2011/2012 Roster

[YourHonor]

Playing time is just as much an issue for the WHL. Look at a kid as a 16 year old playing 36 games, he is missing just as many as the kid watching the entire NCAA season (this also seems anecdotal and probably is rare), I would suspect many freshman play a very small amount but so do most rookie WHLers. Even in the 36 games that rookie gets into a large percentage of them he is going to spend in the middle of the bench playing odds and evens with the other rookie in the lineup.

As for Arthur's top 10-15 schools only having good facilities, I think probably a good number of the facilities are at the very least competitive with most Jr A rinks and some are much better. Come on Moose Jaw's arena is outdoing any NCAA facility? I don't think so. There are pits in every league but from the people I have talked to who played NCAA hockey (for the most part definitely not at a top 10 or 15 school) they loved the facilities and life and felt it was a huge upgrade on their WHL lives.

The biggest problem with the NCAA is Paul Kelly's group and the poor way they have handled it. The fighting and insulting is terrible from that side and they need to learn to sell their league. The NCAA is a great league and probably is the best route for a large percentage of young players. Yes it takes hard work to study and play, but the truth is many of the CHL players who could have played NCAA will do the same when they leave the CHL for CIS schools.

The WHL wins in pro prep, visibility and prospect pool right now. The WHL is the perfect place for a player who is going to be a high end prospect with good pro potential or a player who may not want to go to university and would prefer a technical school, college or other training institution. The WHL's versatile education program trumps the NCAA be a mile. It all depends on what type of player you are and where you see yourself in the future.

Agreed. It would also be very, very good for NCAA hockey if they would give up their view that because some major Junior hockey players are signed by pro teams, all are deemed ineligible to play at the NCAA level. It's a ridiculous stance to assume that a 16 or 17 year old player who may have dressed for 40 - 50 games a year (and maybe gets less than 5 minutes of ice time a game) should be treated the same as a signed (or pro) player. Imagine what would happen to the CHL if the NCAA allowed 16 & 17 year olds to play major junior and still retain their NCAA eligibility! I think you would see a stampede of these young players abandoning their CHL teams in favour of pursuing an NCAA scholarship. Just my opinion.

[Brandon]

Agreed. It would also be very, very good for NCAA hockey if they would give up their view that because some major Junior hockey players are signed by pro teams, all are deemed ineligible to play at the NCAA level. It's a ridiculous stance to assume that a 16 or 17 year old player who may have dressed for 40 - 50 games a year (and maybe gets less than 5 minutes of ice time a game) should be treated the same as a signed (or pro) player. Imagine what would happen to the CHL if the NCAA allowed 16 & 17 year olds to play major junior and still retain their NCAA eligibility! I think you would see a stampede of these young players abandoning their CHL teams in favour of pursuing an NCAA scholarship. Just my opinion.

I totally agree. Allow them to move until they are 20. So they could move in every year except their overage year and they would have tons of kids going the other way begging to get out of the CHL. The CHL would have to obviously add a clause to their education agreement. I talked to one player who played in the NCAA. He played his junior in a western Canadian Jr A league and got paid more than his friends that played WHL hockey. So are they going to ever look at these leagues as being pro? Of course not. The NCAA needs to make a move to seem more open to athletes and this would be huge. Sure you wouldn't be pulling the top off of every team but you could still get some darn good players to move over. The NCAA is focused on hating the CHL and that is a big issue.

Another issue they have is their view of players who leave early. They treat players who leave before their 4 years is up as deserters not as shining examples of the strength of their program. If they started talking about these players even more young athletes would see that there is potential to move to the NHL through the NCAA quickly.

I know I sound pro NCAA and Anti CHL but the truth is I am just about good hockey. Having watched 14 year olds start to contemplate this very difficult and life altering decision, I have come to the realization that one is not necessarily better but it is all about the players needs. These two organizations have been fighting over talent but the kids who have to make the decision are the ones losing out. Its tough to ask a 15 year old to make that decision. "Hey kid want to put on a WHL sweater for a game in exhibition?" whats the kid going to say to that, its so close to the dream for a Canadian kid, especially out west. But just like that his NCAA eligibility is gone. He may never play a regular season game.

