The recent announcement of the Boston Jr Rangers and the Railers Junior Hockey club departing the Eastern Hockey League for the NCDC and USPHL, sent shock waves across the Junior Hockey scene on the East Coast. With this article we will take a look at a comparison between the two leagues, to try to objectively evaluate some of the strengths and weaknesses of the leagues to see really… who’s better.
LEVEL OF PLAY & NCAA Commitments
In the press release announcing the departure to the NCDC and USPHL, Interim Commissioner Murry N. Gunty said, “The Jr. Rangers and Railers will further elevate our league” (Boston Jr. Rangers and Railers Junior Hockey Club To Join USPHL | NCDC (ncdchockey.com) . Do member teams of a former USA Hockey registered Tier III league really ELEVATE the NCDC’s self- defined Tier II label?
In determining “Level of Play” lets take a look at NCAA Advancements. According the NCDC website 70% of the 2023-24 NCAA Division 1 Commitments were Alumni commitments, meaning those players at one point in their Junior or Youth Hockey careers played for NCDC organizations and then made their NCAA D1 commitment while playing for another Higher Level League. Such leagues include the BCHL and NAHL. Some of these numbers may be skewed however, as the NCDC has several of these players listed multiple times in multiple years on their website (see image below or visit website). NCDC COMMITMENTS BY YEAR | NCDC (ncdchockey.com)
The re-printing of NCAA commitments and advancements by the NCDC/ USPHL makes it very difficult to determine the exact number of advancements per year by the league. The EHL on the other hand, does not appear to have any replicated names and advancements on their website, with the exception of players who played in the EHL Premier, then the EHL, and advanced to NCAA hockey from the EHL level. They are noted on a separate page on the EHL website.
In total, according to each websites data, 151 NCAA (D1, DII, DII) commitments came from the NCDC in the 2023-24 season ( NCDC COMMITMENTS BY YEAR | NCDC (ncdchockey.com) . The EHL’s total? 156 commitments NCAA Commitments (easternhockeyleague.org). Some of the NCDC’s (as mentioned earlier) are listed twice in 2022-23 & again in 2023-24. No such reproduction appears on the EHL website. It can be further noted that across the NCDC’s 18 teams, 5 teams had 3 commitments or less for the 2023-24 season. These include the Idaho Spud Kings, Utah Outliers, Provo Predators, Pueblo Bulls, and Rock Springs Grizzlies. All these commitments were to NCAA Division III institutions. No EHL team has less than 3.
Furthermore…
NCDC- 151 Commitments- 18 teams- 8.38 commitments per team NCDC COMMITMENTS BY YEAR | NCDC (ncdchockey.com)
EHL – 156 Commitments- 23 teams- 6.78 commitments per team 2023-24 NCAA Commitments (easternhockeyleague.org)
Roster Size
With multiple drafts to acquire players, multiple levels to stockpile players, and a revolving door of acquisition and advancement, roster sizes at the Junior level must be analyzed just as much as the data on advancement.
Take for example the previously mentioned Utah Outliers. The Outliers had a terrific 1st season in the NCDC’s Mountain Division finishing with a stellar record of 36-13-2. However, they committed only 1 player to NCAA hockey –
| Utah Outliers | Jake | Howard | Pompton Lakes, NJ | SUNY-Canton | NCAA III |
When you evaluate this 1 commitment across the roster size, it further reveals the difficulties these teams are having in placing players at the NCAA level. According to the NCDC website (link below) the Outliers have a roster of 60 players, including 8 goaltenders. This means Utah only committed 1.6% of its players to NCAA institutions in the 2023-24 season.
Utah Outliers Roster NCDC 2023-2024 | NCDC (ncdchockey.com)
In the EHL, where the Connecticut Roughriders, Bridgewater Bandits, and Philadelphia Little Flyers all are listed with only 3 NCAA commitments, they have much smaller roster sizes. For example:
Bridgewater- 32 players Game Center (easternhockeyleague.org)
Connecticut- 34 players Game Center (easternhockeyleague.org)
Philadelphia- 32 players Game Center (easternhockeyleague.org)
- Additionally, it should be noted that both Bridgewater & Philadelphia have EHLP teams, and some of the players are listed on both the EHL & EHLP rosters, demonstrating that some players played in games at each level during the season.
