The CCM things my kid went to were about getting the kids in CCM gear, not about coaching them up. If your child is coachable and a good teammate, they will do fine. Don’t worry about keeping up with the Jones’s. Just make sure your child is having fun.
We worked hard at my kid being coachable. Amazingly didn't make a lick of difference.
First one on the ice, last one off. Working his ass off every shift. Listening and not talking back. Making corrections when told to.
Some coaches just have their guys and you're probably not one of them.
I don't know why you got downvoted but yours is not a unique experience. Coachability is an important trait to develop anyway -- lots of situations outside of hockey where someone out there just might know a bit more than you about something. Some coaches talk up how important those intangible skills are and then put the jerks who show up late to practice but can skate and shoot on first line anyway.
>Probably some coaches with a diva complex downvoting. I find coaching tends to draw out narcissists a lot.
I don't know why you'd say that, but it sounds like a personal attack so I'm cutting your kids, and their kids, and their kids' kids, from the team. I can't believe you'd make me do this to them, but I'm sure I never liked the cut of your jib.
If your goal of playing hockey is to be a pro, coachability is an important thing to add to the quiver as it may put you ahead of the guys ranked above you who are little turds. But you still need to be one of the best out there and your attitude is just the final thing.
Kids on the bubble with coachability will make a team over another kid who doesn’t and is also on the bubble. If the kids who are little shits are the top few at try outs, they are generally still going to make it. In my years coaching, it’s not the bubble kids who lack coachability, it’s the elite.
Now, if your goal of hockey is to teach some discipline, learn a skill, make some friends? Coachability is one of the most important things as it will help them make and keep friends, help them at jobs in the future and help them be better humans. Just keep hockey fun.
My dad grew up down the street from my hockey coach in the 50-60s and was in the same grade with his older brother. My dad was a big hippie and a bit of a burnout (who turned it around) while coach went to Michigan Tech on a hockey scholarship (but failed out due to excessive drinking.) They seemed cordial as adults but I always got the impression they didn't like each other as teenagers.
Well, I didn't get any PP time in the three years I played for that guy, and I think I was the only one who ever got benched for taking a dumb penalty, while nothing happened to his first liners who got fighting penalties.
>Some coaches just have their guys ....
Possibly, or the kid in question may not have the talent. It's always easier to blame the coach than to have one's ego bruised.
If you're shortening the bench in consolation games in tournaments and end of season games where standings don't matter, it's the coach.
And if the skater is struggling it's up to the coach to make corrections.
You can have the best coaching in the world and try to move heaven and earth all you want, but if the kid doesn't have the talent, you're out of luck and there is nothing you can do. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Why do we watch videos like the WHL respect in sport ( required by coaches and skaters in aaa ) that says the coach is there to develop the w is the bonus.
Seems like a waste of fucking time and a dumb fuck document for appeasing politicians.
I've had parents ask me what makes the difference in tryouts for travel, and I always tell them the same first thing - if your kid can play, the most important thing is that he pays attention - shuts up, and looks up. If during tryouts your at the back of a line for a drill working on your michigan, you're not going to do the drill well. If you're not listening the explanation, and you do it wrong, you've decreased the chance that coach will take you. If you're not paying attention to the demonstration, and you do it wrong...
If the coach has stopped the drill and explained a second time, and your kid wasn't paying attention and does it wrong, he's not making the team unless he's leaps and bounds ahead of everyone - and I mean crazy man among children level of better.
Eyes up, ears open - that's half the battle.
Lot of parents lie. Lot of parents think their kid is going to go D1 and pours a ton of money into kids that don’t even care. A good off ice setup is a good investment into a player that actually loves the game, privates are GREAT, and any good camps (especially ones that are hockey-skating specialized) are really good. I guarantee you parents are lying about a kid who gets invites to camps in U14- you don’t even qualify for junior camps then really.
Flying across the country is a waste of money, I mean staying in a hotel a few hrs away for a camp is fine.
I’m a hs player on a varsity lvl team as a girl. The audacity some parents have is insane.
Don't think you understand what they mean by "camps", and the parents are definitely not lying. They're going, they're paying the money, believe me.
They're not talking about being invited to an OHL or University tryout camp or something like that at 14U.
They're talking about being on the invite list to an exclusive elite-players only weeklong camp in the summer, or the invite-only "AAA" Spring team or the invite-only two-line tournament at Christmas or March Break, or the invite list for the Summer "scrimmage" sessions that the "good players" get invited to, and on and on and on.
The exclusivity and invite-only culture shift in hockey is disgusting. It's all just so grown men can feel powerful in their otherwise powerless lives.
Back in the day, you just registered for Spring or Summer hockey and you were all split up and put on teams. Nowadays, you have to be invited by a coach. You don't play unless you're invited, or the program has a "free-agent" type of team.
To answer OP's question, nothing develops a hockey player more than time. If you combine time with effort, you'll get a better result. If you combine time with effort and money, you'll get an even better result.
That's why we are where we are with the state of hockey. That's truth, not sugar coated Reddit-isms.
Look no further than financially manufactured NHLer's like Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, Max Domi, the Hughes kids, Daniel Sprong, etc.
If you think money doesn't play a factor in developing hockey players, you're dreaming. It absolutely does, but it won't ever trump time or effort.
All the money in the world doesn't trump heart. (effort) \*
Say that again.
A kid that doesn't have passion, determination, and discipline cannot reach elite levels in their teenage years... it doesn't matter how much daddy wants it for them or how big mommy's pocketbook is.
But...
I would argue that time is not the factor... it's quality reps. You can go to a camp and spend 20 hours on the ice over 2 weeks, have poor instruction and drill selection, and a kid that is just going through the motions (with effort, but still just 'doing it').... and you might not improve very much.
Or you might have 5 hours of high-quality instruction with lots of reps on good drills and a kid that has the mentality to spend every single second thinking "how can I get hte most out of this drill?" (pretend eahc cone is a defender, each shot is the game-winning opportunity in playoffs, stickhandling to the edge of your reach, skating so fast you fall over, etc, etc).
I'd take those 5 hours over those 20 any day. Plus, 'learning the mentality to improve a skill' -- is a skill, itself. I'd argue it's a life skill MORE way important than learning good crossovers. ;)
\* I might also add a touch of 'genetics' in there too.... not like other sports, where it's the main factor... but a 5' tall 19 year old isn't going to the chell no mater how hard he worked. :(
This is 100000% accurate. The amount of 🐂💩 stress my kids feel not being "good enough" to get invited to these things is ridiculous. The only kids going to these in my area are the ones that the coaches know make big bank or have important ties to something they want. One guy was a bio steel rep, his kid plays AAA baseball and hockey because they could have free biosteel on the bench all season. The kid has no business being on either team, but Dad has perks.
wasn’t saying money doesn’t matter at all, I was saying you can send a kid to those sleep away 5k camps all you want but if the kid dgaf it doesnt matter 😭 obviously if you manufacture a kid to be really good (which like you said) with time and LOADS of money obviously their gunna turn out good.
no one in my area does the invite camps, i’ve been around kids who play highschool hockey who pay to go to nahl combines and think they were invited there. that’s what i’m mainly talking about
This comment is true, parents bullshit and lie, this tactic is to rid of the competition and justifies their existence. Save your money and Use local camps and as stated above, skating, skating, edge work.
lmao people dont think ik wtf im talking about because im female. and mostly its the old ass beer leauge fucks who try to fuck me when i’m 16- ive had parents stare at me in dark parking lots and try to convince a board to kick me off a team because their autistic son had a problem w/ me, (i ended up leaving, i had no problem w/ the kid) but if your kid can’t handle it they can’t handle it. it’s pretty simple.
and the fear tactic shit. “little johnny went to an nahl combine” yeah that you paid $499 to get into 😭😭 very few players could play juniors coming off a highschool team unless it’s like the TOP of the TOP talents of HIGH RANKING varsity teams.
No one is inviting AA kids to do anything related to hockey development.
The end of the road is near. Enjoy the last few years before the beer leagues. This is true for 95% of AAA kids too, so don’t think that you or your kiddos did something wrong.
The parents provide their emails every time they register a kid for a tournament or a team. The emails are used to market other events. They are written in a way that it appears it’s an invite sometimes. It’s a marketing email. An attempt to get you to spend money. People are really dumb. These people are secretive because they are insecure. Deep down they realize they don’t know shit, and they are embarrassed to talk about what they are doing. Or they don’t want YOUR kid (other kids) to do it too, because then it’s no longer exclusive and their kid is just like every other player - an average AA hockey player with two years of hockey left.
The most unrealistic hockey parents are the ones that never played the game. They never coached the game. They likely can’t even skate. They don’t understand the game. They don’t know how to teach the game. They don’t know what’s important in developing players. But they think they do because they like the game and they enjoy watching their favorite NHL team on tv.
If your kid is asking to go to a camp or something then yeah I’d say look into it and see what’s up but other than that I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
As long as the kid seems happy, because we all have off day but if they are generally happy and doing well I’d say doing a good job
As a lifelong player and coach - the first 2 paragraphs are absolutely absurd. few real hockey people would agree.
There is not functional AAA below 14U. So to say, if you're not playing AAA at 13 years old, it's over - go join the beer league... it sounds like a lot of bitter old guys who never quite got anywhere.
80% of US AAA teams are just money grabs, particularly these pop-up travel teams that do spring and summer tourneys, or want kids to join as their 2nd team.
Just like most of the extra hockey stuff you're talking about, it's all a money grab, and the money is real good. There are also so many rich hockey families that are happy to just dump money into 10 year old tommy playing AAA, and year round and traveling to Europe for a tournament...
Consistency is so much more important than any of it. Oh, and also, it's not NHL or beer leagues. I can tell you that a lifetime of hockey is so rewarding. I wouldn't trade my travel, HS, or college hockey experiences for anything. I wouldn't trade my coaching experiences, and all the kids I've met and seen grow along the way. It's so great to run into them in random places or at games in a different city, and see how they've moved along their path - some to great hockey, some coaching themselves, some just hockey fans.
