Mark "Fricken" Jankowski (aka The Big Jankowski)

[Caged Great]

The better thing with the NCAA is that they don't play as many games. They only play around 35-40 IIRC. That's good because the main issue with Jankowski is that he's a toothpick for his height. Having more time in the weight room to bulk up, while facing good competition when he does play is a win win.

[Coach]

Yup older smarter and stronger players in NCAA. I think more kids will start going the college route. NCAA has produced such bums as...

Jonathan Toews
Ryan Miller
Zach Parise
Paul Statsny
Tim Thomas
Duncan Keith
Dany Heatly
Ryan Kesler


NCAA is fine and players coming out are generally more NHL ready.

[moon]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Yup older smarter and stronger players in NCAA. I think more kids will start going the college route. NCAA has produced such bums as...

Jonathan Toews
Ryan Miller
Zach Parise
Paul Statsny
Tim Thomas
Duncan Keith
Dany Heatly
Ryan Kesler


NCAA is fine and players coming out are generally more NHL ready.

That list is pathetic compared to the CHL.

The NCAA can be a fine way to go but it will always be second rate compared to the CHL.

My comment wasn't about Jankowski development but about the comment that playing at Providence provides better competition than the OHL.

[devo22]

the OHL may produce more high-end talent, but in the NCAA he'll have more time to develop ... plus he's playing against men, some players are already 23 or 24 years old. That's a huge jump from his prep school and should be good for his development ... I'm glad he skipped the USHL year, he's fine where he is now. And even if it was "only" Sacred Heart, he already proved in his first game that he belongs there.

[nik-]

The NCAA is a better route for Jankowski because he needs games less than he needs time in the weight room. The CHL is a better league though.

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by moon

That list is pathetic compared to the CHL.

The NCAA can be a fine way to go but it will always be second rate compared to the CHL.

If NCAA is second rate to CHL, one would expect guys jumping from college to major junior to have their production on a ppg basis drop.

Anyone have any evidence whether that occurs or not?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Mike F

If NCAA is second rate to CHL, one would expect guys jumping from college to major junior to have their production on a ppg basis drop.

Anyone have any evidence whether that occurs or not?

Not putting any stock into what Moon says is solid advice for this forum.

The NCAA and the CHL are both fine developmental leagues with their own pros and cons.

It is very hard to straight up compare stats from both leagues. The NCAA usually has a very small % of players scoring over a PPG. The CHL on the other hand has a higher % of players scoring over a PPG. I don't think that means anything in terms of prospects in particular but it does make it hard to compare numbers meaningfully.

As others have pointed out one of the pros of the NCAA is the amount of time the players can spend building strength because they only play weekends for the most part and thus can train all week. It also allows players to play against older players.

I do disagree with the poster that said that Jankowski would not be a 1st line centre in the CHL. I think that is a big generalization and would really depend on what team he was on and their centre depth. I think he certainly could be a 1st line centre in the CHL on some teams.

That said I think the NCAA is a fine choice for his development.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Not putting any stock into what Moon says is solid advice for this forum.

LOL

Classy as ever.

The NCAA and the CHL are both fine developmental leagues with their own pros and cons.

Who said they weren't fine developmental leagues?

[moon]

Originally Posted by Mike F

If NCAA is second rate to CHL, one would expect guys jumping from college to major junior to have their production on a ppg basis drop.

Anyone have any evidence whether that occurs or not?

Not sure that would show all that much as the guys who switch are going to be a year older and better than they were before. Plus throw in different teams they play for and there is a lot of variables other than just the leagues that would play into the ppg of a player from year to year.

I would say the much larger volume of players and much higher quality of players produced by the CHL is what makes it the better league.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by moon

Who said they weren't fine developmental leagues?

You claimed the NCAA was "second rate". I'm not sure that it really is. The quality and quantity of players coming out of college is ever increasing. And while people focus on the stars coming out of the CHL we aren't looking at the high % of players who play in those leagues who aren't NHL prospects.

It would be interesting to see what % of CHLers are drafted as compared to the top end college programs.

What is the best developmental league for a particular player depends on what that player needs. The NCAA can be a better developmental league for certain players and thus not second rate for those players.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

You claimed the NCAA was "second rate".

So that doesn't mean it isn't fine just that it isn't the best like the CHL is.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by moon

So that doesn't mean it isn't fine just that it isn't the best like the CHL is.

What's the best developmental league for a player depends on what that player needs to work on most. See my post above.

The CHL isn't necessarily best for every single prospect. All but the biggest CHL homers should be able to acknowledge that point.

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by moon

Not sure that would show all that much as the guys who switch are going to be a year older and better than they were before. Plus throw in different teams they play for and there is a lot of variables other than just the leagues that would play into the ppg of a player from year to year.

I would say the much larger volume of players and much higher quality of players produced by the CHL is what makes it the better league.

The whole "lots of other variables" argument doesn't hold water. Give a good pool of examples those types of variables statistically wash out.

As for one year to the next, it's easy enough to compare development curves of NCAA to CHL players vs. pure CHL players.

If the NCAA is second rate, it should be document-able given that players have switched over the years.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

What's the best developmental league for a player depends on what that player needs to work on most. See my post above.

The CHL isn't necessarily best for every single prospect. All but the biggest CHL homers should be able to acknowledge that point.

I think the NCAA route is a fine route for some prospects. Never said it wasn't.

Overall the CHL is the better league which is why it produces better and more players, but for some kids the NCAA route might be the better route for sure.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Mike F

The whole "lots of other variables" argument doesn't hold water. Give a good pool of examples those types of variables statistically wash out.

As for one year to the next, it's easy enough to compare development curves of NCAA to CHL players vs. pure CHL players.

If the NCAA is second rate, it should be document-able given that players have switched over the years.

Its documented by the much better and more players the CHL produces. N

Not sure why a few players who switched and may or may not have had a better year with another year of development on a completely different team would change the fact that the best players come from the CHL and the majority of NA players are developed in the CHL.

[Fire in the disco]

I like it better when there's hockey talk, it leads to less pissing contests

[Savvy27]

Big step up in competition tonight. Hopefully he has a strong game.

[TSXCman]

Anyone have any footage sources for this recent game?

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by moon

Its documented by the much better and more players the CHL produces. N

Not sure why a few players who switched and may or may not have had a better year with another year of development on a completely different team would change the fact that the best players come from the CHL and the majority of NA players are developed in the CHL.

This won't be a perfect analogy, but. . . .

The CHL produces more and much better players than the Swedish Elite League, but the SEL is likely the better league on account that you have more physically mature men playing a more advanced systems game. Leaving aside the differences between the European and North American styles of hockey, if a prospect could get first line ice time on a SEL team, it could well accelerate his development compared to playing against kids in the CHL.

My point being that it could well be that the NCAA being populated by more mature athletes with a greater ratio of practice to game time could make up for the lesser number of top flight prospects, evening up if not surpassing the quality of hockey and thus quality of development experience.

[Southside]

Maybe, just maybe some guys choose to go the NCAA route for an education? Many likely get full scholarships, go to school, get an education for the inevitable life after hockey. I'm sure some kids are thinking about more than just hockey and good for them.