Minnesota Hockey Journal

December 2014

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DECEMBER.2014 // MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM 015 15 WiLD aboUt CoLLege College Products with the Minnesota Wild Keith Ballard – Minnesota – Lake of the Woods Youth Hockey Association Stu Bickel – Minnesota – Minnetonka Youth Hockey Association Ryan Carter – Minnesota State – White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association Charlie Coyle – Boston University Christian Folin – Mass-Lowell Justin Fontaine – Minnesota-Duluth Erik Haula – Minnesota Zach Parise – North Dakota – Bloomington Amateur Hockey Association Nate Prosser – Colorado College – Elk River Youth Hockey Association Ryan Suter – Wisconsin Thomas Vanek – Minnesota Jason Zucker – Denver CoLLege hoCkey's Mark on the nhL In 2013-14, 31 percent of players in the NHL played college hockey — the most ever. That rate has grown by 43 percent over the past eight seasons. Fun Fact: Among these seven Division I schools in and around the State of Hockey — Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, Bemidji State, North Dakota and Wisconsin — 70 alums played in the NHL in 2013-14. Their combined salaries amassed $165 million or an average of $2.36 million per player. CoLLege hoCkey's Mark on the oLyMpiCs We all know there were eight (eight!) Minnesotans on the men's 2014 U.S. Olympic roster. But were you aware how many former college hockey players overall became 2014 Olympians? Fun Fact: There were 34 former college hockey players representing five different countries in the 2014 Olympics, including 20 who suited up for Team USA. 3 DeveLopMent aDvantages CoLLege hoCkey offers 1. It gives you chance to grow and physically mature. There were only 21 teenagers who played NHL hockey in 2013-14. Take time to mature and develop at your own pace. The average age of NHL rookies is now 23 years old. 2. Protect your amateur status. Playing Major Juniors voids your NCAA eligibility. Once you age out of Major Juniors (20 years old), you have to hope there's a professional hockey contract waiting for you. College hockey will no longer be an option. 3. College hockey offers the best combination of games, practices and off-ice training for a hockey player to reach their full potential. so Why are More Minnesotans going to CanaDian Major jUniors?? In recent years, the number of Minnesotans heading to Major Juniors in Canada has increased slightly. Canadian Major Juniors has sent a large number of players to the NHL, but a few things should be kept in mind. Any player considering Major Juniors should fully understand the rules pertaining to that League, and how it affects a player's college eligibility. It's interesting to note that only one current NHLer out of Minnesota decided against the college route. If you're meant to play in the NHL at 19 or 20, college has proven itself as a model to get a player there. More importantly, is that these players will more than likely receive a top education, regardless of whether or not the NHL is in their future. There are other options besides college hockey, but are there any that are better? Not likely.

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