Yesterday, my copy of The Hockey News's annual draft preview issue
finally showed up.  It also contained final scoring statistics.  I
noticed that former RPI Engineer (or Rensselaer Red Hawk) Mauro
DiPaolo had produced much more offensively (and in the penalty box)
in a partial season in Halifax than he had as a freshman at RPI in
1996/7.
 
It has seemed to me in several other instances that players that
left college for major junior performed better there than they had
previously in college.  On the surface, this might make one believe
that the level of play in college is higher than that in major
junior, a thought that contradicts the fact that many more players
make the NHL from major junior than from college.  The only two
things that I can think of are 1) the average age in college is
higher than in major junior, and 2) players who leave college for
major junior often do so because of lack of playing time in
college.
 
Any other opinions?
 
Ralph Baer
RPI '68, '70, '74
 
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