent. Big difference between CHL and NCAA is that CHL players get to concentrate 100% of their lives on hockey if they choose while NCAA players have academic obligations to maintain if they want to remain eligible to be active players. They don't get to live, breathe and eat nothing but hockey. Probably not a huge difference but probably a somewhat significant one in terms of overall development.
- MnGump

agreed and they play an NHL style schedule as well. NCAA plays half that.

agreed and they play an NHL style schedule as well. NCAA plays half that.
- Fountain-San

Another good point I failed to address that definitely favors your argument.

Clearly more players go to the NHL from the CHL than the NCAA. But going the NCAA allows a player up to four years to develop before entering the NHL. That's four years where a team can control a players rights and let them develop without starting their ELC. I see a lot of positives there, especially if you have someone like Jerry York coaching them.