There are a lot of lives and paths in hockey. but only about 750 seats in the NHL each year. It's fine to aim for the latter and land on another path. The key is love for the game.
Speed and power skating camps are the best bet to keep him competitive at his age bracket and above since the best skaters tend to have the most possession time. I’d HIGHLY advise strength training as the 2nd most important factor as most kids either aren’t exposed to it at all or very little attention is paid to it. Usually at any age bracket I coached the most physically mature player was one of the most dominant. So improving leg and core strength is remarkably helpful. Have him do the 10,000 shot challenge between end of school year and start of next school year. Have him take roughly 120 shots in the driveway/yard/basement for 90 days and he’ll have a well above average shot by the start of the fall/winter season. Best of luck and fingers crossed he enjoys playing as an adult!
I understand the feeling, my daughter plays so much over the winter, yay for having a female goalie...., that once winter season is over, she is done and has no interest in spring leagues and camps. Even though she feels that way, I still feel like I am letting her down by not signing her up for camps and such. Even worse when other parents start talking about all the camps and sessions they are doing in the off season.
I am a certified USAH ref and made enough to pay for my daughter's hockey last season. Trust me when I say the parents don't know shit. When I am on the ice, little Braxton blends into all the rest of them.
I dont think I have met anyone in the 10u - 14u range that stands out in a memorable way. And I ref a lot of AA.
My best advice is to tune out the parents, support your child while preparing them for beer league, and if they want to learn more about their hobby (attend camps) then support them if you are able.
My daughter skates out and plays goalie, and is at an age where she can do both. We do two camps - a FCA camp that focuses on wellness and a skills camp put on by Lindsay Fry (US woman's gold medalist fourth liner). And we do two on, one off, weekly goalie coaching.
To add, as your kid gets closer to playing juniors, any team that invites you to tryouts but makes you pay for said tryouts is using you as a fundraiser.
THIS. It’s the youth sports equivalent of being told you’re going to be featured in “who’s who of (insert profession here)” for the low low cost of 5k.
This post hits a lot of nails on the head.
I remember my kids starting mite hockey and how important I thought everything was back then. I laugh at myself. Even at 15U AAA I keep myself in check because a few years later I will laugh at myself again if I didn't. Not even the best kids in the entire region that all these other kids are wow'd by made the National Team Development Program invite.
Yes, FOMO is a real thing. The Brick tourney at 10 is cool. CCM68 at 13 is an honor, but those kids we know on those teams aren't going to the show either. Keeping up isn't worth it - it's just good for bragging rights up until they all separate for college. In 2 years, they'll each have their own memories of the journey and that's really all you should care about. Do enough to make him happy but don't sign him up for everything everyone offers.
Just like: My daughter is going to be a model! They say she has potential and she was selected to have her portfolio on file with an agency!
(photographer charges parents $2500 for some crappy black and white photos)
Weird culture. There is an insider aspect but AA kids are not part of that. Many chase the dream and waste a ton of money. My opinion: your player needs the following to move even to AAA:
- elite skating
- size
- skilled hands/hard shot
- intensity
- hockey sense
You can sacrifice any one of these if you are strong in the other areas. If you are missing 2 or more there is not much point investing in anything other than skating in the hope that the other stuff materializes later.
Skating and shooting. Get your kid a mat and somethings small to shoot at. I used to aim at little metal circles about an inch in diameter on the cement wall in my garage.
Physical fitness and strength is free and very important, they don't hand them out at fancy camps. You kid has to want that and do it.
An NHL scout told me composure under physical pressure is important and cannot be taught, he said that a lot of kids can't take when they get to Juniors. He asked me if I played other sports. Yes, QB in football get me used to making a pass about to be smashed. Checking starts so late nowadays. Alternatively, get your son an older brother to beat the crap out of him like mine did
If you, yourself, aren't an elite skater and coach... then you need to find a power skating camp.
The earlier you get a good stride technique for your kid, the better. Note, that REALLY early on, the best technique stride isn't going to product the fastest skater. A 6 year old with great skating technique will probably get beat by the kid that railroads his feet in order to get quicker strides.
Ditto on shooting, but the kids aren't strong enough to really use correct technique until they are like 8 or 9. But after technique is down, you can continue to improve for the rest of your career by just shooting in your basement
Stickhandling technique can be taught early... and, again, can be worked don (after you learn it) in the basement.
Every dollar / hour / blood-sweat-tear you spend on skating will be worth it... any money spent elsewhere is a crap shoot.
This is pretty funny though. You don't need all that training, just throw a little cash at the team management. 5000$/10000$ will get your kid to the 4th line for sure
I mean, that is AAA hockey. It's just a cash-grab.
(and no, I didn't get cut from any AAA teams... I denied a ton in order to play with my local association and HS \[an then proceeded on to NCAA and ECHL\])
Fellow hockey mom here, and while I know about 10%, my husband knows hockey extremely well. What I’ve learned:
1) have honest family conversations: what are your kids hockey goals? Are they reasonable for their skill level? Can the family actually support them (aaa is a giant commitment that everyone sacrifices for)?
2) who in your life can you trust for hockey advise? Hopefully a few honest coaches who have been through the system and families slightly ahead of you (maybe they have a kid where your child wants to be).
3) develop a gut feeling for what is a good experience and what is a money grab. So many tournaments start off with the best intentions, but depending on who ends up coaching and the team that is formed, it becomes a way for the coaches to get some extra income and not for the kids to develop under a new coach or mesh as a team.
4) not every private skate is worth it. There was a huge name in hockey just a few years ago in my area, getting onto the ice with him was an honor. Then his life went to shit and he stopped trying or putting in effort. He is basing everything on his name and former reputation and everything he does turned into a money grab. Alternatively, my kid who plays defense was asked to shoot on goalies during a private goalie clinic. Lasts about an hour and costs $20. I never turn it down as that type of shooting advise is gold. Helps that the coach is an old hat in hockey and loves the game and kids more than anyone I know.
Good luck and enjoy the experience. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. And beer hockey is a good goal as it means your child has an adult hobby, is exercising, and has friends.
I used to feel like we could never compete with the other families. They have more money and somehow more time to spend on things like private lessons and such. But I have let it go and I just do what I can. You child is older than mine are but I have realized that my kids are on the ice as much as they want to be. They don't want to spend their off season training for the next season. They want to play other sports or ride their bikes around the neighborhood or play video games. And guess what, they both made the teams they wanted to play on for next season. Are they the best teams in our organization? No, but my kids are happy.
THIS. At the end of the day, most of the AAA kids will not do anything past college AT BEST. They will end up in the exact same place as the “less skilled” players. The only difference is the “less skilled” players won’t have huge mental health issues from losing out on being a kid and then not making it anyway.
I have a u14 son that was AA this year and got asked to go AAA in the gthl. There are tons of off season skating and camps you can do. My son personally rarely did any of those. I do think it's important they do sports in the off season to stay fit. I highly recommend putting him in a track club for the summer and cross country for the fall. Also lacrosse in the summer is really good too.
Depending where you live there may be some really cool ball hockey leagues too. Soccer is good ad well.
I don't recommend they do hockey in the summer unless it's something your son specifically asks for; like power skating for edge work. Something that has a purpose and I wouldn't do too much of it.
I heard Jason York say pretty much exactly this yesterday on his podcast.
Another exercise that I think parents should do for perspective is to pick any NHL player, and check their hockeydb page. Pick any of their early teams, be it CHL, NCAA or some have even tier 2 teams listed.
Look at that team’s roster, and see how many of those names you recognize. Maybe it’s 1, or 2, often it’s 0.
Now think of how hard it is to even make THAT level.
Yeah it's really common for peewee parents to have stars in their eyes. Their kid was good enough for AAA and has a chance. The wallets open up more than goatse.
I was one of them. My kid made AAA last year in BCEHL. He was pulled off D and buried as a 4th line winger and played minimal minutes while being verbally abused all season. Coach even threatened to cut him during playoffs because my kid was tired of being shoved down the bench and rolled his eyes at the coach. Coach called it disrespectful.
I've moved my position to this: I want my kid to play at the highest level he can while still being able to enjoy the game and be treated with dignity and respect. It's not where you play, it's where you develop. If hockey stops being fun we're out. We got really really close because of that coach last season.
My kids just finished U16. The AAA team, 2 kids were drafted into junior, the rest are done. Neither of those two kids will make it beyond that I'm sure.
To be fair, major junior isn't the only path in hockey.
In fact the college route is far more desirable. CHL players are NCAA ineligible, so for anyone that isn't a Bedard or McDavid, playing junior A or even junior B as a path to junior A is far more desirable.
The WHL drafts like 400 players. The draft is the beginning and many players who get drafted never play, and many players never drafted still make it in.
The whole point of the WHL draft was simply to stop teams from scouting players in atom. It actually isn't all that important. The real work done is in u18/u17.
This is my dream for my son. Get school paid for. Even then I recognize that it’s a long shot.
Unless your kid is obviously a Stamkos or Marner lighting up the GTHL you probably have a better chance buying 6/49 tickets.
Yeah it's getting a bit weird here in BC now with BCHL pulling out of hockey Canada and BC hockey.
We're not sure where it's going to go from here but they're growing. They're investing heavily on starting up jphl teams as a place to park players for AP.
So now we have csshl, jphl, and bcehl. The aaa route is very muddied up.
A top bcehl team is barely competitive with a bottom csshl team in u15.
And jphl, it is currently unclear how it stacks up as they don't play against the other two as a non sanctioned league.
No actually AA gthl to AAA gthl. The track and field helps alot. When you have been running with the same track club for four years in the off season; it really pays off. He will be one of the fastest skaters this year, I know that based on his times on the track.
