What CHL team is best for developing NHL prospects?

Volica

Papa Shango
May 15, 2012
21,729
11,431
A team that never gets a lot of love; because of middle level talent is the Hitmen, for a young team they've produced some good NHLers; clearly not at the level of the London and Kelowna high tier production rate:

Karl Alzner
Johnny Boychuk
Andrew Ladd
Ryan Gezlaf
Justin Falk
V. Rask
J. Schultz
Brad Stuart
Mike Stone
 

TheFinnishTrap

Registered User
Apr 10, 2012
2,310
800
As a Finn, London. They did wonderfully with Määttä. Let's see what happens with Juolevi.
 

Pyrophorus

Registered User
Jun 1, 2009
26,202
2,907
Eastern GTA
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mooseontheloose

Registered User
Nov 4, 2015
26
0
Really depends on the time frame you are looking at e.g.. all time? in the last 10 years etc. That drastically changes the answer. Also are we looking at drafted or actually successful NHL players? Then what "team" counts as a player who was developed from. Eg. several of the lists include players who played 1 of 3 or 4 years with said team.

More recently (10-15 years) your top teams for overall NHL caliber players (not simply drafted but have played as full time NHLers) and regardless if the player played 1 year or 4 with them for "development":

OHL:
London, Windsor, Kitchener. Look to add Oshawa and Guelph to that list in the next year or two if even half the players drafted the last two years keep developing and preforming the way they are when they have gotten into the NHL.
QJMHL:
Rimouski. Really the only consistent developer of talent over the last 10-15 years and even further back. Look to see Halifax and Saint John too be added in a year or two when all those top young kids start cracking line ups from the last 2-4 draft years.
WHL:
Portland, Medicine Hat hands down. After that you have several teams on the cusp of being top tier if the last 2-4 drafts players develop eg. Calgary, Red Deer, Brandon and Kelowna. (Kelowna is a lot of recent draft picks with some sprinkled in good defensemen, not nearly as many NHL players in the last 10-15 years as you would expect).

Most consistent in the last 10-15 years has certainly been in order: London, Portland, Medicine Hat, Windsor.

Ask this in 5 years and you'd most likely be seeing in the OHL with Sarnia and potentially SSM becoming a name and Kitchener dropping out of the conversation as they only now have some potential talent again but they would be just starting there NHL careers if any make it that far in 4-5 years. With the other 4 staying on the list. The QMJHL will certainly look to have Halifax and Saint John become top development teams since there is a ton of talent they developed in the pipelines. Out west those three on the cusp teams are all on the rise while Portland and Medicine Hat are on the downward trend so I would expect to see a changing of the guard out west.
 

MeafAttack

Registered User
Dec 8, 2013
539
152
In the Meaf
London:
Kane
Nash
Tavares
Kadri
Zadorov
Domi
Marner (potentially)
Perry

Definitely missing some

Really, he was there from the trade deadline on for parts of 1 season and London developed him ??? Nice try. London is a hotbed for young up and comers and have had lots to cheer about, but, lets give Oshawa the credit they deserve in this case.
 

Raimu

That weird Dragon girl
Jan 21, 2006
1,192
5
Halifax, NS
Really, he was there from the trade deadline on for parts of 1 season and London developed him ??? Nice try. London is a hotbed for young up and comers and have had lots to cheer about, but, lets give Oshawa the credit they deserve in this case.

London also has the luxury of being at the top of the politics chain. While taking nothing away from the top-notch management group in London, it's significantly easier to develop top talent when you get top talent to develop.

I'm a QMJHL fan, so I'm sure there are people who know more about the situation than me, but even from afar, I'm aware that Domi and Tkachuck were both recent examples of players who's camps politiced their way to London.

Now back to the topic of the thread:

When it comes to "The best CHL teams for developing NHL prospects" I think you have to look more at recent history, a lot of people are going back 10 years for examples. It's very much a "what have you done for me lately?" type business. Coaches come and go, management groups change, teams move... etc.

London has certainly had recent success, Domi, Marner, Horvat, Maata, McCarron, just to name a few.

Saint John has been fantastic, with Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Despres, Gelinas Jurco, Galiev, all recent grads. I don't really count Coyle or Hoffman because they played half seasons there.

Then look at last years draft, it was dominated by Saint John, with Zaboril, Chabot, Dove-McFalls, Joseph, Smallman, Imama and Marsh all being picked, as well as LeBlanc the year previous.

Luke Green is an almost sure fire pick for the top 2 rounds this year, and Veleno will be a top pick in 2017. It's a damn factory there.

Halifax has been impressive as well, in 3 seasons they've produced the #1 (MacKinnon), #3 (Drouin), and 2 #9 (Ehlers and Meier) overall picks.
 

mooseontheloose

Registered User
Nov 4, 2015
26
0
London also has the luxury of being at the top of the politics chain. While taking nothing away from the top-notch management group in London, it's significantly easier to develop top talent when you get top talent to develop.

I'm a QMJHL fan, so I'm sure there are people who know more about the situation than me, but even from afar, I'm aware that Domi and Tkachuck were both recent examples of players who's camps politiced their way to London.

Now back to the topic of the thread:

When it comes to "The best CHL teams for developing NHL prospects" I think you have to look more at recent history, a lot of people are going back 10 years for examples. It's very much a "what have you done for me lately?" type business. Coaches come and go, management groups change, teams move... etc.

London has certainly had recent success, Domi, Marner, Horvat, Maata, McCarron, just to name a few.

Saint John has been fantastic, with Huberdeau, Beaulieu, Despres, Gelinas Jurco, Galiev, all recent grads. I don't really count Coyle or Hoffman because they played half seasons there.

Then look at last years draft, it was dominated by Saint John, with Zaboril, Chabot, Dove-McFalls, Joseph, Smallman, Imama and Marsh all being picked, as well as LeBlanc the year previous.

Luke Green is an almost sure fire pick for the top 2 rounds this year, and Veleno will be a top pick in 2017. It's a damn factory there.

Halifax has been impressive as well, in 3 seasons they've produced the #1 (MacKinnon), #3 (Drouin), and 2 #9 (Ehlers and Meier) overall picks.

You'd have too surely still count the last 10 years as that is counting the current NHL players which we developed in the last 10 years. Not a crazy stretch of time really. Outside of the QMJHL, there really hasn't been instability in teams and locations to the same level as seen there.

I agree from the QMJHL that Halifax and Saint John are on the rise. The one problem labeling all those players is really they are nearly all just establishing themselves. Hence the reason you need a little bit wider scope on time. This also goes dow not which is better development: NHL players or simple drafted players. How much are NHL players more so developed in the AHL etc. But there is definitely a changing of the guard so to speak coming to CHL development team hotbeds. Out west is in a changing, the Q is truly about to get recognition from Halifax and Saint John, and a few OHL teams will be started to look at as consistent developers as well.
 

SkatesAndStick

Registered User
Dec 31, 2017
5
2
The Halifax Mooseheads have produced five top 10 picks in the last 5 NHL drafts. That is an impressive record.
 

yunita

Registered User
Feb 2, 2018
13
1
London, Kelownahttp://:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:/buluhidung/33/o.png
 

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