Bigger rinks ahead

The GIST: The NCAA-to-NHL pipeline is less robust than the basketball or softball pro pathway, but former NCAA stars still comprise a sizable chunk of the league’s roster spots, and the college game’s impact on the NHL is most certainly on the rise.

The process: The NHL employs a traditional draft structure — the league’s 32 teams make one pick in each of the seven rounds — but a very nontraditional pipeline: Draftees don’t necessarily ink pro contracts immediately. They can instead maintain their NCAA eligibility and continue to develop in college.

• Of last year’s 224 picks, only nine were NCAAers…but 60 more were high schoolers committed to a college program. Those 69 athletes represent 7.1% of last year’s current and future NCAA pool.

• That said, being drafted doesn’t guarantee an NHL roster spot: Many draftees start in the minors, and only about half eventually make the Big Time.

• With the bulk of NHLers hailing from outside the U.S. (70.7%), it’s no shock that only about one-third of the league’s 877 active players developed in the college system — but half of the NHL’s general managers and 40% of its HCs claim NCAA roots.

This year’s draft class: Players from Canada’s junior leagues unsurprisingly dominate ESPN’s first-round mock draft but, impressively, it’s two NCAAers who are projected to be selected first.

• Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini is a shoo-in for the No. 1 overall pick, and many expect Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov to go second. Just behind them is Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, who could be chosen as high as the No. 6 spot.

The GIST: Women’s hockey is the moment, and so much of the sport’s meteoric rise has come from the PWHL’s glass ceiling–breaking inaugural season. The new league is giving college’s biggest stars a shot at their pro dreams — and growing the game for future NCAAers.

The pipeline: The PWHL’s second-ever draft went down on June 10th, when the six teams chose 42 athletes from a pool of 167 eligible players across seven rounds. Of the 61 eligible NCAA alum, 28 were drafted, meaning 2.5% of the 1,119 players on last year’s Division I (DI) ice are now pros. The undrafted athletes became free agents and are eligible to sign contracts at a later date.

• As for those currently in the league, a whopping 91% of last season’s 157 PWHL players are NCAA alum — and Boston’s and Minnesota’s teams consisted of only former college players.

The names: The PWHL’s first-ever draft pick in 2023 was a former NCAA star — Minnesota’s Taylor Heise — and this year’s No. 1 overall pick followed in her footsteps: Princeton alum Sarah Fillier is headed to PWHL New York.

• Reigning national champ Ohio State led all schools with eight (!!!) draft picks this year, followed by 2024 Frozen Four squad Colgate with five.