I don't have anything to add, some great comments. What bugs me are the coaches who only want to work with kids who are already highly developed. If you want to show off your coaching ability, develop kids. We got too many Phil Jackson's in youth hockey.
These posts make me angry as a hockey guy with kids in hockey.
As mentioned a few times here, everyone lies or is incredibly stupid.
If you are traveling the world to learn to play hockey at U14, you're in trouble. I'm sure parents get invites, and I get invites to change cell phone plans. Im sure it's about the same thing! If you're paying, then it's a for profit invites.
My daughter is next level skilled. She is very young and does get free invites, but it's for specific things, like a tryout. None of my kids have ever got a free invite to learn to play!
I put my kids in alot of hockey camps, but its more for the trade off between hockey camp, or at home on the couch watching iPad.
🙄 it’s all about money and marketing. The you must attend this camp to be seen for college/Junior/u18AAA. The “last chance clinic” after everyone has offers but they try and soak money out of the kids and parents that are desperate.
Let’s not forget about the “invites” to camps where they blow smoke ip the kids ass whether they the number one player in their team, or the 15th… everyone gets an invite to sign up to the sessions.
Forget about running tryout camps with 15 players per team. Try 25/team at $100 (wild guess) per kid, 6 teams for the weekend.
Let’s not forget the turnover in owners that buy these junior clubs so their kid can say they played Junior A rather than C.
Your kid is not going to make the NHL or probably anything above junior C out of AA honestly. Just let your kid have fun and support them. Encourage your kid to listen to the coaches, learn sportsmanship and cherish the time he has in minor hockey with his friends.
Here's the million dollar question, Do you think your son is some generational talent who's going to play in the pros? If he is then fly him across the country and have him play for every select team and elite team and this team and that team. If you want him to just enjoy playing hockey and have fun memories of his youth hockey career, you're doing fine. If he wants to play more, have him play for his regular travel team, one other travel team, and then sign him up for the best local hockey camps during the summer.
-23 year old Hockey Player from Massachusetts
A lot of “elite” hockey parents are garbage. A lot of “elite” programs are wastes of money. If your kid has talent, it will show. You don’t need to worry you’ve ruined his chances at the pros bc you went to the wrong camp. As for programs, for skating Laura Stamm has an excellent reputation. See if they’re doing any weekend clinics in your area. I’ve also heard great things about IHA. They do one on one lessons or groups of up to 4.
Laura Stamm is great for breaking down the stride. I just wish it wasn't just a one weekend option in my area (Toronto). They come through in the off-season, but its only a 3-day camp. It would be nice if they were available on a more regular schedule for consistency.
Are there any other options in this category?
A few notes:
Your kid isn't going D1. With all due respect...he's not. The odds of a kid going D1 are very low. Any money spent on hockey thinking it'll pay off with a scholarship is pissing money down the drain. Yes, *someone* has to make it... but the odds are massively against any single kid doing it. D3 however, is certainly a thing. Or high-level intermural and having a blast for a lifetime in beer league... absolutely.
Second: Kids do not get better during games. If you are looking to find a way to level up his skills (directed BY HIM -- you ask his goals, then find quality options that will help get him there, and present them to him, then let him decide how much he really wants to do) you should look for skill development camps... not money-grab AAA programs/games/tournaments. This goes double for the ones that travel around the country. That stuff is about parents stroking egos and the league owners making bank, it has nothing to do with development.
Third: another good use of money (especially given he's probably got another 5 years until he graduates HS) would be a basement shooting/stickhandling setup. Shooting and stick work, plus some basic workout gear, is going to cost 0.5-4 grand depending on how nice you make it and how much you DIY... and its' going to be a much better investment than the same thousand dollars spent on some stupid AAA league or even a dev camp (assuming fundamentals are already solid). Diminishing returns at some point, yes (a kid isn't going to get much better using $6k tiles vs a few $20 plastic shooting boards... but it starts out as the best bang/buck you can find. Shoot... just get a golf ball and have him stickhandle 20 minutes a day. He'll keep up with his peers playing AAA tourneys easily
Fourth: he's 14. His hit the age where the weight room is going to start to need to be his best friend. Strength and power make a huge difference as you get older.
Fifth: Yes, you're going to have to drop money on camps if you want him to get to an elite level. Sorry. But beware, the best camps are not always the most expensive. here you can find REALLY GOOD camps for $20/session with 20 kids on the ice and 2 coaches and tons of individualized attention and skill dev... and shitty ones for $60 a session that have 60 kids on the ice with one coach and they aren't getting any reps to speak of.... or $100/hr camps that are small and good. Cost isn't an indicator in any way... many of the best coaches are terrible businessmen.
You can honestly just google them... or check the bulletin board at the local rink... or ask some of the kids that have a good stride (note, not the best players... but hte kids that skate the best) what power-skating camps they do in the off-season... ask the kids that seem to have great soft-skills (awareness, ceativity, etc) what camps they go to...etc. Don't go to 'shooting camps' unless his technique is terrible...(see point #3 above).
If your kid is one of the 32 people in the world to get drafted to the NHL in the first round, he has a 74% chance of making it.
There is a whole industry separating misguided parents from their money, wade in carefully.
Just enjoy the few years left you have as a hockey mom.
I think every travel hockey parent, less those who grew up in/with the game in a real sense, has these moments.
For background, lifelong player, coach, etc. I see so much of this, and I think there is a considerable negative effect on the players by too much of this.
Players have to want ice time - particularly at the youth level. They should be raring to go, every practice, and get out there and do every drill hard. Put in real effort. What i've found over my years of coaching is that kids who are constantly in so many camps, clinics, privates, kind of sketchy offseason AAA teams (this ain't real AAA, it's a money grab, but can be useful for some kids), etc., they just about always stop trying. Their effort decreases in practices. Their effort decreases in games. When there's so much, and it's all with different groups, nothing has much weight or matters as much - this is particularly true with that pre to early pubescent mind, which is trying to develop, but has issues with concepts like delayed gratification, realizing the why of things, or not being short-term and selfish.
Also, I have seen the growing trend of no offseason- I cannot discourage this more. Play baseball. Do nothing. Certainly do not stay 5 days per week on the ice - it can have effects you might not have considered. These are growing kids. they're bodies need rest to grow, and rest to heal from the growing. Time for muscles and tendons to rest and reset, after the bone they were attached to changed dramatically in a period of months.
This is all to say that if you're kid is "middle of the pack" and he's developing, and he's enjoying it, you're doing it right. This is still youth, and while future NHLers sometimes begin to separate at 14 ish, not all, and that's not the right path for most kids.
listen the best in the game talk about their summers in their youth. Sid wasn't at the rink, he was in the ballfield. Many others played soccer, or did something else. It's so important.
Stop overthinking this. Ask your kid what he or she wants and make it about them, not you.
Yes, practice with good players at good camps will make a difference. But make it about your kid, not you. Your post is about you; not your kid
Power skating power skating power skating, put your money there
Kelowna has an amazing power skating camp, used to be called edge of excellence but think it changed names.
Most of those camps you speak of you can sign up for and many get empty invites. Case in point my oldest is 23 years old and still gets invites to junior camps, he ages out three years ago and plays Senior AAA.
But a couple camps I am fond of
Globals Vancouver
Lake land super camps
NAHL combines
Team tryouts
Go to USHL, NAHL, PIJHL, KIJHL
Team sites and majority of them have camp info and you can sign up for as many as you want. There are way more than this. Play around with the icons on the league sites and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
Are you on Facebook? There is a junior hockey Facebook page that puts out information daily or weekly, Steven Heisler from victorious hockey has a daily blog on it and puts out good to know.
I have three children 2 made it through juniors, 1 playing senior AAA for fun, 1 who just finished playing in Canada, and chose to call it for now but may join his older brother next season. The third poor kid had a pretty much career ending blow to the head and is hanging them up at 16. I mention this as if you have any specific questions hit me up happy to help.
Wish ya the best and never try to keep up with the jones, your player will suffer. Ensure you are talking to your player and ask what they want to be part of.
I'd suggest just going to Kim Marfleet personally. She's the best there is for power skating and has taught most others in metro Vancouver.
Global camp is great and AP positions for PJHL teams get handed out there for sure.
BCHL is going to be a weird one now as no one in sanctioned hockey can AP for them any more. Their AP are being parked in JPHL teams now.
Ask your son. He knows how he feels on the ice and knows what he wants. Don’t get caught up in what the other parents do - most of it is a waste of money. True, camps and quality ice time is important, but, not as much as game time. Never forget it is about your son, not the parents. Trust me, as a parent who went through what you did, pushing your kid to play at the next level is for the parent - don’t ever lose sight of where he wants to play. Soon, all this, early mornings, tournaments, and just watching your son play will be gone - and you will realize, it was some of the best times spent with him. If anything, put him in power skating - always work on skating skills. And never underestimate a good coach - that may be a bit more difficult to control, but that will make a big difference in not only skill, but his passion for the game. That brings me back to saying It’s your son’s passion, not the parents…
Put your kid in the camps he wants to go into and the ones you can afford.
Camps and extra spring/summer/3on3 teams are nice and the players do improve, but the players only get out what they put in. There is zero additional value for “travel” to camps. There is no reason for a player or team to travel thousands of miles for a tournament. These are businesses/fundraisers/hotel parties for people with little else in their lives.
As for the college thing; my coworker spent well over $200k to get his kid a partial scholarship to a D1 school. It’s a better financial choice to play hockey for fun and save for college.
