#delightful and informative... im stealing ur valor by posting this but dw about it

[sergeifyodorov]

The USNTDP is essentially a scholarship program that was created to close the gap between American and Canadian junior teams. Each year, a tryout is hosted for players in their first year of USHL eligibility (starts the year the players turn 16, so next year the U17s will all be born in 2008). Players are invited, and the best 22 players earn a scholarship to play for the NTDP. There are 2 NTDP teams (a U17 team and a U18 team). Once you make the team, you are a part of the program until you age out (graduate from high school) or you choose to leave, unlike other Junior teams in the US and Canada, where players can be cut no matter there age. Players move to Ann Arbor, Michigan and live with host families (or, if your a Hughes, your whole family moves to Michigan with you).

Both the U17s and U18s play in the USHL, but the U18s also play a lot of college teams. The NTDP represents the USA at the U17 and U18 level in international competition, and many of the players who play on the U20 team were NTDP players.

Since the NTDP are considered to be the best players in the country when they were 16, and they are given access to the best resources, (to close the gap to the Canadiens), they are often the best players in the USA in their draft class, which is why so many get drafted.

Since the USHL is a 16-20 year old league, NTDP players who aren’t ready for college right away (many are, as they play in the USHL vs 19 & 20 year olds at 16), they can enter the USHL Phase 2 draft and go play for another USHL team, or they can go play Canadian Juniors. They can also choose to play other professional hockey.

For Austen Matthews, he aged out of the NTDP, but was too young to get drafted to the NHL. He was also too talented to keep playing junior hockey, and he didn’t want to play in college, so that is why he went to play in Switzerland.

NTDP players are unique compared to other juniors players because the roster doesn’t change for 2 years, unlike every other junior team where there is massive turn around year to year and even in season. This extended time together, in a super pressurized environment (playing against people much older and losing a lot, especially as the most talented players in their age group who aren’t used to losing) means that many of the players are able to form incredibly tight bonds, to the point where many chose to commit to the same college and play together there (one reason why University of Michigan has so many former NTDP players). Anyways, that’s the primer!

^^