College Hockey players in the NHL.

Last night I was watching a game between the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators and started doing a mental accounting of all the college hockey players that were on both teams. If you think about it, this is an impressive list. For the Senators: Mike Comrie F Michigan, Danny Heatley F Wisconsin, Brian Lee D North Dakota Ottawa, Ryan Shannon F Boston College, Jesse Winchester F Colgate. On the other bench for the Bruins you had Byron Bitz F Cornell, Matt Hunwick D Michigan, Phil Kessel F Minnesota, Chuck Kobasew F Boston College, Mark Stuart D Colorado College, Tim Thomas G Vermont, Aaron Ward D Michigan. Blake Wheeler F Minnesota Boston. You see a pattern here, there are more and more division one college hockey players playing in the NHL each.

This a press release that I recieved from the editor of Letsplayhockey.com

From college to the NHL

Nearly a third of all NHL players in 2008-09 honed their skills in college before making the leap to the pros

In the world of NCAA hockey, the vast majority of players on the 58 Division I and 78Division II/III men’s teams will not make the jump to the NHL, AHL, ECHL or any other of the various professional hockey leagues around the world. But for a growing number of players, college hockey is a steppingstone to the bright lights of the National Hockey League.

In fact, according to next week’s issue of Let’s Play Hockey (www.letsplayhockey.com), 279 players who saw at least one regular season NHL game in 2008-09 honed their skills in college before making the leap to the professional ranks. That number represents nearly a third of all NHL players from the current season. In 2008-09, 61 former collegiate hockey players made their NHL debut.

Leading the list of former college players now in the NHL are standouts such as New Jersey’s Zach Parise (North Dakota), Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis (Vermont), Calgary’s Mike Cammalleri (Michigan), Atlanta’s Todd White (Clarkson), Ottawa’s Dany Heatley (Wisconsin), Chicago’s Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) and Boston’s Tim Thomas (Vermont).

Former college players are also among the leading 2008-09 rookies. Eight players who competed in the college ranks are currently among the top 33 rookie scorers in the NHL. They are: Boston’s Blake Wheeler (Minnesota), N.Y. Islanders’ Kyle Okposo (Minnesota), St. Louis’ T.J. Oshie (North Dakota), Anaheim’s Andrew Ebbett (Michigan), Boston’s Matt Hunwick (Michigan), Phoenix’s Kyle Turris (Wisconsin), Pittsburgh’s Alex Goligoski (Minnesota) and Nashville’s Ryan Jones (Miami).

Former college players are also among the leading 2008-09 rookies. Eight players who competed in the college ranks are currently among the top 33 rookie scorers in the NHL. They are: Boston’s Blake Wheeler (Minnesota), N.Y. Islanders’ Kyle Okposo (Minnesota), St. Louis’ T.J. Oshie (North Dakota), Anaheim’s Andrew Ebbett (Michigan), Boston’s Matt Hunwick (Michigan), Phoenix’s Kyle Turris (Wisconsin), Pittsburgh’s Alex Goligoski (Minnesota) and Nashville’s Ryan Jones (Miami).

Breaking down the list of 279 players by college sees the University of Michigan lead the way with 25 players, followed by Boston College (16), North Dakota (16), Wisconsin (16), Michigan State (15) and Minnesota (14).

And the numbers will only continue to grow. During the 2008-09 college hockey season, there were 197 players whose rights were owned by an NHL franchise. In addition, the NHL Central Scouting Service’s rankings for the 2009 Entry Draft list numerous prospects who will head to college hockey programs across the nation this fall.

Phil Housley was the rare hockey player to make the quantum leap from high school to the NHL. Countless Canadians take the Major Junior route before making the jump to the pros. European players compete in the numerous leagues throughout the continent in hopes of someday earning a spot on an NHL team. But for 279 NHL players, college was the path to take.

Colleges Represented in the NHL

Michigan 25
Boston College 16
North Dakota 16
Wisconsin 16
Michigan State 15
Minnesota 14
Boston University 13
St. Cloud State 13
Colorado College 10
Denver 10
Maine 9
Clarkson 8
Cornell 7
Dartmouth 6
Notre Dame 6
Ohio State 6
Vermont 6
Harvard 5
Michigan Tech 5
Minnesota Duluth 5
Minnesota State 5
Nebraska-Omaha 5
New Hampshire 5
Bowling Green 4
Princeton 4
Western Michigan 4
Alaska 3
Colgate 3
Miami 3
Providence 3
St. Lawrence 3
UMass-Lowell 3
Yale 3
Alaska Anchorage 2
Bemidji State 2
Lake Superior State 2
Massachusetts 2
Northern Michigan 2
Norwich 2
Alabama-Huntsville 1
Army 1
Brown 1
Ferris State 1
Holy Cross 1
Niagara 1
Northeastern 1
RPI 1