Hockey leagues, how do they compare

[crosby87]

What about all he millions of hockey leagues in N.A, OHL, AHL, WHL, QMJHL, ECHL etc. What are they and how are they related?

How does a player walk through them? Minor leagues, Junior leagues

THe reason I ask is that when studying prospects this information is obviously important. A PPG might tell more about a player if he playes in a certain league/at a certain level.

In Sweden we have (as you probably know) SEL, 2nd tier (division), 3rd tier (division), etc...much easier for an outsider!

[honduranhockey]

And we in North America appreciate how clearly you Swedes have ranked your leagues - it\'s pretty easy to follow! For our part, we like to needlessly complicate things, as you\'ll see below.

As you know, the NHL is the top league in North America (and arguably, the world, though the Russians are the ones most likely to argue).

The AHL (American Hockey League) is the next step below. It\'s the main development/feeder league of the NHL. Sort of like your 2nd tier league, except teams don\'t move from one league to another at the end of the season. Most NHL teams have a relationship with an AHL team. For example, the Ottawa Senators (NHL) have an AHL affiliate in the Binghamton Senators (AHL). Ottawa prospects that don\'t make the NHL team usually get sent down to the AHL team in Binghamton for development. Ray Emery and Jason Spezza played for Binghamton before they were ready for NHL duty.

The ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) is a step below the AHL - perhaps like Sweden\'s 3rd tier. Most ECHL teams are feeder/development teams for the AHL, and many also have a relationship with several NHL teams. Goalie Alex Auld played in the ECHL.

The NHL, AHL and ECHL are professional leagues - players get paid to play for those teams, are player union members, and so on. There are other smaller pro leagues, but they\'re not as important as the three listed here.

Then you get the junior hockey leagues. These are leagues where young kids and teenagers play. The junior leagues don’t have a formal relationship with NHL teams like most AHL and ECHL teams do. Instead, the NHL team will draft players from junior hockey and then send them to their affiliates before bringing them up to the NHL.

In North America, the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the main organization that manages junior hockey. Under the CHL you have 3 different leagues. North America is a big continent, so we need to divide it up by region so these poor kids don\'t spend half their childhood on long trips to distant hockey rinks.

The 3 main leagues are:
Western Hockey League (WHL) - in the provinces of western Canada and the US states of Oregon and Washington. Ryan Getzlaf played in the WHL before being drafted by Anaheim.
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) - in the Canadian province of Ontario and the US states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. Eric Lindros played in the OHL.
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL, or \"the Q\&quot - in the Canadian province of Quebec and the eastern maritime provinces, and the US state of Maine. Sydney Crosby played in the Q before destroying frightened opposition goalies in the NHL.

In addition to the CHL leagues, you also have the United States Hockey League (USHL), which is the main junior league in the United States. Thomas Vanek played in the USHL years before signing massive offer sheets from the Oilers. :P

A linear progression for a player would look like this, from bottom to top:
Junior hockey (CHL, USHL, college, etc.) - ECHL - AHL - NHL

But you always have exceptions – Sidney Crosby went straight from the QMJHL to the NHL, skipping all the steps in between.

In terms of fantasy hockey, you want to pay the most attention to players in the AHL. The AHL players who are really good are the ones most likely to contribute to your NHL team. If a guy is a PPG player in the ECHL or the OHL, it’s still too early to tell if he’ll do the same in the NHL. But it’s a good early indicator of talent.

I hope this helps. Be sure to study this closely. There will be a written exam at the end of NHL training camp.

Post edited by: honduranhockey, at: 2007/09/14 11:05

Post edited by: honduranhockey, at: 2007/09/14 11:06

[crosby87]

Beautiful, appreciate it. Thanks a bunch! Karma coming your way.

[honduranhockey]

Thanks! I didn\'t know most of this myself, and had to look it all up. But you learn something new every day.

I\'ve spent the morning at work researching it. Sometimes I love my job!B)

[big_dl]

Most top notch prospects wont play in the ECHL (used to also be known as East Coast Hockey League, that is no longer the case). The ECHL is for long term projects. Most guys who are going to have an impact in the NHL will be playing in the AHL, that\'s where they call the guys up from, and it\'s the 2nd best professional hockey in N.A. There is a professional CHL (Central Hockey League) but it\'s little used and not worth mentioning except to to confuse things, so forget I mentioned it.

As for the junior ranks. The CHL is the top dog, although the USHL is making strides. A couple years ago the USHL was pushing for the it\'s champion to play the winner of the memorial cup. I know this because in North Dakota at that WJHC I sat beside the president/commissioner of the USHL for a couple of games. The USHL is also gaining popularity because it doesnt pay its players, meaning that players who play thee are still eligible to go on and play US College hockey.

Not to complicate the situation but let\'s not forget junior B, leagues such as the BCJHL are becoming increasingly more legitimate as breeding grounds for the stars of tommorow, see Kyle Turris.

[gdon]

Great question pischa. Sometimes we take for granted our alphabet leagues and who is where. Honduran did an excellent job breaking it down for you. As big dl mentioned there is another level of junior in Canada that is starting to feature top talent because players in this level keep their eligibilty to go to college. There are leagues in each western province(manitoba(MJHL), saskatchewan(SJHL), alberta(AJHL) and British Columbia(BCJHL)) There is an Ontario league and, my apologies, I\'m not sure how eastern Canada is set up.

Players at this level are few more years away because they are looking at college before turning pro.