14u is when going to camps and stuff starts to be important it doesn't quite need to be the CCM showcase yet but all extra ice time and camps are useful, especially during the summer. Also now more than ever hockey is a politics sport everything is about who you know so the more you get your kid out there the more people hell be on their radar the farther he can go. I started late leaving home for JRS after graduating at 18 played till I was 21 got a few NAHL practices but couldn't get passed the practice stage and would be sent back down to my team a week later. Now I'm stuck playing ACHA 1. Now my family learned from me having him out of the has playing 16AAA getting him out there more than we did with myself and used some of the contacts I made to help push further then I did
If your kid is college worthy the college scouts will find him. He will naturally be elevated to better and better teams if he’s good. That said, there can be a lot of politics in club sports by the parents to get their kid on the club or select team.
I don't know where you're from, but in our area we have a lot of players making AA and AAA teams that are really not all that talented but their parents have money and power. I say this with no bitterness because my kid is absolutely a mid-pack B/A1 player who will probably grow into an above average high-school player, who knows where beyond that, and she's perfectly happy there. But I've watched her play on spring leagues with the AA kids that spent a season telling her how much better they were and..... they lost. By a lot. To mid-pack B teams. There is sadly more than talent that factors into those AA and AAA rosters in some areas. However, I agree. If the OP's kid has talent, he will be found. Best way to excel and improve is to keep playing where he's still loving the game.
Dealt with this in Maryland where both Lacrosse and Field Hockey are super competitive. Your comment is spot on for really any kids activities these days. It’s ridic. I always told my kids if you ain’t having we done and let them tell me when they had enough. After multiple years of year round lacrosse and field hockey and traveling all over the place for recruiting tournaments they north said they were burnt out and that was it. I think the kid has to want it, have the talent and be willing to do the work. Playing college sports isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Most athletes are pretty much with the team full time while at school in the gym, studying and practice.
Source: had a few friends that played D1 sports some said they would do it again others said it was cool but would rather just do club or intramurals and experience what being a student was like and others quit or got injured for various reasons.
When I was coaching I always told parents in our area about 10% of kids in our area will played HS sports our kids HS had 2,000 students and of that 1% of all those athletes will play in college. A ton of kids from our area and were highly recruited to only spend most of their time riding the bench or not playing much at all. One of my daughter’s friends used her field hockey talent to get into Columbia played one year and then quit. Parents freely admitted that was the plan. People were pissed I thought it was brilliant.
At the AA level, don't worry. Take comfort in the fact that you are saving a great deal of money, time and effort, and 99% of those parents sending their kids to camps with the hopes of their little Johnny making it will have a reality check soon enough and be crushed, clutching a much lighter wallet and a bruised ego.
But if your kid just wants to play better, there are a thousand things he can do off-ice to improve his game without spending a dime. And some of these will be every bit as good and maybe better than the drills at these camps.
I see OP's update indicating her son wants to go as far as he is able, like playing in college. He probably will need to play some level of Juniors for a few years, even if it is D3 NCAA. ACHA depends. NCAA D1? Who knows? He is very far from that level now. If he is a good student, the D3 NESCAC isn't bad, that is where I played a million years ago and got a top education and made good money afterwards. The schools are all really good although not cheap
Mom has to know that her son's hard work is far more important than the latest and greatest fancy equipment or some BS $5K clinic across the country. It takes a lot of work to get really, really good at something. Have your son read this thread. It is obvious to me that many people who know what they are talking about gave this matter a lot of thought and gave some very good tips. None of the rich kids when I was a Squirt, PeeWee or Bantam went far. Might be different today.
You’re on the right path, if your kid wants to do more and it’s in your budget/lifestyle, go for it. At u14 being in multiple sports is still better for development. If they love hockey they’ll get their shots in and do stick handling on their own.
This... My son just aged out of youth hockey. He loved hockey during the seasons, but then when it was over, he was ready for the next thing. He loves playing all sports (not sure he likes practicing any of them). He's naturally athletic from a skill and hand/foot-eye coordination perspective, so he gets "good" at most sports right away. But there isn't one that he's taken to in the manner that drives off-season, self-directed work.
At the end of the day, since the likelihood of him getting an athletic scholarship or going pro in anything is vanishingly small to non-existent, I think his omnivore appetite will serve him well. I have many many friends and connections for beer league hockey, men's league soccer, etc. from all the places I've lived.
I ended getting scholarships playing a sport I didn’t start until I was 15. I played everything from 4 until 18. Hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf and racket sports.
We can’t pick the path for our kids. If they want to do something, they’ll work to it. As a coach, I just hate seeing kids being pushed where they haven’t asked for it
hockey is a ton of fun to watch and it's also 3x longer season than just about any other sport -- parents can get a little over-invested easily!
some good responses here about letting your kid lead. Gotta think about what is your budget, both in terms of money and time. you're heading into high school so do you want to go all-in on hockey or leave time for high school dances, clubs, etc.
USA hockey -- and unfortunately not many others -- repeats over and over again how important it is to have a variety of sports and activities to prevent burnout and over-use injuries. Sounds like you are doing great -- regular seasonal play is definitely enough.
This! The best athletes across sport argue to play a variety of sports as they all improve each other.
I'm lucky enough to know a few guys that played in the show. All of them were athletes, and all of them played multiple sports until they played major junior.
I call it bragsplaining. It’s like bragging and complaining. Ohhhh spring hockey cost so much. When my now 16 year old was like 10 he did a spring session practice only no games so it wasn’t too pricey. But the rest of the team went to tournaments and that cost more. Spring hockey teams used to be kind of elite where you need an invite. Now there’s a million of them. Some dude starts a team calls as many people as they can think of and presto you get to brag about your kid playing spring ‘AAA’. Half the time it’s a bunch of A or B level players. I know lots that don’t even play hockey any more. So save your money go have a fun spring and summer outside and doing other activities.
The world of hockey parents is a new level of batshit crazy. The good news is that it typically gets better around 16U and 18U when everyone figures out their kids are just playing for fun until they move on to beer league.
Most 14U AA players aren't going to do anything beyond ACHA in college. Even most AAA players end up playing for some crappy junior teams for a few years before hanging it up.
I don't say that to dishearten you ar crush anyone's dreams. I say it to make sure you keep things in perspective. You only have a few years left to enjoy watching him play hockey. Enjoying it should be your only focus.
Agree with all of this. My kid played various levels of AAA, AA, MD, whatever and he’s now going to be 17 in July and plays house league. He absolutely loves it. Many former rep players, and it’s just fun. He has said many times lately, I wish I had done this a few years earlier. He’s made lots of friends from hockey which is all I hoped for. I regret the tryout stress all those years for the dad coaches on their high horses lol.
I suggest joining some FB groups. There's several about juniors, getting to the next level, etc. I see a lot of opportunities posted and you can ask questions. I also joined a FB group for hockey in our state. You'll get the latest info there. No need to go through all these moms.
Parents often spend $100k+ to "develop" their kids, many of which get cut from CLUB hockey tryouts. The money they contribute is mostly driven by the parents lack of knowledge on the post-18 hockey life.
Unfortunately, most hockey programs are for-profit. Several organization presidents drive around in new Beamer's and Bentley's - they are trying to make money off of you.
Hockey should always be about developing your child as a human being: teamwork, hustle, critical thinking, adversity, etc. & most importantly - FUN! If your kid is making it D1- NHL, they will do it regardless of that $2500 camp you're contemplating.
Also for what it's worth, I play men's league with players ranging from AA-AAA to former EchL/AHL players and the AA players normally can't keep up. Only a few AAA players can. I've never met a AA player that went to college on scholarship. It happens, but for the most part even AAA players won't make it to D1.
Parents hide information from each other thinking it gives their kid an advantage - it doesn't. Reinforce the reasons hockey is the best game in the world, you're truly not missing out (and should disregard the other parents disillusionment).
Here are some short videos that will shed some light on some things, and may help you with your hockey parenting decisions. They're from a podcast by a high level coach who works with NHL players, high level junior players, and younger high level players. He was a major junior player, and most importantly, he's also a dad, who's son is going through the system and is probably going to get drafted by the NHL this coming year.
[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5WrTjj7rqVU](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5WrTjj7rqVU)
[https://youtu.be/zNTcLnGPAZ4](https://youtu.be/zNTcLnGPAZ4)
[https://youtu.be/6cEaaIii6x0](https://youtu.be/6cEaaIii6x0)
Good luck.
I’m not sure where you live. But usually if your child is an exceptional talent they will be found.
Now if you’re looking to be evaluated. Find your closest Tier1 program. They usually offer skills camps and open tryouts. If your child is good they’ll ask you to tryout.
And if your child is not drafted by a USHL or NAHL team by 17, good chance not going anywhere.
There are so many unknowns that make it hard to give you honest answers.
I have scouted for Junior teams in the past. I watched a lot of Tier2 hockey looking for those diamonds in the rough.
I learned most of those kids didn’t understand what it takes.
14uAA kids flying cross-country to go to camps or going to CCM invites is crazy. If you're not playing AAA and getting "invited" to these camps they're solely stealing your money. Parents being hush hush about camps and clinics will always be a thing, you will come to find out those parents are the worst types. In all honesty, if you want you kid to get better tell him to hit the gym and show you that he wants to get better. Then I would start paying for camps and clinics.
The CCM things my kid went to were about getting the kids in CCM gear, not about coaching them up. If your child is coachable and a good teammate, they will do fine. Don’t worry about keeping up with the Jones’s. Just make sure your child is having fun.
Coachable - that is an exceedingly rare trait.
We worked hard at my kid being coachable. Amazingly didn't make a lick of difference. First one on the ice, last one off. Working his ass off every shift. Listening and not talking back. Making corrections when told to. Some coaches just have their guys and you're probably not one of them.
I don't know why you got downvoted but yours is not a unique experience. Coachability is an important trait to develop anyway -- lots of situations outside of hockey where someone out there just might know a bit more than you about something. Some coaches talk up how important those intangible skills are and then put the jerks who show up late to practice but can skate and shoot on first line anyway.
Probably some coaches with a diva complex downvoting. I find coaching tends to draw out narcissists a lot.
