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Remember, it's all about your child. Find a fun environment that focuses on developing enjoyment for the game and puts them in a position to succeed at a localized level. Do not drain your bank account for a youth sport. The extra "A" is the worst return on investment imaginable in youth sports. Talk to your child and know what brings them joy in the game and why they like a particular program. Most of the time, it's their friends that are why they have fun. You will eventually be faced with predatory organizations that make promises and insinuations that they can give your child an edge. The real question is, what edge are you looking for? Schools? Pros? Do not have ideations of cheering your son or daughter from the press box at PPG. Just enjoy the fact they get to play the game and help them along. Another user mentioned 14u/16u as when you can safely determine if an investment is needed. That's fair, and your wallet will thank you. Never lose sight of the fact that it isn't about you--it's about your child and what is best for them. If you enjoy reading, I recommend Mark Hyman's Until it Hurts. It's high-level, focusing on youth baseball, but the point is the same. These are children and not mini-professionals. As far as a program, start with the closest rink and go from there. See where his friends are and where brings him the most joy.

A few thoughts on this…. I do not agree with coaches running their own players in private lessons. This has potential to creat multiple issues. If an organization is “AAA” they have to be able to hold a tryout, see the lack of talent and scrap it moving forward. Credibility of your organization takes a hit. However now that youth hockey is more of a business these days the likelihood this happens is diminishing. Takes advantage of parents who are not as educated. I look for an exodus of players back to AAA at the 09 birth year. PAHL is just a one and done for many of those kids. It’s a shame as it’s made for some good AA hockey locally. We will see where loyalty lies

100% agree and it should be a decision made with the long term life goals of the kid in mind.

I have said this 100 times. But I'll say it again. Kids need to pick a college based on the college they want to got to, the curriculum and the campus. If they have hockey, bonus! But club hockey (unless they are getting $$$, which means D1 in a sports scholarship and D3 typically a large academic scholarship ) should not drive their decision. Just my 2 cents.

Yes, there will certainly be a segment of parents who do not buy into the AAA "mystique," and I certainly do not want to paint a picture that somehow fanatical parents are the root cause of the current state of affairs. Nor do I want to suggest that only "AAA" parents act this way because we all know that isn't true. If you haven't seen some dad berating their child for a missed play or lack of scoring then you haven't been around the game long enough. They are certainly part of the demand for the product, but organizational leadership, directors, and coaches are the main drivers behind any hockey program. That's simply the nature of any youth sports organization. You drive traffic to increase engagement and numbers. It's a valid need, and ethical and non-ethical ways exist to produce the numbers required to field teams. If you are referring to the lack of AAA options for PAHL, that's never really been the point of AAA in our area and shouldn't be. If parents are just looking for a PAHL team that isn't AAA, then there are still options out there with no drive typically exceeding 30 minutes from a given location. Just depends on what your child wants and how you can best accommodate those desires in the short window of opportunity they get to play. Concerning PAHL, it is suffering from an identity crisis and lacks the leadership to effectively combat the evolving business tactics of organizations. Business savvy will almost always outmaneuver traditional values. Parents are bound because the wallet is the number one pushback methodology. The only other tools available are frequent and educated attendance of board meetings for the organizations. Individual advocacy to relevant stakeholders may help, but who really has the time these days?

There are plenty of parents I've spoken too who are not taken in by AAA mystique and want to find places for their kids to play an honest PAHL schedule. It is not their naivety or vicarious living preventing them from pushing back as much as it is lack of options. I don't know what they are supposed to do to push back other than to vote with their wallets, but there seem to be fewer options in the market for these parents than a few years ago.

They would need to replace either the SHAHA or Preds team. There isn’t enough talent for yet another AAA team

There are some differences, CJ can skate and Posey got winded tying his.

Just think about how bad it might get within the newer, and more recent developing USA hockey markets that are in the south and southwest. They have no idea. It’s great overall for USA Hockey. But, reality is going to be a huge wake up call. Plus, they’re flying several hours, or driving 10+ hours for showcase tournaments…only to find they spend hundreds of $ to play the same kind of teams they got their teeth kicked in from last weekend.

Just what we need more AAA mites

Better yet, spend you off-season time on soccer, lax, swimming, etc.

This is the correct answer. Assuming you live in/near cranberry your best options would likely be North Pittsburgh who play out of Baierl, or Yetis who play out of Frozen Pond. Both have good programs. Wouldn’t hurt to try out for 66ers for his final year of mites if that’s something you’re interested in. Just understand that as he gets older, hockey is basically like having another full time job that doesn’t pay. It’s a massive time commitment and a huge investment. If your son continues to play at a higher level you will never be home on weekends and most weeknights your dinner time will be 9pm. You will put thousands of miles on your car, spend way too much at the drive through, and alter your families schedule around hockey. As cliche as it is to say, it really is a lifestyle. Also understand that your son will likely never play professional hockey, or even collegiate hockey, and that if he’s lucky and still loves the game later in life he will get to play beer league at 11pm on a Tuesday. It is 100% worth it if you ask me. Just don’t chase the extra A and always make sure it’s your son driving the train.