Monday, April 18, 2016

Youth Movement Leads Alums in NHL

Former NCAA players make up 30% of all NHL players for the sixth straight season.

Youth Movement Leads Alums in NHL
Left to right: Shayne Gostisbehere, Jack Eichel and Colton Parayko are all candidates for the NHL All-Rookie Team.

An impressive youth movement and a record number of goaltenders highlighted the NCAA alumni to appear in the NHL this season, a group that comprises 30% of all players in the league.

List of 294 Alums in the NHL | NHL Matchup Tool | NHL Debuts in 2015-16

College representation hit 30% of the NHL for the sixth straight season, and was perhaps most notable among the league’s youngest stars. Consider that former NCAA players made up:

– 33% of all players to make their NHL debuts and 31% of all rookies
– Six of the top seven rookies in total ice time
– Three of the top six rookie scorers, led by Calder Trophy candidate Jack Eichel
– Each of the top five rookie defensemen in scoring, led by Calder Trophy candidate Shayne Gostisbehere

Twenty-five of the 294 alumni in the NHL this season were goaltenders, a new high for the position (2010-11 and ’13-14 featured 24 former college goaltenders). These alumni included:

– 47% of all North American goaltenders in the league
– The league leader in save percentage (Brian Elliott, .930) and three of the top six goalies in that category
– The league leader in goals-against average (Ben Bishop, 2.06) and four of the top five goalies in that category

Forty-seven NCAA schools had an alum playing in the NHL in 2015-16. Boston College led all schools with 23 alumni in the NHL, followed by Michigan (21), Wisconsin (20), Minnesota (19), Boston University (14) and North Dakota (14).

NCAA alumni in the NHL in 2015-16 included:

– 80% of all Americans in the league
– 21% of all Canadians in the league
– More than half of all undrafted players in the league (52%)

More than 71% of the 294 former college players in the NHL played at least three seasons on campus, with 36% playing all four seasons. Men’s hockey enjoys a 90% graduation rate, among the best NCAA Division I men’s sports according to the NCAA.