With a recent flurry of college commitments for next year, the BCHL has now reached 164 players committed from the 2018-19 season, eclipsing the previous high of 161 set in 2017-18.
150 of these commitments are to NCAA Division I schools. The others are for Division III and Canadian University programs. With players still signing on with teams throughout the summer, the number of commitments will grow even higher.
The league has consistently seen an uptick in the number of college committed players from year-to-year and 2018-19 was no different:
- 2015-16: 149 players
- 2016-17 : 151 players
- 2017-18: 161 players
- 2018-19: 164 players (so far)
The BCHL has become the number-one source of NCAA Division I players in all of Canada. With 33 per cent of NHL players coming from college hockey, Junior A is increasingly becoming a legitimate route to professional hockey with recent top draft picks like Alex Newhook (Victoria Grizzlies), Tyson Jost (Penticton Vees), Dante Fabbro (Penticton Vees), Dennis Cholowski (Chilliwack Cheifs) and Cale Makar (Brooks Bandits-AJHL).
NOTE: This list does not count players who committed after Jun. 1 for the 2020-21 season and beyond. Those players will be counted towards next year’s totals.
Facts & Figures
- 273 BCHL alums played NCAA Division I hockey last season with at least one player suiting up for 54 of the 60 programs.
- 40 BCHL alums played in the NHL last season and several more played in the AHL and the ECHL.
- The eight BCHL players taken in the 2019 NHL Draft was the most since the NHL went from nine to seven rounds in 2005, highlighted by Victoria Grizzlies product Alex Newhook who was taken in the first round (16th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche.
- 29 undrafted BCHL alums signed professional contracts following their 2018-19 NCAA seasons, including nine who signed entry-level deals with an NHL club.
- Over 70 former BCHL players participated in 2019 summer development camps across the NHL.