College bound? Do you want to play NCAA Division I? Plan on playing juniors for 1-3 years. Here is the shocker, only THREE players entered college without junior experience last season.
At the start of the 2019-2020 season, there were 478 incoming freshman at the Division I level. Only 42 of these players were 2001 birth year players. This means that only 42 players entered the Division I ranks at the same age as a typical college student. Less than 9 percent of collegiate hockey players enter directly from high school.
Since Minnesota High School Hockey is so powerful, many might assume that a large chunk of these players hail from the Gopher State. That would be a safe guess since Minnesota produces the most Division I players.
However, for this season, there were no players that moved straight from Minnesota High School to college.
If not Minnesota, where did these players come from? Here are the three sources:
National Development Program
20 players skated with the National Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan. The National Development Program has two teams (U17 and U18). USA Hockey recruits for these teams on a nationwide basis. These players are with the program for two seasons (no cuts). They play in the United States Hockey League (USHL) along with an extensive international schedule.
Tier 1/2 Junior Hockey
Another 20 players all played high level juniors:
11 players were in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) or the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL);
8 players played in the USHL; and
1 player played in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC)
Prep Hockey
Yes, the three players to bypass junior hockey came from the prep ranks. Technically it is only two because one played a handful of games in the USHL during his last year of prep.
These guys are really good!
How good? 30 are already drafted into the National Hockey League (NHL). 8 of the players are first round picks! Not only did this group start college hockey earlier than most, they also committed to their respective teams much earlier. Most of these players were committed in 2015 and 2016. That is 8th and 9th grade! As you may know, the NCAA rule has since changed and precludes NCAA players from being recruited until January 1st of their sophomore year.
For more great insight on youth junior and college hockey go to
JuniorHockeyAdvisor.com