Ahh yes back to the old familiar debate and even though it is getting real old going through this again, with all the misconceptions and outright false hoods I just feel compelled to state my point.
First off, if Kessel does play in the NCAA then good for him! He was not exposed to the OHL as a youth and, according to what was stated many times in numerous publications, his dream has been to win a NCAA championship since he was a wee squirt. As for the education aspect, who are we to speculate or say that he is not going to college to earn a degree and will bail after one or two at most seasons. It may be his intention to actually graduate and while I really do not see such a possibility coming to pass, this in no way changes his intentions to earn a degree.
As for which system is better for his development, well neither option will truely hurt or impede his progression towards the NHL.
For those of you, however, who feel that he will get more of out the NCAA because of more practice time to game ratio, let me remind you (or inform you for the first time) that over the course of a season, CHL players are on the ice longer, and not only play more games but actually gain more practice time than their NCAA counterparts.
For those of you who believe that the CHL scholarship packages are a scam or that few if any use them, please tell that to the 258 current and former WHL players who are enrolled in University classes for free or the 200 OHL alums playing in the CIS at no cost to themselves. The majority of OHL players take post secondary courses while still playing in the OHL. Many of those then place a pro career on the back burner while they attend school full time with their former OHL club picking up the tab. The fact of the matter is that just because a player decides to go the Major A route, it in no way means that he is giving up on his education!
I am a little tired of hearing the old "the NCAA players are older, bigger and stronger" line as well. Older yes but bigger and stronger? It is widely believed that Kessel will, if he chooses the college route, play for the Gophs. The average age of that team is 21, compared to the 18.5 years of age of the Saginaw Spirit (who hold Kessel's rights). So yes the NCAA is 2.5 years older. The Gophs average height, however, is 5'11 and a weight of a whopping 180 pounds. Saginaw's average height and weight in contrast stands at 6'1 and 191 pounds. So who is bigger/stronger? On average, Major A teams tend to be larger than their NCAA counterparts and the game also tends to be more physical. So if he does choose the OHL route (which is highly unlikely at this time), it will in no way hamper his development just because he is playing against players his own age.