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As seniors are making their college choices, and some delaying college to play junior hockey, I'd like to start a list of seniors you know that are going directly to D3 hockey teams.

Observer, your list is probably going to be quite short.

It's been rather eye opening looking at some of the MIAC and other D3 schools around here and how few of the players are going to those schools directly out of high school. No wonder the NAHL has mushroomed with teams and good players.

Since we know the ultimate goal for 95% of all the players, or their parents, is a quality education and career it is an interesting discussion. The USHL and NAHL aren't an education or a career. In some instances they're a path to a quality education but, for several, the path is crooked and filled with detours and potholes. Most of the top ranked D3 hockey programs are in the east with some at very good schools. I've also noticed some of the players on the D3 rosters aren't what you would consider top high school players. Also, no other college sport has the same track to a quality education which is very interesting.

D3 hockey is very, very good hockey. Some USHL players have a tough time putting up big numbers in the MIAC or out east.

observer wrote:In some instances they're a path to a quality education but, for several, the path is crooked and filled with detours and potholes.

and unfortuntely for some, DEAD END. I am totally for kids pusuing their dreams, I just hope they and their parents are wise enough to ultimately take the right path, and set themselves up to be successful with their lives!

supertacks wrote:

observer wrote:In some instances they're a path to a quality education but, for several, the path is crooked and filled with detours and potholes.

and unfortuntely for some, DEAD END. I am totally for kids pusuing their dreams, I just hope they and their parents are wise enough to ultimately take the right path, and set themselves up to be successful with their lives!

Phrased another way, keep doing what you have to do to make it big in hockey but also keep stashing money in a 529i fund for college. I wonder how many of these kids who are going to play pro and their parents realize and think about the fact that they are one blown knee away from needing their education?

For some kids sport keep them in school. Makes it more interesting to the 19, 20 21 yr old mind.

Observer, sorry to take this off topic a bit, because I know you are looking for kids that will be foregoing Juniors and going directly to D3. But for those kids that may not have that option and for whatever reason, need to play a year of Juniors, how do they go about getting hooked up with a NAHL team for example? I would imagine it is no easier making a NAHL team as it is to make a D3 team. Makes the decsion of what to do (college now or later) all the more difficult.

supertacks wrote:Observer, sorry to take this off topic a bit, because I know you are looking for kids that will be foregoing Juniors and going directly to D3. But for those kids that may not have that option and for whatever reason, need to play a year of Juniors, how do they go about getting hooked up with a NAHL team for example? I would imagine it is no easier making a NAHL team as it is to make a D3 team. Makes the decsion of what to do (college now or later) all the more difficult.

NAHL and USHL teams have tryouts (usually between the end of April and July). You can go to their websites (www.nahl.com or www.ushl.com) and click on any team to search for tryouts. Some teams offer pre-draft tryouts which allows your kid to be seen prior to the NAHL draft which could help them get drafted. The tryouts are fundraisers for the teams but they do offer a few of the top end kids at tryouts to get selected to play.

As far as going straight to D3, very few kids go straight out of high school to D3 (MIAC or East coast) and actually play. Look at their rosters and you will see that very few freshmen are even on the teams and that the ones who are have typically come from the NAHL or USHL and have finished two years there.

The few true freshmen who come right out of H.S., tryout, make the team and actually play are typically players who could have played USHL and have a shot at a D1 school but simply chose to skip that route and go straight to D3. There aren't many of those players around.

ManBearPig wrote:D3 hockey is very, very good hockey. Some USHL players have a tough time putting up big numbers in the MIAC or out east.

Well since the scholarship rate in the USHL is at about like 90-95% I'm pretty sure the ones who don't get ones are the stars of D-3 hockey...

usually the reason kids don't go straight to D-3 hockey is that they love the game and want to play as many years as they can. In addition to trying to have a shot at the D1 level. I know many players that could have gone to play D3 right away but didn't because they just wanted to play more hockey and have that outside shot at D1 hockey.

For example. St. Thomas university has 14 rostered players that the last team they played on was a HS team. granted you might not play as much as a senior will as a true freshman, but they are on the team..

Pretty rare for a HS kid to impact let alone play 1st year on a D3 team. Look at most of the rosters (MN Private Colleges and Wis schools) the lineups are 75% NAHL players with 2 yrs Junior experience.

Many HS kids attend D3 schools and end up playing on the JV but never seem to make the Varsity roster. Watched a number of D3 games this season, pretty good hockey.

Big difference between Minnesota D3 and East Coast teams, East Coast doesnt have the Tier I (USHL) or Tier II (NAHL) Junior level as readily available as they are in the Midwest.

youngblood08 wrote:Pretty rare for a HS kid to impact let alone play 1st year on a D3 team. Look at most of the rosters (MN Private Colleges and Wis schools) the lineups are 75% NAHL players with 2 yrs Junior experience.

Many HS kids attend D3 schools and end up playing on the JV but never seem to make the Varsity roster. Watched a number of D3 games this season, pretty good hockey.

