 Men's U.S. college hockey is a feeder system to the National Hockey League.As of the 2010–11 season, 30 percent of NHL players (a total of 294) had U.S. college hockey experience prior to turning professional, an increase of 35 percent from the previous 10 years.That percentage has been maintained the past three seasons, with a record 301 NHL players coming from college hockey in 2011–12.