Saucey

It's very hard to understand. But then, women weren't able to get credit in their own names until my generation, along with other things that treated them as man's property. Maybe not so surprising. Any time I see a post by USA Hockey celebrating a woman or minority, a good twenty percent of the comments are terrible. With the Blackhawks stuff hitting the news ... hockey has such a long way to go. Society has a long way to go. Just scratching the surface

That's what I think about. But...as a society we are going that direction. Me me me.

There are 16 skaters on the roster. Is that low for a JR team? COVID? Injuries? Maybe people can't afford to pay for hockey post high school now.

07 is another low BY. Soon there won't be any left in PAHL, just like the 05s, since all the independent teams will need their parents' check books.

07. Pens poach late in the season, too, so since Vengeance want to be the Pens, guess they need to follow their crappy behavior, too.

Nope. I have a feeling it's really widespread. Don't know what can be done about it. I get why people may be reluctant to address it. People are scary. Either block em or encourage refs not to drop the puck till they stop/go. But I hate that coaches and refs have to stop games to address the stands. BTW....you are a clear problem when your own coaches are having to yell at you from the bench. I am leaving games so angry at people. We had such a horrible year and we should be beyond grateful. Let the kids play without your commentary. Let there be fun again.

Couple games into the season and I am ready for parents to be banned from watching games. THE BEHAVIOR IS ATROCIOUS.

Parents are ruining this sport.

So glad someone made this point.

I think the main takeaway from this very helpful discussion is 'stay in school, kids.' ? This is good stuff guys, ty.

Yep. And at 16 they start wandering away to do other things, not even playing or just playing school.

I find it ironic that that you need to pilfer from all those 'horrible' programs to form your whiskey venture teams.

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.

If in a little over their head, that will improve skills. Way over is a waste of time for both teams.

Subjective question, depends on how you measure it. I would say, however, that a program that does not have mites, LTS, LTP, has no choice but to take players from the programs who do.

Ah. Aviators are definitely a home for the disgruntled. Like I've said, only a few organizations making players around here. Others are like scavengers.

I was joking, but as crazy as youth hockey is getting, I understand the confusion....

Russian imports.

That is a very subjective issue. Whether you have a player or a goalie, privates, to me, depend a lot on your kid and the style of the instructor. Someone may work better with one over another. Check with your local rink, most have someone that does goalie instruction, there, ask questions of the instructor to see if there is a match.

I really enjoyed wandering around Alpha and watching all the different games during St Margaret's. It was fun seeing all the kids we've come to know over the years playing in all the games. It was well done.

Like Christmas morning for the overinvested.

You asked how to keep your kid's dream alive. You are truly those league's fantasies. They totally prey on a parents' desire to cater to their kids. They are awful. Been subjected to it. I don't understand that reason for playing expensive hockey, 'I don't want to crush my kid's dreams'. I can't help you there. For me personally, if I am funding the dreams, things have to done within reason. No AAA around here for me. I don't have a AAA player. The development is not any better than what we get in PAHL and private lessons. I see the players. If you have the money, your kid can play for a long time. Fund your kid's dream of you want. You have a lot of company.

Absolutely not. That's what the faux AAA leagues are there for.

I was looking at the roster of Pittsburgh Vengeance the other day, then you can look at Elite Prospects to see where they played youth. (Vengeance's Jr team is USPHL, and they seem to do ok in their division.) You are right, there is some talent and then a lot of not so good talent filling the roster, just like the faux AAA youth teams. The roster itself is filled with the faux AAA youth leagues. My conclusion...as long as you are willing to pay, you can continue hockey after high school. Beer league is much cheaper. Lol If you are doing it to go somewhere....good luck. I know a very few players that used this Tier III to bridge into an opportunity, but it wasn't D1 or the NHL AND it was a few years ago. I think it is even harder now. But....they were top of the heap on that Jr team/league. My conclusion...no matter what level you are playing, setting aside needing money and connections, if your kid isn't dominating and top of the heap, forget about moving on. Chances are your kid is a scrub funding the top of the heap's dreams. If you are going to do it, it's fine to me if you are like Forbin's friend and understand it's not going anywhere. Boy is also working on his future with the college courses. My conclusion...school. Make your kids get the grades. And like Danner said, fun. My family hasn't chased that extra A and I don't regret it at all. My kids can end up at the same place as your kid for a lot less time and money. They've also developed just as much.

Don't forget tryouts for the next season. Hockey can extend through April with high school. And preseason/practices start late August/early September. I know some school programs have ice over the summer. It also depends on a lot of other variables. What level amateur are we talking about? (Rhetorical, I don't want/need to know.) How big is the school program? You end up with way more demands on time and exclusiveness from the AAA/ independent crowd. Varsity in a big school program can be similar with demands. You can end up paying for ice your kid isn't able to use for either team.. And those independent teams have no problem lying to you about whether they are school friendly. Yes, they are school friendly to the extent that your kid can play school...so long as it does not conflict with their schedule. I've seen demands from the faux AAA teams to attend their PRACTICE over an important PIHL game. Um....let the kids play for their schools, please. You have a better chance of managing both if your amateur and school use the same rink for home ice. And what age? I think it's harder to do both the older the child and the higher the level of play How many ice touches are we talking about for the school? School hockey doesn't usually provide enough ice touches per week to keep up with development until varsity, and even that is only if you are in a big program, usually. And God forbid if your kid wants to play another sport. ☹️ Since ice hockey overlaps every season, then you have three coaches in your ear and it's hard to make anyone happy. You also have to watch....they are growing and young. Their bodies need to rest. They need time for school, a little social life, and to recharge. And once they hit midgets, the game gets much more physically demanding because the hits start to come from grown men, basically. Lots of variables to weigh.Lots of people do it, but it ain't easy. Looking at the way other states in big markets work, I'd rather see split seasons and rules where you can only play one at a time. You know, those markets everyone points to for BY because that is so awesome but somehow, aren't any good when you bring up these different structures. We do a lot in Western Pa that goes against what is good for young bodies and the development of athletes.