top 100 hockey teams in North America

[canucks4ever]

If someone were to make a list of the top 100 teams in North America based on head to head ability, how would the list look like?

The top 62 spots would be taken by all the NHL and AHL teams, what would the remaining 38 spots be? Would it be entirely ECHL and NCAA teams? Could a USPORTS team make the list? Are the NTDP or any Major Junior team good enough?

Click to read more...

 

[JMCx4]

IMO, there'd be more NCAA Div I teams on the list than ECHL teams in any season you choose. And there oughta be at least a handful of CHL teams listed above the better ECHL teams for that year. Not familiar with USPORTS hockey, but some seasons the NTDP roster might sneak in near the bottom of the list of 100.

 

[210]

The best NCAA team gets clobbered by the Allen Americans, the worst (at least based on the standings) ECHL team this season.

 

[canucks4ever]

The Brampton beast lost twice this year to Usports team. They play usports every year and the games are always competitive.

 

[JackalsKnuckles]

NCAA teams typically win the vast majority of matchups against USports teams.

USports is good hockey though and the U. Ottawa Gee Gees beat Binghamton's AHL team a couple seasons ago, albeit in preseason before some of the players in the NHL camp joined the AHL team.

To say the ECHL teams would clobber even a mid-pack NCAA team seems unrealistic based on history.

Also, a few of the elite CHL teams, like London, which has a roster with multiple early round picks, would likely be in the top 100 as well.

 

[Royalsflagrunner77]

what are we supposed to base this on quality of play , revenue per year , attendance.

 

[PCSPounder]

Someone's trying to tell me that a bunch of college kids who can barely pull the puck away from the boards would wipe the ice with even SPHL Peoria or Huntsville?

No. And preseason games are a joke of a measure.

 

[210]

Someone's trying to tell me that a bunch of college kids who can barely pull the puck away from the boards would wipe the ice with even SPHL Peoria or Huntsville?

No. And preseason games are a joke of a measure.

This, times a thousand.

You can have your pick of UMass-Amherst or Minnesota-Duluth, and I'll take the Allen Americans. The best you can hope for is a hot goaltender stealing you a game in a best of seven series.

 

[JackalsKnuckles]

This, times a thousand.

You can have your pick of UMass-Amherst or Minnesota-Duluth, and I'll take the Allen Americans. The best you can hope for is a hot goaltender stealing you a game in a best of seven series.

What basis do you have to support this?

 

[210]

What basis do you have to support this?

40+ years of watching pro and college hockey.

 

[JackalsKnuckles]

40+ years of watching pro and college hockey.

That's what I figured you would say.

I've seen about 200 ECHL games in person as well as having seen dozens of in person games for the other leagues mentioned, but am not going to rely on that to stand behind my opinion.

 

[210]

No, you're relying on preseason games. Which is incredibly silly.

Using your logic an NCAA team would have a chance against an MLB team's regular line-up because in spring training a couple of pro teams have lost to college teams...hell, I can remember reading about the Phillies losing to a D2 team in Florida. So that must mean MLB teams would have lots of trouble against NCAA teams.

Spoiler alert: they don't.

 

[JackalsKnuckles]

No, you're relying on preseason games. Which is incredibly silly.

Using your logic an NCAA team would have a chance against an MLB team's regular line-up because in spring training a couple of pro teams have lost to college teams...hell, I can remember reading about the Phillies losing to a D2 team in Florida. So that must mean MLB teams would have lots of trouble against NCAA teams.

Spoiler alert: they don't.

You said the last place ECHL team would clobber the best college team which is more ludicrous than your above example.


Top NCAA and major junior players will end up in the NHL or AHL, many immediately upon conclusion of their college or major junior careers.

Top players in the ECHL may advance some day, although they are obviously not ready yet otherwise they would already be in the AHL or NHL. Goaltending is certainly the ECHL's strong suit.

Coaching and team resoources are also more plentiful in major junior and college than in the ECHL where most teams have 1 assistant coach.

Furthermore roster turnover in the ECHL with call ups and send downs makes it tough for a ECHL team to mesh with anything more than basic systems.

The question was who would win head to head and these are the reasons for my thought process. All you have said is "because I have seen a lot of hockey".

 

[PCSPounder]

I'm thinking of the Portland Winterhawks here. Last year /early this year the line of Glass, Blichfeld, and Hughes (Hughes got traded) would have got a goal or two on an ECHL team in a theoretical competitive game. The other lines on the Winterhawks... forget it. There are some Winterhawks legends who never got out of ECHL or other AA hockey.