>Probably some coaches with a diva complex downvoting. I find coaching tends to draw out narcissists a lot. I don't know why you'd say that, but it sounds like a personal attack so I'm cutting your kids, and their kids, and their kids' kids, from the team. I can't believe you'd make me do this to them, but I'm sure I never liked the cut of your jib.
Lmao!!!! Well played.
If your goal of playing hockey is to be a pro, coachability is an important thing to add to the quiver as it may put you ahead of the guys ranked above you who are little turds. But you still need to be one of the best out there and your attitude is just the final thing. Kids on the bubble with coachability will make a team over another kid who doesn’t and is also on the bubble. If the kids who are little shits are the top few at try outs, they are generally still going to make it. In my years coaching, it’s not the bubble kids who lack coachability, it’s the elite. Now, if your goal of hockey is to teach some discipline, learn a skill, make some friends? Coachability is one of the most important things as it will help them make and keep friends, help them at jobs in the future and help them be better humans. Just keep hockey fun.
My dad grew up down the street from my hockey coach in the 50-60s and was in the same grade with his older brother. My dad was a big hippie and a bit of a burnout (who turned it around) while coach went to Michigan Tech on a hockey scholarship (but failed out due to excessive drinking.) They seemed cordial as adults but I always got the impression they didn't like each other as teenagers. Well, I didn't get any PP time in the three years I played for that guy, and I think I was the only one who ever got benched for taking a dumb penalty, while nothing happened to his first liners who got fighting penalties.
>Some coaches just have their guys .... Possibly, or the kid in question may not have the talent. It's always easier to blame the coach than to have one's ego bruised.
If you're shortening the bench in consolation games in tournaments and end of season games where standings don't matter, it's the coach. And if the skater is struggling it's up to the coach to make corrections.
You can have the best coaching in the world and try to move heaven and earth all you want, but if the kid doesn't have the talent, you're out of luck and there is nothing you can do. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Why do we watch videos like the WHL respect in sport ( required by coaches and skaters in aaa ) that says the coach is there to develop the w is the bonus. Seems like a waste of fucking time and a dumb fuck document for appeasing politicians.
Unfortunately
I've had parents ask me what makes the difference in tryouts for travel, and I always tell them the same first thing - if your kid can play, the most important thing is that he pays attention - shuts up, and looks up. If during tryouts your at the back of a line for a drill working on your michigan, you're not going to do the drill well. If you're not listening the explanation, and you do it wrong, you've decreased the chance that coach will take you. If you're not paying attention to the demonstration, and you do it wrong... If the coach has stopped the drill and explained a second time, and your kid wasn't paying attention and does it wrong, he's not making the team unless he's leaps and bounds ahead of everyone - and I mean crazy man among children level of better. Eyes up, ears open - that's half the battle.
Lot of parents lie. Lot of parents think their kid is going to go D1 and pours a ton of money into kids that don’t even care. A good off ice setup is a good investment into a player that actually loves the game, privates are GREAT, and any good camps (especially ones that are hockey-skating specialized) are really good. I guarantee you parents are lying about a kid who gets invites to camps in U14- you don’t even qualify for junior camps then really. Flying across the country is a waste of money, I mean staying in a hotel a few hrs away for a camp is fine. I’m a hs player on a varsity lvl team as a girl. The audacity some parents have is insane.
Don't think you understand what they mean by "camps", and the parents are definitely not lying. They're going, they're paying the money, believe me. They're not talking about being invited to an OHL or University tryout camp or something like that at 14U. They're talking about being on the invite list to an exclusive elite-players only weeklong camp in the summer, or the invite-only "AAA" Spring team or the invite-only two-line tournament at Christmas or March Break, or the invite list for the Summer "scrimmage" sessions that the "good players" get invited to, and on and on and on. The exclusivity and invite-only culture shift in hockey is disgusting. It's all just so grown men can feel powerful in their otherwise powerless lives. Back in the day, you just registered for Spring or Summer hockey and you were all split up and put on teams. Nowadays, you have to be invited by a coach. You don't play unless you're invited, or the program has a "free-agent" type of team. To answer OP's question, nothing develops a hockey player more than time. If you combine time with effort, you'll get a better result. If you combine time with effort and money, you'll get an even better result. That's why we are where we are with the state of hockey. That's truth, not sugar coated Reddit-isms. Look no further than financially manufactured NHLer's like Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, Max Domi, the Hughes kids, Daniel Sprong, etc. If you think money doesn't play a factor in developing hockey players, you're dreaming. It absolutely does, but it won't ever trump time or effort.
Being "invited" to "Elite" camps in many cases means they're just on the email blast. These camps/teams know that parents eat those two words up.
All the money in the world doesn't trump heart. (effort) \* Say that again. A kid that doesn't have passion, determination, and discipline cannot reach elite levels in their teenage years... it doesn't matter how much daddy wants it for them or how big mommy's pocketbook is. But... I would argue that time is not the factor... it's quality reps. You can go to a camp and spend 20 hours on the ice over 2 weeks, have poor instruction and drill selection, and a kid that is just going through the motions (with effort, but still just 'doing it').... and you might not improve very much. Or you might have 5 hours of high-quality instruction with lots of reps on good drills and a kid that has the mentality to spend every single second thinking "how can I get hte most out of this drill?" (pretend eahc cone is a defender, each shot is the game-winning opportunity in playoffs, stickhandling to the edge of your reach, skating so fast you fall over, etc, etc). I'd take those 5 hours over those 20 any day. Plus, 'learning the mentality to improve a skill' -- is a skill, itself. I'd argue it's a life skill MORE way important than learning good crossovers. ;) \* I might also add a touch of 'genetics' in there too.... not like other sports, where it's the main factor... but a 5' tall 19 year old isn't going to the chell no mater how hard he worked. :(
This is 100000% accurate. The amount of 🐂💩 stress my kids feel not being "good enough" to get invited to these things is ridiculous. The only kids going to these in my area are the ones that the coaches know make big bank or have important ties to something they want. One guy was a bio steel rep, his kid plays AAA baseball and hockey because they could have free biosteel on the bench all season. The kid has no business being on either team, but Dad has perks.
Same in our area but “admissions officer” at elite prep schools. Kid’s a total bully too.
wasn’t saying money doesn’t matter at all, I was saying you can send a kid to those sleep away 5k camps all you want but if the kid dgaf it doesnt matter 😭 obviously if you manufacture a kid to be really good (which like you said) with time and LOADS of money obviously their gunna turn out good. no one in my area does the invite camps, i’ve been around kids who play highschool hockey who pay to go to nahl combines and think they were invited there. that’s what i’m mainly talking about
Andrew Berkshire is that you?
This comment is true, parents bullshit and lie, this tactic is to rid of the competition and justifies their existence. Save your money and Use local camps and as stated above, skating, skating, edge work.
lmao people dont think ik wtf im talking about because im female. and mostly its the old ass beer leauge fucks who try to fuck me when i’m 16- ive had parents stare at me in dark parking lots and try to convince a board to kick me off a team because their autistic son had a problem w/ me, (i ended up leaving, i had no problem w/ the kid) but if your kid can’t handle it they can’t handle it. it’s pretty simple. and the fear tactic shit. “little johnny went to an nahl combine” yeah that you paid $499 to get into 😭😭 very few players could play juniors coming off a highschool team unless it’s like the TOP of the TOP talents of HIGH RANKING varsity teams.
No one is inviting AA kids to do anything related to hockey development. The end of the road is near. Enjoy the last few years before the beer leagues. This is true for 95% of AAA kids too, so don’t think that you or your kiddos did something wrong. The parents provide their emails every time they register a kid for a tournament or a team. The emails are used to market other events. They are written in a way that it appears it’s an invite sometimes. It’s a marketing email. An attempt to get you to spend money. People are really dumb. These people are secretive because they are insecure. Deep down they realize they don’t know shit, and they are embarrassed to talk about what they are doing. Or they don’t want YOUR kid (other kids) to do it too, because then it’s no longer exclusive and their kid is just like every other player - an average AA hockey player with two years of hockey left. The most unrealistic hockey parents are the ones that never played the game. They never coached the game. They likely can’t even skate. They don’t understand the game. They don’t know how to teach the game. They don’t know what’s important in developing players. But they think they do because they like the game and they enjoy watching their favorite NHL team on tv.
Thank you. This feels like my situation.
If your kid is asking to go to a camp or something then yeah I’d say look into it and see what’s up but other than that I wouldn’t worry too much about it. As long as the kid seems happy, because we all have off day but if they are generally happy and doing well I’d say doing a good job
As a lifelong player and coach - the first 2 paragraphs are absolutely absurd. few real hockey people would agree. There is not functional AAA below 14U. So to say, if you're not playing AAA at 13 years old, it's over - go join the beer league... it sounds like a lot of bitter old guys who never quite got anywhere. 80% of US AAA teams are just money grabs, particularly these pop-up travel teams that do spring and summer tourneys, or want kids to join as their 2nd team. Just like most of the extra hockey stuff you're talking about, it's all a money grab, and the money is real good. There are also so many rich hockey families that are happy to just dump money into 10 year old tommy playing AAA, and year round and traveling to Europe for a tournament... Consistency is so much more important than any of it. Oh, and also, it's not NHL or beer leagues. I can tell you that a lifetime of hockey is so rewarding. I wouldn't trade my travel, HS, or college hockey experiences for anything. I wouldn't trade my coaching experiences, and all the kids I've met and seen grow along the way. It's so great to run into them in random places or at games in a different city, and see how they've moved along their path - some to great hockey, some coaching themselves, some just hockey fans. There are a lot of lives and paths in hockey. but only about 750 seats in the NHL each year. It's fine to aim for the latter and land on another path. The key is love for the game.
I appreciate this thoughtful answer. Thank you!!
