Just curious...it puzzles me to note how few (if any ?) college players in
the NC$$ are from Russia or any of the other former Soviet states, which a
goodly number of stars now in the NHL hail from (and being drafted to play
in increasing amounts).

There are a smattering of Czechs, Slovaks, Finns etc., but what about
natives of Russia, Latvia, Belarus, Kazahkstan & etc. ?  Seems to me a
goodly pool of potential hockey-skilled student athletes living in those
states are waiting to be brought to the US by the right recruiter(s).

Is it some sort of clearance issue between hockey organizations in the
former USSR and the (what might seemingly be as monolithic) NC$$ ?  Is it an
amateur / professional sort of thing when these youth are playing at the
highest level there, before a pro/college choice confronts them ?

Undoubtedly there are a number of youth from that area who would have
academic achievement sufficient to meet NC$$ educational minimums. It is a
lack of academic standards similar to the American SAT's ?

Just wondering why the dearth of such players presently in US college
hockey, with our H-L list the best to query.

Dan Doucette
(remembering when western Canada was fresh grounds for hockey recruiting)