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NCAA Hockey: Five programs setting their students up for NHL success

By Rohan Yaradi

ST PAUL, MN - APRIL 7: Cale Morris #32 and Jake Evans #18 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish clear the puck from Karson Kuhlman #20 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs during the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship held at the Xcel Energy Center on April 7, 2018 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - APRIL 7: Cale Morris #32 and Jake Evans #18 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish clear the puck from Karson Kuhlman #20 of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs during the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship held at the Xcel Energy Center on April 7, 2018 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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NCAA Hockey has become an important breeding ground for future NHL athletes. Which schools are doing the best job setting their students up for NHL success?

There was a time not so long ago when college hockey was very self-contained. Although some NCAA hockey players, such as Ken Dryden, went on to have successful NHL careers, most athletes realized early on they would not have futures in the sport.

As more and more Americans have started playing in the NHL, college hockey has become more important to young athletes hoping to make that jump. Today, 80% of Americans in the NHL are alumni of some college program.

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Unlike college basketball, college hockey has a much more significant effect on the average alumnus.

"More than 71% of the 310 former college players in the NHL played at least three seasons on campus. Men’s hockey enjoys a 90% graduation rate, among the best NCAA Division I men’s sports according to the NCAA."

The wide reach of college hockey was evident in this past year’s NHL Entry Draft as well. Brady Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes, two of the top 10 picks, were drafted out of college. Meanwhile, three more first-round draft picks have committed to NCAA Hockey programs.

In addition to the players, college hockey coaches have also been making the jump to the NHL. Four current NHL head coaches managed college programs first, including two of the newest hires, Dave Quinn of the New York Rangers and Jim Montgomery of the Dallas Stars.

It seems obvious that college hockey is becoming recognized more-and-more as a strong developmental program for the NHL. NCAA Hockey alumni in the NHL come from 49 different schools, although there are a few programs with significantly more representation than others.

With that in mind, which programs have been doing the best job getting their athletes prepared for the rigours of the NHL? This article will take a look at that question by analyzing the strength of the program itself, in addition to the success of its alumni in the pros.

Before proceeding with the Top 5, here are a couple of honorable mentions:

Minnesota-Duluth: The Bulldogs have the most finals appearances since 2010 of any program with three, and are the only two-time winners since then, making this arguably the most successful program in recent memory. They have 10 current NHL representatives, which is lower than any other program on this list, but there are some good players from there, including Matt Niskanen and Justin Faulk.

Michigan: The Wolverines have 21 players in the NHL currently, although they drop out of the top five due to their lack of recent success, with only one finals appearance in 15 years. There is still a very talented list of NHL graduates from here, however, including Dylan Larkin, Kyle Connor, Max Pacioretty and the aforementioned Hughes, among many others.

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