By Chris Pryor
Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Do colleges prefer the bigger player over the smaller player or visa versa?

This is a question that’s harder for me to answer since I m dealing from the pro side and just a spectator of the college game. I can tell you by watching enough college over the years that I don’t think there is a particular trend one way or the other.

I will say from the pro game, if you play the percentages over time, the chances of a college holding onto a small guy for four years are probably greater than having a bigger player for that same time span, but that has also changed in recent times.

Some teams might prefer the smaller players depending on the size of the ice surface they play on or the style which they play, but in the end of all this, whether a player is 6-2 or 5-8, if he is skilled and can play the game, it doesn’t matter what size you are, the colleges will be watching.

Chris Pryor is the director of hockey operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. He is in charge of the amateur and pro scouting departments. A native of St. Paul, Pryor spent eight seasons as a scout for the Flyers. He played parts of six seasons in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars and New York Islanders. If you have a question for a pro hockey scout, e-mail it to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .