Phil Kessel

[VOB]

I think a lot of them just want to cover the bases and mollify their parents. Most NCAA recruits (at least the best of them) commit a good 2 years before the draft. Chris Higgins was ranked as the 150th best North American prospect when he left Avon Old Farms for Yale. The following year he was the 9th best. But when he was 17 years old, 5-10 and 175 pounds as a high school senior, a pro career must have looked pretty remote. Eric Himelfarb, another Hab draft pick who is about the same age and size chose the other route. He was highly recruited by several top schools as a 16 year old in Ontario, but chose to go to the OHL. He was still there this season at the age of 21 in what would have been his junior or senior college year. He has only an amateur tryout contract to show for his decision.

For the smallish player it all depends on how he plays the game. Eric Himelfarb is not only small but slow (relatively speaking) as well. The same is true of Corey Locke. Their chances of playing in the NHL are remote at best. Did they make the wrong decision though? I don't think so, going the NCAA route for either one of them would not have made them legit NHL prospects. At least they could have earned a degree by going the NCAA route you say? Well guess what, if they want they can earn a degree by playing in the OHL because that league will pay for their post secondary education so long as they don't play in the NHL or AHL.

You had a better believe that Gilbert Brule and Brian Little did not make the wrong decision when they chose Major A over college. Both are on the smallish side but they have the intangibles that will bring them success at the next level. Brule is a silky smooth skater while Little plays bigger than his size and loves the high traffic areas. Both are legit NHL prospects.

 

[db23]

For the smallish player it all depends on how he plays the game. Eric Himelfarb is not only small but slow (relatively speaking) as well. The same is true of Corey Locke. Their chances of playing in the NHL are remote at best. Did they make the wrong decision though? I don't think so, going the NCAA route for either one of them would not have made them legit NHL prospects. At least they could have earned a degree by going the NCAA route you say? Well guess what, if they want they can earn a degree by playing in the OHL because that league will pay for their post secondary education so long as they don't play in the NHL or AHL.

You had a better believe that Gilbert Brule and Brian Little did not make the wrong decision when they chose Major A over college. Both are on the smallish side but they have the intangibles that will bring them success at the next level. Brule is a silky smooth skater while Little plays bigger than his size and loves the high traffic areas. Both are legit NHL prospects.

Well, the case of Himelfarb works against your point of view, I think. He has signed an AHL tryout contract, and may have already played there. Even though, given his resume and his size, the chances of him ever being more than a fringe journeyman as a pro are remote, he had to give it a try. What usually happens is that a kid coming in will have a few good games, (or find reasons why he didn't have good games), and be inspired to come back next year. Or "work on his game" in the ECHL or something. Soon he is 26 or 27, maybe married with a kid, living day to day, and the odds of him going back to school for 4 years are about 0. That happens with the vast majority of kids coming out of junior who aren't really good enough to have a decent pro career. When so much of their life has been predicated towards a single goal for such a long time it is hard to adjust.

In college they can still hold on to the dream of a professional career while getting a good alternative at the same time. As I said, Himelfarb would have had at least 3 years of school behind him. One more year is not a lot to wait for a free agent tryout contract.

 

[PuckFan01]

I would gather different players have different reasons for college. I think it is partially true that some players go the college route because they aren't big. But at the same time, college seems to be getting more popular among top players of all sizes as a real good alternative to Canadian juniors.

I would gather some of the choice revolves around how they were brought up and if their family emphasizes an education. It may also be a cultural thing with some. For instance, you rarely see top players from Minnesota go to major junior hockey and I think that is because college hockey is so popular and a part of the fabric in the state.

Even if a player leaves school early, he still has a few years of his education completed. If he decides to go back after hockey is over (or take classes in the off-season), he will have less work to do to get his degree. It may not seem like much but I would rather be able to kill two birds with one stone and I bet a lot of players feel the same way.

I don't get involved in the "which route is better" argument. I do think the stereotype that it is better to go major junior if you want to make the NHL is crumbling more and more with each passing year. I think that makes the old guard in Canada uncomfortable because they like to think they know what is best in all matters of hockey.

But each route has its merits and each has proven to be able to build a quality NHL player.

As far as Kessel, it will be fun to see how his situation works out. I would be curious to know when he may make a decision.

 

[db23]

What they could do, and should do, in Canada is to base some of the major junior teams on University campuses the way the USNTDP is based in Ann Arbor. Every city that has a CHL franchise has a college or university located there as well. Make the team a representative of the college or university. That way they would get junior hockey fans as well as college fans attending the games. The players then would have to chance to attend classes while they played hockey.

