Junior Hockey World
From U16 to Pro Hockey
We define junior hockey world by players in age between 16 to 20 when player can reach his 16th birthdays during his first season. Let's take closer look at top level of junior hockey.
The skills and performance of top junior teams and players is already very close to professional hockey. Though according NHL requirement for new players, everyone must has either drafted in the annual NHL Entry Draft or have played 3 seasons of professional hockey in North America. Canadian Hockey League have the advantage of having each season considered a professional hockey season.
If youth player wish to play one day top professional hockey, then it is almost without exception necessary to play in one of those following junior leagues:
- CHL (WHL, OHL, QMJHL)
- Highest junior leagues in Czech, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland and Russia
- Top level college hockey teams in USA
In particular for top junior players with desire to play in NHL is great hockey experience and way how to make your-self visible to play in national teams under "16", "17", "18" and especially "20". The competition in hockey countries like Canada, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, USA or Finland is on such level, that literally half of every mentioned national team under "20" is ready to play NHL immediately or within 1 year.
You can take a look inside of junior hockey from different angles:
Player | Coach | Parent | Scout | Agent | Fan
Generally we can distinguish the particular level of best junior leagues by number of players, which have made to professional hockey from each mentioned league. After that, we can more accurate this stand-point by considering to which level of professional hockey the exact number of players have made it. Look at NHL Entry Draft.
According this evaluation criteria the highest quality junior league is CHL. CHL, Canadian Hockey League contains three regional leagues: West Hockey League, Ontario Hockey league and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
CHL is only junior league respected by NHL as "professional experience". All the games have a great popularity and it is not unusual when arenas are sold out, which would means more than 10,000 spectators. At events such as the NHL Entry Draft and the World Junior Championships, the CHL maintains a high profile and promotes its players with special publications highlighting all the participating CHL players.
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CHL players have around 80 games a season. The league has similar game rhythm as NHL including play-offs. CHL has no special break for top junior events as World Junior championship "20", however selected players has support and permit form clubs to participate in these events.
Top Europeans junior players from hockey countries like Czech, Sweden, Russia, Finland and Slovakia play very often alternatively in A team in particular club.
Top Junior Hockey Leagues
Canada Major Junior
Ontario Hockey League
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
Western Hockey League
U.S. Tier I
United States Hockey League