Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Lots to Look Forward To
A distance of more than 1,000 miles appears to be all that has separated Boston College’s Brian Dumoulin and Wisconsin’s Justin Schultz this summer.
Otherwise, their offseasons had remarkable parallels. Both players spent the summer months on campus, taking classes and preparing for their junior seasons.
The two players – arguably the two best defensemen in college hockey last year – could have easily decided to leave college hockey to sign an NHL contract this summer. Instead they’ll be back, pursuing national championships for the Eagles and Badgers, and getting closer to earning their college degrees.
In a summer marked in college hockey circles by some high-profile defections to major junior hockey as well as an ever-changing conference landscape, Dumoulin and Schultz are two great reasons for optimism and excitement entering the 2011-12 season.
“It comes down to a couple of things. One, does the player want to leave school or play another year in a supportive environment while working toward his degree,” said Dave Starman, college hockey analyst for CBS Sports Network. “The other thing is does the player want to spend that season in a 2-to-1 practice-to-game ratio, have time to lift and build size and strength in season, and walk into the AHL or maybe NHL more physically mature.
“Look at Justin Abdelkader, look at Drew Miller, look what their junior years meant to them. Abdelkader won a national title and then a Stanley Cup. Miller won a Cup with Anaheim. Some of the real elite college guys thrive in their junior year and they are playing against guys the size, strength, and age of players playing in the AHL, which is where they’d probably be anyway. Chris Krieder is another at BC who will benefit from his junior year the way Jimmy Hayes did last season. It is a win-win for the player.”
Dumoulin and Schultz are just two of the elite talents who return to college hockey in 2011-12. Others like Minnesota Duluth?s Jack Connolly, Yale?s Brian O?Neill and Miami?s Reilly Smith are back to torment opposing goalies, a group that includes North Dakota?s Aaron Dell, Michigan’?’s Shawn Hunwick and Cornell?s Andy Iles.
Other high NHL draft picks are back at school and ready to continue their growth, like first-round selections Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College), Charlie Coyle (Boston University), Nick Bjugstad (Minnesota) and Jason Zucker (Denver).
A glance at the Hockey News Yearbook shows 30 current college players among the top 10 prospects for NHL teams (plus many more former collegians). Nine drafted college players are among the top three prospects for their NHL franchise, including No. 1-ranked Pittsburgh prospect Beau Bennett (Denver).
As is an annual rite, college hockey did lose players early to the pros: 24 underclassmen signed NHL contracts. That number was down sharply from the summer of 2010, however, when 33 players left early.
Fewer players also opted for major junior hockey. Eight left this summer, down from 12 in 2010 and 16 in 2009.
This year’s number may have seemed higher, as most of the departures were packed into a small window in July and involved a number of first-round draft picks. But all that said, none of the players who left was likely to be an elite player this season. In addition, some potentially dynamic players like Rocco Grimaldi (North Dakota) and John Gaudreau (Boston College) still plan to enroll despite heavy courting from major junior teams.
In short, despite the ups and downs of an often uncertain summer in college hockey, there’?’s a lot to look forward to when the puck drops in six weeks.
“We had some setbacks this summer, and you expect that, but there is every reason to be excited for the upcoming season,” said Paul Kelly, Executive Director of College Hockey, Inc. “College hockey had 294 alums in the NHL last season, the most we have ever had, and we expect to keep building on that success in the future.”