The people who watch the EJHL and NAHL a lot say that they are just very different leagues. NAHL draws more older kids and the established teams have more intra-squad depth. The EJHL has a lot of younger, but very skilled kids and a couple who are drafted into the NHL each year (like Charlie Coyle). The jump from either up to the USHL is sizable. People I trust have also told me that the NAHL is a bit below the BCHL and the AJHL (Alberta). Believe it or not, however, there was once a time many, many years ago, when the NAHL was better than the USHL.
