CHL to NCAA Recruiting Megathread

[cinnamoroll]

It is my impression so far. I think the games I’ve seen on Victory plus have been good quality. I have watched about 6 WHL games so far. I’ve watched every Oil Kings game, I believe. I’ve watched a couple Red Deer games and one Brandon game.

For OHL I’ve seen every London game. I’ve seen also a couple Kingston and a couple North Bay games.

For QMJHL I’ve seen every Charlottetown and every Moncton game. I also have caught a couple New Foundland games.

I’ve also seen a few USHL games. Most of those were single camera and not in great resolution. USHL appears to be behind the major junior broadcasts for quality in my opinion.

I would put the broadcast quality in that order(WHL, OHL, QMJHL, and USHL) based on what I’ve seen.

Also, I will even give bonus points to Victory+ for the rapid replay feature which is essentially extended highlights.

Kind of amazing it is free.

Having said all that, I’m just happy I can watch a lot of these games. I got the FloHockey yearly pass so I can watch as many games as I have time for. A lot of those games I watched replays and on replay when I have time.

i do love the WHL being free to stream, helps with getting eyes on the sport. i also appreciate the OHL and QMJHL being on the same platform (which also includes multiple other leagues i watch already)

let me know when you’ve watched a game in Erie or Spokane… those are probably the worst, especially the angle for Erie. Sound is awful for Spokane. Wenatchee and Tri City used to be bad but looks like they cleaned theirs up.

Newfoundland has been fun (once they figured out the audio) and it was hilarious when the announcers mom won the 50/50 on the first game lol

 

[Sparkee]

i do love the WHL being free to stream, helps with getting eyes on the sport. i also appreciate the OHL and QMJHL being on the same platform (which also includes multiple other leagues i watch already)

let me know when you’ve watched a game in Erie or Spokane… those are probably the worst, especially the angle for Erie. Sound is awful for Spokane. Wenatchee and Tri City used to be bad but looks like they cleaned theirs up.

Newfoundland has been fun (once they figured out the audio) and it was hilarious when the announcers mom won the 50/50 on the first game lol

I know I watched that game. The guy was pretty excited. The other guy says better not point her out so she can get out of here with the money. I think it was in the thousands that she won. But I can’t remember. Love their accents… has a bit of Irish to it or something.

Watching the Lethbridge vs. Red Deer game now. Great quality broadcast and good announcers. Plus love the black Red Deer jerseys.

 

[cinnamoroll]

I know I watched that game. The guy was pretty excited. The other guy says better not point her out so she can get out of here with the money. I think it was in the thousands that she won. But I can’t remember. Love their accents… has a bit of Irish to it or something.

you are not far off- plenty of irish influence still there in the newfoundland dialect with the remote location. the average age of that broadcast booth is a pedestrian 43.5 but that is formed from a 17 year old and a 70 year old.

semi related tangent on CHL locations... some of these teams are in pretty small communities and that is often purposeful- CHL teams in locales with NHL teams used to never last, only exception was Ottawa 67s who predated the current Senators by 35 years. the Portland Winterhawks exist because the Oilers (of the WHA) bullied the original Oil Kings out of Edmonton in 1976, and they were not the only franchise to suffer this fate. Calgary Hitmen, Vancouver Giants, and Edmonton Oil Kings (the current one) are pretty new. the Hitmen were in dire straights when the Flames purchased them in 97, but they made it so successful that the Oilers revived the Oil Kings themselves in 2006. Vancouver is also based in the suburb of Langley. Thunderbirds came before the Kraken but they play in Kent. winnipeg still hasn't figured it out though, Winnipeg ICE relocated/meshed into the Wenatchee Wild a few seasons ago. and the GTA has failed every time they tried. Montreal has never worked out long term in the QMJHL as well.

the community aspect is also part of why getting a memorial cup bid is so significant- it is a huge opportunity for sponsorships and showing off what your town is about. some of the smallest markets can get a big windfall, which is why towns themselves contribute to their team.

 

[Sparkee]

you are not far off- plenty of irish influence still there in the newfoundland dialect with the remote location. the average age of that broadcast booth is a pedestrian 43.5 but that is formed from a 17 year old and a 70 year old.

semi related tangent on CHL locations... some of these teams are in pretty small communities and that is often purposeful- CHL teams in locales with NHL teams used to never last, only exception was Ottawa 67s who predated the current Senators by 35 years. the Portland Winterhawks exist because the Oilers (of the WHA) bullied the original Oil Kings out of Edmonton in 1976, and they were not the only franchise to suffer this fate. Calgary Hitmen, Vancouver Giants, and Edmonton Oil Kings (the current one) are pretty new. the Hitmen were in dire straights when the Flames purchased them in 97, but they made it so successful that the Oilers revived the Oil Kings themselves in 2006. Vancouver is also based in the suburb of Langley. Thunderbirds came before the Kraken but they play in Kent. winnipeg still hasn't figured it out though, Winnipeg ICE relocated/meshed into the Wenatchee Wild a few seasons ago. and the GTA has failed every time they tried. Montreal has never worked out long term in the QMJHL as well.

the community aspect is also part of why getting a memorial cup bid is so significant- it is a huge opportunity for sponsorships and showing off what your town is about. some of the smallest markets can get a big windfall, which is why towns themselves contribute to their team.

