Stats for NCAA Div 1

[Saucey]

Since this is frequently a topic of conversation, I thought I would share.

[aaaahockey]

The most shocking thing about that chart to me is that birth month is less important than I expected.  Are these scholarship players only?  

[RelaxItsJustaGame]

Real interesting take on this chart at the 33:15 mark of the video.  I think he does a good job of interpreting what these numbers really are, while also pointing out many things continue to be out of whack due to canceled playoff season 2020, additional eligibility for players etc.  

nothing is ever cut and dry, especially in youth sports.  There are plenty of spins to be had, but what I can safely say is there is not one path that is the best fit for everyone.  Sadly, sometimes skill and being a great player is just not enough to make it through....many times it is the things out of players control that ultimately decide who moves on and who does not......being at the right place at the right time, who you know, who is fighting/politicking on your behalf. 

 

 

[Spear and Magic Helmet]

4 hours ago, aaaahockey said:

The most shocking thing about that chart to me is that birth month is less important than I expected.  Are these scholarship players only?  

It does seem to matter some. 154 from Jan to April, vs 77 from Sept to Dec, which is more than double. I don't know how evenly distributed births are in a normal population, but just eyeballing it, it does seem to be better to be born in the first third of the year than the last third.

Also, this must be all players (as opposed to being just scholarship players). There are about 25 players per team and about 60 D1 teams, so roughly 1500 total players. This is a total of 373 players, and it's just freshmen.

I would be interested in scholarship numbers too. At most, teams can grant 18 scholarships still, right? And a lot of them only have 9? I would guess that more scholarships go to the foreign players to entice them to come here.
 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Spear and Magic Helmet
adding one more thought

[Saucey]

One of my takeaways is that if your AAA team isn't moving players to USPHL or NAHL and that is your purpose in playing AAA, going NCAA Div 1, why bother? Tier III junior pay to play won't get you there. Doesn't look like Esmark and it's ilk will, either. MOST KIDS PLAYING PPE and other AAA organizations won't, as well.

I knew this but I liked that this chart spells it out, for all the new parents looking to spend money on hockey.

[aaaahockey]

53 minutes ago, Saucey said:

One of my takeaways is that if your AAA team isn't moving players to USPHL or NAHL and that is your purpose in playing AAA, going NCAA Div 1, why bother? Tier III junior pay to play won't get you there. Doesn't look like Esmark and it's ilk will, either. MOST KIDS PLAYING PPE and other AAA organizations won't, as well.

I knew this but I liked that this chart spells it out, for all the new parents looking to spend money on hockey.

Agreed and thanks for sharing this. Finally some real content ?

[Danner27]

54 minutes ago, Saucey said:

One of my takeaways is that if your AAA team isn't moving players to USPHL or NAHL and that is your purpose in playing AAA, going NCAA Div 1, why bother? Tier III junior pay to play won't get you there. Doesn't look like Esmark and it's ilk will, either. MOST KIDS PLAYING PPE and other AAA organizations won't, as well.

I knew this but I liked that this chart spells it out, for all the new parents looking to spend money on hockey.

I’ve been saying it for a few years around here - PPE>Esmark>everything else is the same it doesn’t matter. 
 

with esmark being number 2 locally, look how awful their track record is. 99% of their tenders to the nahl don’t work out.

 

Whomever ask about scholarships - I don’t know the answer with the big NCAA D1 schools, but the smaller schools usually have 10 players on a full ride, the rest are splitting. The players not on a full ride are getting aced if scholarships to help.
 

 The 3rd goalie doesn’t get anything. Usually the 3rd goalie is there for 4 years as a practice player / emergency backup while other goalies come through to develop, take over the starting spot by their junior season. We personally know a goalie who played at a mid sized ncaa d1 school as the 3rd goalie. He never saw one game in 4 years. It’s was made clear from day 1 he would only play if it was an emergency situation. He received no athletic scholarship money. 5 other goalies who came from higher pedigree’s such as the ushl came through while he was there. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by Danner27

[Danner27]

1 hour ago, RelaxItsJustaGame said:

Real interesting take on this chart at the 33:15 mark of the video.  I think he does a good job of interpreting what these numbers really are, while also pointing out many things continue to be out of whack due to canceled playoff season 2020, additional eligibility for players etc.  

nothing is ever cut and dry, especially in youth sports.  There are plenty of spins to be had, but what I can safely say is there is not one path that is the best fit for everyone.  Sadly, sometimes skill and being a great player is just not enough to make it through....many times it is the things out of players control that ultimately decide who moves on and who does not......being at the right place at the right time, who you know, who is fighting/politicking on your behalf. 

 

 

Please don’t take this guy serious. He was considered a joke back in the day. He bought a junior team in Rochester, NY to develop his own son (he put the kid on the team at 14 years old - surrounded him with the best NY talent he could find) his kid did eventually make it to nahl. Anyway, half the stuff he says BS the other half he steals from someone I won’t name that knows what they are talking about. He’s just a wealthy man trying to make money off hockey as a hobby. 

[RJUSHL]

USHL and NAHL are the only junior options where you don't pay to play. Even in NAHL you have to cover billet expenses and even some equipment like skates. If you can't get into one of those two junior leagues, NCAA D1 almost certainly will not happen for you. Maybe for an insanely driven kid who is a late bloomer, a single year of a lower junior league as a means to move up to a better junior league would make sense. Other than that you're just wasting your money and time. Maybe BCHL for the adventurous kid, but that is going to cost $$.

A stat I'd love to see is the ACHA players making the jump to NCAA D1. I know it does occasionally happen, just not sure how rare. That chart is just for freshman.

Edited April 15, 2022 by RJUSHL

[whatever]

My son came from the Pens Elite program but left after16u.  Played at a Prep school.  He is committed to play D1.   Honestly, had he not gone to a prep school, I do not believe his grades would have been acceptable for Div. 1.  Pens Elite practice was always late at night a couple days a week and we lived an hour away from the rink.  Plenty of times he wouldn't get home till close to or after midnight and needed to be up early for school the next day.  Moving to prep - an emphasis was put on grades first , then hockey.  Interestingly enough, I believe only two players from his 16U Pens team plays in the Nahl.   Another fun fact, the prep team my son played on had 6 kids in the NAHL this year.  One left early to play Div 1, him and another committed Div. 1 and if I had a crystal ball, I would guess 2 more will be committing Div.1.   One additional player went USHL then to Div, 1. I get a chuckle over all the commotion on these boards about the programs and where kids play  - how unfair - whatever the various arguments are.  Facts are - an ever so small number get to move on.  Personally, we didn't listen to all the noise.  As a matter of fact - my son played on the Pens Elite Black one year.  Thank God we didn't consider that a failure and waste of money. Thank God we didn't listen to the opinions of know it all's on these boards.  It was part of his development.  He learned lessons from it and to this day considers the coach he had that year one of the best to ever coach him.  While the Pens Elite program was part of his development, Prep school got him to where he is now. 

Edited April 17, 2022 by whatever