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N 1917, HOLYOKE, MASS., native Pierce George "Gerry" Geran was the first-ever American to suit up for an NHL roster as a member of the Montreal Wanderers. Geran made his way north of the border to the NHL via Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. While the precedent of attending a U.S. col- lege or university en route to the NHL was established earlier in the century by Geran, it wasn't until the mid-1970s and, especially the 1980s following the United States "miracle in Lake Placid," that kids in the U.S. could look at NHL rosters and see more of their coun- trymen playing. Many sprinkling the lineups of NHL teams were the most notable college players from hockey hotbeds in Minnesota, Michigan, Boston and other Northeast regions. Twenty years ago, one in five players in the NHL — including those from the U.S., Canada and Europe— had college-playing expe- rience. In the past three years, that number has jumped to approximately one of every three players, per College Hockey Inc. With that growth, an argument can be made that college hockey is the fastest growing path for developing future NHL players. Today, more than 80 percent of U.S.- born players in the NHL played college hockey. In the last 15 years, NHL Drafts have featured an average of more than 60 current or future college players and teams continue to scour the NCAA ranks for free agent signees as well. Players like Jack Eichel (Las Vegas Golden Knights/Boston University), Jake Guentzel (Pittsburgh Penguins/University of Nebraska- Omaha), Johnny Gaudreau (Columbus Blue Jackets/ Boston College), Trevor Zegras (Anaheim Ducks/Boston University), Kyle Connor ( Winnipeg Jets/University of Michigan), K'Andre Miller (New York Rangers/University of Wisconsin) and teammate 18 // OCTOBER 2023 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM I N T H E CO R N E R S H E R O E S & H I S T O R Y g By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli Advanced Degrees Of Learning I PHOTOS COURTESY OF Ernie Fitzsimmons/Hockey Hall of Fame; Getty images p George Gerry Geran was the first American to play in the NHL. p Adam Fox concluded his three-year career at Harvard University by leading the nation in 2018-19 in points per game by a defenseman (1.45 points). p Johnny Gaudreau led the country in goals (36), assists (44) and points per game (2) during his junior year at Boston College in 2013-14. TODAY, MORE THAN OF U.S.-BORN PLAYERS IN THE NHL PLAYED COLLEGE HOCKEY. 80%