Leaderboard

My son felt he was ready for AAA hockey around 12 or 13. Tried out at Esmark - was cut. Was told his size was too small. Pens Elite tryouts were the next week He asked to tryout. We believed all the things we had heard - the team was pre determined, If you didn't get invited you didn't stand a chance, it's all political....blah, blah, blah. We still let him tryout. He made the team. Yes, he was a bottom player. The next year (14U)- was the very first year black teams were being introduced. He was put on the black team. Coach explained - if we put you on Gold - you'll sit on the bench for games. If we put you on black - you'll get top minutes. My son was crushed - but after cooling down and thinking it through he decided to stick it out. He played the next year on black team. My kid worked hard as did every kid on that black team. (That year - the Black team beat the gold team at Mid ams.) My son continued to develop - loved the game. He continued to learn to play the speed of the game and to even pick up the speed on his shifts. It wasn't always roses and sunshine at Pens Elite. But, he continued to grow. He stayed through 16's then played 18's at a prep school. He ended up playing in the NAHL and is playing NCAA Div.1 hockey. He was a bottom player of a AAA team at 12 / 13. What changed that? skating, skating, skating - drills, practice, lessons, shooting pucks everyday in the driveway. Does the kid want to wear the jacket to wear the jacket or does he actually want to put the work in to develop? I watched Pens Elite cut a kid that then went to a prep school - that led to being drafted by the USHL and then committed to an Ivy league school for Div.1 hockey - the Pens Elite aren't the final say on a kids destiny.

I would contact the coaches. If you are staying at the same organization it probably won't be an issue as they will know your kid.

I’ve been through the tryout rodeo awhile now as a coach. No need for any rubric that factors in last year. It’s pretty rare to get any pushback about any kid in the top half of a team making it again regardless of their performance. That said, if a lock player is coasting out there after the first skate, you light a fire by dropping a hint that they need to pick it up, and soon. Usually that does the trick. Otherwise, just let the evaluators do their job based on what they are seeing. Your coach did his job with the exit interviews, so kids should know where they stand. As for people asking about tryouts, leave it open to anyone who wants to come. No need to try to advertise how many spots are open. Most people know that there’s a good chunk locked in, or at least they soon will learn. But, multiple times, we had kids who weren’t on the radar show as a top player and push their way on. This meant a tough phone call with a family that was on the bubble albeit further up from the expected cut line before try outs. For new families: in general, if kids are close, tthe coach will usually go with incumbent. Unless there’s an attitude problem or issue with families. New kids need to be noticeably better than the kid they are replacing. To sum up - no need to reinvent the wheel. 1) Give kids honest feedback at end of season. 2) Get multiple evaluators out at tryouts. 3) Head coach takes that info and combines with his own eyes and knowledge of previous year. 4) make room for kids who out perform the bottom players from last year.

The sad thing here is how parents can ruin the game of hockey for young boys and girls. It seems like we are talking about 11-12 year olds who can play. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion built on THEIR experience with said teams. It is my opinion alone that based on my own experience watching my child that I would have to agree with JkErsmen01 about the aviators parents. As I too have witnessed parents completely out of control on numerous occasions not only playing against that team but also watching games of theirs. It is sad.

We’re you planning on trying out for the same organization? I know organizations will place kids based on past seasons if they came up through the organization in these cases. If not, is the new coach/team familiar with your player?

I might nominate this as the best post on this forum in years.

I agree except no one is disputing the aviators parents were nuts. If a kid is nuts, that's one thing. Parents? Different story. Even the aviators dad didn't say his parents weren't saying crap about the girls on the team or yelling to hurt kids. That's never acceptable. If the kid (s) were out of control like the bleeding from being cornered and beaten up, someone should file a safesport report.

I guess you can wipe Mt. Lebo and Aviators off your list of least crazy parents ?

I like the autobid going to the playoff winner. Creates a little more excitement for playoffs, and gives it those march madness vibes. There should be more benefit to the teams in first place in leagues though. CHMA did pretty well this year with that, allowing IUP, the 1 seed to pick who they wanted to play in the semis

Great games this season, both of the girls on the team are great players. Best of luck with your future opportunities.

10 year olds are not allowed to ref peewee games…..

They take the strongest kids that try out each and every year. Yes there could be SOME exceptions and favoritism. They generally keep the best and cut the worst. There will be players that are the best when they are are 9, but by the time they are 12 they are average. And there are other kids that don't become the best until 14. You want your kid to be the one that keeps getting better and then knocks off a Mite Superstar. All it takes to be a Mite Superstar is being slightly faster than everyone else and having a good Celly. Also, and I haven't seen your kid play, and I don't mean to sound harsh. But, the reality is, your child is playing A. So if your organization has a AA team there are probably at least 10 kids in the birth year better than yours there. Multiply that by 10 other PAHL organizations, and there could be 100 PAHL players alone better than yours. I think if you watch a season of AA PAHL and your kid is one of the top 5 players at that level, then he stands a chance of making AAA pens. If he's not then maybe the next stepping stone is one of the many other "AAA" teams.

I have been taking my son to the tryouts every year regardless of the outcome. He too, pushes for PPE every year. It is good for kids to have goals and try to achieve them if they make it or not. So, from a development of a player/person standpoint you are teaching your kid to make goals and work toward them even if you never achieve them, it instills the work ethic to strive for something. This of course, is if it is in fact your kid asking to tryout and it is HIS goal to make the team. From a logical standpoint, I also have no qualms doing it every year because it is roughly 50$ an ice slot against the "best" kids in the area. It gives my kid a measuring stick, is a reasonability priced ice session with and against high skilled players, and if nothing else gives him a leg up for the next tryout he does for whichever team he ends up making it on. Win/win/win/win. for $170? I'll do that every time. Edit: Spelling

Tryout and be good enough to be part of the top 20-25?

I can tell you as someone who’s job was to find the right candidates before I started my own company - I didn’t care where the person got their degree - the interview, how they presented, their demeanor along with knowledge defined my criteria for who I sent up the ladder. In this day & age, it doesn’t matter much were you get your BA/BS unless you are in something specialized. The previous head of HR for my previous company (who I didn’t higher) went to community college AS - slippery rock BA, she got her masters while employeed by said company (I think it was rmu I was already gone at this point) but now she works for Boeing. Point is - when it comes to an undergrad, not many care unless they are an alum from the school. It’s about what the person learned, not where they went.