Kelowna seems beautiful. Can have more or less a vacation there with hockey sprinkled in. Imagine Canadians are juiced up for attending the memorial cup there this year. But are tickets distributed by the host team so they limit attendance of general fans?

 

[elbojpb]

McKenna with a nice dish for a Fink power play goal for his first point. Nice to watch this on NHL network.

With all of the buzz about these CHL kids (especially McKenna) in college, travelled to Penn State to see them in action against Clarkson.

McKenna is a superbly skilled skater, brilliant passer, but with much room for improvement. He certainly wasn't the best player on the ice:
+ Some of his passes were eye-popping
+ His stickhandling is excellent
+ Smooth and quick skater that consistently finds space on the ice
- His size allowed the huge Clarkson d'men to easily skate him off the puck
- His shot isn't accurate nor hard enough to beat a good goalie
- A number of times he tried to skate through the defense alone (as he was accustomed in the WHL), but Clarkson's D simply swallowed him up

He'll be fine, but certainly needs a couple of seasons playing against men, not pre-pubescent adolescents. I'll assume that many of these CHL "stars" are going to discover the same thing very quickly.

PS Clarkson is a gritty, get-under-your-skin, grinding squad that is capable of wearing down a more highly skilled opponent

 

[Sparkee]

With all of the buzz about these CHL kids (especially McKenna) in college, travelled to Penn State to see them in action against Clarkson.

McKenna is a superbly skilled skater, brilliant passer, but with much room for improvement. He certainly wasn't the best player on the ice:
+ Some of his passes were eye-popping
+ His stickhandling is excellent
+ Smooth and quick skater that consistently finds space on the ice
- His size allowed the huge Clarkson d'men to easily skate him off the puck
- His shot isn't accurate nor hard enough to beat a good goalie
- A number of times he tried to skate through the defense alone (as he was accustomed in the WHL), but Clarkson's D simply swallowed him up

He'll be fine, but certainly needs a couple of seasons playing against men, not pre-pubescent adolescents. I'll assume that many of these CHL "stars" are going to discover the same thing very quickly.

PS Clarkson is a gritty, get-under-your-skin, grinding squad that is capable of wearing down a more highly skilled opponent

He is 17. The average age of Clarkson is 22.2 years of age. He turns 18 at end of December. So he is 4.4 years younger than your average player on Clarkson and most teams. That is why he is projected to be the #1 pick in the draft. Imagine where he would be in 4.4 years skill-wise, body-wise, etc… Being almost 2 points per game average so far is a phenomenal start all things considered.

 

[cinnamoroll]

With all of the buzz about these CHL kids (especially McKenna) in college, travelled to Penn State to see them in action against Clarkson.

McKenna is a superbly skilled skater, brilliant passer, but with much room for improvement. He certainly wasn't the best player on the ice:
+ Some of his passes were eye-popping
+ His stickhandling is excellent
+ Smooth and quick skater that consistently finds space on the ice
- His size allowed the huge Clarkson d'men to easily skate him off the puck
- His shot isn't accurate nor hard enough to beat a good goalie
- A number of times he tried to skate through the defense alone (as he was accustomed in the WHL), but Clarkson's D simply swallowed him up

He'll be fine, but certainly needs a couple of seasons playing against men, not pre-pubescent adolescents. I'll assume that many of these CHL "stars" are going to discover the same thing very quickly.

PS Clarkson is a gritty, get-under-your-skin, grinding squad that is capable of wearing down a more highly skilled opponent

yea all of these are understandable and expected, he looks pretty good for his first few games but absolutely some speed bumps. he’s a quick learner though and that sort of talent often makes learning parts of the game that usually take a few years take way less time- Macklin Celebrini certainly exemplifies this.

this is honestly a good thing for him- what more could he do in the WHL that could challenge him? he wasn’t going to gain much of that man strength he lacked in the WHL schedule with the resources available at that level. this is what he made the decision to come to college for.

clarkson is definitely a tough team to play against, including some standout CHL guys (announcers called the all QMJHL Côté-St-Denis-Gélinas line the French Connection lol). most notable one IMO was Kitchener Rangers standout Adrian Misaljevic. they could’ve been even scarier if CHL Goaltender of the Year Jackson Parsons didn’t get an ELC from the Sens this summer, though i always appreciate a superstar DIII goalie in net getting a shot at the DI level. and i love a league with parity and chaos. all the upsets last night were just perfect.