That line would have blazed right through ANY college team, BTW. That doesn't mean Kiefer Bellows didn't leave college and contribute a fair deal in 17-18 (college sometimes gets a few studs), but that's not too common.

My evaluation is most certainly eye test. That's also knowing that Glass and Blichfeld get to train in NHL camps before reporting back during their last two seasons in Portland.

Not that you'll ever know the answer to the original question posed. College bigwigs will never sanction any real competitive games. Keeping it at the level of 3rd grade argument is how college athletics operate anyway (polls, bowl games, et freaking cetera).

 

[210]

You said the last place ECHL team would clobber the best college team which is more ludicrous than your above example.


Top NCAA and major junior players will end up in the NHL or AHL, many immediately upon conclusion of their college or major junior careers.

Top players in the ECHL may advance some day, although they are obviously not ready yet otherwise they would already be in the AHL or NHL. Goaltending is certainly the ECHL's strong suit.

Coaching and team resoources are also more plentiful in major junior and college than in the ECHL where most teams have 1 assistant coach.

Furthermore roster turnover in the ECHL with call ups and send downs makes it tough for a ECHL team to mesh with anything more than basic systems.

The question was who would win head to head and these are the reasons for my thought process. All you have said is "because I have seen a lot of hockey".

Yes, I've seen a lot of hockey, more than enough to know it's absolutely ludicrous to think even the best college team can legitimately compete against the worst ECHL team. While the best players on an NCAA team probably wouldn't look out of place in a game vs an ECHL team, the bottom lines would get lit up like a Christmas tree. If the NCAA team had to use 16 skaters like the ECHL they'd have an issue because they'll be dead by the third period. If the ECHL team can dress 19 guys it's absolutely over for the NCAA team because now the ECHL's team's best players will potentially skate fewer shifts and won't tire as quickly.

Talking to the college guys who played for the Railers one of the things they all say is how much faster the ECHL was than college. Sure the top tier NCAA guys fit right into the speed of the pro game at any level, but for the vast majority it takes awhile before they really get used to it.

No matter how you slice it the NCAA team is going to get obliterated. Like I said, the best you can hope for is a hot goaltender stealing you a game in a best of seven series.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Next time I get a chance to talk with him, I'm going to ask Cyclones coach Matt Thomas what he thinks about a top NCAA team facing an ECHL team. He's coached in Div 1 and the ECHL.

I'm with the thinking that the top players on a top NCAA team are much better than the best in the ECHL but the bottom lines of the NCAA teams are probably not as good as the pros. I'd also think that the goaltenders-as a whole-who are already in the ECHL are superior to the average goalie on a top NCAA team. How it would translate in a real game-I don't have an opinion.

I don't think most juniors team would have much of a chance against ECHL teams. There are too many 16 and 17 year olds who wouldn't be able to hang with the ECHLers. But the Erie team of McDavid, Debrincat and Strome would probably be competitive as would a London team with Marner and Tkachuk. I'd think that the goaltending would strongly favor the ECHLers so I'll go with ECHLers over a top juniors team.

But I do know this. The Cincinnati Cyclones will crush all comers in this ECHL post season

 

[crimsonace]

I'm with the thinking that the top players on a top NCAA team are much better than the best in the ECHL but the bottom lines of the NCAA teams are probably not as good as the pros. I'd also think that the goaltenders-as a whole-who are already in the ECHL are superior to the average goalie on a top NCAA team. How it would translate in a real game-I don't have an opinion.

The depth is key - an ECHL team might not have a Connor McDavid or a Jack Eichel, but it will have a roster full of the next-best players from college teams (and some junior teams). The ECHL game is also a bit more physical and more controlled - the college game is very chaotic compared to the pro game - and the goaltending is more developed. An ECHL team would likely be able to beat an NCAA or CHL team because of the strength of its depth, as well as its physical strength.

I've tried not to compare and say "which is better" and simply enjoy hockey at all levels. We had a Junior A (USHL) team in Indy for a decade and I loved it - I really enjoyed seeing guys like John Carlson, Torey Krug & Blake Coleman develop as young players. We have had an ECHL team for the last five and I love it - it's a great bunch of guys, they're hungry to get to the next level but also connect with their community, each team has a handful of core players who spend a few years there so the team develops a bit of a continuous identity. Seeing players move on to the NHL is icing on the cake.