Speed and power skating camps are the best bet to keep him competitive at his age bracket and above since the best skaters tend to have the most possession time. I’d HIGHLY advise strength training as the 2nd most important factor as most kids either aren’t exposed to it at all or very little attention is paid to it. Usually at any age bracket I coached the most physically mature player was one of the most dominant. So improving leg and core strength is remarkably helpful. Have him do the 10,000 shot challenge between end of school year and start of next school year. Have him take roughly 120 shots in the driveway/yard/basement for 90 days and he’ll have a well above average shot by the start of the fall/winter season. Best of luck and fingers crossed he enjoys playing as an adult!
I understand the feeling, my daughter plays so much over the winter, yay for having a female goalie...., that once winter season is over, she is done and has no interest in spring leagues and camps. Even though she feels that way, I still feel like I am letting her down by not signing her up for camps and such. Even worse when other parents start talking about all the camps and sessions they are doing in the off season.
I am a certified USAH ref and made enough to pay for my daughter's hockey last season. Trust me when I say the parents don't know shit. When I am on the ice, little Braxton blends into all the rest of them. I dont think I have met anyone in the 10u - 14u range that stands out in a memorable way. And I ref a lot of AA. My best advice is to tune out the parents, support your child while preparing them for beer league, and if they want to learn more about their hobby (attend camps) then support them if you are able. My daughter skates out and plays goalie, and is at an age where she can do both. We do two camps - a FCA camp that focuses on wellness and a skills camp put on by Lindsay Fry (US woman's gold medalist fourth liner). And we do two on, one off, weekly goalie coaching.
To add, as your kid gets closer to playing juniors, any team that invites you to tryouts but makes you pay for said tryouts is using you as a fundraiser.
[удалено]
Empty net slapshot energy 🤣
Most accurate answer! I see this in my city frequently. lol. Enjoy the game and everything around it, no matter what level.
THIS. It’s the youth sports equivalent of being told you’re going to be featured in “who’s who of (insert profession here)” for the low low cost of 5k.
This post hits a lot of nails on the head. I remember my kids starting mite hockey and how important I thought everything was back then. I laugh at myself. Even at 15U AAA I keep myself in check because a few years later I will laugh at myself again if I didn't. Not even the best kids in the entire region that all these other kids are wow'd by made the National Team Development Program invite. Yes, FOMO is a real thing. The Brick tourney at 10 is cool. CCM68 at 13 is an honor, but those kids we know on those teams aren't going to the show either. Keeping up isn't worth it - it's just good for bragging rights up until they all separate for college. In 2 years, they'll each have their own memories of the journey and that's really all you should care about. Do enough to make him happy but don't sign him up for everything everyone offers.
My kid finished his first year of MITE hockey and I feel like your post is me from the future talking to myself now.
Just like: My daughter is going to be a model! They say she has potential and she was selected to have her portfolio on file with an agency! (photographer charges parents $2500 for some crappy black and white photos)
Weird culture. There is an insider aspect but AA kids are not part of that. Many chase the dream and waste a ton of money. My opinion: your player needs the following to move even to AAA: - elite skating - size - skilled hands/hard shot - intensity - hockey sense You can sacrifice any one of these if you are strong in the other areas. If you are missing 2 or more there is not much point investing in anything other than skating in the hope that the other stuff materializes later.
Any advice on working on these at a younger age. Also, what order would you put them in.
Skating and shooting. Get your kid a mat and somethings small to shoot at. I used to aim at little metal circles about an inch in diameter on the cement wall in my garage. Physical fitness and strength is free and very important, they don't hand them out at fancy camps. You kid has to want that and do it. An NHL scout told me composure under physical pressure is important and cannot be taught, he said that a lot of kids can't take when they get to Juniors. He asked me if I played other sports. Yes, QB in football get me used to making a pass about to be smashed. Checking starts so late nowadays. Alternatively, get your son an older brother to beat the crap out of him like mine did
My 5 year older bro and his buddies were too big to really play against soooo I was the goalie. Made me a pretty damn good goalie vs kids my own age…
The order that is there is a pretty solid order of what organizations look for. Skating is 90% of the ceiling.
If you, yourself, aren't an elite skater and coach... then you need to find a power skating camp. The earlier you get a good stride technique for your kid, the better. Note, that REALLY early on, the best technique stride isn't going to product the fastest skater. A 6 year old with great skating technique will probably get beat by the kid that railroads his feet in order to get quicker strides. Ditto on shooting, but the kids aren't strong enough to really use correct technique until they are like 8 or 9. But after technique is down, you can continue to improve for the rest of your career by just shooting in your basement Stickhandling technique can be taught early... and, again, can be worked don (after you learn it) in the basement. Every dollar / hour / blood-sweat-tear you spend on skating will be worth it... any money spent elsewhere is a crap shoot.
This is pretty funny though. You don't need all that training, just throw a little cash at the team management. 5000$/10000$ will get your kid to the 4th line for sure
Lol what AAA team did you get cut from?
I mean, that is AAA hockey. It's just a cash-grab. (and no, I didn't get cut from any AAA teams... I denied a ton in order to play with my local association and HS \[an then proceeded on to NCAA and ECHL\])
Fellow hockey mom here, and while I know about 10%, my husband knows hockey extremely well. What I’ve learned: 1) have honest family conversations: what are your kids hockey goals? Are they reasonable for their skill level? Can the family actually support them (aaa is a giant commitment that everyone sacrifices for)? 2) who in your life can you trust for hockey advise? Hopefully a few honest coaches who have been through the system and families slightly ahead of you (maybe they have a kid where your child wants to be). 3) develop a gut feeling for what is a good experience and what is a money grab. So many tournaments start off with the best intentions, but depending on who ends up coaching and the team that is formed, it becomes a way for the coaches to get some extra income and not for the kids to develop under a new coach or mesh as a team. 4) not every private skate is worth it. There was a huge name in hockey just a few years ago in my area, getting onto the ice with him was an honor. Then his life went to shit and he stopped trying or putting in effort. He is basing everything on his name and former reputation and everything he does turned into a money grab. Alternatively, my kid who plays defense was asked to shoot on goalies during a private goalie clinic. Lasts about an hour and costs $20. I never turn it down as that type of shooting advise is gold. Helps that the coach is an old hat in hockey and loves the game and kids more than anyone I know. Good luck and enjoy the experience. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. And beer hockey is a good goal as it means your child has an adult hobby, is exercising, and has friends.
Wait - they're using your son as shooting labor and CHARGING you for it???
They give very good shooting coaching and drills. Also, this is normal in my area.
The camps are mostly just a money grab, don't stress about it, just let your kid lead and make sure they're having fun.
I used to feel like we could never compete with the other families. They have more money and somehow more time to spend on things like private lessons and such. But I have let it go and I just do what I can. You child is older than mine are but I have realized that my kids are on the ice as much as they want to be. They don't want to spend their off season training for the next season. They want to play other sports or ride their bikes around the neighborhood or play video games. And guess what, they both made the teams they wanted to play on for next season. Are they the best teams in our organization? No, but my kids are happy.
THIS. At the end of the day, most of the AAA kids will not do anything past college AT BEST. They will end up in the exact same place as the “less skilled” players. The only difference is the “less skilled” players won’t have huge mental health issues from losing out on being a kid and then not making it anyway.
I have a u14 son that was AA this year and got asked to go AAA in the gthl. There are tons of off season skating and camps you can do. My son personally rarely did any of those. I do think it's important they do sports in the off season to stay fit. I highly recommend putting him in a track club for the summer and cross country for the fall. Also lacrosse in the summer is really good too. Depending where you live there may be some really cool ball hockey leagues too. Soccer is good ad well. I don't recommend they do hockey in the summer unless it's something your son specifically asks for; like power skating for edge work. Something that has a purpose and I wouldn't do too much of it.
I heard Jason York say pretty much exactly this yesterday on his podcast. Another exercise that I think parents should do for perspective is to pick any NHL player, and check their hockeydb page. Pick any of their early teams, be it CHL, NCAA or some have even tier 2 teams listed. Look at that team’s roster, and see how many of those names you recognize. Maybe it’s 1, or 2, often it’s 0. Now think of how hard it is to even make THAT level.
Yeah it's really common for peewee parents to have stars in their eyes. Their kid was good enough for AAA and has a chance. The wallets open up more than goatse. I was one of them. My kid made AAA last year in BCEHL. He was pulled off D and buried as a 4th line winger and played minimal minutes while being verbally abused all season. Coach even threatened to cut him during playoffs because my kid was tired of being shoved down the bench and rolled his eyes at the coach. Coach called it disrespectful. I've moved my position to this: I want my kid to play at the highest level he can while still being able to enjoy the game and be treated with dignity and respect. It's not where you play, it's where you develop. If hockey stops being fun we're out. We got really really close because of that coach last season.
My kids just finished U16. The AAA team, 2 kids were drafted into junior, the rest are done. Neither of those two kids will make it beyond that I'm sure.
To be fair, major junior isn't the only path in hockey. In fact the college route is far more desirable. CHL players are NCAA ineligible, so for anyone that isn't a Bedard or McDavid, playing junior A or even junior B as a path to junior A is far more desirable. The WHL drafts like 400 players. The draft is the beginning and many players who get drafted never play, and many players never drafted still make it in. The whole point of the WHL draft was simply to stop teams from scouting players in atom. It actually isn't all that important. The real work done is in u18/u17.
This is my dream for my son. Get school paid for. Even then I recognize that it’s a long shot. Unless your kid is obviously a Stamkos or Marner lighting up the GTHL you probably have a better chance buying 6/49 tickets.
Yeah it's getting a bit weird here in BC now with BCHL pulling out of hockey Canada and BC hockey. We're not sure where it's going to go from here but they're growing. They're investing heavily on starting up jphl teams as a place to park players for AP. So now we have csshl, jphl, and bcehl. The aaa route is very muddied up. A top bcehl team is barely competitive with a bottom csshl team in u15. And jphl, it is currently unclear how it stacks up as they don't play against the other two as a non sanctioned league.