- The Utah Outliers do not have a USPHL Premier or Elite Team
Alumni
Perception is everything. How these leagues are viewed is very much intertwined with the marketing put forth by each respective league. Both leagues have tremendous alumni that each should be proud of.
The NCDC (and USPHL) put a great emphasis on their NHL and Professional Advancement. In fact a recent article posted on their website following the NHL draft revealed some terrific success stories from players who at one point in their career played in their member organizations. Click on link- Eight Players With USPHL Ties Selected In 2024 NHL Entry Draft | NCDC (ncdchockey.com)
None of these 8 players played in the NCDC or Junior Hockey in the USPHL’s expansive Junior Hockey reach. Most played for these member organizations as far back as U13 hockey or as brief as Fall Prep Hockey (a 2 1/2 month season that occurs in the Autumn months before New England Prep hockey begins).
Joe Connor – Selected by Tampa Bay Juniors, 7th Round, 195th Overall
Connor played for the Northern Cyclones 15U Fall Prep team during the 2020-21 season. He played this past season with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and he is committed to Northeastern University.
Cole Eiserman – Selected by New York Islanders, 1st Round, 20th Overall
Eiserman played youth hockey with the Islanders Hockey Club’s youth hockey program for their ‘06 teams up to the 13U level. He played the past two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program and is committed to Boston University.
Eight Players With USPHL Ties Selected In 2024 NHL Entry Draft | NCDC (ncdchockey.com)
The EHL on the other hand seems to place a greater emphasis on College Commitments and does not have any Pro Alumni story featured on their websites homepage- Eastern Hockey League
This does not mean, however, that players from the EHL have not gone onto Pro Hockey. There is a long list of Professional Advancements listed under the “About” section of their website- Pro Alumni (easternhockeyleague.org) and a significant number of success stories which have yet to be reported through their social media or website. The EHL does not offer U16 or U18 hockey, so these success stories came directly from players suiting up and playing in EHL games. These include recent successes such as:
Marc Del Gaizo (played a Full Season in the EHL in 2015-16) Made his NHL debut, playing 9 games for Nashville in 2023-24.
Alex Steeves ( played in the EHL in 2015-16) has played parts of the last 3 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Cam Dineen (a former EHL Rookie of the Year) got traded to Edmonton and was the 2nd leading scorer amongst defenseman for Bakersfield (AHL) and Cayden Primeau (a former EHL Goaltender of the Year) played 23 games for the Montreal Canadiens and led the team in Save Percentage.
Moreover, Eduards Tralmaks and Markus Komulss (both EHL Alums) represented Latvia in this year’s World Championships, suiting up for Latvia.
So Which League is Better?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each league has their merits, and each team within the league has its own success stories. All the alumni who played in each respective league deserves credit and recognition for their advancements within the game. It should be noted, however, that determining numbers for the EHL was much easier and more transparent as their player commitments did not double -dip (replicated twice year to year), and they did not feature Alumni who played in their Youth organizations.
The recent announcement that, “The NCDC will experiment with a pay-to-play option for these two New England division teams.” Boston Jr. Rangers and Railers Junior Hockey Club To Join USPHL | NCDC (ncdchockey.com) puts many leagues (EHL, OJHL, NOJHL, NA3HL) on the same playing field as the NCDC. With all of these leagues having some form of a Pay to Play model in 2024-25, which league represents the best value for the customer, the player?
Parents and Players will have to ask themselves what level gives their player the best chance for success. Which league will give our son the best chance to advance within the game and play NCAA hockey. Roster size, ratio of advancement, and placement percentage are the true numbers that families should be looking at in determining the correct path for their athlete’s future.
BY ANDREW TRIMBLE
