Commitments. This is the measuring stick of success for any and all junior hockey leagues.

The measuring of these commitments is somewhat arbitrary in many cases. Some leagues count commitments from players who never actually end up playing a game at the school of choice.

Other leagues announce commitments that simply never materialize when a player is unable to enroll in a school based on academic ineligibility.

The Eastern Hockey League measures commitments not only in number but by way of how many of their alumni go on to be impact players at the NCAA Division II and Division III levels.

As of todays writing the Eastern Hockey League sits at 994 NCAA Commitments produced in just over six years.

That is an average of 166 NCAA commitments per year in the Eastern Hockey Leagues six year history! By anyone’s standards and by any measure this is a stunningly high measure of success.

An average of nine players per team per year. Nearly half of every teams roster each year receiving and NCAA commitment.

When you take into account that many players return for a second year, the success ratio of moving players on to NCAA programs becomes simply remarkable.

As the six year old Eastern Hockey League reaches for its 1000th commitment, its clear to see that the league as a whole has a clear mandate to develop the best possible student athlete prospects.

Great care is taken by each team in the recruiting process. Its not uncommon for a skilled player who may not be academically strong to be passed over by an EHL team.

As several Coaches told me, “If we cant get them enrolled, we cant get them committed.”

This attitude further defines the value offered by the Eastern Hockey League. Taking prospects and actually coaching them up athletically if they are already prepared academically.

The value of 1000 commitments? Immeasurable.