that being said, after the night i just had i could really use a spanking of a team called the golden knights. desperately. quite imperative for my sanity.

thanks for the report! penn state games look so fun, i’m jealous

 

[cinnamoroll]

CHL players who were named in weekly honors this past week: (meant to list earlier when all of them were released but forgot)

Calem Mangone, LSSU, CCHA Rookie of the Week
Austin Elliott, UML, Hockey East Goaltender of the Week
Marshall Finnie, Niagara, AHA Rookie of the Week
Matthew Mayich, Clarkson, ECAC Defender of the Week

2 new QMJHL commitments:

08 D Wassim Rabbath commits to Dartmouth, Gatineau Olympiques player

07 F Nathan Lecompte commits to Northeastern, plays for Chicoutimi Saguenéens

Last night's former CHL standouts-

Adrian Misaljevic (Clarkson) 2g
Gavin McKenna (Penn State) 2a
Sam Oliver and Nick De Angelis (UNH) both with 2a
also getting goals: Anthony Romani (MSU), Owen Van Steensel (Clarkson)
a personal fave: Félix Gagnon (UNH) went 12-3 on faceoffs

Tonight's free OHL game at 7pm ET is Kitchener @ Soo. Commits you could see-
Kitchener:
Carson Campbell (BGSU)
Haeden Ellis (Northeastern)
Christian Kirsch (UMass)
Jacob Xu (Harvard)

Soo:
William Camputaro (Omaha)
Jordan Charron (St Lawrence)
Callum Croskery (BC)
Quinn McKenzie (Penn State)
Chase Reid (Michigan State)

One interesting note I picked up on from a podcast from Brad Schlossman is that apparently of the kids who were missing some of the core classes to get into NCAA, the majority of kids with those concerns were from the OHL. they did shore up the academic resource provisions in their player agreements, so it shouldn't be an issue going forward. It isn't that all these kids are bad students, they just didn't take certain required courses because they thought this option would never be there.

 

[lakersparty]

CHL players who were named in weekly honors this past week: (meant to list earlier when all of them were released but forgot)

Calem Mangone, LSSU, CCHA Rookie of the Week
Austin Elliott, UML, Hockey East Goaltender of the Week
Marshall Finnie, Niagara, AHA Rookie of the Week
Matthew Mayich, Clarkson, ECAC Defender of the Week

2 new QMJHL commitments:

08 D Wassim Rabbath commits to Dartmouth, Gatineau Olympiques player

07 F Nathan Lecompte commits to Northeastern, plays for Chicoutimi Saguenéens

Last night's former CHL standouts-

Adrian Misaljevic (Clarkson) 2g
Gavin McKenna (Penn State) 2a
Sam Oliver and Nick De Angelis (UNH) both with 2a
also getting goals: Anthony Romani (MSU), Owen Van Steensel (Clarkson)
a personal fave: Félix Gagnon (UNH) went 12-3 on faceoffs

Tonight's free OHL game at 7pm ET is Kitchener @ Soo. Commits you could see-
Kitchener:
Carson Campbell (BGSU)
Haeden Ellis (Northeastern)
Christian Kirsch (UMass)
Jacob Xu (Harvard)

Soo:
William Camputaro (Omaha)
Jordan Charron (St Lawrence)
Callum Croskery (BC)
Quinn McKenzie (Penn State)
Chase Reid (Michigan State)

One interesting note I picked up on from a podcast from Brad Schlossman is that apparently of the kids who were missing some of the core classes to get into NCAA, the majority of kids with those concerns were from the OHL. they did shore up the academic resource provisions in their player agreements, so it shouldn't be an issue going forward. It isn't that all these kids are bad students, they just didn't take certain required courses because they thought this option would never be there.

Why is the NCAA so difficult? I thought most of that nonsense stuff they were doing went away in this new era of NIL. If a school will accept a student, I don't see why the NCAA has to add this added level just to make everyone miserable.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Why is the NCAA so difficult? I thought most of that nonsense stuff they were doing went away in this new era of NIL. If a school will accept a student, I don't see why the NCAA has to add this added level just to make everyone miserable.

Academic eligibility rules still apply, I don't know of any legal challenges to it or plans on changing it but I don't follow that side of things very intently. If anyone knows more about it, feel free to chime in.

