The growth of USHL players in the NHL

The USHL has been producing more and more NHL players, the Behind the Net Blog has provided us with some interesting information that shows the growth of hockey in the United States and the USHL.  This is a very interesting article that proves that the quality of the USHL is among the top in the world.

(This is just a portion of what was posted at their blog - only information regarding USHL players going on to play in the NHL.)

From the Behind the Net Blog: Checking Back in with the USHL:

Two years ago, I looked at how the USHL had gone from producing an insignificant number of NHL players to accounting for almost 10% of the pros in less than a decade. Forget the 'Miracle on Ice' - the growth of the USHL is the most significant success story in the history of American hockey.

I thought I'd take another look at how the USHL is doing and whether it has continued to produce NHL players at such a high rate. The pertinent plots are after the jump...

First, has the USHL continued its seemingly inexorably path to filling the entire NHL with its players? Sure looks that way to me:

We don't yet see players jumping directly from the USHL to the NHL like we do with Canadian junior leagues, but by age 21, it's difficult to argue with the results: on a per-team basis, the 12-team USHL produces as many NHL players as the 60-team CHL. Canada has achieved hockey saturation, so the number of players going from AAA Midget or Tier II Junior to the CHL and on to the NHL is unlikely to increase in the near future. The USHL, on the other hand, continues to expand its reach as previously-untapped areas of the country like California grow their youth hockey programs.

Back to the Fargo Force Blog:

The Behind the Net Blog used a 12-team USHL because that has been the consistent number of teams in the USHL.  If the USHL is able to maintain the 14, soon to be 15-team league, the number should be able to increase.  Also, with the addition of the USNTDP, the number of NHL draftees coming from the USHL is bound to increase dramatically, which is good for the league.  It is interesting to see how the blog stated that on a per-team basis, the 14-team USHL (soon to be 15 with the addition of Dubuque) produces as many NHL players as the 60-team CHL.  Maybe there is hope for the USHL in becoming the elite junior hockey league in the world. 

Here's to wishful thinking for the USHL and USA Hockey...