Image via WikipediaIt looks like the CHL versus the NCAA is an issue that is not going to go away any time soon. I think one of the reasons the NCAA is losing to the CHL is the NCAA is hand cuffing recruiting rules by not allowing a college hockey coach to talk to a prospective recruit until that recruit has finished his sophomore year of school and after June 15th.The CHL on the other hand doesn't have to worry about that rule. So by the time the NCAA coaches have talked to the kid the CHL might have already had a chance to convince them to go the CHL route.
Craig Custance; Sporting News --- To slow the trend, college coaches hired former NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly nearly two years ago. As the head of College Hockey, Inc., Kelly has hit the road to educate teenagers, like those in Ann Arbor, on the virtues of playing college hockey. His case is as strong as any major junior franchise.It's not my intention to slam the CHL and I am a big fan of both development routes. In the past both the NCAA and the CHL have proved to be successful routes for prospects that want to play in the NHL. I must admit that it's nice to see a NHL head coach plug the NCAA route.
Colleges also consistently develop NHL players, like Zach Parise (two years at North Dakota), Tim Thomas (four years at Vermont) and Jonathan Toews (two years at North Dakota). For the great majority of young players who never see the NHL, it gives them the backup plan of a college education, often at elite American universities. A degree from Harvard eases the pain of falling short on NHL dreams.
A lighter playing schedule also means college hockey players often have more time to devote to the gym.
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma -- who spent four years at Bowling Green -- said he can usually distinguish the players who arrive via college.
“In a word, maturity. On-the-ice maturity,” Bylsma told Sporting News. “You get a player that’s had longer to develop physically and mentally.”
