Saucey

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.

I hate the automatic offsides. The better, higher level teams are adjusting quickly to it, but I hate the extra stoppages. I am hearing that lower teams are struggling, but maybe they, too, will adjust. Whether that translates to better players, no one really knows right now. Guess we shall see. I hated the no ice on the penalty kill at first, but now it doesn't bother me. It impacted the game until the kids adjusted. The better teams can stick handle to the neutral zone, a lot still ice it. So maybe I won't care about the offsides later in the season, either. It does drive me crazy that school and travel play under different rules. But bigger hockey markets like Minnesota and Michigan only let you play one or the other, so maybe that is why they don't care. Checking changes are not going anywhere. USA Hockey is scrutinized by outside forces. We were told in a CEP that if they don't make the game safer, their fear is medical professionals and government will force changes that they won't have input on. They want to make the game safer and point to how they are doing it. And the checking rules are not different from the last rule implemented, just changed wording for 'clarification'. The big hit that causes all the ooos and ahs is supposed to be gone. Make a play for the puck or can't hit. I don't mind that. A hit is supposed to get you possession of the puck. Nine times out if ten, that big hit takes both players out of the play. That's dumb. The biggest problem I have seen so far is that not many refs seem to be calling the rules that way. I want consistency. I see a lot of issues coming with the change in penalty minutes that will pull a kid out of a game, particularly on bantams learning how to check. 12 minutes and you are out, regardless of minor or major. Lots of kids coming out of games. That is a bigger chill on checking than applying these definitions of checking. We may just be headed to non checking.

Really? Because the AA PAHL teams my kids play for do exactly this. ? Many others do, too. My hockey rankings confirms it. You do not need to go independent to do this. Dear lord is that one a whopper. The Renegades, North Pittsburgh, Allegheny right off the top of my head. I don't mind driving further than Cleveland since Cleveland you spend most of your time in the car running around to all the different rinks, anyway. You do not need to go independent to do these things. If you want to play independent, fine, but under correct information, please.

Well, SHAHA 09 is peewee. I think it is ridiculous to travel so far at such young ages, worrying about playing teams. I also suspect they can find games locally. Tournaments are an expensive way to develop, add in extensive travel and that is worse.

If you are asking why Danner would leave, I second that. I appreciate your posts Danner.

They will suggest a few teams but it is up to you to find the game. You have to find another team willing to do it for you. Appeals are rarely granted, as Forbin said.

That requires a good team manager/head coach who knows what they are doing or cares. Lol. I hear ya, but too many of those tournaments jerk you around. There are some good ones.

This is straying from the topic a bit, but I find tournaments to be the least useful thing you can do dollar for dollar. I'd rather schedule some independent games and control who you play. They are largely a racket.

Sheesh! That's high!

Oh, I agree they do. But they go Vengeance or Esmark now. SHAHA puts out better BY than the Preds. So I scoff more at the idea of going to Preds when cut.

I mean, kids being cut from Pens are not like...hmmm...where can I play next....ooooo, the Preds have a BY team, let me go there!

I don't want to see PAHL cater to something that isn't a good way to develop. Parents dictating structure based on ignorance and dad's ego is not good for hockey around here. Maybe there needs to be more of an outreach to educate younger parents. PAHL can do that. PAHL organizations can do that. Neither of my boys played in that minor BY model. They either played up or in A minor. That stigma associated with playing A minor in your rising year is a new phenomena, and it's not good. When my boys came up, it was normal to be on team 2 or 3 every other year and AA major your second year. You had to be really good, or born in a low BY to play AA both years. The kids I see coming out of that minor year are timid with checking. PAHL created that level to make it safer to check and it seems to just delay the learning process. Making choices on where to play and levels based on theoretical kids you want to recruit the next season is terrible. What does that say about what those coaches think of the kids that they have? They are wanting to cut kids on their current roster. Great way to spend your time and money, folks. Serve your current players in the season you are in. Develop what you have over wishing for something different. My boys were not always top players.They play for an organization who develops. They have had good and bad coaches, winning and losing seasons.. They've had some private instruction in the off season. They are naturally good athletes. They love it. Let them play where they fall, let them develop. Kids grow and change. They play in divisions with a lot of bad teams. They continue to get better. I don't think you are going to see change with PAHL going to BY. It all starts to wind down at midget, folks. Enjoy the moment. All that chasing chasing chasing...I am on the back end of watching people do that. I don't see those kids who are running around with these independent teams becoming significantly better hockey players. That has to be PAHL's end game. Not stroking parents. Develop the players.

The market would be better served by concentrating on growing the game, rather than just saying let's have BY. As it is, we have a few dads running around trying to collect kids for the few programs that develop from day one, making their AA BY team. More kids playing, bigger market, bigger pool to increase competitiveness. Everyone wants BY around here. But when you do that, you end up with a handful of teams that are actually top to bottom AA. Maybe you can't compete at Mid Ams unless your program has a mite program. There is some sort of assumption that the independent teams leaving are good AA teams. That isn't always the case. If you need to pay the bills, at some point any body will do. I keep saying, you want proper BY the way the bigger hockey markets do it, you have to increase the number of AA player talent in the area.

There are at least three or four teams in PAHL that are legit AA each year. That's too simplistic.

I just loathe BY around here. I know my players really benefitted learning from more experienced players and are much better hockey players for it.

There is the coverage! http://burghhockey.com/luke-washabaughs-hat-trick-propels-north-allegheny-title/