The CHL assigns players to leagues based on regions, which is why most of the college hockey teams from the Midwest end up fighting the OHL.  Most of Hockey East and the New England teams go against the QMJHL, and the rare western prospect to come east for college hockey would be going against the WHL.

With Michigan, Red typically locks in recruiting classes years in advance, from hockey camps mostly.  That makes our roster primarily local, with a couple big Canadians and the occasional non-Michigander.  Most of the prospects from more exotic locations never get to Michigan, because the spots are already filled.

Michigan has on occasion recruited guys who have been in the WHL footprint, and current forward Luke Moffatt was (at the time) a hotly contested recruit who stuck with his Michigan commitment. When Mike Comrie briefly dipped his toes in Major Junior to extract a better contract out of Edmonton, he went to the WHL as well.

The cultural footprints of hockey are such that while other regions do have some overlap between the CHL and NCAA, our area is the region that sees the hottest contention for recruits. The cultural orientation of Minnesota is so high school-centric that the really rebellious kids are the ones that go to the USHL and still wind up in college; college is also a more attractive option out east where the QMJHL has traditionally been weaker, less stable, and further away. The WHL has no universities to deal with in the Pacific Northwest, where it has a number of teams and uncontested access to the recruits.

Here in Michigan, the story is different; the OHL actively pursues players in its footprint and there are some strong college programs that compete for the same players. The top end of the OHL plays the highest caliber of hockey in the CHL and the best teams aren't particularly far from home (in my two years in Romulus I could get to Windsor Arena quicker than I could get to Yost). 

The result is that the Major Junior is its most attractive here, even apart from the ethical corruption and anti-free speech activities of its teams. There are a number of players who see it as a valid option (see Jim Lahey) and choose that direction from an early age, and others who are mysteriously attracted by it when they are a bit older.

And make no mistake--the hockey there is exciting, the fans at these top-end teams (Kitchener, London, Windsor, etc) are devoted, and the playoffs are great. It is attractive to the hockey player. And it is the great recruiting challenge of the last decade for teams in this area.

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