[malyk]

The big difference is that NFL players are typically drafted at the age of 22 after they've gone through college. NHL players are typically drafted at 18.

Very few of them go the NCAA route. Those that do go that route can't be paid in any way by NHL teams, so these players are just like their NFL brethren with the exception that NFL players are a known commodity coming out of the NCAA. NHL teams picked their players before they entered college, so it's a little bit of a crap-shoot whether or not they'll turn into an NHL player.

Those who don't go the NCAA route either play for the CHL or in Europe. When they turn 18, if they don't make their respective NHL teams, they typically join a teams AHL affiliate or maybe even their ECHL affiliate. Both of those lower tiers are supported by the NHL clubs.