The Pittsburgh Penguins rocked a relatively educated lineup in their game 5 thrashing over the Ottawa Senators.
A majority of the NHL's best forwards have come from either junior hockey or a European league, with players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane emerging from one of the two. But the Pittsburgh Penguins are proving that drafting and signing college players is the best way to go.
Aside from Sid and Geno, Pittsburgh's entire forward group in game 5 was made up of former NCAA players.
Jake Guenztel- Nebraska-Omaha
Chris Kunitz- Ferris State
Scott Wilson- UMass-Lowell
Phil Kessel- Minnesota
Carl Hagelin- Michigan
Nick Bonino- Boston University
Carter Rowney- North Dakota
Bryan Rust- Norte Dame
Josh Archibald- Nebraska-Omaha
Matt Cullen- St. Cloud State
Even on the backend, players such as Brian Dumoulin (Boston College), Ian Cole (Notre Dame), And Justin Schultz (Wisconsin), are products from the NCAA.
Teams have historically felt comfortable drafting players out of the CHL, however, it may be more beneficial to follow Pittsburgh's approach.
Based on the team's success, why wouldn't they?
(H/T r/Hockey)
