Discover where NCAA players transition to play professionally both in North America and abroad.
The 2025-26 NCAA Hockey Regular Season is in the book. As conference tournaments continue and more schools are eliminated, many players will sign professional contracts. That begs a question: What professional destinations are most common for NCAA Hockey Players?
To answer this seemingly simple query, I reviewed 1,138 professional signings from 2022-2026 using College Hockey Inc data. Afterwards I synthesized the information into a pie chart. Their meticulous records were instrumental in understanding the professional paths of NCAA hockey players. I break down each slice of the pie by its percentage in descending order.
Before diving too far into the data, let's focus on the freshmen, who were included in my analysis. Through my research I found that out of the 1,138 players departing the NCAA for professional hockey, 20 (1.76%) did so after their freshman year. Unsurprisingly, 13 of those 20 freshmen (65%) signed in the NHL.
ECHL: 41.3%
Mar 8, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Casey DeSmith (1) makes a save on a Chicago Blackhawks shot during the third period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn ImagesThe ECHL is by far the most popular place for NCAA hockey players to sign professional deals. From my research, it was heavily favored by players in their senior and graduate years, many of which were undrafted. A few prominent examples of undrafted NCAA players moving up to the NHL from the ECHL are Aaron Dell, Justin Danforth and Casey DeSmith.
NHL: 29.2%
Obviously, the NHL is the pinnacle of hockey and the highest sought after location for any player's contract. With the inclusion of Canadian Hockey League players in the NCAA, I expect this number to steadily increase in the coming years. A few examples of players signing to the NHL from the NCAA are Macklin Celebrini, Ryan Greene and Jacob Fowler.
AHL: 17.9%
The American Hockey League is the odd slice of this professional pie. There were players in nearly all five education levels inking deals in the AHL. The majority of these contracts were by players after their senior year which shouldn't come as a shock. However there were a few notable graduate players signing American League contracts during the span of our data. These include Eamon Powell, Cameron Rowe and Artem Shlaine.
Other European Leagues: 5.6%
There are countless hockey leagues in Europe, all of which want the best possible talent. Despite their location, some of the less popular European hockey leagues are able to attract players to their ranks. The leagues I included in this slice of the pie include the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, Czech Extraliga, Hungarian Erste Liga and German Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
Sweden and Finland: 2.9%
Arguably the two best hockey leagues in Europe, the Swedish SHL and Finnish Liiga attracted a number of quality players from the NCAA. This is in large part due to the increasing number of European players in North American junior hockey. The relegation/promotion system overseas is especially intense in Finland and Sweden, keeping the talent level consistently higher than other leagues. Some players that went to Sweden and Finland from the NCAA are Alex Murray, Zach Stejskal and Emil Westerlund.
United Kingdom: 1.6%
An underrated European hockey league, many NCAA alumni head across the pond to the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) for one simple reason. It's hard enough for a postgraduate player heading to Europe. There's logistical difficulties heading overseas as well as cultural differences. While the competition may not be as high, many players choose to take away a language barrier by going to the United Kingdom. Recent examples of collegiate hockey players signing in the United Kingdom are Matthew Gleason Jordan Kawaguchi and Christian Stoever.
France: 1.6%
For many NCAA hockey graduates, France is the perfect opportunity. They get the beautiful countryside, great food and above average competition in the top division, Ligue Magnus. I expect this number to continue increasing, especially with the NCAA's talent level getting exponentially better through the CHL. Some notable players in France with NCAA ties are Sam Duerr, Joey Musa and Antti Virtanen.