Big difference between Minnesota D3 and East Coast teams, East Coast doesnt have the Tier I (USHL) or Tier II (NAHL) Junior level as readily available as they are in the Midwest.

Out east they are also better schools, and therefore they don't want u to take two years of school because of the rigor of these colleges out east.

If I remember right Observer you were on another post discounting the USHL as basically a beer league where the guys who don't go D1 have nowhere to go in life.
What are your reasons for thinking the USHL is path filled with potholes and detours for many? Or as another guy phrased it, a DEAD END. Is there something the USHL does that corrupts players from solid families and backgrounds? I was able to play 2 years in the USHL and had a blast. While many of us took classes to cover our generals and had part time jobs, we mainly just lived and breathed hockey together for 8 months a year.
If you don't get a scholarship you can always play D3 for any school in the nation and probably play a lot. I ended up in the MIAC and it was a step down from the USHL but the freshmen from HS had trouble playing a regular shift.
We had two guys who didn't graduate high school and it's not the USHLs fault they didn't play college hockey. It was most likey their upbringing. Three of our four Europeans went to straight to the AHL or European pro leagues. The other one had a full ride to CC and won a hobey baker there. Every other kid I played with went onto college and played hockey.

Oldtimehockeyguy23 wrote:

youngblood08 wrote:Pretty rare for a HS kid to impact let alone play 1st year on a D3 team. Look at most of the rosters (MN Private Colleges and Wis schools) the lineups are 75% NAHL players with 2 yrs Junior experience.

Many HS kids attend D3 schools and end up playing on the JV but never seem to make the Varsity roster. Watched a number of D3 games this season, pretty good hockey.

Big difference between Minnesota D3 and East Coast teams, East Coast doesnt have the Tier I (USHL) or Tier II (NAHL) Junior level as readily available as they are in the Midwest.

Out east they are also better schools, and therefore they don't want u to take two years of school because of the rigor of these colleges out east.

This is not true, please don't make statements that you nothing about!

mulefarm wrote:

Oldtimehockeyguy23 wrote:

youngblood08 wrote:Pretty rare for a HS kid to impact let alone play 1st year on a D3 team. Look at most of the rosters (MN Private Colleges and Wis schools) the lineups are 75% NAHL players with 2 yrs Junior experience.

Many HS kids attend D3 schools and end up playing on the JV but never seem to make the Varsity roster. Watched a number of D3 games this season, pretty good hockey.

Big difference between Minnesota D3 and East Coast teams, East Coast doesnt have the Tier I (USHL) or Tier II (NAHL) Junior level as readily available as they are in the Midwest.

Out east they are also better schools, and therefore they don't want u to take two years of school because of the rigor of these colleges out east.

This is not true, please don't make statements that you nothing about!

..well i know a kid that is being recruited by very top end d3 schools out east so i think i know something about it.

Oldtimehockeyguy23 wrote:

mulefarm wrote:

Oldtimehockeyguy23 wrote: Out east they are also better schools, and therefore they don't want u to take two years of school because of the rigor of these colleges out east.

This is not true, please don't make statements that you nothing about!

..well i know a kid that is being recruited by very top end d3 schools out east so i think i know something about it.

Who are the top end D schools? Knowing one players situation is a long way from knowing how these school recruit.

D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

MNHockey75 wrote:D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

MNHockey75, I assume you are writing this to invoke reaction, but in the event you are serious, you couldn't be more wrong. Take a look at the rosters of just the MIAC schools, there are well known names of very good hockey players all over the place, the quality of hockey is extremely good.

supertacks wrote:

MNHockey75 wrote:D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

MNHockey75, I assume you are writing this to invoke reaction, but in the event you are serious, you couldn't be more wrong. Take a look at the rosters of just the MIAC schools, there are well known names of very good hockey players all over the place, the quality of hockey is extremely good.

Yeah, and I would probably put NCHA and above the MIAC.

So, anyone know any kids goin gto a D3 school for hockey and educatin next year?

MNHockey75 wrote:D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

Very ignorant statement...You have no clue what you are talking about buddy.

D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

Tell us, what one of the MIAC schools cut your kid?

standout4thlinejver wrote:

D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

Tell us, what one of the MIAC schools cut your kid?

They didn't even need to cut him...they just told him don't even tryout.

Survey wrote:

standout4thlinejver wrote:

D3 hockey is joke, sorry. A bunch of 24 year-old goons running guys in front of 75 fans. Meanwhile the kids are forking out 20+ grand a year for an education they could get at a University.

Tell us, what one of the MIAC schools cut your kid?

They didn't even need to cut him...they just told him don't even tryout.

I think he might be overlooking the NCHA a tad too. All of the WIAC schools typically run about $8,000-12,000 a year including room/board or living expenses, so hardly the "20+ grand a year education." Also, I am pretty sure if he was to ever attend a game in Stevens Point, St. Norbert, River Falls, Stout etc...you would see they average 1000+ a game when their rinks don't seat much more than that so a little off once again.