forbin

The Ohio Prospects do not appear to be a very strong organization from top to bottom. 

3 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

It looks like there is not a route straight to NCAA D-1 from High School.  Much different from other High School sports.

Why?  From what I see it costs around 10,000 a year. Is that right?

The path to D1 hockey is vastly different than football or basketball. The only time you'll see a kid go from high school hockey to NCAA D1 is if they are lighting it up for a powerhouse Minnesota high school program. Even then its still highly likely that they played at least half a season in the USHL or for the US national team. 

D1 schools aren't scouting the USPHL and the other tier 3 junior leagues, and yes they are pay to play leagues for around $10-15k or more a season. 

Locked because we’re not going to have every thread on this site turn into COVID talk. Take it to Facebook.

I have asked and been told that Alpha blocks 99% of their weekday/night slots because of teams practices. They only allow it to be accessed on the weekends for games, but even then sometimes it’s locked. I am not sure about the college games but I know the majority of PAHL, PIHL and Vengeance games you can watch. 

1 minute ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Don't you think the majority of kids playing nowadays have parents who played hockey? I'll bet it's close to 75 percent. No facts just what I see.  Mom's yell the loudest! Dad's get on the Refs more.  Just my opinion!

I'd say its probably closer to 50%. Worse at the younger ages.  Nobody wants to be a ref anymore because parents are complete a$$holes to them. Its a shame. 

3 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Interesting!  Do you think those Parents, Parents were the same way when they were little? Is there any hope for this generations kids to be better sports parents or is this a self perpetuating phenomenon.

From personal experience when I was a kid playing hockey the overwhelming majority of my teammates dads also played growing up. There is definitely a different type of hockey parent nowadays. The popularity of the sport is picking up which is a good thing, but I do think parents need to be better educated on the sport across the board. It would help everyone. 

I fear that its only going to get worse. 

Terrible parents are everywhere. I see a lot of unbelievable stuff from dance/cheer parents at my daughters competitions. That's a whole new level of drama and pettiness.

As far as hockey is concerned, it has been my personal experience that the ones yelling the loudest or causing the biggest seen are usually the individuals who have never played hockey before, or are completely ignorant to the rules of the game. They are the same dumb@$$es who yell "Shoot!" every time a player crosses the red line at Pens games. 

I am assuming either '07 or '11 based on the rosters on their site currently only listing 1 goalie. 

11 minutes ago, Corsi said:

Yes, from what I heard from some parents the top division was Tier 1 AAA, the middle division was Tier 2 AAA, and the bottom division was a "high AA/low AAA" division.  

08 Icemen went 0-4 in that "bottom" division....

Anything specific?

55 minutes ago, fafa fohi said:

I mentioned this before but here goes - Excel fees are separate from PPE and NCHS fees and you are all in for around $30K per year.  Chump change.

It is not in writing to my knowledge, however all U15, U16 and U18 PPE players attend NC and are in Excel as I know players currently on PPE teams that would be attending Central or other high schools if it were not mandatory......cha-ching.

That's straight up robbery. No wonder people choose to play elsewhere. 

1 hour ago, fafa fohi said:

Excel begins before school lets out and is mandatory for all PPE players at that level

Is this true? I always assumed it was just "recommended". Is the Excel program included in the season fees for 16U and 18U PPE players? 

Strictly financially speaking, the Excel grade school and middle school programs are actually not a bad deal at all. I have no idea how the on ice instruction is though. 

From a developmental standpoint I think that private/small group sessions are awesome for developing individual skills and should be utilized by all level of players from house league to AAA. Just like all kids should be shooting pucks in the driveway everyday, or doing dryland training exercises. But I definitely agree with @BACKCHECKING that the more games a kid plays the better chance he has to develop his hockey IQ and his teamwork skills. You simply cannot replicate game type scenarios during a private lesson.

We have talked about this subject at length here how todays players are all individually skilled, but severely lacking in the team play aspect of the game. Both sides of the player needs to be developed, and early on because bad habits are formed very easily at the mite/squirt/peewee levels.

12 minutes ago, Danner27 said:

There are ways to manage skating and skills sessions that won’t break the bank. In the summer, put a group together with 3/4 kids and skate twice a week your favorite guy. 

This is a good idea. 

39 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

True but in that case you get what you pay for.  Playing in PAHL is probably half the cost of the others.  That's where private lessons etc kick in for kids and parents who want to aspire to higher levels.  If I had it to do all over again I might start mine at PPE. But how do you know haw serious a child is going to be about hockey at 5 or 6 years old to travel to Cranberry when you can play down the street for fun.

Did your kids go from PAHL to AAA?

5 minutes ago, twoboys said:

I just don't get knocking AAA hockey at birth years below Bantam Major.  When I look at it, most/all of the Pens Elite kids have been there since the beginning or they have been recruited from out of town.  So, if you want to play for the PPE and have the best shot at Juniors you have to get in the system early.  Am I wrong? 

Not wrong in the slightest. We all know there is a great deal of politics with youth hockey. PPE squirts is 90% Lil 66ers, PPE peewee is 95% PPE squirts and so on. It's just common sense. 

14 minutes ago, Corsi said:

Should that team have to dominate teams that they are going to beat 95% of the time or maybe play a schedule that ends up in a .500 or .600 record and the kids get challenged?