Players in that age category need to negotiate their education with a WHL team before ever looking at a game jersey. Players should be asking for education up front, not year by year. If you aren't getting your education up front then go to Jr A and continue to negotiate and keep your options open. If a CHL team really wants a player they will pony up the education dollars right away.

[ol' skool]

Myth....... Lots of players from the NCAA turn pro and it has proven of late to be a great proving ground. I would think most people are happy with Ryan Kesler of late? It is no different if you want to be an NHLer you have to be an elite CHLer or NCAA player. Turning pro on the other hand, there are tons of league to become a pro and both leagues offer a route to that life if you choose it.

If you want to be an elite player on the fast track to the NHL without a question the CHL is the way to go. But if you are that good you will get there regardless of your decision.

All I am saying is the ncaa is a skill league. I have seen many kids make it pro who weren't that skilled because of the other things they could do (hitting and fighting) who wouldn't have got a chance at NCAA and like it or not the nhl is still looking for these types of players.

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

Canadian Spaces at NCAA Schools are Diminishing

Since the USHL became a strong alternative for recruiting top end players the number of Canadian players recruited to NCAA teams has diminished. The latest numbers I have are a couple years old but the breakdown for the league of origin for players in the NCAA are:

USHL: 60% of roster spots
EJHL (US East Coast League) and NAHL 15%
CJHL: 20%
Other sources: 5%

This past season the newly appointed head coach at the U of Ohio cut Canadian players to free up scholarship room for American players

The reality is that because of a surge in the number of american kids playing hockey in the last ten years and the development of elite level minor and high school leagues, most coached by high level paid coaches with professional and NCAA experience, the NCAA schools are going north of the border less and less to find players. Several of the top Div1 schools are State sponsored and the political will to grant tax payer subsidized scholarships to Canadians is not anywhere near the level it was when Canada was the premier hockey factory in North America.

[Toswammi]

Broncos signed Mayland, I would expect he will be getting every shot to make thus team.

[YourHonor]

Make the team and then what? Get a chance to play? That's not the m.o. so far. Hope it works better for him.

[YourHonor]

Canadian Spaces at NCAA Schools are Diminishing

Since the USHL became a strong alternative for recruiting top end players the number of Canadian players recruited to NCAA teams has diminished. The latest numbers I have are a couple years old but the breakdown for the league of origin for players in the NCAA are:

USHL: 60% of roster spots
EJHL (US East Coast League) and NAHL 15%
CJHL: 20%
Other sources: 5%

This past season the newly appointed head coach at the U of Ohio cut Canadian players to free up scholarship room for American players

The reality is that because of a surge in the number of american kids playing hockey in the last ten years and the development of elite level minor and high school leagues, most coached by high level paid coaches with professional and NCAA experience, the NCAA schools are going north of the border less and less to find players. Several of the top Div1 schools are State sponsored and the political will to grant tax payer subsidized scholarships to Canadians is not anywhere near the level it was when Canada was the premier hockey factory in North America.

This is true as well. And don't forget that many NCAA Div 1 scholarships are not full rides. Many, many players get only a percentage of the full cost, especially as a freshman. You have to be a bit of a bean counter in order to determine if this route is a good deal, dollar wise.

I also vaguely remember a letter from some school in California a few years ago addressed to a prospect. Can't remember the name of the school, but they hadn't had a hockey team previously and were trying to get one going. To attract prospects, they were promoting the mild climate of the area of course, and the "fact" that the school was noted for having the "hottest" female students as determined by a national survey. First time and last time I have seen that angle. Beats a place like PG, IMO.

[Toswammi]

Make the team and then what? Get a chance to play? That's not the m.o. so far. Hope it works better for him.

With the goaltenders coming back, I would say if you make the team and can consistently make the save, you will get the playing time you deserve.

Call me ignorant, naive, or stupid if you will, but I think Lamb kinda learned a lesson coaching this last year, and will be using his bench a little more this year.

[trucker]

I hope your right. A rebuilding time in Bronco land and lets hope all the kids get an equall chance to succeed!! Pretty excited here for camp to begin! when is the Euro draft? With Nedomel here wonder what we are gonna pick up? Hopefully it's a player that commits.

[Toswammi]

To the surprise of few, Richardson is going NCAA.