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Does Michigan Have The Best Collegiate Hockey Program?

On August 27th, we wondered, Does UCLA Have The Best Collegiate Basketball Program?
On August 12th, we ran a similar story, highlighting college baseball programs. At that time, we asked, Does USC Have The Best Collegiate Baseball Program? AskMen.com has come out with some new stats for us to analyze, this time dealing with the world of hockey. So…

Are you a hockey player who has some talent and wants to go to a top college hockey program that will give you a good chance to make it to the NHL? Or are you an agent who wants to know which colleges produce the most NHL talent? Either way, there is an article that hopes to guide you in the right direction when it comes to scouting the most successful programs (in terms of having its players make the NHL). [Top 10: NHL Colleges]

Here is an abbreviated version…because we care about not straining your eyes.

  1. University of Michigan – 128 NHL draft picks.
  2. University of Minnesota – 159 NHL draft picks.
  3. Michigan State University – 83 NHL draft picks.
  4. Boston University – 56 NHL draft picks.
  5. University of Wisconsin – 49 NHL draft picks.
  6. Michigan Tech – 56 NHL draft picks.
  7. University of North Dakota – 47 NHL draft picks.
  8. University of Denver – 50 NHL draft picks.
  9. Boston College – 41 NHL draft picks.
  10. Colorado College – 38 NHL draft picks.

Personal Notes:

  • If you are a hockey player, you better seriously consider a move to Michigan. Three out of the top 10 schools listed above are within the state’s borders, and all are ranked in the top 6 (with University of Michigan being #1).
  • The University of Michigan may be off to a disappointing football season, but at least the school has something to rally behind (it will get awfully ugly if Michigan loses to Notre Dame this weekend). Trailing only the University of Minnesota in number of NHL drafted players, the University of Michigan will always be a strong athletic school in a variety of sports.
  • All of the top schools listed are located in the northern region of the United States. Better be able to handle cold weather…although as a hockey player, isn’t it assumed that you can?
  • Colleges ranked #6-10 (other than Boston College) are little known nationally, so you better be committed to being a professional hockey player…or really want to go to school in North Dakota…

What are your thoughts?

-Darren Heitner

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

7 replies on “Does Michigan Have The Best Collegiate Hockey Program?”

The rankings look pretty good, at first I thought that the University of Minnesota was the best by a large margin but then I found that Michigan has 9 National Championships while Minnesota only has 5. I’m sure that was the main factor in pushing their program ahead. Those two schools are certainly the two best and the rest of the list was who I expected. On the agent side of things, if you are interested in hockey the college players here really aren’t even the main players you should be targeting in my opinion. There are numerous junior leagues around the country/world that produce more NHL players then colleges within the US. If you truly want to focus on college players though I would say the state of Minnesota is the best place to be located in and then the state of Michigan after that.

I think Michigan is up there. But, as of late I’ve been impressed with Miami of Ohio’s collegiate program. We’ll see how they do this year. Have a look at my hockey blog on hockey skills, hockey tricks, and Pittsburgh hockey. Marmalade Hockey.

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