February 8, 2005
2004-05 States of the Game
Our annual look at where college hockey players come from

Special Report: States of the Game

Breakdown of all players by state, province and country Breakdowns by conference: AHA | CCHA | CHA | ECACHL | HEA | WCHA This is Inside College Hockey's third annual look at where college hockey players are coming from. Past reports: 2003-04 | 2002-03

INCH's All-Non-Hotbed Team The top college players from non-traditional areas

G: Dave McKee, Cornell (Irving, Texas) D: Peter Hafner, Harvard (Gaithersburg, Md.) D: Tim Judy (Bowie, Md.) F: Gabe Gauthier, Denver (Buena Park, California) F: Brett Sterling, Colorado College (Pasadena, California) F: Jared Ross, Alabama-Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.)

INCH's All-European Team The top college players from Europe

G: Bernd Bruckler, Wisconsin (Graz, Austria) D: Jussi Halme, Denver (Nokia, Finland) D: Jekabs Redlihs, Boston University (Riga, Latvia) F: Rastislav Spirko, North Dakota (Vrutky, Slovakia) F: Martin Stuchlik, Alaska Anchorage (Zlin, Czech Republic) F: Peter Szabo, St. Cloud State (Nitra, Slovakia)

Odds and ends gleaned during our research:

• In each of our three States of the Game reports, more players have come from Minnesota than any other state. This year 205 college hockey players come from Minnesota, followed by Massachusetts (149) and Michigan (144). One hundred of the 205 Minnesotans play in the WCHA.

• Once again more players hail from Ontario (218) than any other state or province. One-third of those (72) play in the ECACHL.

• There are only 18 Europeans playing college hockey today, less than half the number that there were two years ago (39). Eight of the 18 Europeans play in the WCHA.

• 38 states are represented in college hockey, one more than last year. The CCHA, with 27 states represented, has the most American geographic diversity; the WCHA, with 16, has the least.

• Eight states – Alaska, California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – have at least one player in each of the six Division I conferences.

• Six Canadian provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan – have at least one player in each of the six Division I conferences.

• Hockey East and the CCHA each have eight provinces represented, the most of any conference, but the ECACHL has the most Canadian players, with 152.

• Ohio State and Rensselaer each have 14 states or provinces represented on their roster.

• Northeastern's defensive corps alone features players from Maryland, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

• Six of the eight college hockey players from Missouri are freshmen this year.

NOTE: All statistics based on players' hometowns listed on rosters supplied by schools to collegehockeystats.com, as of Jan. 1, 2005. Research compiled by Nate Ewell, Inside College Hockey, Inc.