This is just a guess, but I would think that it's more difficult to scout
players in Eastern Europe because it's more expensive to travel there as
opposed to not having to leave the continent.  Additionally, there's the
problem of the language barrier--most of the players scouted in North
America speak English, after all.  Well, except for a few Quebecers, but I
imagine it's more likely that NCAA scouts and coaches will know French
than Russian, Czech, Finnish, etc.

--Will Devine

> 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)
>