From College to the NHL

(Click Here To View Complete List In PDF Format)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- In the world of NCAA hockey, the vast majority of players on the 59 Division I and 77 Division II/III men's teams will not make the jump to the NHL, AHL, ECHL or any other of the various professional hockey leagues around the world. But for a growing number of players, college hockey is a steppingstone to the bright lights of the National Hockey League.

In fact, according to next week's issue of Let's Play Hockey (www.letsplayhockey.com), 252 players who saw at least one regular season NHL game in 2007-08 honed their skills in college before making the leap to the professional ranks. That number represents nearly a third of all NHL players from the current season. In 2007-08, 53 former collegiate hockey players made their NHL debut.

Leading the list of former college players now in the NHL are standouts such as Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis (Vermont), Ottawa's Dany Heatley (Wisconsin), Colorado's Paul Stastny (Denver), New Jersey's Zach Parise (North Dakota) and Buffalo's Ryan Miller (Michigan State).

Former college players are also among the leading 2007-08 rookies. Seven players who competed in the college ranks are currently among the top 20 rookie scorers in the NHL. They are: Chicago's Jonathan Toews (North Dakota), Edmonton's Andrew Cogliano (Michigan), Tom Gilbert (Wisconsin) and Curtis Glencross (Alaska Anchorage), St. Louis' Erik Johnson (Minnesota), Phoenix's Daniel Winnik (New Hampshire), Dallas' Matt Niskanen (Minnesota Duluth).

Breaking down the list of 252 players by college sees the University of Michigan lead the way with 22 players, followed by Wisconsin (19), Boston College (15), North Dakota (15), Michigan State (13) and Minnesota (13).

And the numbers will only continue to grow. During the 2007-08 college hockey season, there were 201 players whose rights were owned by an NHL franchise. In addition, the NHL Central Scouting Service's rankings for the 2008 Entry Draft list numerous prospects who will head to college hockey programs across the nation this fall.

Phil Housley was the rare hockey player to make the quantum leap from high school to the NHL. Countless Canadians take the Major Junior route before making the jump to the pros. European players compete in the numerous leagues throughout the continent in hopes of someday earning a spot on an NHL team. But for 252 NHL players, college was the path to take.

Complete list of college-to-the-NHL players attached.