Editor’s note: Ripping a page right out of the NCAA’s book, the United States of Hockey is naming three, that’s right, three All-America teams. Why let the college folks have all the fun? The three All-America teams will feature the American-born players I feel are the best at their individual position. There will be an All-America team made up of NHL players, one for college hockey (naturally) and another featuring 2012 Draft-eligible prospects. I’ll be naming six players to each of the three teams, while also throwing out some honorable mentions. The All-America teams will be revisited at both the half-way point and the end of the hockey season. They might look the same, they might look different and that’s the fun of doing it in the preseason. Keep in mind, there are plenty of great Canadian and European players in college hockey, but this list focuses just on the American-borns. We’ll have the NHL All-America Team up Thursday morning.
There was once a time where even college hockey was dominated by Canadians. For most schools, the best players were Canadian and at the very least half the roster was Canadian. In recent years, as the American talent pool has deepened and the competition for Canadian players increased, college hockey has become much more of an American-dominated game. There are still plenty of top quality Canadians that have skated in the college arenas, like Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) and Dany Heatley (Wisconsin), and current Colorado College standout Jaden Schwartz. In fact there are more Europeans than ever before in the college ranks.
That said, college hockey has essentially become an American-centered game. Elite American players have multiple choices, but the vast majority of them choose college hockey. Because of that, we get a really outstanding on-ice product. The college game is as exciting as ever and part of it is because of the depth of talent in the United States.
So enough praise for college hockey. Let’s get to the players that are going to make it great this year.
The list of college players is a little different than what you might find in college hockey’s regular All-America teams. It’s really tough to predict who is going to have a great season because, with 60 teams across the country, anyone can step up and have a great season. So instead, I went with players I feel are the most advanced at their current positions. This list could vastly change once the season gets rolling and some lesser known players emerge, as Andy Miele did last season en route to the Hobey Baker.
Just as a refresher, I’ll list the position and player, along with an explanation for that player’s inclusion on the All-America Team, then I’ll provide a list of those receiving honorable mention. So let’s get to it after the jump, shall we?
The United States of Hockey 