Paul MacLean played at Dalhousie University before having a successful playing and coaching career in the NHL.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
For decades, U Sports hockey, also known as Canadian college hockey, was considered an afterthought as a last-ditch alternative for men’s hockey players.
In Canadian markets, this is often where EBUGS appear for NHL teams when needed. These limited definitions, however, don’t do justice to a league filled with 30-goal scorers from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL, dozens of NHL draft picks and even more players with professional experience. in the AHL, ECHL and Europe. The league has also graduated dozens of players to the NHL.
Today, more and more late-blooming prospects are using U Sports as a route to professional and NHL contracts.
One of those players is the Vegas Golden Knights goaltender. Logan Thompson, candidate for the Vézina Trophy after the third point of the season. Thompson was the U Sports OUA Goaltender of the Year in 2018-19 while attending Brock University. Last season he was joined by fellow U Sports alumni Derek Ryan of the Edmonton Oilers and Zach Sawchenko, who played seven games with the San Jose Sharks in the NHL.
Unlike the NCAA, professional experience does not exclude a player from U Sports. Some, like Darren Lowe, even come back from the NHL to play college hockey. Lowe played three seasons for the University of Toronto in the early 1980s, represented Canada at the 1984 Winter Olympics, played eight games with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, recording one goal and three points, then returned as University of Toronto captain for his senior season in 1985-86.
Most recently, it was second-round NHL pick Jared Aulin, who already had 17 NHL games and 193 AHL games under his belt when he returned to play for the University of Calgary in 2007-08. .
Other players who came through U Sports, like longtime NHL head coach Barry Trotz, former NHL goaltender and namesake of a key advanced stat Jim Corsi, and current Assistant to Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Mathieu Darche, who also played 250 NHL games, will continue to impact the game in other ways.
With the growing strength of U Sports men’s hockey, here’s a look at 10 of the best retired players who made the transition from U Sports hockey, formerly known as USIC and CIS, to the NHL.
1. Randy Gregg, D, University of Alberta
A five-time Stanley Cup champion, all with the Edmonton Oilers, Gregg spent four years at the University of Alberta, where he was named CIAU Player of the Year in 1978-79. The defender represented Canada twice at the Olympics, including as captain of the Lake Placid team in 1980, and also represented Canada at the 1984 Canada Cup.
2. Mike Ridley, C, University of Manitoba
Playing for the University of Manitoba, winning CIAU Player of the Year in a row twice in 1984 and 1985, the same calendar year, Ridley jumped straight to the New York Rangers roster. That season, he scored 65 points and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Since the day he entered the NHL, Ridley has compiled nine consecutive seasons with more than 20 goals, including a campaign of 41 goals and 89 points in 1988-89 as a member of the Washington Capitals which saw him drafted to play in the NHL All-Star Game. His 758 points in 866 NHL games are the best ever among U Sports alumni.
3. Steve Rucchin, C, University of Western Ontario
By 1990, Steve Rucchin was playing high school and Junior C hockey. After four outstanding years of development at the University of Western Ontario, Rucchin made his NHL debut with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 1994. Rucchin would become captain of the Mighty Ducks, recording multiple 20-goal seasons and totaling 506 in the regular season and playoffs. points in nearly 800 NHL games.
4. Paul MacLean, RW, Dalhousie University
The Dalhousie University alum is probably best known for coaching six different NHL organizations since the mid-1990s, including a four-year stint as Ottawa Senators coach. However, he also scored 40 or more goals three times during a 719-game NHL career, and 30 or more goals in five additional seasons totaling 324 goals and 673 points. In 1984-85, MacLean had his best season, recording 101 points as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
5. Jack Gelineau, G, McGill University
If there was ever a goaltender poised to become an NHL star in the eyes of fans and media, it was Jack Gelineau in the late 1940s. After supporting McGill University to a Queen’s Cup in As Quebec and Ontario champions in 1946, Gelineau was called up to the Boston Bruins during his senior season, playing four games in 1948-49. The following year, Gelineau won the NHL’s Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year, playing 67 games with the Bruins. Gélineau’s numbers improved the following season, but it would be his last in the NHL as he realized he could make more money in the insurance business than as a starting NHL goaltender. …even as a star keeper.
6. Joel Ward, RW, University of Prince Edward Island
Following his OHL career with the Owen Sound Platers, Joel Ward spent four seasons playing U Sports hockey with the University of Prince Edward Island, graduating in 2005 when he was named Atlantic Canada’s Most Valuable Player. After one season in the AHL, Ward debuted an NHL career that would span 11 seasons and 726 games with four teams. His best season in the NHL was a 24-goal campaign as a member of the Washington Capitals in 2013-14, the same year he tallied nine points in eight games representing Canada at the World Championships.
7. Stu Grimson, LW, University of Manitoba
The “Grim Reaper” will go down as one of the most feared fighters and enforcers in hockey history. He spent 729 games terrorizing the NHL, preceded by several seasons at the University of Manitoba. Over his 14 season NHL career, Grimson racked up 2,113 penalty minutes and another 1,001 in the IHL.
8. Cory Cross, D, University of Alberta
The towering defenseman played 659 NHL games, most of them with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs. During his career, the University of Alberta alum won two gold medals at the World Championships representing Canada. With Alberta, he won three Canada West titles and a national championship in 1992, the same year the Tampa Bay Lightning selected him in the NHL Supplemental Draft.
9. Todd Elik, C, University of Regina
From the University of Regina to the minor leagues, Todd Elik carved out a 448-game NHL career before embarking on a more than decade-long tour of European leagues, where he won MVP awards, including representing Canada at the 2000 Spengler Cup. Elik’s best season in the NHL came in 1993-94 when he scored 25 goals and 66 points for the San Jose Sharks, then had 10 points in 14 playoff games.
10. Jody Shelley, LW, Dalhousie University
It was a different era in Jody Shelley’s 627-game NHL career. He made his living as an enforcer, having played with Dalhousie University, including being the NHL’s most penalized player in 2002-03, compiling 249 PIMs with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was also the AHL’s most penalized player in 2000-01 when he racked up an incredible 357 minutes. Shelley will never be remembered for his 54 NHL points, but he definitely left an impact on his career.
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