Ohio Junior Blue Jackets

By: The Hegemo

1 Comment

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  ushl_fan July 5, 2006 11:38 am

  A step under college, yes. A step under Canadian Major Junior? Not any more really. Let’s see London play last years Wisonsin team… Most of the kids from the USHL go the college route. Very few go the Canadian Major Junior Route. The ones that do, generally aren’t good in school or don’t like school. They’re hoping to make it to the NHL without going to college by going the Canadian route.

  nhl.com

  USHL makes a statement

  By Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Senior Writer

  June 24, 2006

  ——————————————————————————–

  VANCOUVER — Any questions about the United States Hockey League’s viability as a producer of eventual NHL talent were silenced Saturday at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft here at GM Place.

  The USHL, the only Tier I Junior A circuit in the United States, saw two of its players drafted among the first 17 picks during the NHL’s talent dispersal procedure Saturday. In all, no less than 20 players with USHL ties were selected in the seven-round draft.

  Des Moines’ Kyle Okposo, who was the 11th ranked North America skater in the NHL Central Scouting Service’s final player rankings, led the parade of selections when he was taken No. 7 by the New York Islanders. Okposo’s linemate with the Buccaneers, Trevor Lewis, was selected No. 17, by the Los Angeles Kings.

  “First and foremost what we have done is create an option for kids that want to play the highest level of hockey possible, but also want to keep the college route open,” USHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Bredin said before the draft. “We’ve had such an impact on college hockey in the last few years and the game has kind of evolved and with all the rule changes in the NHL and for whatever reasons, more and more guys are coming out of the college ranks. Therefore, junior hockey is having a bigger impact on pro hockey, as well.”

  Because USHL players are not paid, they retain college eligibility under the strict amateur guidelines followed by the NCAA and its member schools. Therefore, the players who compete in the USHL, which features players from the age of 15 to 20, are free to move on to the college program of their choice once they reach the required age to compete.

  The major Canadian Junior A leagues — the Ontario Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League, all unified under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella — do pay their players and, as a result, those players forfeit their eligibility to play at the college level.

  And, with NCAA Division I hockey programs among the primary feeders of NHL talent for the past two decades — providing almost 20 percent of the players drafted during the past decade — college hockey is the primary option for most American players, as well as an increasing number of Canadian and European players. The USHL saw close to 150 of its players commit to play college hockey next season.

  Those facts are borne out by the quality of players the USHL has seen grace its programs in recent years. In 2005, a record 26 USHL players were drafted by NHL teams, including three that went in the first round.

  Brian Lee, who played for the Lincoln Stars was the League’s highest drafted player, going No. 9 to Ottawa. Lee played at the University of North Dakota this season, where he scored 25 points as a freshman.

  In the five years before 2005, the USHL averaged just 20 NHL draft choices each year and many of those were speculative picks that occurred in the later rounds of those drafts.

  Although the USHL’s numbers dipped slightly this year, there is no doubt that The USHL has arrived as a major impact player in producing elite amateur players.

  Bredin, who assumed the role as the league’s deputy commissioner to start the 2004-05 season, says that the USHL has responded to the desires of American players and that, alone, is enough to explain the influx of talent into the USHL, an 11-team circuit based in the Midwest. The USHL added a franchise in Columbus, Ohio for this season.

  “Every kid in the entire player pool wants the same things,” Bredin says. “They all want to go somewhere and play at the highest level possible. Right now, when you are talking about Junior hockey — which is a segment of USA Hockey that has had the largest growth over the last three, four or five years — the USHL is the top of the pyramid there under the Junior hockey umbrella.

  “These players all want to go somewhere where they can play, No. 1. Nobody wants to ride the pine. They want to go somewhere where they are going to have a chance to succeed both personally and with their team. With the parity in our league right now, every team is going to have a chance to succeed every year.

  “Obviously, kids want to go and they want to play in front of people and, by that, I mean scouts and recruiters. But, they also want to play in front of fans. Right now, when you talk about Junior hockey in the United States, we have the best fans and it’s just proven by our gate — we had over one million fans last year. That plays into it. But, at the end of the day, it’s the most competitive league. Kids can’t afford to take a game or a shift off and I think they recognize that is what is going to give them the best opportunity down the road.”

