Just how much difference between the top AA and A

[ted2you]

This is an old subject, but with STA leaving A to AA, I'm interested in what people think the gap is between the top teams and where that split occurs.

I'm not talking about the top team in the state, but where that line crosses where the top A teams can be competitive with the elite schools in the state. Like others, I think the EGF Blaine and Breck series will give a taste at the very top, but where does A drop off too much to be competitive?

I see Delano ranked 4 in A, but honestly I think they'd have a hard time making the top 6 in section 8 alone.

[urban iceman]

There would probably be a bigger gap between them if there were not so much of an exodus of players leaving to the next level early.

[HShockeywatcher]

We'll definitely have a better picture in a couple weeks, but it appears there are 3 class A teams who be able to skate with top AA teams.
The separation would be smaller if so many teams didn't opt up. Not saying they shouldn't, but there are many current AA teams that aren't big schools.

[OU812]

This site does a pretty good job helping rank and compare schools, both AA and A


http://myhockeyrankings.com/rankings.php

[Tenoverpar]

...depends on the year, any program is one school year away from success depending on the development within the youth program