College game continues to make strides

 By Chuck Grillo

 College players have three advantages over Major Junior players:

 1) They have four years to develop after they start college (colleges are
 asking their players to stay in junior until their eligibility runs out
 because it's difficult for 18-year-olds to compete with 23- and
 24-year-olds, regardless of skill levels).

 2) College players are now older (it should be easier for a player to step
 into the NHL at age 24 than a junior player at age 20).

 3) College athletes have more time to work on becoming bigger, quicker,
 stronger and faster during the week with the weekend-game format (I'm not
 convinced, however, the college athletes take advantage of the great
 facilities offered to them, just like I'm not convinced all players take
 advantage of facilities and programs that would enhance their chances
 during the summer months).

 In addition, most players need seasoning in the minors, and it's easier to
 do that at age 24 than age 20. Also, NHL teams are able to "bank" a
 college draft pick for 4-6 years versus signing a Major Junior prospect
 two years after he's drafted.

 Development and aspirations are the key ingredients. The United States
 still doesn't produce high-end scorers, which tells me we need more
 answers in terms of development.

 Every Canadian player I've talked to has a goal of playing in the NHL.
 College players are divided. Some say, "I'm going to college and pro is
 gravy." Others say, "I'm going to college to get my degree, develop my
 skills and train to play in the NHL."

 The last time I checked, professional hockey is a work-entry occupation
 and young people go to a university to prepare for the work world. Hockey
 is a part of that work world in the same manner as any other profession we
 train for.

 The college game has gone in cycles. It improved steadily when I first
 started scouting 25 years ago, and then Major Junior started offering
 scholarships to entice players who were leaning towards the college route.

 Right now, the colleges are better than they've ever been, but they still
need to up their percentages in the NHL to gain more credibility. The
U.S. is having a good run right now because it has some athletes who were
"born to be there." The percentage may improve over the next five years
because there are some high-end picks in the draft that will utilize the
college route.

 Interestingly enough, Peter Mueller and Jonathan Toews saw off the
 high-end draft scene this year with one highly-projected American going
 Major Junior (Mueller) and a high-end Canadian going to college at North
 Dakota (Toews). According to NHL Central Scouting's preliminary rankings,
 colleges could have at least a half-dozen picks in the top 15, which
 speaks highly for them in the future.
 Something else of note is the number of ex-NHL players whose children are
 choosing the college route. They've "been there, done that" at the Major
 Junior level and recognize the need for life after hockey. They've
 developed a respect for the college methods of training and the college
 game in general. They see college as a viable route to professional
careers in the game and in the real world.

At the end of the day, however, I have no favorite route; I don't look at
any one league when it comes to developing players. If I had to choose a
favorite, it would be "whatever is right for the player."