 

[ginnungagap]

Eric Himelfarb, another Hab draft pick who is about the same age and size chose the other route. He was highly recruited by several top schools as a 16 year old in Ontario, but chose to go to the OHL. He was still there this season at the age of 21 in what would have been his junior or senior college year. He has only an amateur tryout contract to show for his decision.

Actually Himelfarb signed a 3-year deal with the Red Wings. The ATO is just so he can play this season I believe. I think your point is valid though, if Himelfarb was a college free agent putting up gaudy numbers he'd probably be a hotter commodity- and I'm sure there are other examples, Himelfarb's just isn't as bleak as that.

 

[VOB]

Wasn't aware that Himelfarb signed with the Red Wings. Good for him and I guess he does not have to worry about how he will receive an education since his signing bonus will more than cover expenses for four years of college if he does not make it.

PuckFan 01, don't kid yourself about the education angle and how it works in the recruiting wars between the NCAA and the OHL. The OHL offers top prospects very lucrative education packages that completely render useless the NCAA arguement that only they can provide an educational safety cushion if things don't work out. As a result the OHL has had alot of success in luring some top end American talent away from the NCAA. Many players in the OHL are also taking college courses during the season and it is not uncommon for a 20 year old OHL grad to have a year or two of college credit under his belt.

 

[db23]

It could be a more effective system if the universities or colleges and the junior teams in a city were amalgamated in some fashion. That way you would get university fans and junior fans both coming to the same event. As it is in most Canadian cities there is a junior team which has the best talent and largest following (although without the college crowd) and a college team which has older but less talented players that only the college students support.

 

[PuckFan01]

PuckFan 01, don't kid yourself about the education angle and how it works in the recruiting wars between the NCAA and the OHL. The OHL offers top prospects very lucrative education packages that completely render useless the NCAA arguement that only they can provide an educational safety cushion if things don't work out. As a result the OHL has had alot of success in luring some top end American talent away from the NCAA. Many players in the OHL are also taking college courses during the season and it is not uncommon for a 20 year old OHL grad to have a year or two of college credit under his belt.

Well, I wasn't saying that is THE reason for anything. Jut saying it allows a player to do both and it is in a system that fosters both education and sports with tutoring, educational facilities, etc.

I am not interested in getting in a pissing match over what route is better. They both have had success stories and it is just a matter of what a player wants to do with their life. I do think the major junior people are feeling more threatened by the increasing success of the NCAA route and the major junior "company line" about how it is better to go major junior to get to the NHL really doesn't hold much water any longer.

 

[VOB]

Well, I wasn't saying that is THE reason for anything. Jut saying it allows a player to do both and it is in a system that fosters both education and sports with tutoring, educational facilities, etc.

I am not interested in getting in a pissing match over what route is better. They both have had success stories and it is just a matter of what a player wants to do with their life. I do think the major junior people are feeling more threatened by the increasing success of the NCAA route and the major junior "company line" about how it is better to go major junior to get to the NHL really doesn't hold much water any longer.

No pissing match from me, I was merely stating that the NCAA no longer has the "education" advantage it once had. As for Major A being scared, I really don't think so because these recruiting wars have been going on for quite some time. Its not like the NCAA players are enjoying success today. Remember Murphy was the first overall pick in the NHL entry draft from the NCAA way back in 1986, fourteen years before DiPietro was taken first overall.

Anyway back to the topic at hand, it will be interesting to see what Kessel does over the summer.

 

[AJ1982]

Its not like the NCAA players are enjoying success today.

?

 

[Funkymoses]

?

i think he left out a word like "newfound".

 

[Preds666]

Kessel scored a goal and 2 assists today as team USA defeated Denmark 5-2 in the World Junior Championships (U18).

boxscore and other info can be found here if anyone is interested
http://195.162.151.17/hydra.iihf.com/Web_Output/P_Web_Tournament_Bottombd8b.html

 

[Daniel_Tkaczuk]

Kessel scored a goal and 2 assists today as team USA defeated Denmark 5-2 in the World Junior Championships (U18).

boxscore and other info can be found here if anyone is interested
http://195.162.151.17/hydra.iihf.com/Web_Output/P_Web_Tournament_Bottombd8b.html

nice to see him doing so well. he was very frustrated at the Under-17s, but the Under-18s definitely offsets that lol