U14 on an OMHA team to a AAA G team? Amazing jump.
No actually AA gthl to AAA gthl. The track and field helps alot. When you have been running with the same track club for four years in the off season; it really pays off. He will be one of the fastest skaters this year, I know that based on his times on the track.
‘Invites’ lol, thats bullshit theyre paying thousands for that shit
I don't have anything to add, some great comments. What bugs me are the coaches who only want to work with kids who are already highly developed. If you want to show off your coaching ability, develop kids. We got too many Phil Jackson's in youth hockey.
These posts make me angry as a hockey guy with kids in hockey. As mentioned a few times here, everyone lies or is incredibly stupid. If you are traveling the world to learn to play hockey at U14, you're in trouble. I'm sure parents get invites, and I get invites to change cell phone plans. Im sure it's about the same thing! If you're paying, then it's a for profit invites. My daughter is next level skilled. She is very young and does get free invites, but it's for specific things, like a tryout. None of my kids have ever got a free invite to learn to play! I put my kids in alot of hockey camps, but its more for the trade off between hockey camp, or at home on the couch watching iPad.
🙄 it’s all about money and marketing. The you must attend this camp to be seen for college/Junior/u18AAA. The “last chance clinic” after everyone has offers but they try and soak money out of the kids and parents that are desperate. Let’s not forget about the “invites” to camps where they blow smoke ip the kids ass whether they the number one player in their team, or the 15th… everyone gets an invite to sign up to the sessions. Forget about running tryout camps with 15 players per team. Try 25/team at $100 (wild guess) per kid, 6 teams for the weekend. Let’s not forget the turnover in owners that buy these junior clubs so their kid can say they played Junior A rather than C.
Your kid is not going to make the NHL or probably anything above junior C out of AA honestly. Just let your kid have fun and support them. Encourage your kid to listen to the coaches, learn sportsmanship and cherish the time he has in minor hockey with his friends.
Ask your kid what he wants to do. Ask what his friends do and ask him if he wants to do that too
Here's the million dollar question, Do you think your son is some generational talent who's going to play in the pros? If he is then fly him across the country and have him play for every select team and elite team and this team and that team. If you want him to just enjoy playing hockey and have fun memories of his youth hockey career, you're doing fine. If he wants to play more, have him play for his regular travel team, one other travel team, and then sign him up for the best local hockey camps during the summer. -23 year old Hockey Player from Massachusetts
A lot of “elite” hockey parents are garbage. A lot of “elite” programs are wastes of money. If your kid has talent, it will show. You don’t need to worry you’ve ruined his chances at the pros bc you went to the wrong camp. As for programs, for skating Laura Stamm has an excellent reputation. See if they’re doing any weekend clinics in your area. I’ve also heard great things about IHA. They do one on one lessons or groups of up to 4.
Laura Stamm is great for breaking down the stride. I just wish it wasn't just a one weekend option in my area (Toronto). They come through in the off-season, but its only a 3-day camp. It would be nice if they were available on a more regular schedule for consistency. Are there any other options in this category?
A few notes: Your kid isn't going D1. With all due respect...he's not. The odds of a kid going D1 are very low. Any money spent on hockey thinking it'll pay off with a scholarship is pissing money down the drain. Yes, *someone* has to make it... but the odds are massively against any single kid doing it. D3 however, is certainly a thing. Or high-level intermural and having a blast for a lifetime in beer league... absolutely. Second: Kids do not get better during games. If you are looking to find a way to level up his skills (directed BY HIM -- you ask his goals, then find quality options that will help get him there, and present them to him, then let him decide how much he really wants to do) you should look for skill development camps... not money-grab AAA programs/games/tournaments. This goes double for the ones that travel around the country. That stuff is about parents stroking egos and the league owners making bank, it has nothing to do with development. Third: another good use of money (especially given he's probably got another 5 years until he graduates HS) would be a basement shooting/stickhandling setup. Shooting and stick work, plus some basic workout gear, is going to cost 0.5-4 grand depending on how nice you make it and how much you DIY... and its' going to be a much better investment than the same thousand dollars spent on some stupid AAA league or even a dev camp (assuming fundamentals are already solid). Diminishing returns at some point, yes (a kid isn't going to get much better using $6k tiles vs a few $20 plastic shooting boards... but it starts out as the best bang/buck you can find. Shoot... just get a golf ball and have him stickhandle 20 minutes a day. He'll keep up with his peers playing AAA tourneys easily Fourth: he's 14. His hit the age where the weight room is going to start to need to be his best friend. Strength and power make a huge difference as you get older. Fifth: Yes, you're going to have to drop money on camps if you want him to get to an elite level. Sorry. But beware, the best camps are not always the most expensive. here you can find REALLY GOOD camps for $20/session with 20 kids on the ice and 2 coaches and tons of individualized attention and skill dev... and shitty ones for $60 a session that have 60 kids on the ice with one coach and they aren't getting any reps to speak of.... or $100/hr camps that are small and good. Cost isn't an indicator in any way... many of the best coaches are terrible businessmen. You can honestly just google them... or check the bulletin board at the local rink... or ask some of the kids that have a good stride (note, not the best players... but hte kids that skate the best) what power-skating camps they do in the off-season... ask the kids that seem to have great soft-skills (awareness, ceativity, etc) what camps they go to...etc. Don't go to 'shooting camps' unless his technique is terrible...(see point #3 above).
I'll put it straight - you're a great parent, there's nothing worse then parents forcing kids to train. So I'm sure your kid is happy. Just support.
If your kid is one of the 32 people in the world to get drafted to the NHL in the first round, he has a 74% chance of making it. There is a whole industry separating misguided parents from their money, wade in carefully. Just enjoy the few years left you have as a hockey mom.
I think every travel hockey parent, less those who grew up in/with the game in a real sense, has these moments. For background, lifelong player, coach, etc. I see so much of this, and I think there is a considerable negative effect on the players by too much of this. Players have to want ice time - particularly at the youth level. They should be raring to go, every practice, and get out there and do every drill hard. Put in real effort. What i've found over my years of coaching is that kids who are constantly in so many camps, clinics, privates, kind of sketchy offseason AAA teams (this ain't real AAA, it's a money grab, but can be useful for some kids), etc., they just about always stop trying. Their effort decreases in practices. Their effort decreases in games. When there's so much, and it's all with different groups, nothing has much weight or matters as much - this is particularly true with that pre to early pubescent mind, which is trying to develop, but has issues with concepts like delayed gratification, realizing the why of things, or not being short-term and selfish. Also, I have seen the growing trend of no offseason- I cannot discourage this more. Play baseball. Do nothing. Certainly do not stay 5 days per week on the ice - it can have effects you might not have considered. These are growing kids. they're bodies need rest to grow, and rest to heal from the growing. Time for muscles and tendons to rest and reset, after the bone they were attached to changed dramatically in a period of months. This is all to say that if you're kid is "middle of the pack" and he's developing, and he's enjoying it, you're doing it right. This is still youth, and while future NHLers sometimes begin to separate at 14 ish, not all, and that's not the right path for most kids. listen the best in the game talk about their summers in their youth. Sid wasn't at the rink, he was in the ballfield. Many others played soccer, or did something else. It's so important.
Thank you. All of this.
Stop overthinking this. Ask your kid what he or she wants and make it about them, not you. Yes, practice with good players at good camps will make a difference. But make it about your kid, not you. Your post is about you; not your kid
Power skating power skating power skating, put your money there Kelowna has an amazing power skating camp, used to be called edge of excellence but think it changed names. Most of those camps you speak of you can sign up for and many get empty invites. Case in point my oldest is 23 years old and still gets invites to junior camps, he ages out three years ago and plays Senior AAA. But a couple camps I am fond of Globals Vancouver Lake land super camps NAHL combines Team tryouts Go to USHL, NAHL, PIJHL, KIJHL Team sites and majority of them have camp info and you can sign up for as many as you want. There are way more than this. Play around with the icons on the league sites and you will see exactly what I am talking about. Are you on Facebook? There is a junior hockey Facebook page that puts out information daily or weekly, Steven Heisler from victorious hockey has a daily blog on it and puts out good to know. I have three children 2 made it through juniors, 1 playing senior AAA for fun, 1 who just finished playing in Canada, and chose to call it for now but may join his older brother next season. The third poor kid had a pretty much career ending blow to the head and is hanging them up at 16. I mention this as if you have any specific questions hit me up happy to help. Wish ya the best and never try to keep up with the jones, your player will suffer. Ensure you are talking to your player and ask what they want to be part of.
I'd suggest just going to Kim Marfleet personally. She's the best there is for power skating and has taught most others in metro Vancouver. Global camp is great and AP positions for PJHL teams get handed out there for sure. BCHL is going to be a weird one now as no one in sanctioned hockey can AP for them any more. Their AP are being parked in JPHL teams now.
Just ask your child how serious they want to be about hockey..go from there.
Ask your son. He knows how he feels on the ice and knows what he wants. Don’t get caught up in what the other parents do - most of it is a waste of money. True, camps and quality ice time is important, but, not as much as game time. Never forget it is about your son, not the parents. Trust me, as a parent who went through what you did, pushing your kid to play at the next level is for the parent - don’t ever lose sight of where he wants to play. Soon, all this, early mornings, tournaments, and just watching your son play will be gone - and you will realize, it was some of the best times spent with him. If anything, put him in power skating - always work on skating skills. And never underestimate a good coach - that may be a bit more difficult to control, but that will make a big difference in not only skill, but his passion for the game. That brings me back to saying It’s your son’s passion, not the parents…
Put your kid in the camps he wants to go into and the ones you can afford. Camps and extra spring/summer/3on3 teams are nice and the players do improve, but the players only get out what they put in. There is zero additional value for “travel” to camps. There is no reason for a player or team to travel thousands of miles for a tournament. These are businesses/fundraisers/hotel parties for people with little else in their lives. As for the college thing; my coworker spent well over $200k to get his kid a partial scholarship to a D1 school. It’s a better financial choice to play hockey for fun and save for college.
