We're entering the NCAA hockey championship season. Next weekend four of the six conferences will have started their playoffs. The conference championships will be March 21-22 with the sixteen NCAA playoffs being announced on March 23. The four regional tournaments are held March 27-30 with the final four games on April 10 and 12
The six conference champions receive automatic bids with the at large teams being based on the ranking system. The number of at large teams depends on whether the conference champions are in the top 16 Pairwise rankings. Since the CCHA and AHA are relatively weaker conferences and neither usually has teams in the top 16 Pairwise ranking there would be at most 14 at large bids. If a team is not in the top 14 and doesn't win its conference championship its season is over. More teams could be eliminated if conference champions are not in the top 14 Pairwise rankings.
This is relevant for knowing when current Ranger NCAA prospects and potential free agents would be available to sign NHL or AHL contracts. I'll address potential free agents in another post.
Four prospects are certain to make the NCAA playoffs base on the Pairwise rankings:
1. Boston College -- Fortescue and Perrault
3. Minnesota -- Lamb
5. Western Michigan -- Hendricks
All of the other prospects teams are not currently in the top 14 Pairwise rankings and will have their season's end unless their teams win their conference championship.
18-19 North Dakota -- Emery
23. Northeastern -- Dorrington
26. Cornell -- Kempf
32. Colorado College -- Laba
42. Harvard -- Karpa
62. Northern Michigan -- Larson
Kempf and Karpa are seniors and would become free agents if not signed before August 15. The Rangers recently have brought most of their draft picks into the organization if only with an AHL contract.
Virtually certain signees when their seasons end are Perrault and Laba.
Potential signees in my opinion are Fortescue and Dorrington.
Only four teams will be left by the end of March so well the Rangers approach to most of the picks. by then.
The six conference champions receive automatic bids with the at large teams being based on the ranking system. The number of at large teams depends on whether the conference champions are in the top 16 Pairwise rankings. Since the CCHA and AHA are relatively weaker conferences and neither usually has teams in the top 16 Pairwise ranking there would be at most 14 at large bids. If a team is not in the top 14 and doesn't win its conference championship its season is over. More teams could be eliminated if conference champions are not in the top 14 Pairwise rankings.
This is relevant for knowing when current Ranger NCAA prospects and potential free agents would be available to sign NHL or AHL contracts. I'll address potential free agents in another post.
Four prospects are certain to make the NCAA playoffs base on the Pairwise rankings:
1. Boston College -- Fortescue and Perrault
3. Minnesota -- Lamb
5. Western Michigan -- Hendricks
All of the other prospects teams are not currently in the top 14 Pairwise rankings and will have their season's end unless their teams win their conference championship.
18-19 North Dakota -- Emery
23. Northeastern -- Dorrington
26. Cornell -- Kempf
32. Colorado College -- Laba
42. Harvard -- Karpa
62. Northern Michigan -- Larson
Kempf and Karpa are seniors and would become free agents if not signed before August 15. The Rangers recently have brought most of their draft picks into the organization if only with an AHL contract.
Virtually certain signees when their seasons end are Perrault and Laba.
Potential signees in my opinion are Fortescue and Dorrington.
Only four teams will be left by the end of March so well the Rangers approach to most of the picks. by then.
