In this year's NHL Entry Draft, a new record was set for players drafted from one team: a staggering 17 players were selected directly from the US National Team Development Program's Under-18 squad. That total included eight in the first round alone. In total, 59 American-born prospects were selected in the Draft; nearly as many as from Canada (63).
What's more, it's not just the Minnesota and New England kids (with a few others from Michigan sprinkled in) who get drafted anymore. The players come from all across the U.S. nowadays.
I can't help but think about my grandfather, Bill Stewart Sr. He'd have been so proud to see the growth of American hockey. My grandfather was the first American to coach a Stanley Cup champion, and whose championship winning Chicago Black Hawks (two words in those days) team featured eight Americans. Later, he was one of the primary architects of the U.S. national team squad that eventually won the Olympic gold medal in 1960.
I also can't help but think back to my own playing days, and what a different world it is today for American players. In my playing days, with only a few notable exceptions -- players such as Mark Howe or Henry Boucha -- few American players were considered candidates for the NHL Draft. Some others, such as Robbie Ftorek, were able to use the rival WHA as a springboard to the NHL.
I was like most: The only drafts that I had to worry about were the kind that came from the government informing you that Uncle Sam wanted you in the armed forces or from your mother informing you that you left your bedroom window open on a chilly day.
College hockey, to most of us, was not a steppingstone to a pro career; it was its own objective. Play college hockey, get your degree, go out in the real world. I was always a bit different in that regard. I dreamed of playing pro hockey. My skill level was not sufficient to get me noticed from the crowd but I had toughness and physical strength and a willingness to fight anyone at any time. I also had enough versatility to play either defense or wing.
I have told this story in blogs before, as well as in my book ("Ya Wanna Go?"): My entry into pro hockey came by way of advice from the Flyers' Bob Kelly when I was a rink attendant at the Class of 1923 Rink at the University of Pennsylvania. The Hound told me to get a copy of the Hockey News, find the last place team at the lowest pro level (at the time, the NAHL) and then contact them to ask for a tryout.
Following that advice, I connected with the Binghamton Dusters. I earned a spot as an enforcer on the team, and worked my way up the pro ladder from there. That how a lot of the American kids who weren't super-skilled had to do it. American players were sometimes looked down upon, scoffed at. Forget about upper-level coaching (or pro officiating) in those days because those doors were still pretty much sealed tight from non-Canadians.
Fast forward 40 years. The Miracle on Ice in 1980, the Team USA victory at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and the growth and expansion not only of the USTNDP and USA Hockey but also youth hockey programs nationwide have broken down those doors. Coaches have many more opportunities. There are still training and opportunity steps to be taken on the officiating side but there is more recognition now of the issue than there was even 10 years ago, so progress is being made gradually.
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A Class of 2018 inductee to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Visit Paul's official website, YaWannaGo.com.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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