Why do college hockey graduating classes use a players' birth year instead of graduation year?
Due to the fast-paced nature of college hockey, most players simply are not ready for the college level immediately out of high school. Players can opt to play in a junior league until they are 21 and still retain four years of NCAA eligibility.
Basically speaking, most players who graduated high school in the same year will not come to college together. So kids are grouped by the year they were born (age) rather than the year they commit.
ETA
ETA, as most are aware of, stands for "estimated time of arrival." Like I said, players come to college when they are ready. Theoretically, players could stay in junior hockey as long as they'd like. So players are 'estimated' by when they'll arrive on a college campus by both the player's talent and the team's depth chart.
Hockey Hierarchy:
- Major Pro: NHL
- Minor Pro: AHL, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)
- Semi-Pro: Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey
- Major Junior: CHL leagues (Western Hockey League or WHL, Ontario Hockey League or OHL, Québec Major Junior Hockey League or QMJHL) and NCAA
- Junior A: USHL (Tier I), NAHL (Tier II), BCHL more
There are plenty of junior leagues, such as B, C and D. For our purposes, we'll just focus on Junior A since many of those leagues (and MSU prospects) flood into the NCAA.
The NCAA and CHL are often referred to as "major junior" leagues as they are strictly amateur. However, players in the CHL can receive a small stipend. The CHL is the most popular around Michigan as the OHL is the home to the Saginaw Spirit and Flint Firebirds. The Plymouth Whalers were in that league too.
Why would a player choose college hockey over the CHL?
There are many benefits to both choosing the CHL or NCAA. The biggest difference between them is that players in the CHL can sign an NHL contract and still play in the league. Therefore, the NCAA considers the CHL to be a professional league. Players can be drafted by NHL teams in the NCAA, but once they sign an NHL contract, they are ineligible.
Players lose their NCAA eligibility immediately once they sign a professional contract, which includes playing in the CHL.
In theory, draft stock greatly improves when you choose the NCAA. NHL teams who draft players in the CHL need to make signing decisions much sooner. Teams need to sign players two years after drafting them. There are extensions given for players on NCAA teams.
Both offer education, to a degree. You could argue that the NCAA route would give you a better education. A maximum of three years to a Canadian institution would be paid for.
The main benefits and cons to going the CHL route involve player freedom. Players are drafted, just like major sports. However, this means that players can also be traded just like other sports.
Many would argue - now - that the NCAA is the premier destination for junior development.
Can players be signed mid-season?
Yes. A team can sign any player tomorrow if they feel they are ready for the NHL.
Star ratings - what are they and how do they work?
The spreadsheet below with a list of MSU commitments contains star ratings. These are based on scouting reports from both NeutralZone and Puck Preps and is updated yearly. The ratings from each outlet are based on current and past performance, along with future projections. A players' scouting becomes more accurate as they get closer to their NHL Draft year.
Due to the fast-paced nature of college hockey, most players simply are not ready for the college level immediately out of high school. Players can opt to play in a junior league until they are 21 and still retain four years of NCAA eligibility.
Basically speaking, most players who graduated high school in the same year will not come to college together. So kids are grouped by the year they were born (age) rather than the year they commit.
ETA
ETA, as most are aware of, stands for "estimated time of arrival." Like I said, players come to college when they are ready. Theoretically, players could stay in junior hockey as long as they'd like. So players are 'estimated' by when they'll arrive on a college campus by both the player's talent and the team's depth chart.
Hockey Hierarchy:
- Major Pro: NHL
- Minor Pro: AHL, East Coast Hockey League (ECHL)
- Semi-Pro: Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey
- Major Junior: CHL leagues (Western Hockey League or WHL, Ontario Hockey League or OHL, Québec Major Junior Hockey League or QMJHL) and NCAA
- Junior A: USHL (Tier I), NAHL (Tier II), BCHL more
There are plenty of junior leagues, such as B, C and D. For our purposes, we'll just focus on Junior A since many of those leagues (and MSU prospects) flood into the NCAA.
The NCAA and CHL are often referred to as "major junior" leagues as they are strictly amateur. However, players in the CHL can receive a small stipend. The CHL is the most popular around Michigan as the OHL is the home to the Saginaw Spirit and Flint Firebirds. The Plymouth Whalers were in that league too.
Why would a player choose college hockey over the CHL?
There are many benefits to both choosing the CHL or NCAA. The biggest difference between them is that players in the CHL can sign an NHL contract and still play in the league. Therefore, the NCAA considers the CHL to be a professional league. Players can be drafted by NHL teams in the NCAA, but once they sign an NHL contract, they are ineligible.
Players lose their NCAA eligibility immediately once they sign a professional contract, which includes playing in the CHL.
In theory, draft stock greatly improves when you choose the NCAA. NHL teams who draft players in the CHL need to make signing decisions much sooner. Teams need to sign players two years after drafting them. There are extensions given for players on NCAA teams.
Both offer education, to a degree. You could argue that the NCAA route would give you a better education. A maximum of three years to a Canadian institution would be paid for.
The main benefits and cons to going the CHL route involve player freedom. Players are drafted, just like major sports. However, this means that players can also be traded just like other sports.
Many would argue - now - that the NCAA is the premier destination for junior development.
Can players be signed mid-season?
Yes. A team can sign any player tomorrow if they feel they are ready for the NHL.
Star ratings - what are they and how do they work?
The spreadsheet below with a list of MSU commitments contains star ratings. These are based on scouting reports from both NeutralZone and Puck Preps and is updated yearly. The ratings from each outlet are based on current and past performance, along with future projections. A players' scouting becomes more accurate as they get closer to their NHL Draft year.
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