GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) -- The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has seen a high number of players leave school early for the professional ranks in recent years. But that hasn't changed the league's dominance of college hockey.
WCHA schools have shrugged off the loss of big-time players, reloaded with talented freshmen and continued to dominate in nonconference play.
So far this season, WCHA teams have a 20-5-4 mark against non-league foes. Wisconsin freshman Kyle Turris leads the country in scoring. Eight of the league's 10 teams are ranked in the national poll with five of them -- North Dakota Denver, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Colorado College -- in the Top 10.
''That's a heck of an accomplishment for how young the WCHA is as a whole,'' UND coach Dave Hakstol said. ''The number of underclassmen that have moved on early in the last five years is a pretty staggering number.
''Still,'' he said, ''to come back the first month of the season and be very dominant on a nonconference basis speaks to the quality of the conference from top to bottom.''
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WCHA teams have lost a total of 33 players early to the NHL in the last two summers. No other league has lost even half that. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has seen 14 players leave early in that period, Hockey East six, the Eastern College Athletic Conference six and Hockey Atlantic three.
But WCHA teams are 248-112-43 in nonconference play since 2002-03, and only once in that span has another conference posted a winning record against the WCHA. That happened last season, when Hockey East went 9-8-1.
Five of the last six national champions have come from the WCHA and every Hobey Baker winner since 2001 has been a WCHA player. The award is given annually to the nation's top player.
In the last five NHL drafts, the WCHA has seen 23 of its players go in the first round compared to 10 for the CCHA, six for Hockey East and three for the ECAC.
''I'm sure there are a lot of factors involved,'' Hakstol said of the league's success. ''It starts with the programs in the WCHA. From top to bottom, all of the schools made a pretty large investment in hockey. Each school takes a lot of pride in their hockey programs doing well and winning games.
''Some of it is cyclical as well, with the different areas of the country being stronger in player development from year to year,'' he said.
Hakstol said the league's strong record in nonconference play helps during selection time for the NCAA tournament. WCHA teams also become better simply by playing one another, he said.
''It sure feels like you're playing a top team week in and week out,'' Hakstol said.
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Information from: Grand Forks Herald, http://www.grandforksherald.com
