Becoming a professional hockey player in North America means making a huge commitment to your sport and excelling at every level. Hockey is played at a high level throughout the world, and most of the best players want to play in the NHL. Competition to earn a spot on a pro roster is hard and demanding.
Commitment
The talent pool in hockey is wide and deep. The sport that was once dominated by Canadian players is now a worldwide sport. Top-level players from the United States, Russia, Sweden, Finland and other European countries compete for professional opportunities. That means players must start playing the game at a competitive level during their childhood and must make a commitment to improve their skills on a full-time basis. Players have to work on their skating, shooting, passing, defense and must do it in an aggressive manner. They must be receptive to coaching and must work hard in practice on an every-day basis.
Junior Hockey
Players who are focused toward getting an opportunity to play at the professional level often choose to play in Canada's junior hockey system. Junior hockey is open to teenagers who have excelled at the youth level. Junior hockey teams play nearly 80 regular-season games per season in addition to playoffs and tournaments. This is roughly the same amount that adult professionals play. Most junior players are between the ages of 16 and 20 and move away from their homes so they can play hockey in a competitive and serious environment. Players who are still in high school also must complete educational requirements, but the majority of their time and effort is focused on skill development.
College Hockey
Many American youngsters who want to play professional hockey play college hockey before they start playing at the professional level. Prior to the 1970s, nearly all players who had professional potential played in Canada's junior hockey system. However, college hockey became a more viable route as the game improved, and NHL scouts started looking at American college hockey as a viable source of hockey talent. Hockey hotbeds in Massachusetts and Minnesota became a prime source of future professionals, and players from schools such as Boston College, Boston University, the University of Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth produced many of those players.
Draft
The NHL holds its annual draft of amateur players in June. Teams employ scouts to find potential pro players who are competing in junior hockey, college hockey and throughout Europe. The best players drafted may be able to play in the NHL immediately, but most players spend at least two years playing minor-league hockey before they are ready for elite competition in the NHL. All players must demonstrate a desire to improve and work hard every day because there are so many players competing for so few spots at the top level of the sport.
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