The main issue here I think it's based on differences in the academic systems. Based on some of the guides I've found, in Ontario there are way fewer course options that have been approved for english, math, and science options plus a longer list of courses that are considered ineligible, compared to Quebec or British Columbia. Some math courses used to be counted but were dropped from that list in 2022. While the courses they might have been advised to take were enough for being eligible to graduate or play USports, they might not fulfill everything they needed if they wanted to play NCAA DI. many high schools in the US align their curriculum with at the very least common app requirements and offer courses to supplement what isn't required to graduate but is required for NCAA eligibility, and have advisors that specifically point to taking those classes.

now that NCAA is an option, the academic advisors for all CHL teams can take that into account and it won't be an issue for future classes. here's the article on the OHL's new player agreement that lists some of those changes to education policies. also the academic requirements to transfer from USports are a lot easier, so im wondering if a few potential recruits went to USports and hope to transfer to NCAA in a year or two.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Former QMJHL player and isles 5th round pick in 2023 Justin Gill has been cleared and will make his debut for Merrimack tonight. Split time in Bridgeport and Worchester last year. very very good pickup

08 F Caelan Joudrey commits to Quinnipiac, playing for Wenatchee Wild in the WHL

08 G Antoine Proulx commits to Clarkson, playing for Newfoundland Regiment

06 F Maxim Lafond commits to Northeastern, playing for Drummondville Voltigeurs

Really liking the recruits Northeastern have gotten so far.

 

[cinnamoroll]

Tonight was a fun night of hockey!

Some standout CHL performances:

I think we can give the award for best NCAA debut for a former CHL skater to Maine's Justin Poirier. He's the only player who left the QMJHL before it was his overage season for college, and all this kid does is score oodles of goals. Has 3 absolute piss missiles for a college debut hat trick. I figured he might be the one to get the first hat trick of CHL guys.

His worst failure is being 5'7. Carolina Hurricanes with another undersized high-upside draft pick torching their league, fork found in kitchen.

Other notable performances:
Maine guys not named Poirier: goal and assist for Jaden Lipinski, points to Gerrior, Marques, Motew

Justin Gill (Merrimack) is scary. 1g1a and just dangerous all the time.

Maxim Muranov with a 2 goal game for Niagara, he's a pickup I loved for them

Ryder Ritchie with a goal and assist for BU, he looks good! Colgate did what they could, Tyson Doucette with a goal.

Vermont with a tight game vs St Lawrence, Zach Filak with the empty net goal.

Miami and RPI was fun. Matthew Buckley scored for RPI while Kocha Delic had two goals and an assist for Miami. transfer goaltender Matteo Drobac with the win AND a point.

2 goal game for USports transfer Charles Savoie for Lindenwood, two assists to Louis-Philippe Fontaine.

Another win for Ivankovic and Michigan, buoyed by goal support and against a much more level opponent. Roger McQueen didn't have a point but he had plenty of hockey hugs to go around. Lots of dislike in that one.

Michigan State with a tidy win, Porter Martone with two assists.

Bemidji State got close to tying, both their goals from Oliver Peer, the first with assists from McClennon and Thornton.

NoDak was fun. Josh Zakreski with a goal and assist, Keaton Verhoeff with an absolute laser goal. The fact that Reschny had no points is fascinating and a good sign for depth, he was notably good on faceoffs for a freshman. Pilling had an assist for St Thomas

Omaha with a nice win. The line of USports transfer Sean Tschigerl, WHL alum Marcus Nguyen, and young freshman Jérémy Loranger seems to have great chemistry, two goals came exclusively from that line. Spencer Sova and two USports transfers Marc Lajoie and Aidan de la Gorgendiere with goals as well.

Everyone was so ready to bury Penn State after the first period, huh... Lev Katzin with the chutzpah for taking on the entire Clarkson team. That kid is hysterical. Only CHL points game from Jackson Smith and Clarkson's Justin Côté. after thursday, i really enjoyed being able to say that a future San Jose Shark got to defeat the Clarkson Golden Knights. He even got an assist on the game winning goal! We raise them right, folks.

Colorado College- 2 point night for Colton Roberts which is great for me. Also assists for Matteo Mann, Lisowsky, and another goal for Schuurman.

Allegedly Clarke Caswell scored for Denver, but there was no information about this game. Somehow the game stats labeled Boston Buckberger as the starting goaltender, which is wild for a junior defenseman. Only one play was recorded, in which Cale Ashcroft lost the opening faceoff, which is again weird, because he is also a defenseman. We get to play this charade all over again tomorrow afternoon too when CC takes on Air Force. Thanks, government.

Finally ice breaker!
First game was a bit of a yawn.

Noah Powell with his first goal as a Sun Devil (he left Ohio State mid season and joined the OHL, transferred this summer). Alfano and McGurn pick up assists. Notre Dame's Pano Fimis with an assist. Never seen his full first name anywhere except CHN, had to do a double take before it clicked who Panayioti was.

so glad hockey is back