The NHL has seemingly warmed up to the college ranks in the past few years. Always seen as the fourth option behind the three CHL leagues, the NCAA has started churning out player after player, making it a valuable source for draftees. The emergence of NHL superstars like Jonathan Toews, Johnny Gaudreau, TJ Oshie, Joe Pavelski, et al. and the presence of future superstars like Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin further shows the legitimacy of the NCAA as a talent pool.
The college route is attractive for a number of reasons. You can get free development time in a tougher league with the option of bringing a player up and signing him whenever you want without the penalty of not being able to reassign them to the AHL.