I personally would absolutely rather see my sons team play a harder schedule and go .500 than win every game 9-0. Losing builds character and makes you humble. If that means having to go independent then so be it. 

I honestly have zero affiliation with the Preds and have bashed them just as much as the next guy on this site, but I really don't see a problem with a couple of their teams going independent. 

On 10/9/2021 at 10:07 PM, Danner27 said:

Honestly none of it matters much until 15U if your player is looking to try and make it in some sort of way - real junior hockey. What are 09’s now, peewee ???

We know. We all know this, but unfortunately for you not all of us have kids that old yet and this is a forum for discussion. Therefore discussion of younger birth years will take place. 

21 minutes ago, Saucey said:

It's just kind of funny that it is the Predators doing this. Not exactly known for their production of players.

My kids are almost done thank goodness. I just vehemently believe that if you are taking AA players out of the local league, you are exponentially increasing the cost of hockey, which hurts the growth of the sport. And not that I know you personally, Forbin, but the whole 'I just.love to travel' reason typically rings false'. Parents who tell me this also do things that suggest they are reaching for AAA. And to do your little weekend dream, you have to have a team, and there are definitely parents and kids there being sold a bunch of malarkey so you can have a whiskey sour with dads in another city. It's disingenuous and doesn't grow the game around here.

I have to have a team? I don't. But if I did it would be an independent team full talented players and like minded people. And I don't see a single thing wrong with that. Let's agree to disagree on this and that's fine.

Limited ice time, 3-4 teams sharing the ice for practice or only getting 20 minutes of full ice time per week, dad coaches who only focus on their own kid, uninformed parents who have never played hockey in their lives running the show, organizations having SIX squirt and peewee teams because they refuse to cut anyone are reasons why I look elsewhere. 

Just to play devils advocate here, there are people who spend $30k or way more a year on clothes and shoes, or hobbies like hunting and fishing, or on eating out at restaurants for God's sake so what exactly is the difference if they choose to spend it on their kid playing hockey?

I guess I'm in the minority of people here who don't mind teams going independent, mainly because I have been around and involved with PAHL for over 30 years and I can totally see why people are sick of it. I also love the traveling part of playing hockey because it's what I grew up doing. My kid loves it too. I personally would rather spend my weekend driving to NY to play 2-4 games against teams you wouldn't otherwise play, do some other "sight seeing" stuff, stay in a hotel, eat at some good local restaurants, and throw back a few whiskey sours with the other dads, than drive to Westmoreland for a 9am game on a Sunday.

Then again, everyone's lives and financially situation is different so I completely understand the other point of view. I make a comfortable living to support that type of thing without the financial stress, and I am fortunate enough to have a job where I am able to get the "honey do" list done during the week. 

Yes, all roads lead to beer league. There likely isn't a single person on this board with a child who will play hockey professionally, but the argument that it's a waste of money to play at the highest level you can is a stupid one in my opinion. A busy kid is a good kid. A kid whos traveling for hockey every weekend is likely a kid who isn't getting into trouble otherwise.

That's it. Carry on.

P.s. the younger BY Preds teams all look very strong. This trend of going independent will not stop. 

*Steps off soapbox*

15 hours ago, aaaahockey said:

Is there something special about the 12 foxes?  

Not really, I just see that they haven't won a game yet, or even come close to winning one and are ranked 40th out of 42.. I wouldn't be too thrilled about it if that was my kids team. Then again they are all first year squirts and its a learning process. 

2 hours ago, fafa fohi said:

Mark today as a day in history where many PARENT'S DREAMS were crushed because their superstar 9-10 year old's team didn't get the ranking they deserved and are now texting the coaches with practice plans and suggestions on tournaments and teams to play in order to increase their ranking.

I am guessing the 11 Vengeance parents are not happy. As well as the 12 Foxes....yikes!

1 minute ago, Saucey said:

Russian imports.

Seriously? For peewee minor?

4 minutes ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Thanks for the info!  So he played Esmark AAA?  Is he competitive? One of the better kids on the team? Average or below?  Just curious.  Also did he go to tryouts? How did he catch on with a team?  Interesting stuff!

Without trying to out him here, yes he played esmark U16 and varsity PIHL. He is an undersized D man. I'd say he was upper middle of the pack but a really smart player. He went to tryouts, made the team and he has some family close to the town he plays in so it worked out. His dad isn't naive to think that his kid will play past these next couple of years, but they have the coin and his kid loves to play so they are making it work.

1 hour ago, hockeyisgreat said:

Are you saying that USPHL will take anyone willing to pay?  Do you know at what age do kids age out of that league?  I guess I could try to look it up.  Bottom line it sounds like we are much better off to save our money (to pay for college) and let the kids play whatever PAHL team they can make.  But what if the kid really wants to pursue Jr Hockey?  Not the parents?  How much will it cost over 4 or 5 years.  Ballpark. Anyone with ideas of costs? Thanks

USPHL ages out at 21. Tuition is around $10k for most clubs. Some clubs cover housing in that cost, some don't. My coworkers son is on his second year with a USPHL team after playing esmark/pihl and doing online college. He's having a great time and knows it likely wont lead to anything but beer league after.