R
Rip Rap
Guest
It is important to discuss recruiting
Before I do, I want to note that this is no where near as sophisticated as the resources for football recruiting. If anybody can raise this discussion up a level, or know of any sources for real-time information, pass the source of that information or those resources along.
Hockey recruiting, unlike football and basketball recruiting, receives minimal press coverage, and the formal announcement of ND’s recruiting class generally goes unnoticed. Further, ND hasn’t enjoyed tremendous success in hockey, given that the program was reinstated in 1968 after an earlier run of teams from 1912—1927. We are not a program like Michigan, North Dakota, Boston University, or Minnesota.
Hockey recruiting also relies heavily on junior league experience, creating the odd phenomenon wherein high-school kids choose to play for regional teams with the explicit intention of receiving the attention for a scholarship to play in college. Occasionally kids are drafted by the NHL before they even attend college, and the process toward becoming a professional is very similar to baseball for this reason. There is an established minor league system to professional hockey and European players often come to America. American players generally come from Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, and New England. Rarely do they come from elsewhere, though hockey is becoming popular further and further south in the Midwest/Southwest. Because the recruiting system focuses on junior leagues, the place of birth, highschool, etc. is generally inconsequential.
Still, Notre Dame’s teams have often recruited from the USA under-18 team and otherwise tend to do best amongst teams from the USHL. Letters of Intent must be signed between November 10 and Novermber 17, 2004. There is a second Letters of Intent signing day on April 13th.
Before I do, I want to note that this is no where near as sophisticated as the resources for football recruiting. If anybody can raise this discussion up a level, or know of any sources for real-time information, pass the source of that information or those resources along.
Hockey recruiting, unlike football and basketball recruiting, receives minimal press coverage, and the formal announcement of ND’s recruiting class generally goes unnoticed. Further, ND hasn’t enjoyed tremendous success in hockey, given that the program was reinstated in 1968 after an earlier run of teams from 1912—1927. We are not a program like Michigan, North Dakota, Boston University, or Minnesota.
Hockey recruiting also relies heavily on junior league experience, creating the odd phenomenon wherein high-school kids choose to play for regional teams with the explicit intention of receiving the attention for a scholarship to play in college. Occasionally kids are drafted by the NHL before they even attend college, and the process toward becoming a professional is very similar to baseball for this reason. There is an established minor league system to professional hockey and European players often come to America. American players generally come from Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, and New England. Rarely do they come from elsewhere, though hockey is becoming popular further and further south in the Midwest/Southwest. Because the recruiting system focuses on junior leagues, the place of birth, highschool, etc. is generally inconsequential.
Still, Notre Dame’s teams have often recruited from the USA under-18 team and otherwise tend to do best amongst teams from the USHL. Letters of Intent must be signed between November 10 and Novermber 17, 2004. There is a second Letters of Intent signing day on April 13th.