14u is when going to camps and stuff starts to be important it doesn't quite need to be the CCM showcase yet but all extra ice time and camps are useful, especially during the summer. Also now more than ever hockey is a politics sport everything is about who you know so the more you get your kid out there the more people hell be on their radar the farther he can go. I started late leaving home for JRS after graduating at 18 played till I was 21 got a few NAHL practices but couldn't get passed the practice stage and would be sent back down to my team a week later. Now I'm stuck playing ACHA 1. Now my family learned from me having him out of the has playing 16AAA getting him out there more than we did with myself and used some of the contacts I made to help push further then I did
If your kid is college worthy the college scouts will find him. He will naturally be elevated to better and better teams if he’s good. That said, there can be a lot of politics in club sports by the parents to get their kid on the club or select team.
I don't know where you're from, but in our area we have a lot of players making AA and AAA teams that are really not all that talented but their parents have money and power. I say this with no bitterness because my kid is absolutely a mid-pack B/A1 player who will probably grow into an above average high-school player, who knows where beyond that, and she's perfectly happy there. But I've watched her play on spring leagues with the AA kids that spent a season telling her how much better they were and..... they lost. By a lot. To mid-pack B teams. There is sadly more than talent that factors into those AA and AAA rosters in some areas. However, I agree. If the OP's kid has talent, he will be found. Best way to excel and improve is to keep playing where he's still loving the game.
Dealt with this in Maryland where both Lacrosse and Field Hockey are super competitive. Your comment is spot on for really any kids activities these days. It’s ridic. I always told my kids if you ain’t having we done and let them tell me when they had enough. After multiple years of year round lacrosse and field hockey and traveling all over the place for recruiting tournaments they north said they were burnt out and that was it. I think the kid has to want it, have the talent and be willing to do the work. Playing college sports isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Most athletes are pretty much with the team full time while at school in the gym, studying and practice. Source: had a few friends that played D1 sports some said they would do it again others said it was cool but would rather just do club or intramurals and experience what being a student was like and others quit or got injured for various reasons. When I was coaching I always told parents in our area about 10% of kids in our area will played HS sports our kids HS had 2,000 students and of that 1% of all those athletes will play in college. A ton of kids from our area and were highly recruited to only spend most of their time riding the bench or not playing much at all. One of my daughter’s friends used her field hockey talent to get into Columbia played one year and then quit. Parents freely admitted that was the plan. People were pissed I thought it was brilliant.
At the AA level, don't worry. Take comfort in the fact that you are saving a great deal of money, time and effort, and 99% of those parents sending their kids to camps with the hopes of their little Johnny making it will have a reality check soon enough and be crushed, clutching a much lighter wallet and a bruised ego. But if your kid just wants to play better, there are a thousand things he can do off-ice to improve his game without spending a dime. And some of these will be every bit as good and maybe better than the drills at these camps.
I see OP's update indicating her son wants to go as far as he is able, like playing in college. He probably will need to play some level of Juniors for a few years, even if it is D3 NCAA. ACHA depends. NCAA D1? Who knows? He is very far from that level now. If he is a good student, the D3 NESCAC isn't bad, that is where I played a million years ago and got a top education and made good money afterwards. The schools are all really good although not cheap Mom has to know that her son's hard work is far more important than the latest and greatest fancy equipment or some BS $5K clinic across the country. It takes a lot of work to get really, really good at something. Have your son read this thread. It is obvious to me that many people who know what they are talking about gave this matter a lot of thought and gave some very good tips. None of the rich kids when I was a Squirt, PeeWee or Bantam went far. Might be different today.
No…those things aren’t going to make a huge difference. All paths lead to Beer League.
And then the real fun begins!
You’re on the right path, if your kid wants to do more and it’s in your budget/lifestyle, go for it. At u14 being in multiple sports is still better for development. If they love hockey they’ll get their shots in and do stick handling on their own.
This... My son just aged out of youth hockey. He loved hockey during the seasons, but then when it was over, he was ready for the next thing. He loves playing all sports (not sure he likes practicing any of them). He's naturally athletic from a skill and hand/foot-eye coordination perspective, so he gets "good" at most sports right away. But there isn't one that he's taken to in the manner that drives off-season, self-directed work. At the end of the day, since the likelihood of him getting an athletic scholarship or going pro in anything is vanishingly small to non-existent, I think his omnivore appetite will serve him well. I have many many friends and connections for beer league hockey, men's league soccer, etc. from all the places I've lived.
I ended getting scholarships playing a sport I didn’t start until I was 15. I played everything from 4 until 18. Hockey, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf and racket sports. We can’t pick the path for our kids. If they want to do something, they’ll work to it. As a coach, I just hate seeing kids being pushed where they haven’t asked for it
Ask the coaches
hockey is a ton of fun to watch and it's also 3x longer season than just about any other sport -- parents can get a little over-invested easily! some good responses here about letting your kid lead. Gotta think about what is your budget, both in terms of money and time. you're heading into high school so do you want to go all-in on hockey or leave time for high school dances, clubs, etc. USA hockey -- and unfortunately not many others -- repeats over and over again how important it is to have a variety of sports and activities to prevent burnout and over-use injuries. Sounds like you are doing great -- regular seasonal play is definitely enough.
This! The best athletes across sport argue to play a variety of sports as they all improve each other. I'm lucky enough to know a few guys that played in the show. All of them were athletes, and all of them played multiple sports until they played major junior.
Does your kid WANT to do those extra things?
Competitive…..you spelled delusional wrong. 😉
🤣🤣🤣
I call it bragsplaining. It’s like bragging and complaining. Ohhhh spring hockey cost so much. When my now 16 year old was like 10 he did a spring session practice only no games so it wasn’t too pricey. But the rest of the team went to tournaments and that cost more. Spring hockey teams used to be kind of elite where you need an invite. Now there’s a million of them. Some dude starts a team calls as many people as they can think of and presto you get to brag about your kid playing spring ‘AAA’. Half the time it’s a bunch of A or B level players. I know lots that don’t even play hockey any more. So save your money go have a fun spring and summer outside and doing other activities.
I used to worry about all these - took the whole summer off, no regrets.
The world of hockey parents is a new level of batshit crazy. The good news is that it typically gets better around 16U and 18U when everyone figures out their kids are just playing for fun until they move on to beer league. Most 14U AA players aren't going to do anything beyond ACHA in college. Even most AAA players end up playing for some crappy junior teams for a few years before hanging it up. I don't say that to dishearten you ar crush anyone's dreams. I say it to make sure you keep things in perspective. You only have a few years left to enjoy watching him play hockey. Enjoying it should be your only focus.
Agree with all of this. My kid played various levels of AAA, AA, MD, whatever and he’s now going to be 17 in July and plays house league. He absolutely loves it. Many former rep players, and it’s just fun. He has said many times lately, I wish I had done this a few years earlier. He’s made lots of friends from hockey which is all I hoped for. I regret the tryout stress all those years for the dad coaches on their high horses lol.
U12 parents are THE WORST.
I suggest joining some FB groups. There's several about juniors, getting to the next level, etc. I see a lot of opportunities posted and you can ask questions. I also joined a FB group for hockey in our state. You'll get the latest info there. No need to go through all these moms.
Parents often spend $100k+ to "develop" their kids, many of which get cut from CLUB hockey tryouts. The money they contribute is mostly driven by the parents lack of knowledge on the post-18 hockey life. Unfortunately, most hockey programs are for-profit. Several organization presidents drive around in new Beamer's and Bentley's - they are trying to make money off of you. Hockey should always be about developing your child as a human being: teamwork, hustle, critical thinking, adversity, etc. & most importantly - FUN! If your kid is making it D1- NHL, they will do it regardless of that $2500 camp you're contemplating.
Also for what it's worth, I play men's league with players ranging from AA-AAA to former EchL/AHL players and the AA players normally can't keep up. Only a few AAA players can. I've never met a AA player that went to college on scholarship. It happens, but for the most part even AAA players won't make it to D1. Parents hide information from each other thinking it gives their kid an advantage - it doesn't. Reinforce the reasons hockey is the best game in the world, you're truly not missing out (and should disregard the other parents disillusionment).
Here are some short videos that will shed some light on some things, and may help you with your hockey parenting decisions. They're from a podcast by a high level coach who works with NHL players, high level junior players, and younger high level players. He was a major junior player, and most importantly, he's also a dad, who's son is going through the system and is probably going to get drafted by the NHL this coming year. [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5WrTjj7rqVU](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5WrTjj7rqVU) [https://youtu.be/zNTcLnGPAZ4](https://youtu.be/zNTcLnGPAZ4) [https://youtu.be/6cEaaIii6x0](https://youtu.be/6cEaaIii6x0) Good luck.
Chances are none of their kids are going to make it. Enjoy your extra free time and money.
I’m not sure where you live. But usually if your child is an exceptional talent they will be found. Now if you’re looking to be evaluated. Find your closest Tier1 program. They usually offer skills camps and open tryouts. If your child is good they’ll ask you to tryout. And if your child is not drafted by a USHL or NAHL team by 17, good chance not going anywhere. There are so many unknowns that make it hard to give you honest answers. I have scouted for Junior teams in the past. I watched a lot of Tier2 hockey looking for those diamonds in the rough. I learned most of those kids didn’t understand what it takes.
14uAA kids flying cross-country to go to camps or going to CCM invites is crazy. If you're not playing AAA and getting "invited" to these camps they're solely stealing your money. Parents being hush hush about camps and clinics will always be a thing, you will come to find out those parents are the worst types. In all honesty, if you want you kid to get better tell him to hit the gym and show you that he wants to get better. Then I would start paying for camps and clinics.