It's a tough question to answer. They play a brand of hockey that is similar to the pro game. The thing is that if you're realistic, you realize that only about one percent of guys ever really has a chance to play in the show, so all things considered I would recommend that he take the college route. That way he can still prepare for the possibility of going pro, while getting an education that he can fall back on. I guess as a parent I would want him to go to college.
Every player is different though.
College hockey, on the other hand, with its shorter schedule of games, is perhaps not the better grooming grounds for those with professional aspirations, but it does offer the invaluable asset of a bachelor's degree to all its graduating players. Representatives from Major Junior hockey and the NCAA can make a good claim that their game is the better alternative, but it is difficult to state irrefutably which is the best route for today's young player to take. Each player is different and has his own individual set of goals in the game of hockey. At a certain point in his hockey life, every aspiring player in North America must decide whether to go to school or play junior. Every player must decide for himself.