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USHL, EJHL, or NAHL
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:53 pm
by hckyfan62
Which of these leagues are the best?
What are the major differences? ( other than location)
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:04 pm
by Blue&Gold
How many times will this be asked? Look up a few things..
USHL is the Junior A Tier 1 - putting it at the top fo the class, no doubt. Hard to get into, hard to stay in, hard to do well in. Most of the players that make a season in the USHL will play D1 hockey.
NAHL is the Junior A Tier 2 - Good league, some will play D1, many will play DIII. A few will move up to USHL after a year, or even during a season. Many times if a player is released from a USHL team, they'll go to an NAHL program.
EJHL is a Junior A program, and puts many kids into east-coast schools.
In all of the leagues, a player has to make a team. I've heard of many kids who plan to play in the USHL, and never make the program. (Austin Lee comes to mind) Even if drafted they may not make it in any of the leagues.
I hope this is a little more helpful.
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:07 pm
by hckyfan62
B&G:
This was meant to be more of an opinion topic, not as much about people who don't know the differences.
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:08 pm
by Goldy Gopher
Blue&Gold wrote:How many times will this be asked? Look up a few things..
USHL is the Junior A Tier 1 - putting it at the top fo the class, no doubt. Hard to get into, hard to stay in, hard to do well in. Most of the players that make a season in the USHL will play D1 hockey.
NAHL is the Junior A Tier 2 - Good league, some will play D1, many will play DIII. A few will move up to USHL after a year, or even during a season. Many times if a player is released from a USHL team, they'll go to an NAHL program.
EJHL is a Junior A program, and puts many kids into east-coast schools.
In all of the leagues, a player has to make a team. I've heard of many kids who plan to play in the USHL, and never make the program. (Austin Lee comes to mind) Even if drafted they may not make it in any of the leagues.
I hope this is a little more helpful.
Very accurate.
Like the man said, a common misconception about the USHL is that if you are drafted, you are on the team. Being drafted is pretty much a fancy invitation to try outs where you still have to grind it out and beat out some of the other best players in the country to earn a roster spot.
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:12 pm
by RLStars
hckyfan62 wrote:B&G:
This was meant to be more of an opinion topic, not as much about people who don't know the differences.
Also belongs in the "Junior Hockey" forum.
*Edit spelling
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:42 am
by ya-man
What can you tell me about the WHL, a league in the state of Washington? Peter Mueller is on the Everett Silver Tips. I see they draft bantam players. I was out there last weekend and saw a game. Pretty good hockey!
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:57 am
by southernmnscout
It is very good hockey. I think it is much better than the NAHL. In my opinion it is very close to the USHL as far as talent goes.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:02 am
by Iceburg
ya-man wrote:What can you tell me about the WHL, a league in the state of Washington? Peter Mueller is on the Everett Silver Tips. I see they draft bantam players. I was out there last weekend and saw a game. Pretty good hockey!
This is one of the three Canadian major junior leagues. Quite a bit better than the USHL.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:38 am
by RLStars
southernmnscout wrote:It is very good hockey. I think it is much better than the NAHL. In my opinion it is very close to the USHL as far as talent goes.
I believe that US kids lose NCAA eligibility if they play in that league. Those kids are making a statement that they are taking a professional players career path and forgoing college hockey.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 10:58 am
by Gopher Blog
The USHL is far and away the best NCAA feeder league.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:03 am
by southernmnscout
RLStars wrote:
I believe that US kids lose NCAA eligibility if they play in that league. Those kids are making a statement that they are taking a professional players career path and forgoing college hockey.
"Major Junior A Ice Hockey - Ice hockey teams in the United States and Canada, classified by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association as major junior A teams, are considered professional teams under NCAA legislation.
It is important for all NCAA hopeful players to know that any player who plays Major Junior hockey will most likely never be able to play in the NCAA. There are certain appeals processes that a team can go through to try and have a player's eligibility reinstated, however, for the most part, the majority of coaches and teams will not bother to try and take these steps. It is extremely rare due to the abundance of quality hockey players available to them. "
You are correct.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:04 pm
by ya-man
Thanks for the info guys. The game I saw was pretty good. The arena looks almost identical to the Excel. Mueller is one of their top scorers but a guy named Beach, I think he leads the team in scoring AND penalty minutes. He was fun to watch, flying all over the place hitting everything in sight but also has great hands.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:18 pm
by markparrish26
The ushl is bar far the best.
Then the nahl , this league is better than the ejhl and proved it on the showcase tourmaments beating the ej most games they played, however the ejhl sends alot d-1 because they are so close to many low end division one schools(still a good league tho)(but you have to pay more in the ejhlthan the 200 a month or so for billet in the nahl) only a couple minnesotans go there every year.
The bchl in canada is also very good , prolly a lil better than the nahl , but a lil below the ushl north dakota likes players from the bchl and so does alaska since travel isnt as harsh. The whl is probably the best of them all , not much better than the ushl , but better because the whl dudes are planning on going pro and not college, however top notch college teams would beat almost all major junior teams. The ushl however is prolly better than the qmjhl and close to the ohl , but the whl which some minnesotans plan in is the best.
it all depends on if you want to play college or make a run at pro hockey , which most guys end of playing in the uhl, echl , some ahl and few nhl.
d-1 would be my top choice and then see what happens. college hockey was looking good last year for the stanley cup champs as many played d-1 also look at new jersey there stacked with wcha players. and the gophers have johnson , kyle okoposo , wheeler and oother top picks.
Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:24 pm
by quickgym guy
markparrish26 wrote:The ushl is bar far the best.
Then the nahl , this league is better than the ejhl and proved it on the showcase tourmaments beating the ej most games they played, however the ejhl sends alot d-1 because they are so close to many low end division one schools(still a good league tho)(but you have to pay more in the ejhlthan the 200 a month or so for billet in the nahl) only a couple minnesotans go there every year.
The bchl in canada is also very good , prolly a lil better than the nahl , but a lil below the ushl north dakota likes players from the bchl and so does alaska since travel isnt as harsh. The whl is probably the best of them all , not much better than the ushl , but better because the whl dudes are planning on going pro and not college, however top notch college teams would beat almost all major junior teams. The ushl however is prolly better than the qmjhl and close to the ohl , but the whl which some minnesotans plan in is the best.
Way to much info to take in... especially at "happy hour"
it all depends on if you want to play college or make a run at pro hockey , which most guys end of playing in the uhl, echl , some ahl and few nhl.
d-1 would be my top choice and then see what happens. college hockey was looking good last year for the stanley cup champs as many played d-1 also look at new jersey there stacked with wcha players. and the gophers have johnson , kyle okoposo , wheeler and oother top picks.