  But, it is not just league officials who are singing the USHL’s praises.

  Bob Turow, a 42-year-old native of Kitchner, Ontario, has been involved with Junior-aged players for more than two decades. He served as a scout with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League for seven years before starting his own business hosting tournaments for elite teenage prospects throughout North America for the past decade.

  Turow has watched the USHL’s steady growth this decade and has been impressed. In fact, he recently jumped aboard to become the first Director of Scouting and Recruiting for the newly formed Central Scouting and Recruiting Agency, which will identify and recruit top-end prospects for USHL teams.

  Center Trevor Lewis, Okposo’s linemate with the Buccaneers, was selected at

  No. 17 by the Los Angeles Kings.

  “They have really good people running the organization” Turow said. “(USHL President) Gino Gasparini is a top-notch hockey man and has done amazing things with the USHL. He’s been there none years now and you can’t argue with the results he has achieved. They have people in the organization that are proven developers of talent with the ability to send players onto the next level — whether that be the NHL or some other destination.

  “The USHL is clearly the destination point now for American players and it is clearly the highest level of hockey that you can play before playing Division 1 hockey.”

  Okposo is a perfect example of the USHL’s growth. He had to be convinced to join Des Moines after being selected first-overall in the 2005 USHL Entry Draft. Okposo seriously considered staying home and playing high school hockey in Minnesota, which boasts some of the top prep programs in the United States. But, Des Moines coach/GM Regg Simon convinced Okposo that the USHL was the best move for the player’s career.

  In the end, Okposo agreed and put together a season to remember as he won the USHL Rookie of the Year Award and led the Bucs to the Clark Cup, the USHL championship. He is committed to play at the University of Minnesota next year.

  “You know, it helped me a lot (to go to the USHL),” Okposo said Saturday. “It was a big decision for me and my family. I was already at Shattuck (St. Mary’s) going to boarding school. Now, I was about to move a few more hours away from home. It was a big decision for me. I felt it was time to move on, time to play at that next level.”

  Ryan Malone, a blossoming star for the Pittsburgh Penguins, played in the USHL before its present popularity, but he admits he saw the league’s growth coming. A native of Pittsburgh, he relocated to Omaha, Neb., to play for the USHL’s Lancers as an 18-year-old. That summer, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Penguins and went on to enjoy a four-year run at St. Cloud State University before turning pro in 2002.

  “Most of the kids (in the USHL) are competing for college scholarships, and every night in the league is competitive,” Malone said. “From top to bottom, there’re not too many bad teams that you can beat up on. When I was there, I had a great experience in Omaha. It was a great organization. It really helped me prepare for college. And, obviously, it was kind of a stepping stone to get to here.”

  The USHL has become so ingrained in the mindset of NHL executives and scouts that it is now extensively scouted by all 30 teams, something that was not the case even a decade ago.

  Phoenix Coyote GM and Executive Vice President Mike Barnett says that USHL games figure heavily into the schedules Director of Player Personnel Tom Kurvers designs for his staff of North American scouts.

  “It behooves us now to look at the USHL as another talent pool for us to exploit,” Barnett said.

  Barnett also saw his past two first-round picks — Martin Hanzal (17th overall in 2005) and Blake Wheeler (No. 5 in 2004) — play a season in the USHL. Wheeler played for Green Bay two years ago before joining the University of Minnesota this year. Hanzal, a Czech, played in Omaha this past season.

  “(The USHL) was clearly a step forward in the development of each of those players,” Barnett said. “It was another great challenge as these players progress in their career.”

  Now that the USHL has become a major player in producing potential NHLers, the league believes it is time to educate more players about the benefits of playing in the USHL. In that way, the league will continue to grow and become more popular.

  “Obviously, we pride ourselves on being the top league in the United State and we’d like to improve on that,” Bredin said. “To do that, you need to have the best players and we recognize that.”

  Turow says the USHL will continue to succeed in getting top-notch young players that will one day make noise in the NHL.

  “Our biggest challenge going forward is to educate the younger players coming up through The youth system about the benefits of the USHL,” Turow said. “We’re a big believer that the product we have to sell is a better product for most players.”

  This year’s NHL draft results should quickly become another powerful sales pitch in the arsenal of USHL executives.