Why leaving the NCAA was the best move for this Avalanche top prospect
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Colorado Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys was not getting the most out of his development in the NCAA with the Michigan Wolverines, as he decided to leave to the OHL to play for the Kitchener Rangers, which has paid dividends ever since.
While moving from the NCAA to Major Junior is typically seen as a step down, for Humphreys, the switch has been the opposite.
Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys leaves college for junior hockey.
Jared Brown of The Hockey News reports that Humphreys made the right decision moving to the OHL from the NCAA. He simply wasn't getting enough playoff time to maximize his development.
"His time in the program prepared him for his transition to the NCAA, where he was ready to begin his collegiate career with the Michigan Wolverines. Humphreys quickly came to realize during his freshman year that not only was ice time hard to come by, but staying in the lineup was too." -Brown
"During my time in Michigan, I wasn't getting many puck touches. You know, I was playing in the bottom six and was in and out of the lineup." -Humphreys.
The decision to leave Michigan wasn't easy, but his courageous move may alter the entire course of his career.
"I'd say after every single game, I was getting better and better. They (Kitchener) were trusting me and putting me into spots to succeed. And from the team aspect, our guys were so tight, I think that helped me and drove me to be better. It's tough when you have a new guy come in halfway through the year, but they handled it great.» -Humphreys.
Humphreys had initially planned to return to school for the 2025-26 season, but he described it as an easy decision to come back to Kitchener for another year, noting that it made the most sense for his development.
It'll be interesting to see what the long term benefits are for Humphreys, but for now, the short term seems to be working out well for him. If it does end up working out, we could see this move happen more often for young prospects.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 12 | 24 ANSWERS Why leaving the NCAA was the best move for this Avalanche top prospect Will Avalanche prospect Humphreys make the Avalanche roster within the next three years? | ||
| yes | 14 | 58.3 % |
| no | 10 | 41.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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