Image via WikipediaHere is a really good article from the Boston Globe on the college hockey defections to the CHL that have taken place this summer.Let's not kid ourselves, it's definitely been a very rough summer for Division I college hockey, however, after it's all said and done, college hockey will still be a very good route to take to the NHL for many American and Canadian hockey players.
Fluto Shinzawa; Boston Globe --- Traditionally, and for the foreseeable future, major junior is the route most often taken to the NHL. Of the 20 Bruins who played in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, 16 starred in the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, or Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the three leagues that operate under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella. Three played juniors in Europe. Just one chose college.
That said, those four seasons at the University of Vermont served Tim Thomas well.
There is no right or wrong way to graduate to the NHL. Proponents of major junior and college have their respective arguments as to why their approaches are preferable.
An OHL player will have a game-heavy schedule that mimics what he’ll experience in the NHL. A Hockey East player will enjoy a well-rounded atmosphere - attending classes, meeting people outside of the rink, a rich social life - that will help him transition to adulthood.
So those on either side have nothing to carp about when a kid says yes to one and no to the other. But what’s irking Kelly, coaches, and the NCAA is when a player commits to college hockey, then pushes the reset button and bolts for a junior team.
While that player, his family, and his new club move on, his former college coach suddenly has a hole on his roster. Late in the game, at that.
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